Keeping children with disabilities out of the school-to-prison pipeline

News From The Florida Bar Foundation

Volume 10 Issue no. 1

SPRING

2018

see EBONY, p. 6

JUDY WATSON TRACY

Keeping children with disabilities out of the school-to-prison pipeline

For almost ﬁve years, Ebony Townsend's school failed to provide accommodations for her disability, instead choosing to call the police and suspend her from her bus after she

defended herself from a bully. With help from Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida, which is funded in part by a Children's Legal Services grant through The Florida Bar

Foundation, her father was able to access an attorney who fought for Ebony's rights.

y the time she was 10, Ebony

Townsend had been bullied at

school and on the bus for years,

handcuffed and taken away from school in

the back of a police car when she cried out for

help, and suspended from the bus for 45 days.

Profoundly deaf in one ear and painfully

shy, Ebony also had learning disabilities in

reading and math. None of her disabilities had

ever been addressed by her Daytona Beach

school, despite her father’s best efforts. In fact,

she hadn’t even been properly assessed.

“I had been everywhere trying to get

help,” said Ebony’s father, Anthony Giddens,

a single dad who works as a dishwasher

and prep cook at Cracker Barrel. Giddens,

who arranges his hours so that he can be

home when Ebony gets off the bus, had

attended parent-teacher conferences, pleaded

with the principal for help, and eventually

taken his concerns all the way to the school

superintendent. He had once gone to court

to get a restraining order on a 9-year-old boy

who wouldn’t leave Ebony alone. And he’d

tried to get private attorneys to represent

Ebony, to no avail.

“I took her out of one school, put her at

another school, took her off of one bus, put

her on another bus. I tried everything possible

that a parent could do. I had no help at all. It

was very, very stressful,” said Giddens, adding

that it wasn’t out of the ordinary for him to

receive multiple calls from his daughter’s

by Nancy Kinnally

WWW.THEFLORIDABARFOUNDATION.ORG

Message from the President

Jewel White

f you are reading this

newsletter, then you are

a friend of The Florida Bar

Foundation and I would like

to thank you for your ongoing

commitment to promoting

access to justice in Florida. It is

only through the collaborative

support of partners like you

that we are able to advance

this mission.

I want to keep you updated

on some recent changes at

the Foundation. CEO Bruce

Blackwell has retired after

more than four years at the

helm. Bruce was originally

planning to serve as an interim

director, but stayed with us

longer than he expected. The

Foundation has established

a search committee, chaired

by President-Elect Juliette

Lippman, to undertake a

nationwide search for Bruce’s

successor. While our schedule

is ambitious, we expect the

search to be completed in the

next few months.

Only the second executive

director in the Foundation’s

history, Bruce has maintained

and strengthened the

Foundation’s relationships

with The Florida Bar and its

sections and with lawyers

throughout Florida. During

his tenure, a number of other

notable accomplishments have

been achieved:

• The Foundation stepped up

fundraising, including staff’s

repurposing of the Annual

Dinner into a fundraising

event, raising more than

$86,000 in its first year alone

• Heralded by national

experts as an innovative

approach, the strategic

reset was adopted by the

board of directors and its

implementation is well

underway

• New emphasis was placed

on pro bono partnerships, with

a focus on using technology

in new and innovative ways to

match lawyers to cases

• In response to Hurricane

Irma’s impact on almost the

entire state of Florida, the

Foundation moved swiftly

to meet Floridians’ needs,

awarding nearly $800,000

in grants aimed at disaster

recovery

• The Legal Aid Summer

Fellowship Program was

resurrected, helping the

Foundation renew its

commitment to promoting

public service by making

it a part of the law school

experience.

These achievements were a

combined effort of Bruce, our

great staff and the volunteers

who support us. They were

accomplished despite the

stark reality of unprecedented

declines in revenue from

Florida’s Interest on Trust

Accounts program.

Several other staff

members have moved on to

other opportunities. Despite

these staffing changes, we

will continue to move forward

with the strategic reset and

ensure that this transition

will be seamless. I believe

a streamlined organization

will provide a new executive

director with great

opportunities to shape a staff

that best meets the needs of

the organization.

The Foundation board

remains focused on providing

much-needed services to the

community through grants

and pro bono efforts. We

appreciate your support and

look forward to introducing

you to the next executive

director as we continue to

drive the Foundation into the

future.

Bruce B. Blackwell, Esq.,

speaking in 2014

PROVIDING GREATER ACCESS TO JUSTICE

MEDAL OF HONOR

AWARD FOR A LAWYER

HOWARD TALENFELD

MEDAL OF HONOR AWARD

FOR A NON-LAWYER

LOUIS B. ST. PETERY, MD

Thursday, June 14, 6:30 p.m.

Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek

Tickets $175

www.TheFloridaBarFoundation.org/tickets

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

Ebony’s disability was invisible

to school, to bullies, to police...

but not to her lawyer.

Invest in Florida's children at

Your donation to Children's Legal Services

ensures access to civil legal aid

for all of Florida's children.

www.TheFloridaBarFoundation.org/children

SUSAN & STANLEY M.

ROSENBLATT

MEDAL OF HONOR AWARD SPONSOR PROMOTIONAL SPONSOR

PRESIDENT'S AWARD FOR

EXCELLENCE SPONSOR

STEVEN M. GOLDSTEIN AWARD

FOR EXCELLENCE SPONSOR

JANE ELIZABETH CURRAN

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD SPONSOR

EVENT VIP SEATING SPONSOR

CONTRIBUTOR TABLES

Berger Singerman LLP

Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC

Burr & Forman LLP

Coker, Shickle, Sorenson, Posgay & Iracki

Gray Robinson PA

Greenspoon Marder LLP

Hill Ward Henderson

John and Pam Noland

Peterson & Myers

EVENT VIP SEATING SPONSORS AND CONTRIBUTOR TABLES AVAILABLE. CALL DONNA MARINO KIRTLAND, CFRE, OR MICHELLE FONSECA, CFRE, AT 407-960-7000.

WWW.THEFLORIDABARFOUNDATION.ORG

ince the undertaking of the

Foundation's strategic reset, pro bono

work has become a priority. In hopes

of increasing the number of pro bono hours

reported by Florida attorneys, which dipped 4

percent last year, the Foundation will enable

legal aid programs to boost their support of

pro bono initiatives with new grants.

Four $25,000 Pro Bono Innovation grants

and two $100,000 Pro Bono Transformation

grants were approved by the Foundation's

board at its March meeting in Orlando. The

grants use Bank of America settlement funds.

Modeled after the Legal Services

Corporations’ Pro Bono grant program, the

purpose of the new grants is to develop and

enhance pro bono programs that serve low-

income Floridians to improve the reach, quality,

and effectiveness of the services clients receive.

Grant applicants were encouraged to

collaborate with other programs and present

innovative and replicable projects.

