The Thirteenth Judicial Circuit 2023 Pro Bono Service Award Winners
The Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee commends the extraordinary service of the award recipients .
Special Feature by Tori Simmons – Hill Ward Henderson
On May 11 , 2023 , the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit held its Circuit Pro Bono Services Awards Ceremony to recognize attorneys who performed more than 20 pro bono hours in 2022 . The ceremony was hosted by the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee and Bay Area Legal Service ’ s Volunteer Lawyers Program . The event was sponsored by Foley & Lardner , LLP , Hill Ward Henderson , and Crossroads for Florida Kids .
The Pro Bono Committee , headed by Chair Judge Barbara Twine Thomas and Vice Chair Judge Darren Farfante , presented special awards to recognize those who made outstanding contributions to pro bono legal services in 2022 . The winners listed below were presented with their awards before a distinguished audience , including judges from the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit and the Middle District of Florida , Bar leaders , family , friends , and supporters .
Jimmy Kynes Pro Bono Service Award : Mark Wolfson
Mr . Wolfson is a partner at Foley & Lardner in Tampa where he practices complex corporate bankruptcy and commercial litigation . Mr . Wolfson joined the Bay Area Legal Services pro bono attorney panel in 1995 . Since then , he has taken 37 pro bono cases in all areas of the law and donated nearly 1,000 hours of pro bono legal services . Mr . Wolfson has taken a special interest in guardian advocacy cases . In those cases , he helps parents of disabled children gain the legal rights they need to continue to properly care for their child after they become adults . In one memorable case , Mr . Wolfson helped a mother , whose son was in a medically-induced coma in the ICU with a traumatic brain injury , obtain an emergency guardianship order .
Mr . Wolfson also encourages others to give back . He is serving in his 7th year as the Pro Bono Chair of the Foley & Lardner Tampa office , where he has increased the firm ’ s pro bono participation . Mr . Wolfson gives his pro bono clients the same quality of service and attention as he does any other client . That ’ s why one client said if there were more people like Mr . Wolfson in the world , it would be “ a better place for everyone .”
Outstanding Pro Bono Service by a Lawyer : L . Carina Cutter
L . Carina Cutter has been diligently serving her community through pro bono service at Bay Area Legal Services since 2009 . She has volunteered with both the Family Forms Clinic and the Domestic Violence Assistance Project , as well as accepted pro bono cases for representation . Despite practicing corporate law , Ms . Cutter studied family law to gain skills to help those in need and even learned Spanish so she could help when there was no Spanish-speaking volunteer to take a case . Ms . Cutter has contributed over 658 hours of pro bono service through these projects , with 97 hours of pro bono service in 2022 alone . Nearly every Wednesday and Friday of 2022 , Ms . Cutter was in the Forms Clinic assisting the most vulnerable members of our community . Even though family law is not Ms . Cutter ’ s area of expertise , she has received a positive outcome in each family law case she has taken .
Outstanding Pro Bono Service by a Young Lawyer : Nicole Walsh
Nicole Walsh is a shareholder and litigator at Hill Ward Henderson where she primarily defends product liability and tort claims . Ms . Walsh volunteered to take on the pro bono representation of a prisoner in a Section 1983 case in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida . Ms . Walsh ’ s client had been denied necessary medical care while in custody as a pre-trial detainee . Despite repeated requests for medical treatment , the client was denied treatment and provided only minimal medication to treat his pain . Due to Ms . Walsh ’ s efforts , her client was awarded both compensatory and punitive damages . Ms . Walsh also successfully handled the appeal of her client ’ s award . In total , Ms . Walsh spent over 450 hours on the case .
Outstanding Pro Bono Service by a Paralegal : Hannah Schwartz
Hannah Schwartz donated over 137 pro bono hours on family law cases with her firm Prescott Legal in 2022 .
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