from staff
Solo practitioner James Kowalski Jr. is this year’s recipient of the Florida Bar President’s Pro Bono Service Award for the Fourth Judicial Circuit, which includes Duval, Clay and Nassau counties. The award recognizes individual lawyer service in each of Florida’s specific judicial circuits and is presented annually in conjunction with the Tobias Simon Pro Bono Service Award given by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Florida.
The Bar President’s award was established in 1981 and its purpose is twofold: “to further encourage lawyers to volunteer free legal services to the poor by recognizing those who make such public service commitments, and to communicate to the public some sense of the substantial volunteer services provided by Florida lawyers to those who cannot afford legal fees.”
Kowalski said he didn’t know about the nomination until he started getting requests for his bio a few days before the Jan. 29 ceremony in the Supreme Court building in Tallahassee. Kowalski said Florida Bar President Jay White and Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Peggy Quince both talked about how pro bono work across the state has been “flat” of late.
“I certainly echo that,” said Kowalski, whose firm is on San Jose Boulevard. “Now more than ever there is an opportunity for lawyers to contribute and make changes in their community.”
Kowalski, because he teaches debt collection case review in St. Johns County, was also nominated for the award from the Seventh Judicial Circuit.
“I did not know I was nominated for both,” he said.
These days, with foreclosure a major issue across the nation, Kowalski says there is an overwhelming need for attorneys to help JALA and other legal aid services more than ever.
“It seems a bulk of that is done by solo practitioners and small firm attorneys. I don’t know why. That’s just my impression,” he said.
An AV-rated civil trial attorney, Kowalski specializes in consumer protection litigation, including wrongful foreclosure and consumer fraud, complex personal injury, wrongful death and premises liability litigation. A lawyer for nearly 20 years, he is licensed to practice in California and Florida.
Kowalski has offered pro bono assistance in the Jacksonville area at Jacksonville Area Legal Aid, helping consumers victimized by predatory lenders. Currently, Kowalski is working on 12 cases for JALA taken from a pool of walk-in client interviews — largely composed of foreclosure cases and other consumer issues. Child protection cases and assisting homicide victims are also causes he advocates on behalf of. He also mentors other private practice attorneys and has been a presenter at many conferences and seminars. He has volunteered at least 100 hours for JALA.
He served as an assistant state attorney from 1989-96, serving as division chief. He received the Trial Award in 1992 while he was a member of the on-call homicide team. Kowalski has also been a partner at several firms. Additionally, he has taught, written and lectured regarding crime victimization.
Kowalski earned his undergraduate degree at the University of California-Berkeley and graduated from the University of San Francisco School of Law.