"As the need for civil legal services grows

in Florida, the Foundation has a unique

opportunity to lead a statewide push to

improve pro bono," said Claud Nelson, the

Foundation's pro bono program officer. "It

is our hope that by identifying, tailoring, and

implementing best practices from across the

country, our grantees will be positioned to

leverage limited resources to expand access to

justice."

Recipients of Innovation grants will focus

on innovations serving unmet and well-defined

client needs.

Transformation grant recipients will build

comprehensive and effective pro bono systems

through new applications of existing best

practices.

Pro Bono Innovation and Transformation grants awarded

by Jessica Brown

Bay Area Legal Services

s Addressing unmet legal needs of veterans in Manatee and Sarasota Counties utilizing assistance of pro bono attorneys

s Implementing an innovative collaborative approach to the pro bono delivery system utilizing the expertise of pro bono attorneys,

Legal Aid of Manasota, Stetson Veterans Institute, local bar associations, and local health care partners

Legal Aid Service of Collier County

s Improving access to justice for low-income residents through online web portal that matches pro bono attorneys with clients who

need basic advice and counsel

s Creating a virtual clinic that fully automates the pro bono advice and counsel eco-system integrated into LASCC’s existing website

Jacksonville Area Legal Aid

s Offering legal assistance including full representation, pro se forms assistance, and group information through the Landlord/Tenant

Continuum of Pro Bono Services in private landlord matters to keep more families in affordable, safe housing

s Actively recruiting retired attorneys, attorneys with real estate and housing interest, attorneys who are primarily stay-at-home parents

who want to remain active with pro bono legal assistance occurring primarily during school hours, and newly licensed attorneys

Three Rivers Legal Services

s Increasing the availability of services to rural and hard-to-reach clients; increasing number of attorney and law student volunteers

s Offering volunteer attorneys the opportunity to provide services through video-conferencing from the comfort of their ofﬁces or

homes, saving valuable time not traveling to rural locations to meet with clients

$25,000 Pro Bono Innovation grants

$100,00 Pro Bono Transformation grants

Legal Services of Greater Miami

s Centralizing its pro bono program under the oversight of a senior lawyer responsible for achieving program goals

s Collaborating with other pro bono programs to develop and implement a streamlined, client-centered intake and referral procedure

s Developing strategies to recruit and support pro bono activity by attorneys in small to midsize ﬁrms and solo practitioners

s Utilizing a Lean Six Sigma Blackbelt Business Process Analyst (BPA) in their program assessment

Legal Services of North Florida and Legal Aid Foundation of the Tallahassee Bar Association

s Collaborative restructuring to streamline access for clients, eliminate duplication of services, and increase volunteers and the number

of people receiving legal assistance

s Developing tools to obtain complete and timely case updates from volunteer attorneys

s Implementing a law student pro bono case management/attorney mentor system

PROVIDING GREATER ACCESS TO JUSTICE

The Family Law Section's $75,000 contribution will enhance the reach of the statewide Children’s Legal Services grant program. The Family Law Section has donated more

than $300,000 to the Foundation since 2012.

Attorneys across Florida support The Florida Bar Foundation

Foundation president-elect Juliette Lippman (left) and former executive director Bruce

Blackwell (right) receive a $70,000 cy pres award from the settlement of a suit won

by attorneys Edward Zebersky (second from left), Valorie Chavin and Michael J. Higer.

Foundation staff write for pro bono edition of The Florida Bar Journal

For the second year in a row, the Foundation's

communications staff wrote a cover story and set of

features on pro bono work for The Florida Bar Journal

(left). Out in May, Pro Bono 2.0 focuses on innovations

making pro bono work easier and more effective. The

Barry University School of Law Collaborative Family Law

Clinic and a case involving a trafﬁc stop gone wrong

will be covered, as well as a story on pro bono work for

hurricane survivors. The Foundation's Hurricane Irma

story map (right), featured in the hurricane story, was

chosen by Geographic Information Systems software-

maker Esri as one of its 18 favorite community-produced

story maps of 2017 out of more than 250,000. The story

map includes a disaster-related Legal Vulnerability Index

pioneered by the Foundation.

VOLUME 92, NO. 5 MAY 2018

PRO BONO 2.0

Innovations connect lawyers

with people in need

ccess to justice organizations, like The Florida Bar

Foundation, are grateful and appropriate recipients of

cy pres or residual fund awards in class action suits.

Regardless of the case matter, group members were in search of justice.

When full restitution to all members is either impossible or infeasible,

courts can approve a charitable donation out of unclaimed class action

funds. If you are interested in facilitating a cy pres award, contact

Donna Marino Kirtland, CFRE, at 407-960-7000.

YOU CAN HELP: CY PRES AWARDS

TheFloridaBarFoundation.org/ways-to-give/cy-pres-awards

JASON NUTTLE

WWW.THEFLORIDABARFOUNDATION.ORG

school in a single morning while at work.

Then one day, as he was driving down

Orange Avenue in Daytona, he found he was

in front of Community Legal Services of Mid-

Florida, and he remembered the civil legal aid

organization had once helped his mother.

“It was like a sign from God saying, ‘You’ve

been everywhere, but you haven’t been there,’”

Giddens said.

Just 15 minutes after telling an intake

coordinator his story, he got a phone call. Katie

Kelly, supervising attorney for the Children’s

Rights Unit, would take Ebony’s case.

Kelly’s work is funded by a $99,000 Florida

Bar Foundation Children’s Legal Services

grant. She is one of only a few attorneys in

Central Florida who handles cases like Ebony’s,

and hers is one of 14 varied Children’s Legal

Services projects statewide that the Foundation

supports with nearly $1 million in funding.

Kelly’s project specifically seeks to stop a

pattern in which young students like Ebony are

handed off to law enforcement instead of being

provided accommodations or individualized

instruction in accordance with the federal

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

“It was a textbook case of the school-to-

prison pipeline. Kids who struggle – especially

kids who are poor, black or disabled – are not

given these services, and they end up in this

pattern of exclusion, and expulsion through

suspension. And when those exclusions don’t

work, then oftentimes it rises to the level of

kids being Baker Acted, which is an involuntary

psychiatric hold, and arrested,” Kelly said.

“Ebony was not supported. She was not

given appropriate supportive services. And it all

rose to a level that they felt comfortable calling

the police instead of asking for a guidance

counselor for her, or instead of evaluating her.”

Years before, when Ebony was in preschool

and kindergarten, school audiologists had

reported that she was deaf in one ear, but

the school never provided appropriate

accommodations. Her teachers should have

been using a lavaliere microphone, checking to

ensure she heard instructions, providing written

instructions, and having her sit at the front of

the class. Also, even though Ebony had been

failing in school, she had been administratively

EBONY, from p. 1

promoted to the next grade and had never

been assessed for her learning difficulties.

