by Joe Wilhelm Jr.
Staff Writer
Almost a year old, members and attorneys interested in the Pro Bono for Jax Kids Project gathered at the Hyatt Wednesday to discuss what can be done for children without legal representation.
Pro Bono for Jax Kids was created in September 2008 to attract the legal community to the pro bono work needed to represent children who have no means to represent themselves including orphans and children who age out of the foster care system.
“We are just trying to develop a pool of legal talent to help children in need,” said Jodi Seitlin, chair of the Jacksonville Bar Association’s Special Needs of Children Section and founder of Pro Bono for Jax Kids.
Seitlin invited the 17 volunteers who have joined Pro Bono for Jax Kids that have been trained to represent children with special needs, the JBA Special Needs of Children Section, JBA Juvenile Law, Dependency and Guardian ad Litem Section and members of the Guardian ad Litem Office of the Fourth Judicial Circuit.
Guests were invited to celebrate “a small committee with good intentions (that) has galvanized into a network of northeast Florida attorneys doing what good lawyers do: spot issues and figure out how to make things better.”
Anyone interested in getting involved with Pro Bono for Jax Kids can contact Seitlin at [email protected] or 359-5550. Those interested in assisting the Guardian ad Litem program can contact Hilary Creary, supervising attorney for Guardian ad Litem in the Fourth Judicial Circuit at www.gal.fl.gov or 630-1200.
356-2466