Age: 70
Family: wife, Linda; daughter, Dr. Rebecca Gallogly, Austin, Texas; son, Russell Gallogly, Tallahassee, Fla.
Pets: 1 cat, Missy
Education: East Tennessee State University (B.S., history); Florida State University College of Law (J.D.)
Admitted to Bar: 1971
Field of Practice: pro bono wills, advance directives, estates and real estate issues through Jacksonville Area Legal Aid
Organizations and Involvement:
I’m a former member of The JBA, now semi-retired, confining my part-time practice to pro bono matters with Jacksonville Area Legal Aid (JALA), a member of The Florida Bar, and the Bars of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces and the Supreme Court of the United States. I began doing pro bono work while in private practice for 14 years in South Florida and also handled dependent support matters as a JAGC officer in the U.S. Naval Reserve. I have continued taking pro bono clients through JALA since moving to Jacksonville 20 years ago as in-house counsel for a large bank and on into my present retirement. Much of my work presently revolves around preparation and execution of advance directives and simple wills and modification or revocation of same as needed, as well as resolution of real estate issues for JALA clients. I also mentor and assist other attorneys in handling JALA cases in the areas described. I recently attended a JALA advance directives event for seniors at the Riverside Park Apartments, along with several other volunteer attorneys and paralegals. The clients were pre-screened by JALA and the work involved client interviews and preparation and execution of advance directives. I was ably assisted by a wonderful paralegal, Courtney Brown from Gunster, who really made the process smooth and enjoyable. JALA holds several of these events each year, with the next one to be held this coming October, and I’m sure is looking for attorneys and paralegals to help staff them.
How can someone else get involved?
JALA is always looking for attorneys to represent needy clients, more today than ever before. To make it easy for any attorney wanting to take a case but wishing to review it first, JALA has a website with a variety of case synopses for that purpose at www.jaxlegalaid.org “Cases Awaiting Placement With Pro Bono Attorneys.” You can also call Kathy Para at 356-8371 x363 or paralegal Claudia Romero at 356-8371 x362, both at JALA.
The JBA has a rich tradition in supporting both pro bono work and JALA and I encourage any lawyer, especially younger lawyers, to incorporate pro bono work as a continuing part of her or his practice and to approach each pro bono matter with a glad heart that you have the ability and desire to handle and resolve a problem for a needy person, who otherwise might not get help.
What have you learned/achieved through the experience?
Pro bono work has confirmed to me over and over again that we should not measure provision of legal services by the amount of time spent or fees generated, but by the good done for the client. Most, if not all, pro bono clients have nowhere else to turn for help and being able to assist them has taught me that the intrinsic sense of helping the “least of these” is worth far more than money or time can measure.
Last book read?
“Narrative of Surveying Voyages of HMS Adventure and HMS Beagle, 1826-1836,” by Henry Colburn (free download available on the Internet).