Bilzin Sumberg has announced that founding artner Brian Bilzin is the recipient of the 2018 American Jewish Committee’s (AJC) Judge Learned Hand Award. More than 500 people gathered for the presentation in May at Jungle Island.
The award, considered among the highest of honors within the legal profession for excellence and lifelong contributions to the industry, recognizes profound dedication to humanitarian principles, individual rights and democratic values to advance a more just society.
“We are honored to recognize Brian’s contributions to the profession, as well as his outstanding leadership in the Jewish community,” said Brian Siegal, director of AJC’s Greater Miami and Broward Regional Office. “With this award, he joins an illustrious roster of legal luminaries who are together helping make our world a better place.”
Bilzin has been at the forefront of real estate law and development in South Florida for more than 40 years. With his vision, Bilzin Sumberg has grown to become one of the most prominent firms in the region, growing alongside South Florida and its rise as a global region.
His unique ability to bring opposite parties to the deal-making table and his solution-oriented approach is why some of the region’s largest developers have sought his counsel for decades. He has received the highest ranking in Real Estate from Chamber’s USA since the publication’s inaugural year in Florida and has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America and Florida Super Lawyers for over a decade.
While his professional accomplishments are many, his leadership extends well beyond the firm and practice. Bilzin has served as a board member of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation since 2000 and as its chair from 2012 to 2014. Additionally, he has served as a board member since 2017 of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a think tank based in Washington, DC that focuses on national security and foreign policy.
He is a board member of the I Have a Dream Foundation and a former board and Executive Committee member of the Jackson Memorial Foundation. Bilzin also is an active Senate Club member of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a trustee of United Way of Miami-Dade and a founder of Mount Sinai Hospital.
“Brian embodies the core ideals that Judge Learned Hand himself espoused — tolerance, protection of individual liberties and a sense of duty to give back,” said John C. Sumberg, managing partner and chair-elect of Bilzin Sumberg. “Not only is he deserving of this honor, he is credited with helping shape and inspire these same principles that continue to guide our firm today.”
Community involvement remains a central aspect of Bilzin Sumberg’s firm culture through pro-bono service, financial support to numerous nonprofits and its signature volunteer program, Bilzin Sumberg Cares. Now in its ninth year, Bilzin Sumberg Cares partners with community organizations such as Lotus House Shelter, Centro Campesino, Dr. Armando Badia Senior Center and Scott Lake Elementary in Miami Gardens, culminating with an annual service project at their site.
AJC is a non-profit organization dedicated to advocating for the Jewish people. AJC is the leading global Jewish advocacy organization and is committed to advancing human rights and democratic values in the U.S. and worldwide. AJC established the annual award in 1964 to recognize leaders in the legal profession for their excellence and contributions to the practice of law.
The award honors the memory of Judge Learned Hand, a highly distinguished individual recognized as heir to Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes’ legacy of a Jurist and Poet of Liberty.
Judge Hand, a graduate of Harvard and its law school, was widely admired as a dean among American jurists, and was well-known for the extensive range of decisions he tendered that centered on questions of constitutional rights and antitrust legislation.
For more information about Bilzin Sumberg, visit bilzin.com.
