The Large Firm Pro Bono Roundtable, a subcommittee of the 4th Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee, has again launched its effort to find volunteer attorneys for 44 low-income clients facing civil legal matters.
No Case Left Behind is the final element of Celebrate Pro Bono Week, the annual nationwide observance led by the American Bar Association to thank attorneys, educate the community on the positive impact of no-cost legal services and to encourage more attorneys to volunteer.
The local effort included orientation, open houses, legal topic presentations in public libraries, volunteer recognition, advance directives for seniors and consultations for veterans.
Mayor Lenny Curry proclaimed Oct. 23-29 as Celebrate Pro Bono Week, but members of The Jacksonville Bar Association donated their time and expertise for more than a month.
The project was spearheaded by John Macdonald, chair of the roundtable and managing partner at Akerman.
He led the effort with support from the managing partners of many of the area’s larger law firms and from several smaller firms and solo practitioners.
Cases were identified by Jacksonville Area Legal Aid, Northeast Florida Medical Legal Partnership, Veterans Legal Collaborative and Three Rivers Legal Services.
They include landlord/tenant, tax, probate, guardian advocacy, Social Security disability appeals, child custody and other civil matters.
The integrity of the judicial system is rooted in the belief that both sides of an issue must be heard objectively and fairly. When the voices of low-income people are not heard, the system is weakened and justice may not prevail.
“It is incumbent on lawyers to share their unique skills with those less fortunate. It is the right thing to do for individuals needing help and it’s the right thing to do for our community,” said MacDonald. “We’re very grateful to each lawyer and law firm that steps up to participate and we’d like to find attorneys for 100 percent of the cases identified.”
Attorneys interested in the No Case Left Behind project and other volunteer opportunities are encouraged to contact [email protected].