ALTON, Ill. (Oct. 25, 2016) – Simmons Hanly Conroy is pleased to announce Shareholder Ted N. Gianaris has received the 2016 Spirit of Justice (SOJ) Award from the St. Louis Bar Foundation for his dedicated support of legal service pro bono initiatives.
Started in 2009, the award recognizes lawyers, non-lawyers and programs that have demonstrated accomplishment, leadership and integrity in fostering and maintaining the rule of law, and in facilitating and promoting improvement of the administration of justice. Award recipients are determined based on nominations received by the Foundation, which is the philanthropic arm of the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis. 
“The firm congratulates Ted on this recognition for his efforts in helping others in need,” said John Simmons, chairman of Simmons Hanly Conroy. “Ted’s dedication is evident in his representation of his clients, his pro bono work and his mentoring of younger attorneys at our firm.”
Gianaris focuses his practice on representing victims with personal injuries and diseases, including the asbestos-related cancer mesothelioma, caused by corporate wrongdoing. He has secured millions of dollars in mesothelioma settlements and verdicts on behalf of his clients, many of whom are everyday people in the St. Louis area.
In addition to his law practice, Gianaris serves on the board of directors for the Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation, which provides pro bono legal support in civil matters to thousands of low-income individuals and families throughout Illinois. His pro bono work includes spearheading the firm’s effort to represent prisoner rights cases in the U.S. District Court of Southern Illinois.
This past summer, Gianaris was a key organizer, along with the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office and the Circuit Court, of the first Madison County Expungement Day. The June 18, 2016, event, hosted by Simmons Hanly Conroy, provided free legal help to approximately 200 people to have their criminal records expunged or sealed.
Gianaris also served as a mentor for the Law School Admissions Council DiscoverLaw.org Prelaw Undergraduate Scholars Program at the St. Louis University School of Law, which focuses on motivating undergraduate minority students to pursue law degrees. Gianaris also is active as a mentor of younger associates, including minority and female attorneys.
Gianaris earned his law degree from Southern Illinois University School of Law, cum laude, and holds a Bachelor of Arts from the College of Charleston in South Carolina.
Gianaris and other 2016 SOJ Award recipients were honored at the Foundation’s annual dinner party and awards celebration Oct. 14.
About Simmons Hanly Conroy, LLC
Simmons Hanly Conroy LLC is one of the nation’s largest mass tort law firms and has recovered billions in verdicts and settlements for plaintiffs. Primary areas of litigation include asbestos and mesothelioma, pharmaceutical, consumer protection, environmental and personal injury. The firm’s attorneys have been appointed to leadership in numerous national multidistrict litigations, including Vioxx, Yaz and Toyota Unintended Acceleration. The firm also represents small and mid-size corporations, inventors and entrepreneurs in matters involving business litigation. Offices are located in New York, Chicago, St. Louis, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Alton, Illinois.
