by Fred Seely
Editorial Director
Jacksonville Legal Aid was honored at Thursday’s Jacksonville Bar Association meeting and the 250 lawyers in attendance got more than a review of the program: they got a polite, but firm, tongue lashing from Florida Supreme Court Justice Harry Lee Anstead.
The Florida Bar’s recommendation that each of its members give at least $350 annually to Legal Aid hasn’t been a great success, it seems.
“Legal Aid is a foundation of our system,” said Anstead. “It is incumbent for each of us to support it.”
He repeated the numbers given earlier by Michael Figgins, the local Legal Aid director: fewer than 10 percent of the local bar members give anything to the organization, which represents those who cannot afford legal assistance.
“We must support this cause,” said Anstead. “It is a cause which helps those who have problems helping themselves.”
He compared it to a project he directed when he was a practicing attorney in Palm Beach County.
“I headed a group dedicated to beautifying the community,” he said at the Omni luncheon. “We have an excellent Veterans Administration facility there, and it was suggested that we use part of the property for a memorial to all veterans. They gave of themselves for our nation, and many didn’t return from the war.
“They came to our committee and we built a wonderful memorial. In the center is a statue of a soldier, a combat soldier. If you get close to it, you see that there’s a small child on his shoulder.”
That symbolism, he said, should carry forward — the bar with the underprivileged on its shoulder.
“We must keep Legal Aid strong,” said Anstead. “We must carry this organization on our shoulders.”
Anstead also gave accolades, lauding the bar for making a project of the Legal Aid building and turning the entrance into a memorial for retiring Justice Major Harding of Jacksonville.
“There is no greater honor than to be recognized for the essence of your character,” said Anstead. “Major Harding is a great friend and a great justice. He deeply cares about the people who are served by Legal Aid.”