F E A T U R E A R T I C L E b y A n t i n a M o b l e y – T h i r t e e n t h J u d i c i a l C i r c u i t P u b l i c D e f e n d e r ’ s O f f i c e
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This year ’ s award winners are : DONNA SMITH ( Paralegal Award )
Donna Smith is a paralegal in the Trusts & Estates Group at Hill Ward Henderson . She has worked tirelessly on a nuanced legal matter to secure social security survivor benefits for the legal guardian of an underprivileged child whose father died while in custody . Due to disputed paternity issues , Ms . Smith has researched issues regarding paternity , survivorship benefits , probate matters , and notice requirements . She has worked with process servers and investigators , spending countless hours working towards a positive result .
THE NORTH TAMPA BAR ASSOCIATION ( Organizational Award )
Members of the North Tampa Bar Association collaborated with THBA to support a Free Legal Advice Fair , providing free legal counsel for underserved communities in the area .
Additionally , the members created the Leaders in the Law , a free CLE event for government attorneys and a curated networking experience for college and law school students to meet with legal leaders including the Chief Judge of the Second DCA , Florida Bar President , Federal Defender for the Middle District , First Assistant U . S . Attorney for the Middle District , State Attorney for the 13th Circuit , Dean of Stetson Law School , and members from Tampa Hispanic Bar Association , Asian Pacific Bar Association , the Federal Bar , the Florida Bar Appellate Practice Section , Women Lawyers of Pasco and Hillsborough Association for Women Lawyers .
The North Tampa Bar Association also volunteered at the Community Food Pantry in Carrollwood on four different occasions distributing food to needy families . They hosted four food drives , collecting monetary donations , and over 1,000 pounds of food in collaboration with the Second DCA and University of Tampa FOODS , to benefit the Community Food Pantry .
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J U l - A U g 2 0 2 4 | H C B A l A W Y E R
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