HCBA Lawyer Magazine No. 34, Issue 6 | Page 31

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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of incidents to convince the prosecutor to drop charges against her clients , because they were falsely accused . Moreover , Ms . Lambo assumed the defense of the “ Tampa Five ,” five students arrested during a protest at the University of South Florida . These students held a sit-in after their efforts to meet with the university president were rebuffed . After campus police intervened , the students were arrested for felony charges . Ms . Lambo represented the students on a pro bono basis , obtaining a favorable result . Currently , Ms . Lambo is an attorney with Morgan & Morgan in the Premise Liability Section .
ZUCKERMAN SPAEDER llP ( law Firm Award )
Zuckerman Spaeder LLP is a litigation boutique based in Washington D . C . with offices in DC , Baltimore , New York City and Tampa focusing on civil and criminal litigation around the country ; however , some of the firm ’ s most noteworthy achievements stem from pro bono work . The firm ’ s website proudly boasts that they “ hold steadfastly to the idea that everyone deserves the opportunity for justice , and that they “ have a responsibility to advocate on behalf of those without the means to hire an attorney …” Tampa Office founder Sandy Weinberg , his wife Rosemary Armstrong , and Allison Singer founded Crossroads for Florida Kids in 2012 . Since then , Zuckerman Spaeder attorneys have represented more than 30 kids through Crossroads and provided over 3,581 pro bono hours , representing children in delinquency , dependency , truancy , and criminal matters in Hillsborough County .
In 2023 , four attorneys , Samantha Gerencir , Lisa Kilbride , Jack Fernandez , and Sandy Weinberg , represented 7 Crossroads clients , accumulating 780 pro bono service hours . The firm also provided pro bono services to other clients including a juvenile immigrant case , a voting rights case , an illegal ICE detention , and representing a church in flights of refugees from Afghanistan . In sum , the Zuckerman Spaeder Tampa Office contributed nearly 1,000 pro bono hours in 2023 . Furthermore , since 2012 , lawyers in the Tampa Office
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