McDonald's® Honored With Charles J. O'Laughlin Memorial Award for Pro Bono Legal Services

McDonald's today announced it is the 2006 recipient of the Chicago Legal Clinic, Inc. Charles J. O'Laughlin Memorial Award.

McDonald's was recognized with this award for providing professional legal services and advocacy to low income, elderly and disabled Cook County residents and public service organizations in the Chicago-land area in need of legal counsel or representation. The award was presented during the Clinic's 22nd Annual Awards dinner at the Hilton hotel in downtown Chicago earlier this month.

"We are extremely honored by this award and the recognition it brings to our community efforts," said Kathy Kotel, Vice President and U.S. General Counsel, McDonald's Corporation. "The Chicago Legal Clinic is a highly respected and well-known organization dedicated to promoting public interest law and working for legal justice. We are very proud recipients of this award."

During his remarks at the dinner, Michael B. Hyman, President of the Chicago Bar Association said, "I salute McDonald's and hope more corporations will follow the example they are setting with respect to their pro bono commitment. The cost of legal services has become prohibitive for low income individuals and many organizations in our community. For McDonald's to adopt a policy encouraging its legal staff to take on pro bono work is a sign of corporate leadership and a commitment to community service."

McDonald's has a long history of community service and volunteerism dating back to 1955 when Ray Kroc founded the company on the premise of "giving back to the communities we serve." McDonald's adopted a Pro Bono Policy in 2000 which affects more than 200 corporate attorneys, paralegals and legal support staff based in the United States. "This policy reinforces what we've been doing for many years and encourages our legal staff to do even more," said Kotel.

McDonald's has worked with numerous public service organizations to provide legal assistance to low-income individuals and help elementary and secondary students from diverse backgrounds develop the skills, knowledge and attitudes necessary to serve their communities as active, responsible citizens. Among others, McDonald's works with:

   -- The Center for Disability and Elder Law (CDEL) to provide free legal
      services for low income elderly and disabled Cook County residents.
   -- The Legal Assistance Foundation of Chicago (LAF) in assisting with
      their Medical Assistance Program advocating on behalf of low income
      families to help them retain their Medicaid benefits.
   -- The Chicago Lawyer's Committee for Civil Rights in representing
      victims of employment discrimination.
   -- The Coordinated Advice and Referral Program for Legal Services
      (CARPLS) to provide financial support and volunteers.
   -- The Street Law Program, Constitutional Rights Foundation and the
      Chicago Public School system to provide instruction to low-income
      inner city children in an effort to expose children to a corporate
      legal setting and various legal careers.

McDonald's legal department has recently agreed to provide volunteer assistance to the Chicago Legal Clinic, a not-for-profit organization that identifies legal needs and provides community-based quality legal services and education to the underserved and disadvantaged in the Chicago area.

McDonald's USA, LLC (NYSE: MCD), is the leading foodservice provider in the United States serving a variety of wholesome foods made from quality ingredients to millions of customers every day. More than 80 percent of McDonald's 13,700 U.S. restaurants are independently owned and operated by local franchisees. For more information on McDonald's visit http://www.mcdonalds.com/ .

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SOURCE: McDonald's USA, LLC

CONTACT: Danya Proud, +1-630-623-5063, danya.proud@us.mcd.com , or,
William Whitman, +1-630-623-6745, william.whitman@us.mcd.com , both of
McDonald's USA

Web site: http://www.mcdonalds.com/