Kelly saw to it that Ebony was evaluated

through the school and that she had an

independent evaluation. Those evaluations

uncovered her learning disabilities.

Armed with this new evidence, Kelly worked

with the school to develop an Individual

Education Program (IEP) for Ebony to ensure

she would receive the right kind of educational

support. She also got her moved to another

public school, where Ebony has blossomed.

“I remember getting her report card: three

F’s, a D, and all of a sudden she goes to a new

school: six A’s, one B,” Giddens said.

Ebony, now 12 and active in Girl Scouts,

recently celebrated making the A-B Honor Roll.

“If no one had really taught you for four or

five years, if people had just passed you along

and administratively promoted you from grade

to grade, and you really could only hear a part

of what everybody was saying, you’re going to

have gaps,” said Kelly, who worked in public

education for 20 years as a school psychologist,

administrator and special education teacher

before she went to law school. "What we’re

seeing now is, she’s catching up. She’s making

tremendous progress, because she’s got this

individualized instruction that’s helping her."

Meanwhile, Ebony has had no behavioral

problems at her new school and is not being

bullied anymore.

Giddens, who broke down in tears the

first time he met with Kelly, said he never

understood why he couldn’t get anywhere with

the school on his own.

“It’s crazy, because you would think that

when you’re a parent, and you’re involved with

your child, that’s what the school wants,” he

said, adding that he’s grateful to Kelly, and to

the Foundation for supporting Kelly’s work.

“I love Katie Kelly. I really do, because it

was like a weight lifted off my shoulders to

finally get some help.”

As gratifying as it is to see children like

Ebony succeeding, Kelly does more than help

one child at a time. She is advocating for

multiple children through complaints to the U.S.

Department of Justice and the U.S. Department

of Education Office for Civil Rights, and she

provides advocacy training to groups like the

Guardian ad Litem program and the Florida

Department of Children and Families.

“I’m the luckiest person on Earth,” Kelly

said. “I am eternally grateful for the support we

get from Community Legal Services of Mid-

Florida and The Florida Bar Foundation.”

"For poor people, justice looks

different. It's not the same

kind of justice that most

of us are used to. We just

believe it's better for everyone

to keep kids in school and out

of prison. It's so much more

cost-effective, and it provides

better outcomes for kids.”

– Katie Kelly, Supervising Attorney,

Children's Rights Unit

Katie Kelly, Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida

JUDY WATSON TRACY

awyers can support The

Florida Bar Foundation’s

Children’s Legal Services

grants through Florida Bar fee

statement voluntary contributions,

and anyone can contribute online.

YOU CAN HELP

TheFloridaBarFoundation.org/children

PROVIDING GREATER ACCESS TO JUSTICE

rystin Montersil, a 2017-19 Equal

Justice Works Fellow, is working on

a project at Catholic Legal Services,

Archdiocese of Miami, to address a specific

problem faced by undocumented immigrants

with U.S.-born children.

She is creating training materials for pro

bono attorneys and organizing pro se clinics

to help parents complete emergency family

preparedness plans in the event the parents are

detained or deported.

Montersil, whose two-year fellowship is

sponsored by The Florida Bar Foundation, hopes

to involve pro bono attorneys in her project and

create a replicable, statewide model.

“The goal is to create partnerships right

now with firms or pro bono coordinators at

firms that would be able to facilitate that

training and put me in touch with that pool of

potential pro bono attorneys,” Montersil said.

The plans include identifying and

establishing who would be the children’s

legal guardians and caregivers and creating

a card the children can carry with the contact

information for those individuals. Something as

simple as that can prevent a child from being

placed in the custody of the Department of

Children and Families (DCF) instead of with his

or her extended family or trusted friends.

“It really affects the stabilization for whole

communities when you have families torn apart,

children put into a system,” Montersil said.

"It creates a real strain on various services, so

anything that can be done to prevent that and

make it as stable and as seamless as possible

for those parents and children is ultimately

going to affect other parts of their lives and

other communities that they come in contact

with every day.”

Emergency plans also reduce the trauma

the children experience when their parents are

removed from their homes.

“The children can continue to go to school

with as little disruption as possible to their lives

and daily routine,” she said. “Also, if the child is

placed with DCF it becomes extremely difficult

for the parents to get information while they

are detained about any proceedings that are

EJW Fellow creates framework for pro bono attorneys to help immigrants

by Nancy Kinnally

Joseph E. Cordova, M.A.

Florida Legal Services, Alachua County

Cordova will serve immigrant and migrant worker

families by using education, outreach, policy

advocacy and community lawyering to increase

community power, socioeconomic opportunities and

legal services. Cordova is expected to graduate from

the University of Florida Levin College of Law in May.

Teiya Emenike

Legal Services of Greater Miami

In Liberty City, a historically black neighborhood in

Miami with signiﬁcant poverty, Emenike will work

to improve housing stability by representing tenants

facing eviction and enforcing their right to safe and

habitable housing. Emenike is expected to graduate

from the University of Miami School of Law in May.

Taylor E. Greenberg

Bay Area Legal Services, Tampa

Greenberg will provide direct legal representation,

create a community-wide task force, and train

attorneys to improve outcomes for teenagers in

group home foster care in Hillsborough County. In

May, Greenberg is expected to graduate from Stetson

University College of Law.

Anne Kanzow

Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida,

Daytona Beach

Kanzow will work to decrease the number of

children with disabilities in rural areas entering the

school-to-prison pipeline by engaging advocates and

developing educational materials for students, parents

and the community. Kanzow is expected to graduate

from Stetson University College of Law in May.

2018-20 Equal Justice Works Fellows Named

taking place at the state level for their children.

A lot of times they won’t really know what’s

going on and in the worst case, parental rights

could potentially be terminated without the

parents knowing because they are detained

and don’t have access to counsel or appropriate

information.”

She said pro bono attorneys need not have

experience in immigration, guardianship or

family law to help.

“It’s something they can easily be trained to

do confidently, efficiently, and it will have great

ramifications for the clients they’re going to

serve,” she said.

Greenberg is funded by Greenberg Traurig and The Florida Bar Foundation. The other fellows

are funded by the Foundation through its Bank of America grant program.

The Foundation also will fund three Equal Justice Works Disaster Recovery Fellows. The

fellows, who will start 2-year disaster recovery projects in 2018, will be embedded at local

civil legal aid providers.

