When the Hon. Randall T. Shepard took to the podium at the dinner meeting that bears his name, he reflected upon the lawyers who had only minutes before received the Indiana Pro Bono Commission’s annual award.

Chief Justice Randall T. Shepard with Pro Bono Commission award winner Don Leicht

Shepard said that the achievements are even more remarkable because “it’s no secret at all that we’re gathering on a day when the nation is in a period of terrible stress.” He said that stress affects all of society’s institutions “and creates tremendous pressure on not-for-profits, the legal system and legal services.”

“It’s saving families, the many stories we’ve heard tonight,” said Indiana’s Chief Justice. “This says marvelous things to Indiana citizens about what’s in the hearts and minds of Indiana lawyers.”

Chief Justice Randall T. Shepard with Pro Bono Commission award winner Ida Coleman Lamberti

Those pressures, Shepard said, “threaten the very network we’re here to celebrate tonight.” He said that law firms, both large and small, are facing financial limitations “at the same time fellow citizens need us [more] than they did before.”

“But the response by the legal community to this double whammy,” he added, “is remarkable, and worth celebrating.”