Barnes & Thornburg Attorneys, Staff Honored with Annual Awards

INDIANAPOLIS – Barnes & Thornburg has honored four attorneys and business professionals with service awards for their commitment to community service and the firm’s pro bono efforts, diversity and inclusion activities, and mentoring program.

The honorees are:

James J. Leonard, a litigation partner and insurance coverage adviser in the firm’s Atlanta office, is the recipient of the Joseph A. Maley Pro Bono Award. The firm honored Leonard for, among other activities, leading the effort to partner Barnes & Thornburg with Koch Industries’ in-house legal team to expand the depth, breadth and diversity of the firm’s pro bono program by agreeing to provide 10,000 pro bono hours over three years.  Thus far, 94 Barnes & Thornburg attorneys in all firm departments have worked with Koch counsel and Stand Together catalyst organizations to support nonprofit work in communities around the country, providing almost 2,000 hours of legal services to date. More than 50 different nonprofits have been served nationally. The award was established in memory of firm partner John R. Maley’s oldest son, Joseph, who passed away in 2008.

Indianapolis partner Thomas A. Pitman, a member in the firm’s government services and finance group, received the Kenneth H. Inskeep Mentoring Award. Pitman has mentored an Indianapolis colleague over the last several years and guided, encouraged and prepared them to succeed at the firm. This includes advising attorneys on how to enhance their technical training, providing detailed guidance on the path to partnership, and honing business development skills.

John T.L. Koenig, managing partner of the firm’s Atlanta office, is the recipient of the Camille Conway Diversity Award. As the leader of the firm’s Atlanta office, Koenig has worked to recruit and hire attorneys with diverse backgrounds, and also guided younger attorneys and partners in order to provide a more welcoming environment. The Atlanta office was named one of Atlanta’s Best Places to Work by the Atlanta Business Chronicle in 2020 and 2021, and was hailed for its inclusive workplace. The award is named after Camille Conway, a partner in the firm’s Chicago office, who died suddenly in 2009.

Gretchen A. Helms, a business development manager in the firm’s marketing department, received the Commitment to Community Award for her extraordinary contributions to the community, particularly in the area of rehabilitative health. An occupational therapist by training, Helms has been a longtime volunteer for nonprofit organization Conquer Paralysis Now, a global project of the Sam Schmidt Foundation. Schmidt, a former driver in the Indy Racing League, was injured in practice in January 2000, sustaining a spinal cord injury that left him a quadriplegic. Helms has spearheaded several foundation events, including the 2020 virtual gala that raised a record-breaking $650,000 and again in 2021 another record at $835,000 raised to fund medical research, innovative equipment used for rehabilitation, and quality-of-life programs. 

With more than 700 attorneys and other legal professionals, Barnes & Thornburg is one of the largest law firms in the country. The firm serves clients worldwide from offices in Atlanta, Boston, California, Chicago, Delaware, Indiana, Michigan, Minneapolis, New York, Ohio, Raleigh, Salt Lake City, Texas and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit us online at www.btlaw.com or on Twitter @BTLawNews.