WWW.THEFLORIDABARFOUNDATION.ORG

2018-19 Children's Legal Services grants

Organization(s) Project or Initiative Grant

Brevard County Legal Aid Children's Legal Advocacy Project (CLAP) $35,000

Catholic Legal Services, Archdiocese of Miami Children Fleeing Violence $50,000

Community Law Program Lawyers for Young Adults Project $25,000

Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida Safe Path Through Education; Educational Advocate Manual $100,000

Cuban American Bar Association Pro Bono Project CABA Immigrant Children's Program $45,000

Dade County Bar Association Legal Aid Society Children’s Legal Collaborative - Holistic Child Representation $50,000

Florida Legal Services FILS Project: Ending Juvenile Solitary Conﬁnement $75,000

Florida Legal Services Children's Healthcare Access Project $80,000

Florida State University College of Law Health, Special Education $80,000

Florida's Children First Children's Systemic Initiative $175,000

Legal Aid Service of Broward County Restorative Justice for Broward Children and Families (RJBCF) $125,000

Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County Education Advocacy Project - School to Jail Pipeline $61,600

Legal Aid Society of the Orange County Bar Association Developmental Disabilities Advocacy; Guardian ad Litem Program $51,000

Legal Services of Greater Miami & DIG Education Justice Collaborative - Baker Acts $139,000

Legal Services of North Florida Children's Legal Representation Project - Holistic Child $74,900

Seminole County Bar Association Legal Aid Society Endless Dreams - Foster Youth to College $30,000

Southern Legal Counsel Statewide Education Advocacy for Vulnerable Populations $90,500

Three Rivers Legal Services & Center for Children's Rights Hope Pipeline - Collective Impact in Duval County $120,000

University of Miami School of Law CYLC Children's Advocacy - LGBTQ, Immigrant, Holistic $60,000

Total: $1.465 million

he Florida Bar Foundation board

March 9 approved $1.47 million in

grants to 21 Children’s Legal Services

projects that address the needs of foster youth,

children with disabilities and health problems,

children fleeing violence, LGBTQ youth,

incarcerated minors and others. Several of the

grants support the work of legal aid attorneys

specializing in protecting the educational and

civil rights of children in public schools and

shutting off the school-to-jail pipeline.

For example, the Education Justice

Collaborative, a joint project of Legal Services

of Greater Miami Inc. (LSGMI) and Disabilities

Independence Group, will protect the rights of

Foundation makes nearly $1.5 million in Children's Legal Services grants

by Nancy Kinnally

at-risk students and those with disabilities who

are threatened with or have been subjected to

a school-initiated Baker Act petition.

“Three times each school day, a student

in Miami-Dade County is put in handcuffs and

taken from school by the police because school

personnel have initiated a Baker Act petition

against the student,” LSGMI wrote in the grant

application, adding that of 2,300 Baker Act

examinations of minors in Miami-Dade County,

700 were initiated at a school. A statewide task

force on involuntary examinations of minors

issued its final report in November, which found

that children are inappropriately Baker Acted

for behavior that does not meet Baker Act

criteria.

The project will provide outreach and

education as well as direct representation of

children by legal aid staff attorneys as well

as pro bono attorneys. All of the educational

materials created will be translated into Spanish

and Haitian Creole.

“The outcome for children is that they

will remain in school, avoid the stigmatization

and harm caused by inappropriate Baker Act

petitions, and will receive services necessary

for school attendance and completion because

their parents and other adults will have

information to understand and enforce their

legal rights,” the application stated.

PROVIDING GREATER ACCESS TO JUSTICE

fter a seven-year hiatus, The Florida

Bar Foundation is reinstating its

popular Legal Aid Summer Fellows

Program, though which law students spend

11 weeks working at Florida civil legal aid

programs in projects focused on specific goals

such as preventing eviction, protecting the

rights of children and adults with disabilities,

and addressing the unique legal needs of

immigrants who are victims of violence.

The Florida Bar Foundation board was able

to approve 14 Summer Fellows for 2018 thanks

to generous pledges and donations, including a

Contribution support revives Legal Aid Summer Fellows Program

$75,000 gift from the West Palm Beach law



firm of Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart &

Shipley P.A. and a $50,000 pledge by Florida

Bar Foundation board member David Prather

of Clark, Fountain, La Vista, Prather, Keen and

Littky-Rubin, also of West Palm Beach.

The program begins May 14 with a three-

day training hosted by Akerman LLP in Miami.

Trainers include Whitney Untiedt, Akerman’s

director of pro bono initiatives, and Florida Bar

Foundation board member Angela Vigil, director

of pro bono practice at Baker McKenzie.

Trenam Law is providing a $3,000

by Nancy Kinnally

education sponsorship to support training costs,

including travel and accommodations for the

fellows. Foundation board member Stephen

Senn of Peterson & Myers in Lakeland is also

supporting the program with a $2,500 gift.

The program was established in 1995 but

temporarily suspended in 2011 due to a lack

of funding. Second-year law students receive a

$6,500 stipend, and third-year students receive

$8,250. The fellowship offers a meaningful

summer-associate type legal experience while

also helping those in the community.

Americans for Immigrant Justice, Miami

Daniela Sirimarco, NOVA Shepard Broad College of Law

l Family Defense Program, which helps immigrant

clients through community education, legal screening

clinics and representation

Three Rivers Legal Services, Lake City

Brittany Woodman, University of Florida Levin College

of Law

l Long-Term Recovery Project, which helps Hurricane

Irma survivors with legal issues such as housing and

public beneﬁts

Southern Legal Counsel,

Gainesville

Abigail Adkins, FAMU College of Law

l Community economic development project, which reforms systems

of inequality to improve opportunity among vulnerable populations

Florida Legal Services, Newberry

Amika Jeffries, Stetson University College of Law

l Preservation of affordable housing, combating barriers

for people with criminal histories and survivors of domestic violence

CAIR Florida, Tampa

Anum Shakir, Thomas M. Cooley Law School

l Civil rights and immigrants’ rights program, advocacy

Bay Area Legal Services, Tampa

Alaina Upman, Thomas M. Cooley Law School

l Senior Home Preservation Program (SHOPP), to assist

seniors with legal services that preserve homes

Community Law Program, St. Petersburg

Marina Millson, University of Florida Levin College of Law

l Eviction defense, criminal records expunction/sealing, and

work on Residential Eviction Access to Justice Collaborative

Legal Aid of Manasota, Sarasota

Mavic Francisco, Stetson University College of Law

l Medical Legal Partnership project, which reduces racial

health disparities by creating a system through which

lawyers and doctors work together on patient issues

Catholic Legal Services, Miami

Junie Cazeau, NOVA Shepard Broad College of Law

l Community and Economic Development

initiative to help immigrant victims of violence

LatinoJustice PRLDEF, Orlando

Bianca Baez, Florida State University School of Law

l Community Economic Justice project, which

mobilizes, trains and deploys attorneys and

others to provide free, bilingual disaster relief

legal assistance

Legal Aid Service of Broward

County, Plantation

Crystal Serrano, University of

Florida Levin College of Law

l Consumer Unit, which improves

family ﬁnancial health and helps

maintain housing stability within

low-income communities.

