Kutak-Dodds Prize Winners 2010

Established in 1989, the Kutak-Dodds Prizes are jointly sponsored by NLADA and the Robert J. Kutak Foundation. The award is named for the late Robert J. Kutak, a member of the first Legal Services Corporation Board and the late Kenneth R. Dodds, former partner in the Omaha office of Kutak Rock.

In recognition of the efforts they make to ensure equal justice for all people regardless of ability to pay, the National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA) is pleased to announce that Alan Alop, deputy director for Intake Offices, Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago in Chicago, IL and J. McGregor Smyth, managing attorney, Civil Action Practice and director, Reentry Net at The Bronx Defenders in Bronx, NY, are this year’s winners of the prestigious Kutak-Dodds Prizes.

Jointly sponsored by NLADA and the Robert J. Kutak Foundation, each prize carries a cash award of $10,000. The annual presentation of the Kutak-Dodds Prizes honors the accomplishments of civil legal aid attorneys and public defenders who, through the practice of law, are contributing in a significant way to the enhancement of human dignity and quality of life of those persons unable to afford legal representation.

Kutak-Dodds Prize, Civil

Alan Alop, deputy director for Intake Offices, Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago in Chicago, IL. Alop has made advocating for and representing low-income people his life’s work. He began his career litigating statewide welfare class actions in Florida. Shortly thereafter, he began to specialize in consumer law cases that targeted low-income families. Most recently, with healthcare in a state of both crisis and reform, Alop went to work assisting uninsured indigent patients who were being charged double or triple what insured patients were charged. Alop collaborated with labor unions and media to highlight the injustice. Taking what he learned from his work, he developed a nearly 300 page primer for legal aid attorneys with clients facing the same daunting challenges. Alop continues to intervene on behalf of victims of consumer fraud and abusive collection tactics.

“Alan is a consummate collaborator, always willing to share his expertise and never looking to be in the limelight. Sometimes, however, the limelight finds him … In short, Alan is a quiet, honest, steadfast, good-humored hero of the legal services movement,” stated nominator Diana C. White, executive director of the Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago. “His 39-yearlong career deserves our highest recognition and thanks.”

Kutak-Dodds Prize, Defender

J. McGregor Smyth first joined The Bronx Defenders in 2000 as a Skadden Fellow. As part of his fellowship, Smyth brought to The Bronx Defenders a project designed to address the collateral consequences clients endure as the result of an arrest. The combination of his skills and expertise as a civil attorney with those of his criminal defense colleagues soon proved to be a winning combination, allowing for the successful reentry of people coming from the criminal justice system into Bronx communities. Such holistic representation helped to address the gap in legal services that people need to cope with the aftermath of criminal proceedings and helped to mitigate the damaging collateral consequences families endure when a loved one becomes entangled in the criminal justice system. Smyth has also dedicated his career to working on behalf of people who find themselves the victims of unjust evictions and wrongful arrests. He has worked tirelessly to protect the rights of the marginalized and to secure critical settlements on behalf of his clients.

“McGregor’s compassion and dedication to our clients is irrefutable, and his commitment to enhancing the legal services available to low-income communities is steadfast. He fluidly transitions from working on the theoretical aspects of his practice to listening and talking to individual clients,” stated nominator Robin G. Steinberg, executive director of The Bronx Defenders. “Whether he is working to prevent the eviction of a whole family from public housing, crafting and executing a pitch to a skeptical funder, or fighting for the civil rights of thousands in a class action, McGregor works tirelessly to prevent injustice.”

For more information on the 2010 Exemplar Award Dinner, contact Kara Allinson, development and marketing associate at (202) 452-0620, ext. 229 or by email at k.allinson@nlada.org.