by Kathy Para
JBA Pro Bono Committee Chair
November swept into Jacksonville bringing with it crisp relief from the relentless summer heat and a promise of the holiday bustle.
But for the 23 Jacksonville-area lawyers and 10 Florida Coastal School of Law students participating in a recent “Ask-A-Lawyer” event, November also brought the opportunity to give and to receive.
“Spending just a few hours with those who are less fortunate can enrich not only the person in need, but the attorney as well,” said attorney L. Lee Lockett.
“This event really brought me in touch with the reality that we as lawyers have an awesome responsibility to give back to the community.”
“Ask-A-Lawyer” was held at the Gateway Town Center and was a joint effort of The Jacksonville Bar Association, Jacksonville Area Legal Aid, Grace and Truth Community Development Corp. (GTCDC), Florida Coastal School of Law, the D.W. Perkins Bar Association and the Hispanic Bar Association of Northeast Florida. The event included a team of attorneys giving free legal guidance and advice during individual consultations.
“This is precisely what our legal community should be doing, working together to assist those with limited or no access to professional legal advice in finding constructive solutions to real world problems,” said Mike Freed, president-elect of The Jacksonville Bar Association. “Participating in this type of opportunity is what being a professional is all about.”
Bishop E. M. Johnson, executive director of GTCDC, added, “This service fits perfectly with one of the goals of Grace and Truth to empower people to solve problems and seek help when needed. We appreciate the opportunity to work together with other community organizations to provide this direct legal assistance.”
“Ask-A-Lawyer” attorneys ad-vised and provided compassionate and competent guidance to 97 people while addressing approximately 120 legal issues including family law matters, employment, landlord/tenant issues, wills and estates, criminal law, bankruptcy, foreclosures and more.
Translation assistance was offered in both Spanish and Korean by bilingual attorneys and law students.
While these numbers by themselves are clear measures of success, it is the comments of the people who came to “Ask-A-Lawyer” for assistance that tell the real story. As one participant remarked, “You can’t possibly imagine how helpful this was to me. Thank you for being here.” Another left with the comment, “I’m so relieved.”
“It’s rewarding to meet people in a neutral environment and discuss issues that have clearly been on their mind,” said attorney Rachel Chewning.
Of course, not every person seeking advice heard exactly what they wanted to hear.
“Whether the outcome of the advice is positive or negative, they can at least feel they have been heard in a forum that isn’t always easily accessible and that someone took the time to listen,” admits Chewning.
Karen Millard, FCSL Associate Professor of Lawyering Process, observes, “Participating in ‘Ask-A-Lawyer’ is a terrific opportunity for an attorney to fulfill her ethical and professional responsibilities to provide service to the community. The law students who participate in the event say that they learn a great deal about professionalism by observing the attorneys interact with clients. I believe this is a terrific way for students to perform valuable community service while learning about the legal needs of the underserved and developing the legal skills and gaining the experience necessary to help meet those needs.”
November is upon us and the holiday season brings with it an infectious desire to give time and assistance to others. Why should we let the acts of the attorneys and law students who participated in “Ask-A-Lawyer” inspire us to perform similar acts?
“Serving our community in need is our ethical and moral obligation as attorneys,” said attorney Zeina N. Salam.
An equally important reason is summed up in the simple statement made by a recipient of services at Saturday’s event: “I’m hopeful again.”
Special thanks are extended to the attorneys and law students who made the “Ask-A-Lawyer” event on Nov. 6 such a worthwhile effort.
Attorneys included: Marty Sack Jr., Alessandro Apolito, Seth Pajcic, Rachel Chewning, Mike Freed, Jamie Ibrahim, Shylie Armon, Lee Lockett, Lanesha Sims, Adam Deli, Kara Roberts, Zeina Salam, Satasha Williston, Karen Millard, Dan Bean, Elizabeth Gonzalez, Tom Harper, Carol Miller, Xavier Saunders, Matt Spohrer, Natalie Tuttle, Sheldon Vann and LaTangie Williams.
Law students included: Casee Sills, Candace Jones, Marie Sage, Patricia Ihara, Maria Kwak, Jae Hee Kim, Manuel Souza, Daniel Schooley, Daphne Shaw and Caroline Kubony.
If you wish to participate in future “Ask-A-Lawyer” events, please contact Kathy Para, Chair of The JBA Pro Bono Committee, at (904) 356-8371, ext. 363, or by e-mail at [email protected].