Holland & Hart is pleased to announce that Las Vegas Partner Connie Akridge was selected as a recipient of the 2019 Liberty Bell Award by the Clark County Law Foundation’s Let Freedom Ring Committee for her outstanding service in the community, along with the Hon. Linda Marie Bell and Hon. Stewart L. Bell (Ret.). The award will be presented on April 27 at the Historic Fifth Street School, at the Las Vegas replica of the Liberty Bell at Centennial Plaza.
The Annual Liberty Bell Award has been recognizing and honoring outstanding citizens since 1983. The annual award recognizes individuals in the community who uphold the rule of law, contribute to good government within the community, stimulate a sense of civic responsibility, and encourage respect for the law in the courts. The Clark County Law Foundation is dedicated to providing community service programs throughout Southern Nevada that are integrated with law-related education.
Connie is being recognized for her longstanding philanthropic and community work, including her service since 2013 as President of the Nevada Bar Foundation (NBF), the 501(c)(3) charitable arm of the State Bar of Nevada. In her role as President, she supports NBF initiatives including: the Interest on Lawyer Trust Account (IOLTA) program that awards annual grants in excess of $1.8 million to organizations that promote access to justice through pro bono legal services; Law Related Education (LRE) programs such as We the People, Project Citizen, and the Mock Trial program; and last year, in partnership with the State Bar of Nevada, the hosting of the National High School Mock Trial Championship in Nevada.
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 three 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. She has been previously honored for her service and leadership of community and legal organizations, including State Bar of Nevada Volunteer of the Year Award (2018), State Bar of Nevada Medal of Justice Award (2015), Clark County Legal Services Pro Bono Project Lied Award (2003), William S. Boyd School of Law Public Interest Law Association Community Service Award (2001), and Clark County Bar Association Martin P. Dowling Volunteer of the Year Award (2001).