The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) has recognized Partner Bill Lee as a 2020 Justice in Action Award recipient, “which honors exceptional individuals for their outstanding achievements and efforts to advance social justice.”

In Bill Lee’s 40-plus-year legal career, he has established himself as a prominent trial and intellectual property lawyer, making significant contributions to the legal profession in both private practice and public service. The AALDEF highlighted his work as lead trial lawyer in the recent Harvard case which alleged the institution’s admissions process was discriminatory. Additionally, he was recognized as a devoted supporter of academia: he serves as a Senior Fellow of the Harvard Corporation and has been a member of the Harvard Law School faculty for sixteen years.

The AALDEF recognized Lee during its annual Lunar New Year Gala and Justice in Action Awards Ceremony earlier this month in New York City. When accepting his award, Lee delivered a moving speech about growing up as an immigrant in America and his journey in the legal industry. The ceremony brought together hundreds of leaders of the legal, business, civil rights, and arts communities. Those in attendance included WilmerHale’s Omar Khan, Anjan Sahni, Felicia Ellsworth, Seth Waxman, Sam Ha, Calvin Walden, Mark Borden, Harry Weiss, Debo Adegbile, Noah Levine, David Bassett, Jonathan Pressman, Tim Cho, Eliot Kim and Sanaz Payandeh.