COLUMBIA (Nov. 14, 2007) – The National Legal Aid & Defender Association has bestowed its Charles Dorsey Award on Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough Partner Stuart Andrews for his service to the equal justice community.

 

The NLADA, founded in 1911, is the oldest and largest national, nonprofit membership organization devoting all of its resources to advocating equal access to justice for all Americans. The award is named for Charles Dorsey, a former director of the Legal Aid Bureau in Maryland for 25 years.  

 

Mr. Andrews was recognized for his career-long efforts to improve access to justice for South Carolina's low income community. Mr. Andrews joined Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough in 1988 to institutionalize the pro bono work of the Firm. His leadership was instrumental in the development and continuation of the Firm’s commitment to pro bono, which was nationally recognized in 1992 when it received the American Bar Association's Pro Bono Publico Award.

 

"Stuart has shown vision, compassion, and leadership in serving the legal needs of the low income community throughout his career," SC Appleseed Director Sue Berkowitz said in introducing Mr. Andrews at the organization's annual meeting. "He has undertaken individual cases, successfully pushed for laws and policies that have had widespread benefit, and is working directly with the nonprofits that provide direct legal aid to our poorest citizens." 

 

A former staff attorney and executive director of the S.C. Legal Services Association, he was instrumental in securing passage of the S.C. Residential Landlord Tenant Act and the S.C. Protection From Domestic Abuse Act. He was appointed by the Clinton Administration to the Transition Team for the Legal Services Corporation due to his reputation for working on issues in the legal services and pro bono arena. He has chaired the board of S.C. Legal Services for the past two years.

 

A founding board member of the SC Appleseed Legal Justice Center, Mr. Andrews assisted the organization in reinstating tens of thousands of Medicaid recipients who had been illegally denied benefits. He is currently representing inmates in a lawsuit against the S.C. Department of Corrections for its failure to provide mental health services.

 

Recently he was appointed by the Honorable Jean Hoefer Toal to chair the newly created Access to Justice Commission. The court created this commission in recognition of South Carolina’s need to expand access to civil legal representation.

 

Nelson Mullins, established in 1897, has more than 400 attorneys practicing from offices in Atlanta, Boston, Charleston, Charlotte, Columbia, Greenville, Myrtle Beach, Raleigh, Washington, and Winston-Salem. For more information on the Firm, go to www.nelsonmullins.com, or call (803) 255-9794.

 

For a downloadable photo of Mr. Andrews, click here.