HARRISBURG (May 9, 2011) - The Pennsylvania Bar Association Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee presented its Sir Francis Bacon Award to Harrisburg lawyer Herbert R. Nurick on May 4 during the association's Annual Meeting in Philadelphia.
The Sir Francis Bacon Award recognizes an individual who has made a significant impact in bringing mediation and other forms of dispute resolution to Pennsylvania. Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626) was a Renaissance writer and served British monarchs in a legal capacity as knight, attorney general and solicitor. He authored the essay, "Of Negotiating," which featured the frequently-quoted line, "It is generally better to deal by speech than by letter, and by the mediation of a third than by a man's self."
Nurick became the first mediation coordinator for the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission in 1996. He was responsible for revising and expanding the mediation program to significantly increase the number of utility disputes handled by means of alternative dispute resolution. Since that time, the PUC program has served as a model for mediation efforts in other state agencies.
From 1967 to 1996, Nurick was an associate and then partner in the Harrisburg law firm of McNees, Wallace & Nurick.
Nurick is a member of the American Bar Association, Pennsylvania Bar Association, Dauphin County Bar Association and Pennsylvania Council of Mediators. Nurick is a past president of the Pennsylvania Bar Institute, past chair of the Pennsylvania Bar Association Professionalism Committee and past chair of the Legislative Subcommittee of the Pennsylvania Bar Association Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee. Nurick was instrumental in the development of the Pennsylvania Bar Institute Alternative Dispute Resolution Institute and the Civil Dispute Resolution Program for the Dauphin County Bar Association.
Active in the community, Nurick is a former member of the Penn State Alumni Association's Alumni Council and Executive Committee, a former member of the board of Beth El Temple, a founding member and first president of the Hershey Ronald McDonald House and a member of the first Board of Overseers for the Widener University School of Law, Harrisburg Campus.
Nurick holds an undergraduate degree from Penn State University, a juris doctor from the Dickinson School of Law and a certificate from Key Bridge Therapy and Mediation Center.
Founded in 1895, the Pennsylvania Bar Association strives to promote justice, professional excellence and respect for the law; improve public understanding of the legal system; facilitate access to legal services; and serve the 28,000 lawyers who are members of the association.