On any school day, the SOS Academy on Wilson Boulevard is buzzing with elementary-school students and their families. It’s an active campus where learning happens during the week.
On Saturday, March 19, The Jacksonville Bar Association, Jacksonville Area Legal Aid and Florida Coastal School of Law offered an Ask-A-Lawyer opportunity at the campus.
Attorneys, law students and other volunteers took legal guidance and education to this welcoming neighborhood location for the third year.
The leadership team at SOS Academy, in particular, Genell Mills, the school’s founder and director, and Gary Mills, the facilities director, readied the cafeteria and helped publicize the event.
Thanks to their efforts, the campus became the site of a legal clinic.
From 9 a.m. to noon, attorneys counseled 35 people on more than 40 legal matters in one-to-one interviews.
Attorneys advised in the areas of family law, probate, guardianship, criminal law, bankruptcy, collections, foreclosure, contracts, real estate, landlord/tenant, immigration and personal injury. Spanish speakers were available to provide translation.
The pro bono attorneys were Sarah Sullivan, Barry Bobek, Enrique Barquinero, Eric Kolar, Laura Gapske, Rusty Mead and Kameisha Presley.
The law students who observed interviews and provided administrative help were Joshua Barfield, Shahdokht Rasouli, Ali Sadrolsadat, Elizabeth White, Stephanie Feldman and Hana Eldick.
Jacksonville Area Legal Aid board members Bobby Bell and Zuleca Johnson helped welcome attendees, sign them in and answer general questions.
Each Ask-A-Lawyer event aims to provide legal guidance and direction, as well as information on community resources for people in need.
Attendees may be referred to JALA, the JBA Lawyer Referral Service, Three Rivers Legal Services and/or to a community service agency.
The events are made possible because of the collaboration of the JBA, Florida Coastal School of Law and JALA.
Now in its seventh year, Ask-A-Lawyer was established in 2009 by the City Council, the JBA and JALA.
The events are held quarterly in locations easily accessible to low-income people and the under-served. They are open to the general public.
The volunteers served each person who was seeking information with respect and compassion.
They answered questions, provided information on legal options and community resources and in many cases, offered hope and direction.
Facing a problem requires courage and energy. Taking a first step toward solving the problem requires even more.
For many of the attendees, the event provided information that enabled them to take that first step toward stability and resolution.
The goal of Ask-A-Lawyer is to take information and guidance directly to members of our community who may not otherwise be able access the expertise of an attorney.
We know that, as attorneys, we don’t always tell people what they want to hear.
However, we know with sound information and direction, people are better equipped to get the help they need and/or resolve their matters themselves.
Access to the legal community must not be limited to those who can afford to pay for that access. It is informed advocacy on both sides that protects the integrity of our system of justice.
Ask-A-Lawyer events empower and encourage people to effectively resolve their legal issues and the barriers they face. The efforts of the entire Ask-A-Lawyer team on March 19 are applauded and appreciated.
The year’s remaining Ask-A-Lawyer dates are June 18, Sept. 17 and Dec. 3.
Details can be found at jaxlegalaid.org.
Attorneys interested in Ask-A-Lawyer and other pro bono opportunities in the 4th Judicial Circuit should contact at [email protected].