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Contact: 
Lorri Montgomery, Communications Manager
The National Center for State Courts
300 Newport Avenue
Williamsburg, VA 23185-4147
757.259.1525
lmontgomery@ncsc.dni.us 

Henry L. King Receives the National Center
for State Courts' First-Ever John H. Pickering Award

Williamsburg, VA (Nov. 9, 2005) – Henry L. King, senior counsel with Davis Polk and Wardwell in New York City, is the first recipient of the newly established National Center for State Courts’ John H. Pickering Award, given to a member of the NCSC’s Lawyers Committee who has made a significant professional and personal contribution to the mission of the National Center. The award was created this year to honor Mr. Pickering, an appellate lawyer and long-time supporter of the National Center who during his long and distinguished career was renowned as a champion of civil rights and an advocate for the needs of the elderly, poor and disadvantaged.

Indiana Chief Justice Randall T. Shepard, chair of NCSC’s Board of Directors and president of the Conference of Chief Justices, and NCSC Board member Curtis Barnette, of counsel with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP in Washington, D.C., presented the Pickering Award to Mr. King October 28 at the NCSC Annual Recognition Luncheon in Washington, D.C. Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts attended the luncheon.

Mr. King was a founding member of the National Center ’s Lawyers Committee in 1978 and served as chair from 2001-2003, during which time committee membership increased significantly, and the NCSC experienced an unprecedented level of law firm support. Mr. King, who continues to serve on the Lawyers Committee, was inducted into the NCSC’s Warren E. Burger Society in 1997 and received the Crystal Award in 2003, which has been presented only five times in the NCSC’s 30-year history. His firm was one of the first to be recognized for achieving 20 years of support to the NCSC, and continues to be the National Center ’s top annual law firm supporter. Mr. King has also served as president of the New York State Bar Association and chair of the Board of Trustees of Columbia University.

Mr. Pickering, 89, was a founding partner of the Washington , D.C. , law firm of Wilmer Cutler & Pickering, now Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale & Dorr LLP. A model of leadership and service to the NCSC, Mr. Pickering served on special committees for capital campaigns, provided pro bono legal representation, and contributed financially to the NCSC, both as an individual contributor and through his firm. Mr. Pickering also was a founding member of the Lawyers Committee, serving as chair from 1987-1992, and continued to serve on the committee until his death in March 2005. He had also served as a member of the NCSC Board of Directors. 

The recipient of numerous special recognition awards for his volunteer service and financial support to the NCSC, Mr. Pickering received the Distinguished Service Award in 1985, the Paul C. Reardon Award in 1994, and the NCSC’s Crystal Award for extraordinary leadership and service in 1999. He was one of the inaugural inductees of the Warren E. Burger Society in 1996. The Pickering Award will be presented on an occasional basis.

The NCSC, headquartered in Williamsburg , Va. , is a non-profit court reform organization dedicated to improving the administration of justice by providing leadership and service to the state courts. The NCSC, founded in 1971 by the Conference of Chief Justices and Chief Justice of the United States Warren E. Burger, provides education, training, and technology, management, and research services to the nation’s state courts. The NCSC also is taking the lead on several key issues facing the justice system. For example, it has established a major civil justice initiative, a multi-year project that is examining best practices in civil case management and how complex litigation procedures can be improved. Other national initiatives being driven by the NCSC include judicial selection reform and increasing citizen participation in jury service.  

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