Aaron Irving is the new pro bono director at Jacksonville Area Legal Aid.
Before joining JALA, he was in private practice and a legal aid volunteer.
“It’s an honor to join Jacksonville Area Legal Aid and to work with the hundreds of attorneys in Northeast Florida who generously give of their time to serve those clients who would otherwise be denied access to justice,” Irving said.
He said he plans to build on the local legal community’s decades of dedication to volunteer service, helping people who cannot afford to retain an attorney to represent them in a civil legal matter.
“I’m grateful to have such fine examples to follow in Missy Davenport and Kathy Para, both of whom provided me such great support when I took on pro bono matters through JALA,” he said.
Davenport led JALA’s pro bono program from 2019 until joining the Jacksonville University College of Law this summer as assistant director of graduate admissions.
Para, who preceded Davenport as JALA’s pro bono director, came out of retirement to serve in an interim capacity during the search to fill the position.
“I want to continue to make it as easy as possible for attorneys to take on pro bono cases and to participate in JALA’s free legal clinics. The Pro Bono Unit provides volunteers with a platform in which to be involved. This is why the unit is so vital to our community, so we can continue to serve those in need, and I will work diligently to ensure that we can continue our good work,” Irving said.
A graduate of Florida State University and Florida Coastal School of Law, Irving was admitted to The Florida Bar in 2010.
In addition to his work at JALA, he is an adjunct professor of law at Florida State College at Jacksonville, where he teaches litigation in the paralegal department.
Through JALA, private attorneys donated more than $1 million in volunteer civil legal services in 2021 to low-income residents that have landlord-tenant, family law, probate, guardianship and other matters.