Fredrikson & Byron has been recognized by the Louisiana Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (LACDL) as a recipient of the 2018 Sam Dalton Capital Defense Advocacy Award for the firm’s pro bono work relating to four death penalty cases in Louisiana. Fredrikson & Byron is the first private law firm to receive this award. Honorees will be recognized at the Justice Albert Tate, Jr. Banquet on Friday, December 7, 2018, at the Bourbon Orleans in New Orleans.
The Sam Dalton Capital Defense Advocacy Award was established by the Loyola Death Penalty Resource Center in 1994 and was named after attorney Sam Dalton, who dedicated his six-decade career to opposing the death penalty and representing people who cannot afford to hire an attorney.
Fredrikson’s legal team members are too numerous to name, but have included Leslie Anderson, Edward Cassidy, Clint Cutler, Lousene Hoppe, Steve Kaplan, John Koneck, Cari Martell, Kevin Riach and Pam Wandzel.
“I nominated Fredrikson & Byron because so many of its attorneys and staff have given so much to their clients on Louisiana’s Death Row. The decades of their commitment are awe-inspiring. They don’t just tinker with Louisiana’s machinery of death, their work actually helps reform the system,” said Gary Clements, Executive Director, Capital Post-Conviction Center of Louisiana.
“Fredrikson & Byron is proud that, for more than 30 years, our lawyers and staff have volunteered pro bono legal services to clients on death row,” said John Koneck, President of Fredrikson & Byron. “Our goal is to ensure that our clients have their cases thoroughly investigated and fairly reviewed. Where a sentence of death is given, it is imperative that all evidence and mitigating circumstances be brought forward and considered to ensure justice. We are honored to be recognized by the LACDL for this work.”
Fredrikson & Byron is a 275-attorney law firm based in Minneapolis, with offices in Bismarck, Des Moines, Fargo, St. Paul, Saltillo, Mexico, and Shanghai, China. Fredrikson & Byron has a reputation as the firm “where law and business meet”. Our attorneys bring business acumen and entrepreneurial thinking to work with clients, and operate as business advisors and strategic partners, as well as legal counselors. More information about the firm is available at www.fredlaw.com. Follow us on LinkedIn and on Twitter @FredriksonLaw.