HARRISBURG (Feb. 7, 2012) - Eric W. Springer, of counsel, Horty, Springer & Mattern PC in Pittsburgh, will be honored with the A. Leon Higginbotham Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award during the 24th Annual Pennsylvania Bar Association Minority Attorney Conference, "Optimizing Opportunities in Tough Times." The conference takes place March 15 and 16 at the Omni William Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh.

Springer will receive the award at a March 16 luncheon, which will feature keynote speaker Dean Linda Ammons, Widener University School of Law.

The A. Leon Higginbotham Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes the accomplishments of a lawyer or judge who has demonstrated dedication to the legal profession and the minority community through civil, community or legal service. Higginbotham, who died in 1998, was a civic leader, author, academic and federal appeals court judge who fought tirelessly against racial discrimination.

Springer earned his undergraduate degree from Rutgers University and graduated from New York University School of Law. Following law school, he served for several years in the U.S. Army and clerked for Matthew M. Levy, a justice on the Supreme Court of New York. He moved to Pittsburgh to join the University of Pittsburgh faculty as an associate professor in the School of Law and as a research professor in the Graduate School of Public Health.

In 1968, Springer served as director of compliance for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. He then served as vice president and director of publications for Aspen Systems Corporation. He subsequently founded his Pittsburgh law firm where he would practice for the next 40 years.

Springer has edited and authored several books and has been widely published in health and legal journals.

His current involvement on commissions and boards includes service to the Falk Foundation, Steel Industry Heritage Corporation, Pittsburgh Public Theater and the Allegheny County Bar Foundation. Previous involvement includes the Pittsburgh Commission on Human Relations, the Urban League of Pittsburgh, and the Pittsburgh Branch of the NAACP.

Springer previously received the Pennsylvania Bar Association Excellence in Health Care Law Award. He is an honorary fellow of the American College of Hospital Executives, a charter member of the American Academy of Hospital Attorneys, and a fellow of the American Public Health Association.

In addition to the March 16 luncheon featuring Springer and Ammons, the two-day PBA Minority Attorney Conference will feature speakers offering their perspectives on how minority lawyers can take advantage of the changing economic climate and emerging areas of the law. An additional highlight will be the kick-off program, "Pathways to Leadership" by the PBA Leadership Recruitment and Development Committee.

The conference, which is being organized and hosted by the PBA Minority Bar Committee and sponsored by the Pennsylvania Bar Foundation, will offer up to 9.5 CLE credits.

For more information about the conference and the award presentation, visit the PBA website at http://www.pabar.org or contact the PBA Member Service Center at 800-932-0311.

Founded in 1895, the Pennsylvania Bar Association strives to promote justice, professional excellence and respect for the law; improve public understanding of the legal system; facilitate access to legal services; and serve the 28,000 lawyers who are members of the association.