Domestic violence survivors turn to legal aid for divorce, support
One night during the summer of 2018, Elizabeth* waited outside her home for her husband to let her back in to get her two young daughters. He had punched her and dragged her outside, barricading himself inside with the girls. (*Name and likeness have been changed to protect the privacy of actual client.) “That was […]
Continue readingMessage from the President – Winter 2020
When most of us think about legal aid, we think about lawyers on the front lines serving clients. But, there are a lot of things going on behind the scenes to ensure that those lawyers have the resources and flexibility they need to provide effective direct legal services. In December, The Florida Bar Foundation’s board […]
Continue readingFoundation awards $6.4 million in Community Economic Development grants
The Florida Bar Foundation board on Dec. 13 approved $6,443,162 in grants to 25 legal aid providers to address community economic development. Following a $16.65 billion settlement agreement between Bank of America (BOA) and the Department of Justice in 2014, BOA agreed to resolve federal and state claims by making donations to state-based Interest on […]
Continue readingTrafficking prevention rule adopted by state board of education
During the fall 2019 semester, law students from the Florida State University College of Law Human Trafficking Exploitation Law Project (HELP) advocated for proposed Florida Department of Education (DOE) rule 6A-1.094123, requiring all Florida school districts to teach human trafficking prevention from elementary school through high school. The law students researched other states’ laws on […]
Continue readingFAQs: Florida Pro Bono Law School Challenge
What is the Florida Pro Bono Law School Challenge? A core part of the Foundation’s mission is to promote public service among lawyers by making it an integral part of the law school experience. The Foundation launched a statewide pilot pro bono competition among Florida law schools in January 2019. The goal of the challenge […]
Continue readingFoundation congratulates 2020 Florida Bar President’s Pro Bono Service Award Winners
The Florida Bar Foundation congratulates the recipients of the 2020 Florida Bar President’s Pro Bono Service Awards and the Tobias Simon Pro Bono Service Award. The awards recognize lawyers for their work on behalf of low-income and disadvantaged clients and were presented at a Jan. 30 ceremony at the Supreme Court of Florida. According to […]
Continue readingFoundation to kick off 2020 Florida Pro Bono Law School Challenge
The 2020 Florida Pro Bono Law School Challenge will kick off on Feb. 3, 2020. The statewide competition, now in its second year, connects Florida law students with lawyers to partner on pro bono cases from local legal aid organizations. Students and lawyers can visit www.FloridaLawSchoolChallenge.org through April 3, 2020, to pick a case. All […]
Continue readingDecember 2019 Board Meeting Report
The Florida Bar Foundation Board of Directors met on December 13, 2019, in Orlando. The meeting was hosted by Director Min Cho, General Counsel for UBREAKIFIX. This allowed the Foundation to save considerable expenses, and the staff and board are extremely grateful for the generous and kind gesture by Min Cho. The major actions of […]
Continue readingFoundation hires Orlando attorney Eli Mattern as interim director of technology
The Florida Bar Foundation has hired Orlando attorney Eli Mattern as its interim director of technology. Mattern will manage the Foundation’s technology portfolio and assist in the development of its long-term technology goals. The Foundation, a statewide charitable organization whose mission is to provide greater access to justice, recently acquired several technology assets including FloridaNameChange.org, […]
Continue readingFoundation creates two projects to benefit grantees
The Florida Bar Foundation’s board of directors approved two projects to help its grantees boost their financial positions. At its quarterly board meeting on December 13 in Orlando, the Foundation passed the Limited Matching Funds Grant Program (LMFGP) and adopted a Spending and Reserve Policy. The LMFGP will provide grantees the opportunity to apply for […]
Continue readingFoundation pays off Bar loan early
The Florida Bar Foundation has paid off its loan from The Florida Bar 22 months early. The $6 million loan, approved by the Bar’s Board of Governors in 2014, helped the Foundation continue its mission of providing greater access to justice at a time when Foundation reserves had been depleted after years of historically low and […]
Continue reading2020 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, […]
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