Sunny Beddow Receives Hennepin County Bar Association Excellence Award for Pro Bono Service

The Hennepin County Bar Association has awarded Sonja “Sunny” Beddow, a Real Estate associate in the Minneapolis office of Ballard Spahr, an Excellence Award for Providing Pro Bono Service.

The Award recognizes Ms. Beddow’s “significant contributions to our profession and the community.” Ms. Beddow’s 2020 pro bono matters included representing the owner of a small business on Lake Street through LegalCorps, in seeking rent abatements in light of mandatory COVID closures, and obtaining release from ICE custody for an HIV-positive client. She also has represented children in the foster care system through Children’s Law Center and worked with Advocates for Human Rights to represent immigrants in habeas cases.

Firm-wide, the attorneys of Ballard Spahr contribute more than 50,000 hours annually to pro bono service. In our pro bono work, Ballard Spahr lawyers advocate for fundamental human rights in cases involving the death penalty, voting rights, asylum and immigration, and child advocacy. In addition, we help veterans and first-responders with estate planning through Wills for Heroes; staff legal clinics for unhoused people; assist artists in protecting their intellectual property; advise entrepreneurs on building successful businesses; and represent low-income individuals and families in a full spectrum of matters.