ATLANTA (December 15) – Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton announced today that attorney Elliott Levitas has been named one of Emory University’s 175 Emory Historymakers. On December 7, in honor of Emory’s 175th anniversary, the university recognized these 175 remarkable people who have helped shape the institution through their lives and work. The celebration included high-profile speakers and a processional representing those who have meant so much to the outstanding success of Emory.
Nominated by the Emory community and selected by a committee from among more than a thousand suggestions, the final 175 Emory Historymakers are men and women who have demonstrated, to an exceptional and memorable degree, some combination of these attributes: ethical engagement and adherence to a moral path; courageous leadership on behalf of the greater community or environment; a legacy of imparting knowledge to others or of seeking new wisdom that has had a broader positive impact; significant contributions to the life of Emory through continual involvement with the university or by making Emory better known nationally and abroad.
Emory honored Mr. Levitas, a Rhodes Scholar, for serving in the Georgia Legislature (1966-1975) and the U.S. House of Representatives (1975-1985), and stated that perhaps his greatest accomplishment came outside of government. Mr. Levitas served on the plaintiffs’ litigation team in the historic class-action suit of Cobell v. Norton, which sued the federal government on behalf of more than 500,000 Native Americans for breach of trust regarding lands and billions of dollars of Indian trust funds held by the U.S. since the 1880s. After more than 15 years of trails and appeals, the Courts decided the case in the plaintiffs’ favor, leading to a $3.4 billion settlement, which is the largest class-action award against the government in U.S. history.
Mr. Levitas has served as a government official and acted as an international spokesperson for over 50 years. His practice during this time span includes creating and passing historical legislation, as well as fighting and winning landmark cases. Mr. Levitas received the Thomas B. Murphy Lifetime Achievement Award from the Democratic Party of Georgia in 2008. He was recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® for Government Relations Law in 2012 and the five years immediately preceding and has been recognized as one of Georgia's "Legal Elite" for Governmental Affairs in Georgia Trend Magazine.
About Kilpatrick Townsend
Kilpatrick Townsend has 18 offices extending into the four corners of the continental United States; Asia; and Europe, including: Atlanta, GA; Augusta, GA; Charlotte, NC; Denver, CO; Menlo Park, CA; New York, NY; Oakland, CA; Raleigh, NC; San Diego, CA; San Francisco, CA; Seattle, WA; Walnut Creek, CA; Washington, DC; Winston-Salem, NC; Dubai; Stockholm; Taipei; and Tokyo. For more information, please visit: www.kilpatricktownsend.com.
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Donated over 900 backpacks and supplies to help students start the 2011-2012 school year ready to learn.
