In last month’s Bar Bulletin, I wrote about Jacksonville Area Legal Aid’s Ask-A-Lawyer clinic at the Brentwood Branch Library. The clinic was a huge success and several attorneys accepted cases for ongoing pro bono representation.
Jineane McMinn is one of our attorneys who did just that. In fact, she accepted not one but two cases at the clinic, a consumer-related issue and a family law matter.
McMinn first consulted with a retired widow who was being sued in small claims court for a small amount of old credit card debt. The debt was so old, it had been sold three times to different servicers. Thankfully, the client’s assets were protected from the creditor’s claims.
McMinn represented the client and successfully had the case dismissed. Her representation not only helped rid the client of this anxiety, but it also prevented any judgment against her.
Many people, especially the elderly, are targeted and sued by these creditors, and debtors are unaware of their rights to protect their assets.
McMinn also consulted with a grandmother who is the primary caretaker of her grandchildren, ages 9 and 10. Sadly, their parents passed away and the grandmother needed representation to obtain temporary custody of the children.
Without custodial rights, the grandmother was unable to seek medical care for her grandchildren, apply for benefits on their behalf, nor enroll them in school.
After speaking with the grandmother at the clinic, McMinn immediately accepted her case for pro bono representation and in less than two months obtained a court order providing custodial rights to the grandmother.
“It was a privilege to help these two ladies. For me, this was routine practice, but for these ladies, it was a matter of preventing a widow from being harassed by a judgment collector and potentially turning over protected assets, and for the other, it was matter of ensuring heartbroken children are in a safe, stable family unit,” McMinn said.
When asked how she first became involved in pro bono work, McMinn said “the Florida Bar challenges us to serve by handling at least one pro bono case a year, and so I began volunteering and representing clients early on in my practice.”
A graduate of Florida Coastal School of Law, McMinn began practicing in 2012. An attorney at Miller Hahn, her primary areas of practice include admiralty and maritime law, corporate, personal injury and estate planning.
Her pro bono work portfolio includes cases involving temporary custody matters, name changes, small claims disputes, estate planning, contract review, demand letters and even a defamation defense case.
So far this Bar year, McMinn has dedicated 30 hours to pro bono work through JALA, which equates to about $9,000 in free legal services for the benefit of our community.
The Florida Bar’s annual reporting period is July 1 through June 30 and during this time, the aspirational goal for attorneys is to perform at least 20 hours of pro bono work.
McMinn continues to be involved in pro bono work because “It is rewarding to represent someone and truly be able to help them when they are unable to navigate the court system alone,” she said.
“I encourage my colleagues in the legal community to take on pro bono cases with the bigger picture in mind of the potential ramifications for the client, if not for your representation. It puts things in perspective of how we can make a difference and stand in the gap for the underserved community,” McMinn said.
I hope that McMinn’s commitment to pro bono inspires you to get involved with JALA’s Pro Bono Unit.
For those interested in getting involved, visit jaxlegalaid.org/pro-bono where you can find several volunteer opportunities, including cases awaiting placement.