Name: Alessandro A. Apolito
Age: 28
Family: My wife Lauren, who is a first-grade teacher at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School.
Pets: Bogey, a Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier, and Gizmo, a Yorkshire Terrier.
Education: Florida Coastal School of Law, Juris Doctor, 2010; Drew University, Madison, N.J., Bachelor of Arts, 2005.
Admitted to the Bar: 2010
Employed by: Brennan, Manna & Diamond
Field of practice: Commercial litigation and bankruptcy
Professional organizations: The Florida Bar, The Jacksonville Bar Association, Jacksonville Asian American Bar Association and The Chester Bedell American Inn of Court.
Community involvement: Jacksonville Area Legal Aid “Ask-A-Lawyer.” Additionally, I participate in various programs through Community Connections of Jacksonville.
How did you get involved?
Shortly after joining Brennan, Manna & Diamond, Michael Freed sent me a flier for the Ask-A-Lawyer event at Gateway Town Center. I attended the event and provided ten free consultations. Ever since then, I have been attending as many Ask-A-Lawyer events that I can. I also had the opportunity to participate in the Phone-in Ask-A-Lawyer Event on First Coast News.
How can someone else get involved?
Please contact Kathy Para, pro bono development coordinator, at Jacksonville Area Legal Aid.
What have you learned/achieved through the experience?
I have learned that there are many people in our community who need legal advice, but simply cannot afford it. Specifically, at the phone-in event, the phones did not stop ringing. I consider myself fortunate as a lawyer to be knowledgeable about the law, and through Ask-A-Lawyer, have the opportunity to share that knowledge with those who are less fortunate. I have learned that it may only take 15-20 minutes of my time to give someone who is facing a significant hurdle in their life, such as a foreclosure or abusive collection practices, some guidance on how to resolve these issues or point him or her in the right direction to get the proper help.
What was the last book you read or are reading?
“The New Lawyer’s Handbook: 101 Things They Don’t Teach You In Law School” by Karen Thalacker; and “Open: An Autobiography” by Andre Agassi.