Message from the President

At its June 16th meeting, the Foundation’s board passed a resolution to position itself as “a strategic leader and catalyst in the cause of increased access to justice for all” with the primary goal of serving as “an agent of rapid, effective and high-impact change.” The board also established a

Coleman, Kowalski receive President’s Award for Excellence

Florida Bar Past President Gregory W. Coleman and Jacksonville Area Legal Aid President and CEO James A. Kowalski Jr. received the Foundation’s 2016 President’s Award for Excellence. Foundation President Donny MacKenzie, who has served with both recipients on the Florida Commission on Access to Civil Justice, selected Coleman and Kowalski

Lynn Drysdale receives Curran Distinguished Service Award

Jacksonville Area Legal Aid staff attorney Lynn Drysdale received the 2016 Jane Elizabeth Curran Distinguished Service Award for achieving impactful results for thousands of clients affected by predatory lending and other unethical, illegal and unscrupulous practices, for protecting the rights of homeowners, and for providing testimony to legislative and other

Florida Legal Services prevents Medicaid HMOs from limiting care based on family members’ jobs

For three years Mike Cornelius had run a daily race from home to his full-time job and back again so he could to take over from his wife Carol’s caregiver, but on April 8, 2014, he got a letter from Carol’s Medicaid HMO saying that it was reducing her care

Tampa attorney Kathleen Schin McLeroy receives The Florida Bar Foundation’s 2016 Medal of Honor Award

MAITLAND, Fla. – Tampa attorney Kathleen Schin McLeroy has received The Florida Bar Foundation’s 2016 Medal of Honor Award, the Foundation’s highest honor. A shareholder with Carlton Fields and a member of the Florida Commission on Access to Civil Justice, McLeroy was honored for her innovative ideas to increase Interest

Kevin Gay receives The Florida Bar Foundation’s 2016 Medal of Honor Award for a Nonlawyer

MAITLAND, Fla. – Kevin Gay, CEO and founder of Jacksonville, Fla.-based Operation New Hope, has received The Florida Bar Foundation’s 2016 Medal of Honor Award, the Foundation’s highest award, in the non-lawyer category. A Jacksonville native, Gay left the corporate world and founded Operation New Hope in 1999 to help

Foundation receives $23 million from Bank of America settlement

The Florida Bar Foundation April 26 received $23,048,159 to be used for foreclosure prevention and community redevelopment, as mandated by a 2014 national settlement between Bank of America and the U.S. Department of Justice and six states. “Our staff will be developing plans for the use of the funds and