Wendel Rosen Partner Donald Simon Earns California Lawyer Attorney of the Year Award

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, March 15, 2012 (Press-News.org) Wendel, Rosen, Black & Dean LLP Partner Donald Simon has been honored with California Lawyer magazine's Attorney of the Year Award (CLAY Award) for 2012. Simon is one of only 56 attorneys statewide selected for the annual award program's 16th year. This year's recipients, an elite group of lawyers who have collectively "changed the law, substantially influenced public policy or the profession, or achieved a remarkable victory for a client or for the public," are featured in the March 2012 issue.

Simon was recognized in the "Legislation" category for his work drafting and successfully pushing for the passage of Assembly Bill 361 into California law last October. As co-chair of the legal advisory group spearheading the effort, Simon was instrumental in ushering in a new class of corporation that meets higher corporate responsibility standards and was praised by California Lawyer for "mak[ing] it possible for California businesses to fold goals of sustainability and social morality into their missions."

Unlike companies organized under general corporate law that are required to prioritize profits ahead of everything else, companies that choose to form as benefit corporations must additionally consider their impacts on society, employees and the environment. Benefit corporations must also pursue the creation of a material positive impact on society and the environment while simultaneously meeting higher standards of accountability and transparency. Wendel Rosen actively supported the bill and, in 2010, earned B Corporation Certification from B Lab (www.bcorporation.net), the organization that sponsored the legislation.

At Wendel Rosen, Simon advises public and private clients on matters related to construction law, green building, renewable energy and green business. Simon co-founded Wendel Rosen's Green Business Practice Group and led the firm's internal sustainability efforts, helping it to become the first law firm in the nation certified as a green business.

Simon also co-founded two of California's leading green business organizations, the U.S. Green Building Council's Northern California Chapter and Build It Green. Simon is general counsel to both organizations, as well as to the California Solar Energy Industries Association and Efficiency First. A frequent speaker and moderator on green business topics, Simon has also hosted West Coast Green, the leading conference and trade show for green innovation. He received both his J.D. (1995) and his B.A. (1992) from Ohio State University.

About Wendel Rosen
Wendel, Rosen, Black & Dean LLP serves a diverse clientele of business, public and individual clients located throughout California and the United States. With offices in Oakland and Modesto, California, the 103-year-old firm advises clients on transactional and civil litigation matters in several related fields of law, including real estate; business/corporate; construction; creditors' rights/bankruptcy; eminent domain; employment; environmental; estate planning, trusts and probate; green business; insurance; intellectual property; land use; taxation; and technology. The firm's Green Business Practice Group advises clients in areas including organic foods and natural products, renewable energy, green building and design, green leasing and real estate issues, environmental advertising claims, and climate change, as well as in more traditional business and litigation matters. The Green Business Practice Group also hosts a weekly radio show focusing on the green economy; podcasts can be found at http://www.thewendelforum.com. The firm has won numerous recognitions for its leadership in the green economy, and in 2009, Wendel Rosen was named to the National Law Journal's "Hot List" of Top 20 mid-sized law firms due to its green business acumen, practices, and influential attorney roster. Additional information about the firm and its attorneys may be found at http://www.wendel.com.

Contact:
Lydia Bednerik
Marketing Director
Wendel, Rosen, Black & Dean LLP
510.834.6600
lbednerik@wendel.com