In 2014, attorney Joe Pickles accepted a new client I’ll call “Mr. Smith” to respect his privacy.
Smith opened his home to a friend’s child as a safe place for the young adult who was making positive steps to productivity after a chapter of drug use and dysfunction.
The arrangement began in 2011 and at first appeared to be working well, but the tenant fell back into drug use and became unreliable and even menacing.
Then he created a fake durable power of attorney and transferred ownership of Smith’s home to himself.
Smith moved in with a friend temporarily while he sought a solution through the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, because he felt unsafe in his home.
In March 2014, Smith learned some of his belongings were placed outside his home.
He discovered not only had his tenant fraudulently transferred title to his home, the tenant had sold the home.
Smith pursued criminal charges and his tenant was convicted of grand theft with the conveyance of the home.
Pickles took on the case pro bono to help Smith regain ownership of his home.
At the conclusion of a three-day bench trial, the judge ordered ownership of the property to be returned to Smith –– a wonderful outcome that provided the opportunity to live again in the safety and security of his own home.
The story doesn’t end there.
Before the ruling, Smith was diagnosed with cancer, so Pickles and his firm at the time, Purcell Flanagan Hay and Greene, went to work.
One of Pickles’ colleagues, Kyle Johnson, agreed to assist with creation of advance directives documents to ensure Smith would have advocates authorized and ready to act on his behalf as he went through cancer surgery and then began chemotherapy treatment.
Again, there was a happy outcome. The surgery went well and Smith’s prognosis is good.
Although Pickles was the primary advocate on the home-ownership matter, attorneys John Bennett and Lindsay Cole and paralegal Cathy Sawyer provided assistance as well.
They gave Smith a new start, stability and reason to be hopeful.
Smith’s future could look quite different without the pro bono assistance he received. Sincere appreciation is extended to the team at Purcell Flanagan Hay and Greene for their generous and compassionate assistance.
Pickles, a dedicated pro bono advocate, recently became a partner at Dawson Orr.
When asked what advice he would give attorneys considering pro bono service, he said, “It’s just the right thing to do. There is always someone who needs a voice in court and without our willingness to assist, cases are one-sided. In other words, justice is not served.
“Pro bono work is challenging and rewarding. It matters,” Pickles added.
Attorneys interested in pro bono opportunities in the 4th Judicial Circuit are encouraged to contact [email protected].