Richard Goldsmith, a partner at Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie, was named Pro Bono Lawyer of the Month for January by the Volunteer Lawyers Program, a joint venture of Community Legal Services and the Maricopa County Bar Association.

Goldsmith is an attorney in the firm’s Business Transactions practice group. Mediation is the primary focus of his current work with the Volunteer Lawyers Program.

“Matters I have handled for VLP have been incredibly rewarding,” he says, commenting on the exceptional gratitude his pro bono clients have always shown. “Successful outcome or not, every one of my VLP clients has expressed appreciation for my efforts.”

Goldsmith has a longtime commitment to pro bono service. He is a former chair of the pro bono committee at Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie, and in 2004 received the firm’s John P. Frank recognition award. He was named one of the Top 50 pro bono attorneys in Arizona by the Arizona Foundation for Legal Services and Education in 2007.

“Even an abbreviated version of his biography would reveal a host of professional achievements and prestigious awards, but attorney Richard Goldsmith takes none of it for granted. Rather, he seems to live in the awareness of his good fortune, continuing each day to seek knowledge, share his expertise and, in his words, give back to the profession,” writes VLP Coordinator Peggi Cornelius. “Over four decades, he has assisted pro bono clients in a wide range of civil matters, including homeowner, consumer and tenant rights.”