Foundation surpasses $500 million in lifetime grant funding
In December 2023, The Florida Bar Foundation changed its name to FFLA. Posts prior to this date contain our former name. 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
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
EJW Fellow lays foundation for change in rural immigrant neighborhoods
By Natalie Disla Passionate about sparking change for immigrant and migrant families, Joseph Cordova, a 2018-20 Florida Bar Foundation-sponsored Equal Justice Works Fellow, practices community lawyering near south Putnam and northwest Volusia Counties. “They’re definitely the most vulnerable people that we have in our country,” Cordova said. “The whole reason
With support of lawyers, foster children bloom into successful adults
Ping-ponging between relatives’ homes as a child, Michelle Charles struggled to understand why she and her two sisters moved so often. When she was five, her mother died, and her father began constantly shuffling the girls’ living arrangements. When Michelle was eight, she moved from Miami into a home in
Innocence Project of Florida sees three men freed in one year
After spending a combined 76 years incarcerated, three Florida men regained their freedom with the help of Innocence Project of Florida (IPF). Dean McKee, Dwight Dubose and Jules Letemps were released recently. IPF receives the majority of its funding from The Florida Bar Foundation, which awarded it $380,000 through an
Florida Justice Institute case forces change in prison health care policy
When the pain began, Archie Green knew he needed to see a medical professional. Though the 40-year-old man was a prisoner of the Florida Department of Corrections (FDOC), he still expected to receive some kind of treatment for increasingly distressing symptoms. Feeling a knot bulging from his groin, Green asked
Pro Bono Innovation and Transformation grants awarded
by Jessica Brown Since the undertaking of the Foundation’s strategic reset, pro bono work has become a priority. In hopes of increasing the number of pro bono hours reported by Florida attorneys, which dipped 4 percent last year, the Foundation will enable legal aid programs to boost their support of
Keeping children with disabilities out of the school-to-prison pipeline
By the time she was 10, Ebony Townsend had been bullied at school and on the bus for years, handcuffed and taken away from school in the back of a police car when she cried out for help, and suspended from the bus for 45 days. Profoundly deaf in one
Keeping children with disabilities out of the school-to-jail pipeline
By the time she was 10, Ebony Townsend had been bullied at school and on the bus for years, handcuffed and taken away from school in the back of a police car when she cried out for help, and suspended from the bus for 45 days. Profoundly deaf in one
Pro Bono Partnerships in the news
The Florida Bar Foundation’s Pro Bono Partnerships department is at the forefront of pro bono technology and innovation in the US. Check out recent coverage here: Orlando Sentinel: With website, lawyers can find pro bono matches Florida Bar News: New pro bono website puts lawyers in the driver’s seat ABA
Settlement helps seniors, disabled on Medicaid avoid nursing homes
by Stacey Singer DeLoye Following painful spinal surgery, Janet Cramer, 79, suffered a fall that left her a paraplegic. As upset as they were by her sudden disability, Cramer’s family members were completely devastated by the blow that came next. At the most vulnerable moment in her life, Cramer was
Pro bono collaboration supports U.S. veterans in North Florida
Though U.S. military veteran Jeff McCary found himself unable to work because of an injury, he continued to pay his child support as long as he could. Although McCary received rent assistance from Family Endeavors and Florida Veterans Foundation, he eventually exhausted his savings. A motion for contempt was filed
