Founder of Space Coast Community Law School Named Brevard County Legal Aid Pro Bono Attorney of the Year

Seeing an unprecedented need for legal services in Brevard County as the economy continued to decline in 2010, attorney Brigitta Hawkins created the Space Coast Community Law School.

Working to help people “get their lives back on track,” Hawkins said, “makes you feel like you actually accomplished something. Sometimes people come in, and in our conversations, I’ll find there’s something they can do, like vocational rehabilitation, to be able to get their life back together.”

Hawkins was named Brevard County Legal Aid’s Pro Bono Attorney of the Year in February for assisting neighbors in need through the school’s offerings and for her commitment to helping the poor and disadvantaged through pro bono work.

With the help of a team of volunteer attorneys, judges and paralegals, Hawkins began offering free legal seminars to the public in 2010. They have spent hundreds of hours on seminar topics such as foreclosure, bankruptcy, estate planning and probate, social security disability, employment law, landlord-tenant and small claims matters. They have also provided sessions on guardianship, post-conviction relief, domestic violence injunctions, law library information, clerks’ office procedures and legal aid services.

Hawkins has been a familiar face since 2009 at Brevard County Legal Aid, where she has provided 400 hours of pro bono service to 230 clients. She staffs monthly advice clinics to assist individuals with Social Security issues and provides individual representation as well.

In January, Hawkins was presented with The Florida Bar President’s Pro Bono Services Award during a ceremony at the Florida Supreme Court. She has been recognized by Brevard Legal Aid with “Outstanding Pro Bono Service Awards” for seven consecutive years since 2009, and the Florida Association for Women Lawyers recognized her as a Leader in Law award recipient in 2011.

Hawkins is Of Counsel with Bogin, Munns & Munns PA in Titusville. She is a graduate of Florida A&M College of Law.