Legal Aid Society of the Orange

County Bar Association, Orlando

Hanna Elmasry, Stetson University

College of Law

l Remove barriers to employment and

increase economic opportunities for

low-income workers

Disability Independence Group, Miami

Kelly Hawk, Stetson University College of Law

l FamiliesCan!, which addresses specialized

needs of families who have a child with a

disability, or who are headed by a parent with

a developmental disability

Legal Services of Greater Miami

Nazli Doga Meric, University of Miami

School of Law

l Disaster Legal Assistance Project,

which helps neighborhoods with

damage from Hurricane Irma recover

WWW.THEFLORIDABARFOUNDATION.ORG

2016-17

Annual

Report

Message from 2016-17 President Matthew G. Brenner

raditionally, the last privilege of Florida

Bar Foundation presidents is to share a

year-in-review message in the annual

report. Looking back over 2016-17, it’s hard

to know where to begin, but I think in this

instance it makes sense to start where the year

ended.

On June 22, 2017, when the board

of directors adopted a strategic reset, the

Foundation officially embarked on a journey

through which it has embraced a new role as

a catalyst for systemic change and an expert

facilitator for civil legal aid in Florida.

The ultimate destination – the Foundation’s

mission of providing greater access to justice

– did not change, but our aim is to move from

clogged highways to high-speed rail as we

pursue that end. We have positioned ourselves

to be a driver of innovation and efficiency,

connecting communities of thought-leaders

with communities in need.

And by 2017 that train had clearly left the

station.

The Foundation applied the strategic reset

to the release of $1.5 million in its Bank

of America Community Economic Development

grants. Funds went to seven projects in the

areas of affordable housing, legislative

advocacy, medical-legal partnerships,

expungements, identity documentation, LGBTQ

inclusion, and the legal needs of migrant

and agricultural workers. In addition, the

Foundation funded four Equal Justice Works

fellows to work at civil legal aid organizations

where their two-year projects focus on

community economic development in under-

served communities from inner-city Miami

to rural Apopka. All the projects funded use

collaborative, sustainable and – it is hoped –

replicable models for serving greater numbers

of people.

Simultaneously, the Foundation launched

FloridaProBonoMatters.org, a new website that

enables lawyers to search for pro bono cases

across multiple legal aid organizations. In its

first year, which began with a Miami-Dade

County pilot and ended with the completion

of a statewide rollout, this new marketing

tool for pro bono generated more than 200

interest forms from lawyers wanting to help

specific clients. Meanwhile, the Foundation’s

communications staff provided Florida lawyers

with a host of compelling reasons to engage

in pro bono work through a cover story and

several features in the March 2017 issue of The

Florida Bar Journal.

Also in 2017, the Foundation released

the results of a study it commissioned on the

economic impact of civil legal aid, which found

a $7 return on investment for every dollar

spent. The study results were touted in op-eds

and at press conferences throughout the state,

where the spokespeople included then-ABA

President-elect Hilarie Bass and then-Florida

Bar President Bill Schifino, as well as Florida

Chief Justice Jorge Labarga. The study has

provided the Foundation, and the legal aid

organizations it helps fund, with more evidence

to support fundraising and advocacy efforts

moving forward. The release of the study was

immediately followed by a groundbreaking

advocacy project for ABA Days in Washington

D.C. that enabled Foundation, Florida Bar and

ABA leaders and Chief Justice Labarga to show

members of Florida’s congressional delegation

the impact of Legal Services Corporation-

funded programs on their constituents.

Using Geographic Information Systems, the

Foundation produced information specific to

each lawmaker’s district on the number of

veterans, domestic abuse survivors and seniors

who were served by federally-funded legal aid

programs, as well as the number of people who

were assisted with housing matters.

These sorts of collaborative efforts – further

supported by the now-permanent Florida

Commission on Access to Civil Justice – are at

the heart of the Foundation’s new approach

to fulfilling its mission. While most of the

credit for these achievements is because of the

Foundation’s extremely talented staff, it was my

distinct honor to lead the Foundation through

this period of rapid advancement. I would like

to thank the staff for their dedication, and

my colleagues on the board for their earnest

deliberations that led us into this new era.

THE FLORIDA BAR FOUNDATION

PROVIDING GREATER ACCESS TO JUSTICE

HOW FUNDS WERE SPENT IN 2016-17

2016-17 FUNDING SOURCES

Interest on Trust Accounts

Settlements

Contributions

Endowment & Reserves

Loan from The Florida Bar

Net Investment Income

Miscellaneous

Programs

Administration

Fundraising

PROGRAMS:

Grants 81.6%

Loan Repayment 7.0%

Pro Bono 3.9%

Grantee Capacity Building 2.7%

Strategic Direction 1.9%

Triage Pilot Program 1.2%

Grantee Program Evaluations 0.7%

Legal Aid Impact Study 0.5%

Other 0.5%

$9,344,751

$806,300

$443,237

$307,442

$220,396

$141,066

$74,004

$54,000

$54,807

$11,446,003 100.0%

2016-17 New Fellows

Florida Bar Foundation Fellows, our core supporters, pledge $1,000 payable over ﬁve years, or over 10 years for young,

government or nonproﬁt lawyers. To learn more about the Fellows Program, to make your Fellows pledge, or to see a list of

Florida Bar Foundation Fellows, visit www.TheFloridaBarFoundation.org/Fellow.

Prof. Paolo Annino

Jay R. Beskin

Christie L. Bhageloe

James A. Bonaquist, Jr.

Carl J. Domino

Marisa R. Dorough

Natasha B. Dorsey

Joseph M. Goldstein

Hon. Yolonda Y. Green

Raleigh (Billy) Greene

Carlos Halley

Patricia Jaramillo

Amber Jade F. Johnson

Jay Kim

Sarah Lahlou-Amine

Rachel A. Lowes

Brittany Maxey

William B. McQueen

Katherine H. Miller

Mindy Mora

Jack Moring

C. Richard Nail

Carly M. Newman

Erin A. O'Hara O'Connor

Zelica M. Quigley

Maritza Ramirez

Wayne L. Smith

Pedro Sotolongo

Peter J. Sweeney, Jr.

Anais M. Taboas

Angela C. Vigil

Donald A. Workman

July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017

WWW.THEFLORIDABARFOUNDATION.ORG

The Legacy for Justice

The Legacy for Justice recognizes those who have included the Foundation in their estate planning, made a gift or pledge of more than

$10,000, directed a signiﬁcant cy pres award to the Foundation, or facilitated a colleague’s major gift. We offer the members of this prestigious

group our sincerest gratitude for their deep and abiding commitment to the Foundation.

Louie Adcock*

Akerman LLP

Anonymous Fund Central Florida Foundation

Anonymous Fund Community Foundation of

Sarasota County, Inc.

