For those who do not know, The Jacksonville Bar Association has a Community Outreach Section.
The purpose of the section is to act as a liaison to the The Jacksonville Bar Association Board of Governors. The section also facilitates seven committees: Civics Education, Government Relations, Holiday Project, Human Rights, Law Week, Military Law and Pro Bono.
I have the pleasure of serving as the Community Outreach Section’s chair along with Vice Chair Anthony Zebouni. We look forward to working with these committees to ensure a productive year and to maximize the committees’ impact on the community.
You can help make an impact in the community by joining or volunteering with one of the committees. If you are not familiar with these committees, please let me introduce to you each committee and what it seeks to accomplish.
The Holiday Project is a fantastic program. This committee helps hundreds of seniors every year enjoy the holidays by matching them with members of the JBA who can bless their seniors with a gift purchased from a wish list.
This committee will begin planning in October and promises to provide a rewarding opportunity for all who participate.
The Human Rights Committee is chaired by Yaima Coto and vice chaired by Crystal Freed. At the beginning of the year. this committee, along with the Jacksonville Women Lawyers Association, hosted a Human Trafficking CLE in Jacksonville that educated attorneys on ways to help victims of human trafficking.
The Human Rights Committee looks forward to continuing to provide legal education and awareness of issues related to forced labor, sex slavery and the legal needs of the working poor.
The Law Week Committee is being chaired by Emily O’Leary and vice chaired by John Wallace. Law Day is held May 1 every year to celebrate the role of law in our society and to cultivate a deeper understanding of the legal profession.
Through the American Bar Association, Law Week is celebrated all of over the United States and typically incorporates a theme. The theme for 2016 is “Miranda, More Than Words.”
The law week committee facilitates numerous events, usually starting in April and ending in May, which are designed to educate the community about the rule of law and raise money or in-kind donations to benefit local charities. The committee will start meeting in January.
The Military Law Committee will once again be chaired by Joe Scone. This committee is planning its involvement in a Veterans Stand Down program. Stand down programs are typically one- to three-day events, providing supplies and services to homeless veterans, such as food, shelter, clothing, health screenings and Veterans Administration Social Security benefits counseling.
Veterans can also receive referrals to other assistance such as health care, housing solutions, employment, substance use treatment and mental health counseling.
They are typically collaborative events, coordinated between local VA Medical Centers, other government agencies and community-based homeless service providers. The Military Law Committee will seek to incorporate legal services in the upcoming stand down program.
The Civics Education Committee is chaired by Ray Driver. His committee, in conjunction with W.C. Gentry, was developed to assist public school teachers in Duval County with civics education. Assistance is provided by making Jacksonville Bar Association members available to assist in the classroom.
This program’s partnership with local public schools is currently in a state of flux, so it is not yet clear how this committee will serve in the coming calendar year.
The Pro Bono Committee is headed by Kathy Para of Jacksonville Area Legal Aid. The committee works with several other JBA sections and committees to match up volunteers in the legal community with pro bono opportunities in Jacksonville.
Volunteers are always needed and greatly appreciated. This program provides a tremendous opportunity to give back to the community and offers a rewarding experience for those who participate.
Finally, the Government Relations Committee is chaired by Loree French. This committee serves as an educator to the local Bar on proposed and newly passed legislation in Florida.
The committee provides invaluable analysis on legislation that will affect the State of Florida and our local community which allows us to stay connected to the legislative process and aware of what is taking place in Tallahassee.
These committees are the workforce of The Jacksonville Bar Association and it is through them that you can truly get involved in what our local Bar association has to offer to the community.
Please feel free to contact me to find out how you can be involved in the above committees at [email protected].
Shea M. Moser is an associate with Moseley, Pritchard, Parrish, Knight & Jones.