Holland & Hart is pleased to announce that Las Vegas Partner Connie Akridge was selected as a recipient of the 2021 Medal of Justice Award by the State Bar of Nevada. Connie was recognized for serving as president of the Nevada Bar Foundation (NBF) since 2013, when she led the effort to revive that organization to support law-related education programs in Nevada.
The Medal of Justice Award is given to a person, group or entity that supports Nevada's legal community. Recipients are those who inspire by example and who demonstrate commitment to the advancement of the profession and to the protection of the public.
Connie shares Holland & Hart's value and commitment to communities by actively seeking and undertaking opportunities for giving her skills, time, and talents to pro bono and public service activities. In her role as President of the NBF, she supported initiatives including: the Interest on Lawyer Trust Account (IOLTA) program that awards annual grants in excess of $4 million each year to pro bono service organizations in Nevada; Law Related Education (LRE) programs such as We the People, Project Citizen, and the Mock Trial program; and, in partnership with the State Bar of Nevada, hosting the National High School Mock Trial Championship in Nevada.
In addition to her work for the NBF, Connie has also been instrumental to the formation of other programs to support attorneys throughout Nevada. She founded the State Bar of Nevada’s Insurance and Health Law Section and spearheaded the formation of the bar’s Transitioning Into Practice (TIP) attorney mentorship program. In 2015 Connie took the lead in founding the Nevada Population Health Conference in partnership with other public and private community partners to explore the social determinants of health, discuss ways to improve the health of Nevadans through population health programs, and promote the creation of Medical Legal Partnerships in Nevada. All proceeds to this conference for the past four years have been donated to the NBF to support the creation of Medical Legal Partnerships in Nevada.
Throughout her legal career, Connie has been involved in organizations committed to promoting the rule of law, including serving as past President of the State Bar of Nevada, the Clark County Bar Association, and of the Clark County Law Foundation. Since 2014 she has served as member of the Nevada Supreme Court Access to Justice Commission. For the past several years, Connie has served as pro bono counsel to the Volunteers in Medicine of Southern Nevada free clinic. She is also a member of the American Health Lawyers Association, Nevada Supreme Court Bench-Bar Committee, and other related committees and associations.
In her legal practice, Connie helps insurance and healthcare clients with a wide range of litigation, administrative, and regulatory matters. She has served as the Administrative Partner of Holland & Hart’s Las Vegas Office since 2016.
Connie was recognized as the recipient of the Medal of Justice at the State Bar of Nevada’s Annual Bar Conference in June. A video presentation of the 2021 Membership Awards is also available for viewing here.