Tod Aronovitz*

The Batchelor Foundation

James L. Bell*

Bruce B. Blackwell*

Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney

A. Hamilton Cooke*

Robert W. Fisher* **

Valorie S. Chavin

Carl J. Domino*

Anonymous

The Florida Bar Appellate Practice Section

The Florida Bar Business Law Section

The Florida Bar Criminal Law Section

The Florida Bar Family Law Section

The Florida Bar General Practice, Solo and Small

Firm Section

The Florida Bar Real Property, Probate & Trust

Law Section

The Florida Bar Trial Lawyers Section

The Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division

Florida Lawyers Legal Insurance Corporation

Florida Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company

The Flourish Fund of Gulf Coast Community

Foundation

Brian K. Gart*

Deborah P. Goodall*

GrayRobinson, PA

Maria E. Henderson*

William O.E. Henry* **

Michael J. Higer*

J. Wayne Hogan*

Holland & Knight LLP

Michael J. Howell, The Howell Family Fund

T. Glenn Jackson, Jr.* **

Laird A. Lile*

Tom Loffredo

Miles McGrane, III*

Kathleen S. McLeroy*

Anonymous

Melissa Moss*

Mellon United National Bank

Anonymous

John* and Pam Noland*

John* and Nora Patterson*

Roderick N. Petrey*

Polaszek, Berman, Hansen

Lou Ann Powell*

David C. Prather*

Ruden McCloskey Smith Schuster & Russell, PA

John Woolslair Sheppard

Larry* and Pat Stewart

Stroock Stroock & Lavin LLP

Russell Troutman* **

Marvin A. Urquhart, Jr.**

Hon. William A. Van Nortwick, Jr.*

Robert Craig Waters*

Hon. John D. Wessel* **

John Yanchunis*

Burton Young*

Edward H. Zebersky

* Florida Bar Foundation Fellow

**Deceased

Through March 26, 2018

New Legacy for Justice Members

Carl J. Domino

With his generous gift of

stock, Domino contributed

more than $11,000

Deborah Goodall

Goodall named The

Florida Bar Foundation

as a beneﬁciary in her

life insurance

Not pictured:

Valorie S. Chavin, Michael J. Higer and Edward H. Zebersky. See photo on p. 5.

PROVIDING GREATER ACCESS TO JUSTICE

Advocate's Society

($250,000-499,999)

The Batchelor Foundation, Inc.

The Florida Bar Family Law Section

The Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division

Anonymous Foundation

Barrister's Society

($100,000-249,999)

The Florida Bar Business Law Section

Ruden McClosky Smith Schuster &

Russell, P.A.

Trial Lawyers Section of the Florida Bar

Counselor's Society

($50,000-99,999)

The Florida Bar Appellate Practice

Section

The Florida Bar Criminal Law Section

The Florida Bar Real Property, Probate

& Trust Law Section

Florida Lawyers Legal Insurance Corp.

Florida Lawyers Mutual Insurance

Company

Florida Project Directors' Association

John Patterson*

Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart &

Shipley P.A.

Larry S. Stewart*

Platinum Society

($25,000-49,999)

Bruce B. Blackwell*

Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC

Carlton Fields, P.A.

Gray Robinson, P.A.

Maria E. Henderson*

J. Wayne Hogan*

Holland & Knight LLP

Miles A. McGrane, III*

John A. Noland*

Gold Society

($10,000-24,999)

Akerman LLP

AMGEN PAC

Anonymous Fund Community

Foundation of Sarasota County, Inc.

Rosemary E. Armstrong*

Lifetime Giving Circles

Berger Singerman LLP

Darryl M. Bloodworth*

Burr & Forman LLP

Central Florida Foundation

Jane Elizabeth Curran*

Carl J. Domino*

The Florida Bar Solo and Small Firm

Section

The Flourish Fund of Gulf Coast

Community Foundation

Foundation for Improvement of

Justice Inc

John W. Frost, II*

Stuart Z. Grossman*

William O.E. Henry* **

Hill, Ward & Henderson, P.A.

T. Glenn Jackson, Jr.* **

Laird A. Lile*

Dominic C. MacKenzie*

Anonymous

Melissa A. Moss*

Anonymous*

Ohio State Bar Foundation

Peterson & Myers, P.A.

Roderick N. Petrey*

Lou Ann Powell*

David C. Prather*

Stanley M. Rosenblatt*

David B. Rothman*

John W. Sheppard*

Shutts & Bowen LLP

Stroock Stroock & Lavin LLP

Marvin A. Urquhart, Jr.**

Hon. William A. Van Nortwick, Jr.*

Hon. John D. Wessel* **

Silver Society

($5,000-9,999)

Allegheny County Bar Association

BankAtlantic Foundation

Bigglesworth Family Foundation

Michele Booth

Hon. Catherine M. Brunson*

Mary E. Cantrell*

John P. Cardillo*

Coker, Schickel, Sorenson, Posgay

& Iracki, PA

A. Hamilton Cooke*

Ann D. Davidson*

William H. Davis*

Dean, Mead, Egerton, Bloodworth

DI Law Group

Paul C. Doyle*

Kathleen A. Dubin

Mary G. Evertz*

Luis L. Fernandez

Joanne Flanagan

The Florida Bar Citizens Advisory

Committee

Douglas M. Halsey*

Michael J. Howell

The Howell Family Fund

Philip N. Kabler*

Hon. Larry Klein*

Elizabeth M. Knoblock

Gary S. Lesser*

David Manz*

Massachusetts Bar Association

Susan H. Maurer*

Joseph P. Milton* **

Linda Moore*

Howard M. Neu

Ohio State Bar Association

Oklahoma Bar Foundation

Thomas R. Oldt*

Patsy Palmer*

Thomas F. Panza*

Daryl D. Parks*

Parks & Crump, LLC

Dennis Richard*

James C. Rinaman*

Rogow Greenberg Foundation Inc.

Catherine A. Roth

Anne R. Schultz

Christian D. Searcy*

Hon. Patricia A. Seitz*

Stephen R. Senn*

Pamela Simonton

Richard W. Slawson*

Adele I. Stone*

Sidney A. Stubbs, Jr.*

The Sullivan & Cromwell

Foundation

Hon. Emerson R. Thompson, Jr.*

William L. Thompson, Jr.* **

Hon. John W. Thornton, Jr.*

Russell Troutman* **

Cynthia G. Tymeson

Carol A. Wherry*

Jewel White*

William O.E. Henry Charitable

Foundation

Randall Wilson, C.P.A.*

Burton Young*

Gwynne A. Young*

Bronze Society

($2,000-4,999)

Ramón A. Abadin*

Richard Abramowitz*

David P. Ackerman*

Louie N. Adcock, Jr.*

Hon. Alfonso L. Adderly

David Adler

Steven N. Ainbinder*

William Akers

Allen, Dyer, Doppelt, Milbrath &

Gilchrist, P.A.

