Alfredo Silva Honored by the American Bar Association with the 2023 National Public Service Award

Alfredo Silva, co-chair of the Social Enterprise and Impact Investing Group and a member of the Pro Bono and ESG Strategy Committees, received the 2023 National Public Service Award from the American Bar Association’s Business Law section. The award recognizes significant pro bono legal contributions of individual business lawyers, law firms, and corporate law departments that demonstrate a commitment to providing legal services to individuals and entities that could not otherwise afford them.

View the full video (Alfredo's portion beginning at 4:10).

Alfredo was honored by the Business Law Section’s Pro Bono Committee for the breadth of his pro bono work. From working with nonprofit organizations on corporate governance issues to chairing the audit of committees of both Eat. Learn. Play., a nonprofit founded by Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors and The New York Times bestselling author Ayesha Curry, and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, Alfredo seizes every opportunity to utilize his legal skills to advance equality and increase access to justice and economic opportunity.

Alfredo was recognized, in part, for leading MoFo’s involvement, in collaboration with The Lex Mundi Pro Bono Foundation, on a project commissioned by Catalyst 2030, a global movement of people and organizations committed to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 by promoting micro and small business enterprises in their efforts to develop responsibly. The MoFo team drafted an unprecedented global report, published in early 2022, that includes recommendations to assist policymakers in accelerating the formation and growth of social enterprises working towards achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Additionally, Alfredo co-led the MoFo team launching the California Small Enterprise (CASE) Task Force’s first project, a resource guide for small businesses that were devastated by pandemic-related losses. The CASE Task Force also led development and implementation of The California Rebuilding Fund, a public-private partnership launched in November 2020 that directs low-interest loans to California small businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on minority-, immigrant-, and women-owned businesses. The team worked tirelessly to establish the fund, seeking over $1 billion in debt financing in order to provide capital to Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) that would quickly deploy the money as loans to California small businesses in need.

A diversity champion and a recognized leader, mentor, and role model, Alfredo has worked on dozens of pro bono matters, contributing approximately 2,000 pro bono hours. He has also been a key member of the firmwide Pro Bono Committee since 2014. Leveraging his expertise, advocacy, and mentoring role, Alfredo trains colleagues and mentors junior lawyers on nonprofit governance issues, enabling other lawyers at the firm to provide the same crucial support that he has throughout his career.

To read more about the recognition and to view the other 2023 recipients, please visit the ABA’s website.