Human Rights First Award Renamed After Founding Partner William Zabel

Human Rights First has renamed its annual award after Bill Zabel, Schulte founding partner and co-chair of Human Rights First’s board of directors. For more than 30 years, Human Rights First has presented its annual Human Rights First Award to courageous activists on the frontlines of the struggle for freedom and dignity. The William D. Zabel Human Rights Award will continue to recognize courageous activists facing risk to advance human rights. 

With this naming, Human Rights First is celebrating Bill’s unwavering commitment to advancing racial and social justice. A lifelong leader on human rights, Bill has traveled the world on behalf of Human Rights First, participating in fact-finding missions investigating abuses in the Soviet Union, the Philippines, China and Chile. He played an instrumental role in helping Human Rights First build its network of law firms that take on asylum cases. Under his leadership, Human Rights First’s pro bono work has grown to provide over $60 million in free legal services from volunteer attorneys. In addition, Bill established a Professorship in Human Rights Law at Harvard Law School.