{photo1-left}ATLANTA (September 28, 2011) — Steve O’Day, partner and head of the Environmental and Sustainability practices at Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP, will receive the Ogden Doremus Award for Excellence in Environmental Law which will be presented at the GreenLaw Environmental Heroes Celebration on October 4, 2011.

GreenLaw established the Ogden Doremus Award for Excellence in Environmental Law in 2006. The late Doremus, a pioneer in environmental law in Georgia, was co-founder of GreenLaw and one of the first trustees of the Georgia Conservancy in the 1970s. This award recognizes the role that lawyers play in protecting Georgia’s natural resources.

Throughout his more than 30 years of advising and representing clients on issues of environmental law, Mr. O’Day has advocated on behalf of environmental protection and handled cases that have established important legal precedents. He has also served on numerous governmental advisory committees focused on protecting Georgia’s natural resources and has testified before the General Assembly in support of the environment. Mr. O’Day currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the Southern Environmental Law Center and the Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper. He is also Senior Litigation Counsel for the Southern Environmental Law Center and teaches environmental law as a part-time instructor at Georgia Tech.

GreenLaw is a non-profit public interest legal group dedicated to preventing air and water pollution that endangers human health and degrades Georgia’s natural resources by providing free high quality legal and technical assistance to environmental organizations and community groups throughout Georgia.