Brown Rudnick Center for the Public Interest Celebrates Second Anniversary.

Business Editors/Legal Writers

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 24, 2003

Boston, Hartford, and Providence Proclaim April 24th "Brown

Rudnick Center for the Public Interest Day" in Recognition of the

Center's Significant Contributions in All Three Cities 

Brown Rudnick Berlack Israels LLP, a premier international law firm, today celebrated the second anniversary of the Brown Rudnick Center for the Public Interest, the umbrella entity coordinating the Firm's pro bono legal work, charitable giving, community involvement, and public interest efforts. To honor the Center's mission and contributions, the cities of Boston, Hartford, and Providence have simultaneously issued proclamations designating April 24, 2003 "Brown Rudnick Center for the Public Interest Day." Founded in the belief that law firms have the power to make a positive impact in the community, the Center strives to lead by example and motivate individuals and organizations, and especially the legal profession, to continually go above and beyond in the name of public interest.

"One of the guiding principles that has helped lead to Brown Rudnick's extraordinary success as a law firm for the past 55 years is the Firm's perception that it must play a positive role in the communities where it is located," said Andre Jasse, chairman, Brown Rudnick Berlack Israels. "It was a natural outgrowth of that guiding principle that led the Firm to create and support the Center, which has the mission of continuing to challenge us to be more creative in our public interest efforts and to help raise the bar in this regard for the legal profession in general. It has been particularly gratifying that during the past two very challenging years, the Center has been able to weather an uncertain economy and maintain a strong lifeline with organizations and individuals across the geographic boundaries of our offices in Boston, Providence, and Hartford."

"It is amazing to us that a premier downtown law firm would reach out to inner city children in Dorchester, helping these kids not just with money, but with their heads and hearts," said Kevin Andrews, headmaster, Neighborhood House Charter School in Dorchester, Mass. "The Brown Rudnick Center for the Public Interest is something special; it says a lot about the social commitment of this law firm."

The Brown Rudnick Center for the Public Interest is organized into four separate, yet fluid sections that encompass the nature of the Firm's contributions to the community: Charitable Giving, Pro Bono, Community Service, and Public Interest.

Established in August 2000, the Brown Rudnick Charitable Foundation's mission is to create positive social change by donating funds, talent, and time to inner city education. In Providence, the Foundation has made several grants in support of the Head Start program at the McMichael Center, the oldest operating Head Start program in the city. The Foundation most recently presented the McMichael Center with a "Relationship Grant" in support of a pilot project for the development of a program-wide child database, which will be used as a tracking and learning diagnostic tool.

"The McMichael Center has benefited tremendously from Brown Rudnick's continuing financial and volunteer support," said Linda Wimer, Head Start program planning director. "The personal involvement of the Firm's attorneys and staff has made a truly positive impact on the children's lives, and we're always impressed by the level of commitment that Brown Rudnick makes to our program, particularly now during a down economy when we depend even more on community assistance."

For more than half a century, Brown Rudnick has actively encouraged all of its professionals to provide pro bono legal service to promote individual professional growth and self-fulfillment. In 2001, American Lawyer ranked the Firm #51 out of 200 national law firms for its level of commitment to pro bono work. The Firm encourages individuals to perform at least 50 hours of pro bono services per year, and since the inception of the Center in 2000, the Firm's partners, associates, and paralegals have devoted more than 12,200 pro bono hours - translated to billable hours this would total more than $3.6 million in legal work. In further support of pro bono work, each member of the Firm's management committee will personally participate in at least one pro bono matter this year.

The Center is also strongly involved in advancing public interest issues, cases, discussions, policies, and events, such as co-sponsoring one of last year's Gubernatorial Candidates' Debates specifically focused on environmental issues. In addition, in a recent gun litigation suit, Brown Rudnick was at the forefront of a major public health initiative to protect children and victims of gun violence. Brown Rudnick is also the single largest donor of professional, administrative, and fundraising services to the Carol DiMaiti Stuart Foundation, a public charity that funds activities to fight violence and provides scholarship assistance to young people from Boston's Mission Hill area.

Community service and volunteerism are the cornerstones of the Center's mission to "dare to make a difference." At Brown Rudnick, the Center fosters a more cohesive professional culture that minimizes hierarchal boundaries by bringing together partners, associates, paralegals, and staff for a variety of projects - including mentoring young people at area schools, presenting educational seminars, or volunteering at local organizations.

"Through the assistance of the Brown Rudnick Center for the Public Interest, we were able to launch the Hartford Public Schools mentoring program," said Jody Becker, coordinator, Hartford Public Schools' School-to-Career Program. "This program has made a tremendous difference in the lives of many Hartford students. Brown Rudnick cares enough to provide financial support, and the Firm's lawyers and staff members are among our most dedicated mentors."

Brown Rudnick has also distinguished itself as one of the few law firms that has dedicated the resources to hire a full-time attorney responsible for coordinating public interest and philanthropic efforts. The executive director of the Center, Albert Wallis, has substantial legal experience in public service and is personally involved in community service activities and professional organizations benefiting low-income people and non-profits. These organizations include the United Way, the Board of the Volunteer Lawyers Project in Boston, and the Boston Bar Association's Delivery of Legal Services Section.

"The Center for the Public Interest upholds the conviction that the law is for the people, and I'm honored to help carry this out everyday by coordinating a broad spectrum of activities and contributions that serve to empower and provide assistance," said Wallis. "In the Center's third year, we plan to extend its presence and reach to the New York City area by working to further facilitate community outreach and services, as well as ensuring equal access to justice."

For additional information about the Brown Rudnick Center for the Public Interest, please visit www.brownrudnickcenter.com.

About Brown Rudnick Berlack Israels LLP

Brown Rudnick Berlack Israels LLP is a full-service, international corporate law firm with offices in the United States and Europe. The Firm has over 200 attorneys who provide representation across five areas of the law: Banking & Finance, Corporate, Government Law & Strategies, Real Estate, and Litigation. Combining a dedication to excellence with the implementation of sophisticated technologies, Brown Rudnick provides its clients with a breadth and depth of expertise uniquely suited to their legal needs.

The Brown Rudnick Center for the Public Interest is a measure of the Firm's strong commitment to the community and serves as an umbrella entity that coordinates all of the Firm's pro bono legal work, charitable giving, community involvement, and public interest efforts.