2020 Medal of Honor nominations being accepted

The Florida Bar Foundation will be accepting nominations for the 2020 Medal of Honor Awards until February 1, 2020. The Medal of Honor Award is given in two categories. The first category is for members of The Florida Bar, including practicing lawyers, judges, or teachers in the legal field. The second category is for non-lawyers, […]

The Florida Bar Foundation congratulates Janet Varnell on being named The Florida Bar Consumer Protection Law Committee Lawyer of the Year. Varnell was presented the award, which recognizes a legal services, public interest or private attorney whose special contributions to the practice of consumer law have strengthened and affirmed the rights of consumers in Florida, […]

2019 Pro Bono Heroes

During Pro Bono Month 2019, the Foundation is proud to recognize Florida lawyers who give their time and talent to pro bono cases. This month, we are sharing the stories of several of those lawyers on social media. Join us in thanking them for their service! Lorraine Pitre has volunteered for 7 years with Legal […]

September 2019 Board of Directors Meeting Summary

The Florida Bar Foundation Board of Directors met on September 13, 2019 in Tampa.  The meeting was hosted by President Hala Sandridge’s firm, Buchanan, Ingersoll & Rooney, and allowed the Foundation to save meeting and accommodation expenses.  The Staff and Board are extremely grateful for the generous and kind gesture by President Sandridge and her […]

Foundation recieves $21,000 cy pres award

The Florida Bar Foundation has received a $21,406 cy pres award from a settlement in a case involving fees charged by payday loan companies. Two cases were consolidated for the settlement that resulted in the cy pres award. The cases arose from the class representatives’ firm belief many years ago that the fees charged by […]

Foundation surpasses $500 million in lifetime grant funding

The Florida Bar Foundation has surpassed $500 million in lifetime grant funding. With its board’s approval on Sept. 13 of $3.3 million to provide nine grants though its Engle Grant program, the Foundation has given more than half a billion dollars in grants since 1982. Last year, the Foundation distributed $10.8 million in grants to […]

Foundation raises $63,665 for Loan Repayment Assistance Program at dinner

By Carley Conrod At the 43rd Annual Dinner and Reception on June 27, more than $63,000 was raised in support of the Foundation’s Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP). Through LRAP, the Foundation helps legal aid organizations recruit and retain high-quality lawyers. It does this by funding a $5,000 annual paydown of individual student loans if […]

Richard C. Milstein receives Medal of Honor Award

Richard C. Milstein received the 2019 Medal of Honor for a lawyer at the Foundation’s Annual Reception and Dinner for his exemplary and unending capacity for pro bono work as a volunteer guardian ad litem for more than 35 years, his leadership and advocacy for marriage equality and civil rights, and his efforts to enact […]

Michael A. Bedke receives Medal of Honor Award

Michael A. Bedke, a real estate partner in the DLA Piper Tampa office, received the 2019 Medal of Honor for a Lawyer for his exceptional dedication to providing pro bono service, his remarkable advocacy for AIDS patients and domestic violence survivors both locally and internationally, his invaluable support developing the No Place Like Home program […]

Pro Bono Law School Challenge benefits mentor, law student and clients

After scouring the internet for legal help and finding the cost of a bankruptcy lawyer overwhelming, an elderly couple approached Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida (CLSMF). What might have seemed like an everyday occurrence at a legal aid program would become enlightening for law student Jonathan Levy. He and his mentor, lawyer Jesusa Panton, listened […]

Message from the President – Summer 2019

Benjamin Franklin once said, “You may delay, but time will not.” The poet John Mark Green wrote, “I blinked my eyes and in an instant, decades had passed.” These quotes capture some of the sentiments the Foundation has and is experiencing. What had been expected to be a short-term downturn in the economy in 2007 […]

Foundation sponsors Florida Court Public Information Officers Conference

The Florida Bar Foundation is proud to sponsor the Florida Court Public Information Officers (FCPIO) Conference Aug. 21-23, 2019 in Fort Myers, Fla. FCPIO promotes discussion among Florida’s court public information officers and meets regularly to discuss emerging developments in court and media relations with a special focus on Florida’s uniquely broad public records and public […]