Foundation supports efforts to ensure fair sentencing for juveniles
by Nancy Kinnally In his cell at Lake Correctional Institution in Clermont, Fla., Kenneth Young, 25, keeps among his few possessions a worn copy of USA Today dated May 18, 2010, the day after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that juveniles cannot be sentenced to life without parole for crimes
Legal Aid attorney opens doors for first-grader
by Nancy Kinnally When James Kearse learned that a lawyer at the Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County might be able to help his first-grader, he let nothing stand in his way. “I’d do anything for my kids,” said Kearse. “I’d go around the world for them.” So, with
Escambia schools explore alternatives to zero-tolerance
by Nancy Kinnally If he’d gotten into a fight at school just a couple of years ago, Escambia County eighth-grader K.P. could have easily been looking at out-of-school suspension or even criminal sanctions. Today, the district is instead giving students like K.P. the chance to make amends and work through
Foundation helps fund newly formed Florida Innocence Commission
by Nancy Kinnally When James Bain of Lake Wales, Fla., was released at the age of 54 after serving 35 years in prison for a rape and kidnapping he did not commit, his smile said it all. Bain, who has the unfortunate distinction of having been imprisoned longer than
Sarasota Young Lawyers reach out: Partnership brings civic education to area students
Students in Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties have been learning this year about the U.S. Constitution, the branches of government, how bills become law and other fundamental principles of American government through a project spearheaded by the Sarasota County Bar Association Young Lawyers Division (YLD). In partnership with the Sarasota
Goldstein Award winners challenge selective code enforcement
Lake Worth resident Elena Diego had heard her mother’s stories of armed men entering people’s homes at night, unannounced, and suddenly forcing them out onto the street during Guatemala’s civil war. Such a thing, she thought, would never happen in America — until it happened to her. According to federal
All lawyers can help children thrive
by Gabrielle Davis At the age of 17, Kamesha Grant made the hardest decision a former foster child could make: to re-enter the foster care system. What could have been a tragedy is turning into a triumph because of help from a Children’s Legal Services advocate. “[My advocate] has done
Paul Doyle Justice Center dedicated as Florida Legal Services headquarters
by Gabrielle Davis When it came to naming the new home of Florida Legal Services, only one person would fit the bill, said FLS Executive Director Kent Spuhler. “There was only one name that could go on the state capital justice center,” said Spuhler at the Dec. 10 unveiling of
Keeping the developmentally disabled out of prison
Growing up in Parsons, Kan., Katy DeBriere was surrounded by people with developmental disabilities, many of them residents at a state hospital and research center where her parents worked. “I went to school with a lot of kids with developmental disabilities and had a special connection to them because they
Help for Floridians lost in the health-care system
For five years, Jodi Guin sat on a busy Tallahassee, Fla., street corner selling peanuts to earn enough money to buy the shady lot where she would later put the yellow doublewide that is now her home. Sometimes it got so hot, she’d put her feet —shoes and all —
Foundation grant helps demystify the bankruptcy process
In 2006, when then Florida Bar Foundation Secretary Kathleen McLeroy first heard about the uphill battles faced by those who file pro se bankruptcy cases, she knew something had to be done. Just a year earlier, the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act brought higher legal fees and costs.
Summer Fellow committed to helping victims of domestic violence
Jarred Reiling knows the face of domestic violence. For nearly three months he has heard the heart-wrenching stories of abused women — one so severely beaten that a judge called it the worst case he had ever seen. Such emotionally gripping work isn’t for everyone, but for Reiling, 23, it