Cesar L. Alvarez*

Francisco R. Angones*

Georgina Angones*

Hon. Harry L. Anstead*

Susann Anstead*

Alan H. Aronson*

Marcella Auerbach*

Jonathan L. Awner*

David P. Babner*

Scott L. Baena*

Mark O. Bagnall*

Douglas R. Bald*

Kim A. Bald*

Nancy Baldwin

Richard Bales

Michael A. Bander*

Julio C. Barbosa

Martha W. Barnett*

Hilarie Bass*

John Battle

Dora L. Beatty*

Continued on p. 14

Through March 26, 2018

WWW.THEFLORIDABARFOUNDATION.ORG

Jonathan D. Beloff*

R. Lee Bennett*

Sheryl E. Berkowitz*

Mary-Anne Bestebreurtje*

Kathleen Bickelhaupt

Brian L. Bilzin*

Hon. Deb S. Blechman*

Byron B. Block*

Hon. Ellyn S. Bogdanoff*

Carlos J. Bonilla*

Ronald L. Book*

Boston Holding Company

Brooke J. Bowman

Dana G. Bradford*

Debra Braga*

Jack P. Brandon*

Matthew G. Brenner*

David Bridger

Alejandro Brito*

Broward County Bar Association

Young Lawyers Section

Bonnie A. Brown

Gregory P. Brown*

Jackson M. Bruce*

Gerald Buhr*

Robert J. Buonauro*

Charla Burchett*

Adam Buss

Robert A. Butterworth, Jr.*

Luis A. Cabassa*

L. Kinder Cannon, III*

Steven L. Cantor* **

Hon. Hugh A. Carithers, Jr.*

Henry Carnegie

Patrick J. Casey*

George Cauthen*

Sharla R. Charpentier

Douglas A. Cherry*

Susan H. Churuti*

Hon. Nikki A. Clark*

Jay M. Cohen

Hon. Robert S. Cohen*

Howard C. Coker*

Gregory W. Coleman*

Douglas E. Combs, Ph.D.

Ian Comisky*

Kenneth Conrad

Charles Coomes

Leslie L. Cooney*

Father C. Timothy Corcoran, III

Sarah Cortvriend*

Henry M. Coxe, III*

Dale W. Cravey

Hon. Marva L. Crenshaw*

Critton, Luttier & Coleman, LLP

Lynda Crouse

Michele K. Cummings*

Clinton A. Curtis* **

Garrett Cutler

Stephen Cypen*

Howard L. Dale*

Talbot D'Alemberte*

Arthur B. D'Almeida*

Hon. Paul W. Danahy, Jr.*

James R. Daughton*

Amber N. Davis*

Kahlil A. Day*

Theodore Deckert*

Lisa J. Delancy

Sarah DeLaurentis

Lauren Y. Detzel*

John A. DeVault*

John T. Diamandis

Sandra F. Diamond*

George A. Dietz*

Jesse H. Diner*

James R. Dirmann*

John A. Doninger

Mayanne Downs*

Michael Dribin*

David Dunnavant

James M. Eakle

Robert E. Eddington* **

Patrick G. Emmanuel*

Stephen C. Emmanuel*

Andrew Erdman

Alejandro Espino*

Kerry L. Ezrol*

Michael J. Faehner*

Charlie Farah*

Eddie Farah*

Hon. Crockett Farnell*

Timothy M. Farrow*

Joel S. Fass*

Jeffrey D. Feldman*

Enrique Ferrer

Jeffrey D. Fisher*

Michael W. Fisher*

Florida Association of Legal

Secretaries

The Florida Bar Administrative Law

Section

Michelle Fonseca*

Sally H. Foote*

Eric Forman*

Hamilton C. Forman, Jr.*

Dori Foster-Morales*

Spencer H. Fox*

Julia L. Frey*

Roger Futerman

Jose A. Garrido, Jr.*

Brian K. Gart*

Michael Gaschler

Kevin T. Gay

William E. Gaylor, III*

Rita Giblin

Irwin R. Gilbert*

Franklyn Glinn*

Gerard F. Glynn*

David H. Gold*

Robert S. Goldman*

Eric A. Gonzalez

Ricardo A. Gonzalez*

Leo Govoni*

Moises T. Grayson

Mark Green*

Ashley W. Greene*

Robin H. Greene*

James Greenﬁeld*

Paige A. Greenlee*

Alan G. Greer*

Nancy W. Gregoire*

Melanie S. Grifﬁn*

Thomas Grillo

Michele B. Grimes*

Lynn H. Groseclose*

Merrick L. Gross*

Peter J. Gulden, III*

John R. Gunnarson

Richard Haber

Stuart J. Haft*

William E. Hahn*

Martin L. Haines, III*

James Haliczer*

William D. Hall, Jr.*

Frank A. Hamner*

Major B. Harding*

John F. Harkness, Jr.*

Elizabeth H. Harris*

Hon. James C. Hauser*

Hon. Judith Hawkins*

Jacqueline Hea

Susan B. Hecker*

Hugh Hedley

James Helinger, Jr.*

Michael Herde

Michael M. Hernandez

Robert Hertzberg

John Hickey*

Ben H. Hill, III*

J. Fraser Himes*

Joel Hirschhorn*

Charles Honara

Bill W. Hoppe, Jr.*

Hopping Green & Sams, P.A.

Robert F. Hudson, Jr.* **

Carolyn Huggins

H. Scott Huizenga

Jonathan S. Ingber

Kenneth Jannen

Louis Jepeway, Jr.

Lauren E. Jirak

Andrea M. Johnson*

H. Wesley Johnson

Pamela M. Jones*

Robert C. Josefsberg*

Hon. Charles J. Kahn*

Randy M. Kammer

Fred E. Karlinsky*

John R. Keller*

Ann L. Kerr*

Robert G. Kerrigan*

Hon. John M. Kest*

Hon. Sally D. Kest*

Mary E. King*

Nancy Kinnally*

Robert Klausner*

George F. Knox, Jr.*

Chris Kontaridis

Edward F. Koren*

Karen Korner

Continued on p. 15

PROVIDING GREATER ACCESS TO JUSTICE

Abe Koss

David Kreeger

Erin Kucerik

Alan D. Lash*

Noel G. Lawrence*

Jasmine Lee-Gaumier*

Gary J. Leppla*

Richard Levenstein*

Markham Leventhal

Carlos A. Leyva

Rutledge R. Liles*

Rodney K. Lilly*

Thomas H. Lindsey*

Christopher N. Link*

Juliette E. Lippman*

William E. Loucks*

Judith Luengas

Julie Luhrsen*

Anne B. MacLean*

Marsha Madorsky*

Donna Marino*

Jerry M. Markowitz*

Stewart A. Marshall, III*

Margaret Mathews*

Charles R. Mathis, IV*

James F. Mazzulla*

Elizabeth McCausland*

William M. McHugh

Telese McKay*

Hon. June C. McKinney*

Kathleen S. McLeroy*

Paul J. McMahon*

Hon. Raymond McNeal*

Robert W. Mead, Jr.*

Ilyne R. Mendelson

Robert Merlin*

Thomas M. Messana*

Stephen W. Metz*

Joseph C. Meux, Jr.*

Hon. Donald M. Middlebrooks*

James F. Miller*

Richard C. Milstein*

Mississippi Bar Foundation, Inc.

