S P E C I A L F E A T U R E: P R O B O N O A W A R D S Authors: Antina Mobley – Hillsborough County Public Defender’ s Office & Tori Simmons – Hill Ward Henderson
Continuedfrompage25
application process. Lily McCarty volunteered to handle the second part which includes processing forms and filing orders. The completion of the expungement process for these individuals is life-changing and removes barriers to employment and other critical services and opportunities.
Although the process is costly at $ 85 per person, the clinic covered all costs and remained under budget, leaving sufficient funds to host another event next year. The success of the event reflects the committee’ s hard work, coordination, strong community partnerships, and commitment to using pro bono to improve the lives of the citizens of Hillsborough County.
Outstanding Pro Bono Service By A Law Firm: Carlton Fields, P. A.
Carlton Fields, P. A. is a full-service national law firm founded in 1901 in Tampa, where the firm remains deeply rooted. Today, the firm includes more than 330 attorneys and government and financial services consultants serving clients from offices across the United States. The Tampa office is one of the firm’ s largest, with approximately 100 attorneys practicing across a wide range of disciplines.
At Carlton Fields, pro bono service is a core firm principle and is ingrained into the firm’ s culture. Over its 125-year history, the firm has been steadfast in its commitment to using its legal skills and resources to serve individuals and communities in need and to support causes that promote fairness, access to justice, and positive social impact. The firm’ s pro bono work is incredibly diverse and includes child and family advocacy, immigration, veterans’ rights and benefit appeals, criminal justice reform, fair housing and landlord-tenant disputes, and environmental protection.
As a charter signatory to the American Bar Association’ s Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge, the firm pledges to dedicate 3 % of its total billable hours to pro bono work, providing substantial billable hour credit to attorneys and paralegals to support this commitment.
Continuedonpage27
2 6 J U LY- A U G 2 0 2 6 | H C B A L A W Y E R