Aylmar Thompson, a paralegal in Jacksonville Area Legal Aid’s Veterans Services Unit, will receive The Florida Bar’s Florida Registered Paralegal of the Year Award for his exemplary performance and outstanding leadership.
“We are proud of Aylmar and appreciate the Florida Registered Paralegal Enrichment Committee recognizing his work. JALA is known throughout the state for our strong advocacy and litigation-centered practice on behalf of our clients, and our paralegals and support staff are a critical part of this effort,” JALA President and CEO Jim Kowalski said.
Thompson joined JALA’s Veterans Service Unit in 2020 and helped the Housing Unit develop its Eviction Answer Builder online self-help tool, which guides users through the process of creating a response to an eviction filing.
Thompson also works with JALA’s Information Technology Department, assisting the firm with hardware, Wi-Fi and AWS server management.
“Aylmar helped us develop FloridaEvictionHelp.org, which has assisted thousands of Floridians since its launch, and as a veteran himself, works for our area veterans every day,” Kowalski said.
Before joining JALA, Thompson was an Operations Specialist 2nd Class for the U. S. Navy from 2009-17. He served on the USS Doyle from 2010-11 and the USS Carney from 2012-16.
Discharged honorably in 2017 from the Navy, he graduated from the University of Maryland Global Campus with a bachelor’s in legal studies in 2019.
The award will be presented June 21 at the annual Florida Bar Convention at the Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek & Waldorf Astoria.
Jacksonville Area Legal Aid is a nonprofit law firm focused on delivering economic, social and housing justice to low-income and at-risk individuals and families in Northeast Florida.