WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sidley Austin LLP is pleased to announce that Ron Flagg, Senior Counsel in the D.C. office, has been appointed Vice President for Legal Affairs, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary of the Legal Services Corporation (LSC), the single largest funder of civil legal aid for low-income Americans in the nation. Mr. Flagg’s appointment was recommended by the President of LSC, James Sandman, and unanimously approved by LSC’s Board of Directors on May 21.
“I can think of no one who could better serve this role than Ron Flagg,” said John G. Levi, Chairman of the Board of LSC. “While handling a very successful law practice at Sidley, Ron has devoted himself to pro bono service to the needy, Veterans, the elderly, D.C. Public School students and many others. LSC is so tremendously fortunate to have Ron assume these responsibilities.”
Ron Flagg has been at Sidley for 31 years, serving as a partner for 27, and for over a decade has chaired the firm wide Committee on Pro Bono and Public Interest Law, while practicing commercial and administrative litigation for regulated industries and professional firms. He has represented clients in the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Courts of Appeals and District Courts, the Securities Exchange Commission, the Federal Communications Commission, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Surface Transportation Board.
“Ron Flagg has been my colleague and partner for more than three decades, and has simultaneously been a superb lawyer for his clients and a profoundly effective advocate for those who need pro bono legal services,” said Carter Phillips, Chair of Sidley’s Executive Committee. “LSC will benefit from his wisdom and leadership just as we have. He leaves an indelible mark on the pro bono program at Sidley and everyone here will miss having his wise counsel available every day.”
In accepting this new position, Mr. Flagg commented, “The Legal Services Corporation performs a critical mission in promoting access to justice in our country. I am honored and thrilled to be joining my new colleagues in supporting this mission.”
In addition to his work with Sidley, Mr. Flagg has been a leader in community service and professional activities, including service as President of the District of Columbia Bar, Chair of the District of Columbia Bar Pro Bono Committee, Chair of the Governing Board of the AARP Legal Counsel for the Elderly, Board Member of the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, and currently serves as Chair of the Board of the National Veterans Legal Services Program.
Funded by Congress, LSC operates as an independent nonprofit corporation that promotes equal access to justice and provides grants for high-quality civil legal assistance to low-income Americans. The grants, in an annual amount of about $325 million in FY 2013, currently go to 134 nonprofit legal services programs with more than 800 offices across the country.
With more than 1,700 lawyers in 18 offices worldwide, Sidley has built a reputation as a premier legal advisor for global businesses and financial institutions. For the third consecutive year, Sidley received the most first-tier national rankings of any U.S. law firm in the 2013 U.S. News – Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms” survey, making it the only law firm to receive this recognition since the survey’s inception. Sidley was also named the U.S. News – Best Lawyers “Law Firm of the Year” in both Commercial Litigation and Securities/Capital Markets Law in the 2013 survey. On Law360’s list of Global 20 Firms, Sidley was ranked among the top 10 law firms with the greatest global reach and expertise. To stay up-to-date with the latest Sidley news, please follow us on Twitter at @SidleyNewsroom.
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