HARRISBURG (May 2000) -- Philadelphia lawyer Carl (Tobey) Oxholm III, a partner with the law firm of Fox, Rothschild, O�Brien & Frankel LLP, was presented with the first Pennsylvania Bar Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award for his commitment to pro bono service. He received the award during the Pennsylvania Bar Association�s Annual Meeting held this month in Hershey.

The Pennsylvania Bar Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to an individual who has a long history of pro bono representation and leadership in the creation and continuation of pro bono programs. The Pennsylvania Bar Foundation is the charitable arm of the PBA.

�The Pennsylvania Bar Foundation is pleased to recognize those individuals in the legal profession who work to make a difference in the lives of the less fortunate,� said Arthur L. Piccone, president of the Pennsylvania Bar Foundation. �Tobey Oxholm is to be highly commended for his outstanding pro bono work. Through his efforts, Tobey sets a shining example for other lawyers across the commonwealth.�

Oxholm�s involvement with pro bono activities began in 1979 when he created Dechert Price & Rhoads first formal pro bono program through a partnership with Community Legal Services (CLS). A trustee of CLS since 1982, Oxholm also launched a fundraising drive for the organization in 1984 that raised $46,000. Last year the giving campaign for legal services raised over $200,000.

Charged with helping the Philadelphia Bar Association rejuvenate its pro bono programs, Oxholm and others created the award-winning Philadelphia Volunteers for the Indigent Program (Philadelphia VIP) in 1985 and several other programs to help the less fortunate gain access to the legal system. In addition, Oxholm was appointed in 1988 to the Pennsylvania Bar Association�s blue ribbon Task Force on Legal Services to the Needy, which undertook a statewide study of the unmet legal needs of the poor.

Among his other pro bono endeavors, Oxholm served as the first chair for both the Philadelphia Bar Association�s Public Interest Section and the Advisory Committee to the Public Service Program at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Oxholm also is a member of the Interest On Lawyer Trust Account (IOLTA) board of directors. Today, Oxholm continues to work with the Pennsylvania and Philadelphia bar association pro bono programs and donates countless hours to pro bono cases.

Oxholm received his undergraduate degree from Amherst College, a master�s degree from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and a JD from Harvard Law School.