Benjamin H. Hill, III was recently named the Fellows of the American Bar Foundation’s 2015 Outstanding Service Award recipient. The award is given annually to a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation who is nationally recognized as someone that has consistently adhered to the highest principals and traditions of the legal profession and to the service of the public in his or her professional career. Mr. Hill will be honored and presented this award at the 59th Annual Fellows Awards Reception and Banquet in Houston on February 7, 2015 in conjunction with the American Bar Association’s Mid-Year Meeting.
Mr. Hill is a founding Shareholder of Hill Ward Henderson. As a member of the Litigation Group, his practice is primarily focused in the areas of complex litigation, including professional liability, products liability, and general commercial matters. He is Board Certified as a Civil Trial Lawyers by The Florida Bar and certified as a Civil Trial Advocate by The National Board of Trial Advocacy. As a trial lawyer he has served as counsel to the Governor of Florida, has represented the Florida Senate, and has represented the Florida House of Representatives.
His professional activities include service as President of the Hillsborough County Bar Association, President of the Young Lawyers Section of the Florida Bar, and President of The Florida Bar. He served on the committee which established one of the nation’s first board certification programs. He was a founder of the Florida Bar Ethics School which offers ethics courses to lawyers in lieu of punishment for minor ethical violations. He served on the ABA Board of Governors and chaired the ABA Standing Committee on Lawyers Professional Liability.
In Florida, Mr. Hill helped establish and then chaired the Federal Judicial Nominating Commission (the first of its kind in America). He recently completed almost two years of service as Chair of the ABA Standing Committee for the Federal Judiciary which during his tenure, investigated and rated over 175 potential presidential federal court nominees.
His community service includes service as Chair of the Board of Trustees at Hillsborough Community College and the Board of Directors of Moffitt Cancer Center. He is the immediate past chair of the Moffitt Foundation and is an elder in Palma Ceia Presbyterian Church.
His pro bono activities include service on the Board of Bay Area Legal Services and service on the Florida Supreme Court’s Innocence Commission. He has received numerous awards, including The Florida Bar’s outstanding service award. He was honored with an award given by the District Court Judges in the Middle District of Florida for his extraordinary service to the Federal Bar.