Larry A. Hammond, 74,  passed away on March 2, 2020. He was a founding partner of the Phoenix law firm, Osborn Maledon, P.A. The most senior member of Osborn Maledon's investigations and criminal group, Larry came to the predecessor firm of Osborn Maledon in 1974, establishing a practice that for nearly 50 years focused on capital defense representation and white-collar crime, including notable pro bono clients. Over five decades, he won numerous national awards and recognitions including the American Bar Association's John Minor Wisdom Public Service and Professionalism Award and the Southern Poverty Law Center's Justice Award. Under President Carter, he received the U.S. Attorney General's Award for Exceptional Service. In Arizona, he received the Tom Karas Criminal Justice Award, the Judge Learned Hand Community Service Award, and the Arizona State Bar Association's Walter Craig Award. In 2015, Larry received the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal's Professionalism Award. Most recently, he was recognized by the prestigious American College of Trial Lawyers, of which Larry was a Fellow, as an Access to Justice Distinguished Pro Bono Fellow for his work with the Arizona Justice Project. In recognition of his many contributions to the Arizona legal community, he was inducted into the Maricopa County Bar Association Hall of Fame. From 2005-2007, Larry was president of the American Judicature Society - a national organization devoted to the administration of justice in America. Former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno presented him with the 2008 Justice Award, the Society's highest honor. Larry helped found the Arizona Capital Representation Project in 1988, which assists inmates convicted of capital crimes, and he served as chair of the Arizona State Bar's Indigent Defense Task Force. Larry founded the Arizona Justice Project, the fifth innocence organization in the nation, for which he served as president for 22 years. To further the reach of that work, he helped found the Innocence Network, which has blossomed into a network of over 60 innocence organizations worldwide. Because of the Arizona Justice Project's work, 27 people have been freed from unjust imprisonment. Larry taught law courses for ASU, the University of Arizona, Elon University College of Law in Greensboro, N.C., the University of New Mexico, St. John's College (Santa Fe), and Birmingham City University School of Law in the United Kingdom, and he wrote prolifically on the need to assure that no one was denied access to fair treatment under the law for lack of funds. He helped create law-school clinics at ASU and UofA that focus on wrongful convictions. In 2013 Larry received the Justice for All Award from ASU’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. Larry received his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Texas, where he served as editor-in-chief of the Texas Law Review. After graduation, he clerked for Judge Carl McGowan on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, and then for U.S. Supreme Court Justices, Hugo L. Black and Lewis F. Powell, Jr. He later served as an assistant Watergate Special Prosecutor, then as a deputy assistant attorney general with the U.S. Justice Department during the Carter administration. In Phoenix, Larry's distinguished career included pro bono work for the NAACP in the 1970s on school desegregation, working on international war crimes as part of an American Bar Association task force and advocacy for increasing the funding for lawyers appointed to serve as public defenders in capital cases. His pro bono work on behalf of John Henry Knapp uncovered new fire science evidence that led to a retrial and a reversal of the conviction of the man who had wrongly spent 18 years on death row. At Osborn Maledon, Larry mentored dozens of lawyers, many of whom are now the best known and most respected attorneys in Arizona, including numerous state and federal judges. His advice on legal issues was sought not just by clients but also by other lawyers, leaders of state and federal Bar associations, government officials, and leaders of industry. He was referred to by one national legal publication as the "Dean of the Arizona criminal defense bar.”Larry is survived by his wife, Frances, three children, nine grandchildren, two sisters and two brothers. A celebration of Larry's life will be held at the Heard Museum, 2301 N. Central Ave. in Phoenix on Sunday, March 22, at 2:00 PM. In lieu of flowers or other gifts, the family requests that contributions be made in Larry Hammond's name to the Arizona Justice Project, c/o Arizona State University, 411 N. Central Ave, Suite 600, Phoenix, AZ 85004. (Source: Arizona Republic)