by Richard Prior
Staff Writer
Attorneys who devote their energy and skills to helping the poor have “a much richer life than many lawyers do today,” Judge Susan Black told those gathered for Jacksonville Area Legal Aid’s Equal Justice Awards.
“Their sense of mission and commitment to a worthy cause is something that is missing from much of the modern practice of law.,” added Black, who sits on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit. “Their work is closer to the pure practice of the legal profession: working with individual clients on an individual matters.”
Guest of honor was Eddie Farah, who, along with his associates, “have provided countless hours of pro bono legal services to indigent citizens of Jacksonville.”
Also honored at the ceremony were contributors to the capital campaign, which paid for rehabilitation of the Major B. Harding Center for Justice at 126 W. Adams St.; those who donated to keep Legal Aid running; and “the faithful few,” who were presented Pro Bono Service Awards.
“I am humbled by this recognition,” said Farah. “I know in my heart that there are a lot of people out there who do a lot more than me to fight the legal battles for people who have nowhere to go.
“Legal Aid exemplifies what is great about our system; it levels the playing field.
“If you want to know the true meaning of justice for all, stop by 126 W. Adams St.”
The ceremony at The River Club was sponsored by Spohrer Wilner Maxwell & Matthews.
With a staff of about 60 “strong advocates,” Legal Aid closed more than 8,000 cases last year . . . and opened a similar number, said Michael Figgins, executive director.
Both fund raisers last year were a success, he said. A total of $150,000 was donated to the Campaign to Maintain Justice. The capital campaign, to renovate the Center for Justice, raised more than $350,000 in pledges to be paid over the next three to five years.
Figgins declared the 2003 campaign over and, with his next breath, opened the 2004 campaign, indicating a table where contributions could be left.
“We might as well get it over now,” he said. “It’ll save us a lot on stamps and phone calls.”
Black said she is reminded of Legal Aid’s importance every morning as she drives to the U.S. Courthouse at Jacksonville.
On the sidewalk in front of the Center for Justice is a long line of men and women, black and white, young and old, “a cross section of our community, waiting for the doors to open.”
That sight, she said, brings to life the banner that rolls through the Legal Aid website: “A Wealth of Justice for Those Who Have Neither.”
“This phrase accurately and concisely summarizes the mission for Legal Aid organizations,” she said. “The two most important aspects of justice in the American legal tradition are ‘due process of law’ and ‘equal protection of the law.’ However, these rights enshrined in the Constitution would be nothing more than hollow phrases were it not for lawyers dedicated to the preservation of those rights.”
Black reminded her audience that the practice of law is a profession, not a trade.
The former is a body of men and women who pursue “a learned art as a common calling in the spirit of public service,” she said, quoting Dean Roscoe Pound.
For those involved in a trade, Black continued, making money is the entire purpose.
There is nothing wrong with making money, she said, “but it cannot be the primary function of a profession.”
“I have often reflected that perhaps the most dedicated public servants in the legal profession are those who work for Legal Aid and those who perform pro bono work for indigent clients,” said Black. “By providing legal services to those who cannot afford it, Legal Aid lawyers and pro bono lawyers provide an essential service to the public and, in providing this service, practice the profession.”
Honored for their contributions to the capital campaign were Bedell Dittmar DeVault Pillans & Coxe; Rick Block; Brown Terrell & Hogan; Cooke & Meux; Eddie Farah; Florida Family Law Inn of Court; Harrell & Johnson; Harris, Guidi, Dunlap, Rudolph, Catlin & Bethea; Holland & Knight; Maria Keebler; Liles, Gavin, Costantino & Murphy; Marks Gray; Pajcic & Pajcic; Peek Cobb Edwards & Ashton; Rogers Towers; Smith Hulsey Busey; Spohrer Wilner Maxwell & Matthews; and Watson & Osborne.
Three firms were recognized for contributing more than $5,000 to the 2003 Campaign to Maintain Justice. They were Pajcic & Pajcic; Spohrer Wilner Maxwell & Matthews; and Murphy & Murphy.
Six individuals were recognized for contributing between $1,001 and $5,000 to the campaign. They were J. Shepard Bryan, Howard C. Coker, Howard L. Dale, Howard I. Korman, Lewis Lee and James T. Miller.