Legal aid attorneys push Florida Medicaid to cover cure for hepatitis C

For two years Vickie Goldstein filed appeals and wrote letters trying to get Florida’s Medicaid program to pay for a drug with the potential to cure her of the viral infection that was slowly destroying her liver. For two years she got the same answer: You have to get sicker

Pro bono attorney prevents wrongful eviction for mother and daughter

by Rayven Wright On the eve of her 21st birthday, Brittney and her mother Tina were shocked to receive a notice of non-compliance from their property manager. According to the notice, Brittney’s emotional support animal, Panga, was in violation of the community’s height and weight guidelines under the pet policy.

Gulfport attorney, 79, still going strong for pro bono clients

By Rayven Wright Not long after his retirement in 2012, Gulfport attorney Larry Markell, then in his mid-70s, began offering his legal services pro bono to low-income residents throughout Pinellas County through the Community Law Program. In Markell’s first case with the program, he represented a divorcee about his age.

Miami pro bono attorney works to reunite teen with his aunt

By Rayven Wright After his parents lost their parental rights, “Jake,” 15, began the battle to find stability and permanency in a forever home. While living with his parents, Jake had been exposed to violence and drug use and experienced severe neglect. Jake was placed with his maternal aunt, but

Florida Bar Foundation hires South Florida pro bono program officer

MIAMI – Anais Taboas will join The Florida Bar Foundation Nov. 7 as its new South Florida Pro Bono Program Officer and will work out of space donated by top 100 U.S. law firm Akerman LLP in its Miami office. A statewide nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide greater

Mobile Law for All project sends volunteers into high-poverty neighborhoods

By Stacey Singer DeLoye Located within the Leon County Courthouse near the Capitol, the Legal Aid Foundation of Tallahassee connects more than 120 volunteer attorneys per year to low-income Floridians faced with complex civil matters such as landlord-tenant disputes and child custody concerns. Getting to the foundation requires finding parking

Teamwork enables Miami veteran to keep longtime family home

By Stacey Singer DeLoye For 40 years the Rolle family had lived in the same modest home in the Miami area. Ten Rolle children grew up in that 1,200-square-foot house. But as the patriarch of the Rolle family grew older, he took out a reverse mortgage to help with living

Tampa man’s family homestead benefit secured with attorney’s help

By Stacey Singer DeLoye After losing his mother to Alzheimer’s disease, a Tampa-area man almost lost the homestead exemption on his family home because he mistakenly assumed he had automatically become the titled property owner and qualified for the exemption upon her death. After seeking to continue the homestead exemption

Jacksonville attorneys help disabled client resolve landlord-tenant dispute

By Stacey Singer DeLoye When landlords don’t keep up their property, the consequences for low-income tenants can be severe without the help of an attorney. Fortunately for a disabled woman from Duval County, Lanny Russell and Joseph Rogan of Smith Hulsey & Busey accepted her case pro bono, through Jacksonville

Pro bono lawyer helps wakeboarding harness inventor skim through patent application

By Stacey Singer DeLoye Florida beaches aren’t globally recognized for surfing, due to a continental shelf that dampens large waves. But plenty of people love wakeboarding behind a tow boat or skimboarding along the shore, among them, Matthew White, a 23-year-old electrical engineering student at the University of Central Florida.

Farmer Jaffe Weissing’s triple play of giving – legal aid is the real winner

Ask any non-profit organization or charity what type of contribution is most valuable – time, talent or treasure – and they will be hard pressed to choose just one. The law firm of Farmer, Jaffe, Weissing, Edwards, Fistos & Lehrman, P.L. has set the bar high in Broward County, contributing

Foundation upgrades online pro bono news and information

The Florida Bar Foundation is working to streamline and improve statewide online pro bono news and information in order to facilitate pro bono engagement and partnerships. The Foundation has created a new Web page, www.TheFloridaBarFoundation.org/probono, to share information about pro bono in Florida, including initiatives in which the Foundation is