News

COSTA MESA – The Orange County Bar Association yesterday honored Rutan & Tucker partner John B. Hurlbut Jr. with its prestigious Harmon G. Scoville Award and heard from the recipient a ringing call for community involvement. The Scoville Award is presented annually on Law Day -- May 1 -- to honor a member of the Orange County legal community whose career exemplifies the highest standards of the legal profession and who has significantly contributed to the Bar Association and championed our constitutional system of justice. The Scoville Award is one of the most prestigious awards presented by the OC Bar Association. Hurlbut, a 1964 graduate of the Stanford Law School and a business litigator, has been an active member of the Orange County Bar Association for more than 35 years. He has served on the boards of the Association and the OCBA Charitable Fund and has dedicated countless volunteer hours throughout the years, serving on numerous committees. At the award luncheon, speakers praised Hurlbut’s quiet devotion to the law and to helping others, and his warm personality. “When I think of John, I smile and feel at ease,” said former OC Bar president Danni Murphy in presenting the award, “because that’s how John affects people.” In accepting the award, Hurlbut urged the members of the bar to redouble their pro bono and community volunteer efforts in the face of a crisis of funding for social programs. “Law Day, which celebrates our legal system and lawyers generally, is a good day for each of us to make a commitment to do more to help meet unmet needs in our legal community and the community at large,” he said. “In these difficult times, we should reflect on our privileged lives, acknowledge our responsibility and give more of our time and resources to meet these needs.”