Pennsylvania Innocence Project Recognizes Troutman Pepper’s Thomas Schmidt with 2022 Hero of Justice Award

HARRISBURG, Pa. – Thomas B. Schmidt, III, a senior counsel at Troutman Pepper, has received the 2022 Hero of Justice Award from the Pennsylvania Innocence Project for “his unwavering personal commitment” to the organization’s work. He was celebrated during the nonprofit’s annual event on Oct. 6.

Schmidt began doing pro bono with the PA Innocence Project nearly a decade ago, when he worked with the team to represent Larry Trent Roberts through the post-conviction process until a new trial was granted in 2017. He served as lead counsel in the 2019 re-trial, obtaining an acquittal in his first homicide case ever tried. Today, he continues to work with the organization, assisting clients with post-conviction relief, encouraging others to give back, helping to provide a home base in Harrisburg for central Pennsylvania cases, and co-teaching the innocence and wrongful convictions course at his alma mater, Penn State Dickinson Law.

The PA Innocence Project works to exonerate those convicted of crimes they did not commit, to prevent innocent people from being prosecuted and convicted, and to help those wrongfully convicted transition to freedom. Learn more at painnocence.org.

In addition to his pro bono work with the PA Innocence Project, Schmidt currently serves as a fellow of The Pepper Center for Public Service. The Pepper Center draws on the talents of the firm’s retired partners and senior attorneys to study, analyze, and work to resolve problems that affect the lives of people in their communities.

Each year, Troutman Pepper attorneys dedicate thousands of pro bono hours in support of nonprofits, immigrants, military veterans, children, the wrongfully accused, and so many more. Learn more at troutman.com/pro-bono.

About Troutman Pepper
Troutman Pepper is a national law firm with more than 1,200 attorneys strategically located in 23 U.S. cities. The firm’s litigation, transactional, and regulatory practices advise a diverse client base, from startups to multinational enterprises. The firm provides sophisticated legal solutions to clients’ most pressing business challenges, with depth across industry sectors, including energy, financial services, health sciences, insurance, and private equity, among others. Learn more at troutman.com.