William T. Moore* **

Maria C. Moreno

Mary A. Morgan*

Richard Morrison**

J. Stanford Morse*

Rene V. Murai*

Karen Myatt*

The New York Bar Foundation

Hon. James P. Nilon*

Kenneth Nolan*

Phil D. O'Connell*

Andrew M. O'Malley*

Edith G. Osman*

Hon. Ben F. Overton* **

Jack B. Owen, Jr.*

Robert Owens

Roberto R. Pardo*

Hon. Barbara J. Pariente*

Thomas M. Parker

Robert L. Parks*

Saul L. Paster

Ambarina A. Perez*

F. Martin Perry*

Patrice J. Pilate*

Nancy A. Pinzino

Alan Polley

F. Wallace Pope, Jr.*

Colleen A. Preston

Jerald Price

Jamie K. Proctor

Justice Peggy A. Quince*

John A. Radey*

Johanna Ravelo

Raymond James Financial

Laura M. Reich*

Benjamine Reid*

Sanford Reinhard

Raymond A. Reiser*

Lea Remigio*

Ann Rezzonico*

Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP

William H. Robbinson, Jr.*

Hon. Steven Robinson*

Anne B. Robjohns*

David Roby

Bruce S. Rogow*

Juana Maria Rojas

Robert A. Romagna* **

Robin Rosenberg*

Susan Rosenblatt*

Emery H. Rosenbluth, Jr.*

Scott R. Rost*

Jeffrey Roth*

Neal Roth

Elisha D. Roy*

Terrence J. Russell*

Peter A. Sachs*

Lee Sanderson

Hala A. Sandridge*

Nicholas P. Sardelis, Jr.*

Andrew B. Sasso*

Christian R. Sawczyn

Hon. Edwin A. Scales, III*

Richard A. Schechter

John J. Schickel*

Gerold L. Schiebler, M.D.

William J. Schiﬁno, Jr.*

Tracey L. Schneider

Dawn B. Schulz*

George E. Schulz, Jr.*

Mark A. Sessums*

Hon. Winifred J. Sharp*

L. David Shear* **

William J. Sheppard*

Deanna Shifrin*

Louis M. Silber*

Emelia Silva*

Murray B. Silverstein*

Evett L. Simmons*

Barry Sinoff*

Jonathan Skipp*

Joseph Smith, Jr.

Victor R. Smith*

Andrew M. Smulian*

James B. Soble*

Javier Sobrado

HeatherAnn M. Solanka*

Neal R. Sonnett*

Brian Spector*

Thomas R. Spencer, Jr.*

Lawrence Spiegel*

Kent R. Spuhler*

Grey Squires-Binford*

Michael P. Stafford*

Camille Stawicki*

Mark E. Stein*

Scott Stichter*

Arnold M. Straus*

Marilyn Strauss*

Thomas E. Streit*

Hon. Jeffrey E. Streitfeld*

Scot Strems

Jaime Suarez

Jane Sullivan*

Howard M. Talenfeld*

Harry Tempkins*

Terrell Hogan

O. Stephen Thacker, II*

Adrian P. Thomas

Dan H. Thompson*

John M. Thomson*

Melinda Thornton*

Jennifer C. Tindall

Anthony J. Titone*

Ronald Toward*

George E. Tragos*

A. Rodgers Traynor, Jr.*

Craig Tregillus

Christopher M. Tuccitto

Diane H. Tutt*

John A. Van Ness*

Hon. Suzanne H. Van Wyk*

Doris Vigo

Jorge P. Villoldo

Helen Von Dolteren-Fournier*

Carl Wagner

Sylvia H. Walbolt*

Gregory C. Ward*

Jeffrey W. Warren*

Michelle M. Wasielewski

Robert Wayne*

Charles T. Wells*

The Welsh Charitable Trust

Susan B. Werth*

Claudia Wheeler*

Marva Wiley

John W. Williams, Jr.*

Kerry Wilson*

Jennifer D. Wimberly*

Wm. Reece Smith, Jr. Leadership

Academy, Class II*

Sandra K. Wolkov*

Donald C. Works, III

Tad A. Yates*

Grisel Ybarra*

Stephen N. Zack*

*Florida Bar Foundation Fellow

**Deceased

Get social with us.

www.TheFloridaBarFoundation.org

We are The Florida Bar Foundation,

and we believe the justice system works best when it works for everyone.

CONTACT THE FOUNDATION

(407) 960-7000 • (800) 541-2195

EXECUTIVE

Larry W. Tyree, Interim Executive Director

ltyree@TheFloridaBarFoundation.org

Lou Ann Powell, Deputy Director, CFO/COO

lapowell@TheFloridaBarFoundation.org

COMMUNICATIONS

Jessica Brown, Director of Communications

jbrown@TheFloridaBarFoundation.org

DEVELOPMENT

Donna Marino Kirtland, Director of Development

dmarino@TheFloridaBarFoundation.org

GRANTS

Kate York, Grants Program Ofﬁcer

kyork@TheFloridaBarFoundation.org

IOTA OPERATIONS

Lushawn Phillips, IOTA Manager

lphillips@TheFloridaBarFoundation.org

PRO BONO

Claud B. Nelson, Pro Bono Program Ofﬁcer

cbnelson@TheFloridaBarFoundation.org

2017-18 OFFICERS

Jewel White, President

Juliette Lippman, President-elect

Hala Sandridge, First Vice President

Tom Oldt, Second Vice President

Matthew G. Brenner, Immediate Past President

DESIGNATED DIRECTORS

Honorable Edwin A. Scales, III

Third District Court of Appeal

Honorable Reginald K. Whitehead

Ninth Judicial Circuit Court

Michael J. Higer

President, The Florida Bar

Michelle R. Suskauer

President-elect, The Florida Bar

William J. Schiﬁno, Jr.

Immediate Past President, The Florida Bar

Edrick E. Barnes

President, Florida Legal Services, Inc.

PUBLIC MEMBERS

Connie Bookman

Mary Gardiner Evertz

Carlos Halley

George W. Tinsley, Sr.

DIRECTORS

(Terms expire 2018)

Honorable James M. Barton, II

Gregory P. Brown

David L. Manz

Dori Foster-Morales

Stephen R. Senn

Honorable Suzanne Van Wyk

(Terms expire 2019)

Robert A. Butterworth

Gregory W. Coleman

Paige A. Greenlee

Roberto R. Pardo

David C. Prather

Tad A. Yates

(Terms expire 2020)

Karen M. Buesing

John P. Cardillo

Carl J. Domino

Murray B. Silverstein

Daniel H. Thompson

Angela C. Vigil