Kutak Rock founder Harold L. Rock was posthumously awarded the 2019 Robert M. Spire Pro Bono Award at the Barrister’s Ball on March 30 at Embassy Suites in La Vista, Nebraska. The Nebraska Bar Association and Nebraska Lawyers Foundation present the award annually to a Nebraska lawyer who has demonstrated outstanding commitment to pro bono service, has achieved the highest standards of competence, ethics and professionalism, and who protects and promotes the administration of and access to justice.

Mr. Rock passed away in November 2018 and is survived by his wife Marilyn, who accepted the award on her husband’s behalf. Joining her were three of the couple’s children, and several dozen of Mr. Rock’s former colleagues.

Mr. Rock was a lifelong supporter of equal justice, and his leadership and service legacy includes countless hours devoted to Legal Aid of Nebraska, Appleseed, Justice for Our Neighbors (JFON), and the Nebraska State Bar Association’s Volunteer Lawyers Project.

In addition to the Spire Award, Mr. Rock also earned the Omaha Bar Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010, which cited his “exemplary service to the profession, support and service to the Omaha Bar Association, innovative contributions to improving justice, and longstanding commitment to mentoring in the law.”