His work has been recognized outside the entertainment community: in 1999 and 2000, he received the Silver Gavel Award from the American Bar Association for his "Law & Order" episodes "DWB" and "Hate"; in 2004, he received a Margaret Sanger Award from Planned Parenthood for his "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" episode "The Third Horseman"; in 2010, he received the Champion of Justice award from the Washington-based Alliance for Justice, for his work on the "Law & Order" episode "Memo from the Dark Side". In 2004, he was awarded the "Alumnus of the Year" from Concordia University. On November 17, 2008, he received an honorary Doctorate of Laws (LLD) from Concordia at their fall convocation and delivered the Commencement Address.