Tom Witt will be presented the PLAN Excellence Award for Pro Bono Advocacy.

The Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network (PLAN) holds yearly events to celebrate the outstanding people who work in legal services. The Pro Bono Advocate award recognizes private bar partners, including associations, attorneys, law firms, and judges, who contribute their time, expertise, or financial support to civil legal aid in Pennsylvania.

Tom has dedicated thousands of hours to pro bono support and advocacy on behalf of Regional Housing Legal Services and many of our clients,  focusing on real estate acquisitions, leasing,  financing, zoning, and land development. His legal services and support have aided the development of hundreds of affordable homes in Philadelphia. He has worked with the Women's Community Revitalization Project; Habitat for Humanity , Philadelphia; and Catholic Housing and Community Services, to name just a few of the  nonprofit housing developers that he has assisted over the years.

He has also provided direct legal assistance to low-income clients through Philadelphia VIP on matters such as tangled title, as well as through the Homeless Advocacy Project.  Tom has been an important part of the legal services community, helping many people navigate complex systems.

As a member of the RHLS Board of Directors and our Treasurer, he provided critical and unwavering support during the transition of our CFO/Director of Administration, Phyllis Guillaume. He has served as the organization's Treasurer for over a decade. He chairs both the RHLS Resource Development Committee and Budget & Finance Committee and is active on several others. He is an active fundraiser, connector, and participant in organizational governance.

Tom’s pro bono commitments have created lasting benefits for both the organizations he supports, and the individuals who rely on those organizations to meet their most fundamental housing needs. Tom directly strengthens efforts to ensure that low-income Pennsylvanians have a safe place to live.

Tom has multiplied this impact by engaging other attorneys at Cozen O’Connor to contribute pro bono services, broadening legal support available to underserved communities and expanding the  network of practitioners committed to civil legal aid.

Tom’s extensive experience in real estate has made its mark on Philadelphia. His practice has included zoning and land use work for the Comcast Center, 1706 Rittenhouse Square, The Pennsylvania Hospital Tower, numerous projects at the Navy Yard, and the National Museum of American Revolution.