H C B A P R E S I D E N T’ S M E S S A G E G o r d o n H i l l- H i l l W a r d H e n d e r s o n
hillsborough County attorneys honored for their Pro bono service
thank you for showing what lawyers who are committed to pro bono service can accomplish.
On January 25th, the Florida Bar held its annual pro bono awards ceremony at the Supreme Court in Tallahassee. I am pleased to report that Hillsborough County lawyers took home two of the highest awards and were recognized for their superior service.
First, Stephen Todd won the 2018 Tobias Simon Pro Bono Service Award, the highest statewide pro bono award. Steve’ s service is nothing short of heroic— contributing well over 2,000 pro bono hours to people in need. Steve has donated his time and efforts through Crossroads for Florida Kids, as a Guardian Ad Litem( GAL), through the HCBA’ s mentoring program, and the Hillsborough County Attorney’ s office. With Crossroads for Florida Kids, Steve has represented several children in complex“ crossover” cases featuring foster care children charged with delinquencies and has been a desperately needed steady influence in their lives even through some of their most difficult times. As a GAL, Steve has served approximately 20 to 30 children over the last ten years and has been recognized as a“ Master GAL” where he mentors and guides new guardians in the GAL program. Steve was also instrumental in organizing the Hillsborough County
Florida Bar Pro Bono Award Recipients Jo Ann Palchak, Stephen Todd, and Theresa Jean-Pierre Coy, president of the George Edgecomb Bar Association, with Florida Bar Board of Governors member and former HCBA president Tom Bopp.
Attorney’ s Office to staff an annual intake night at Bay Area Legal Services. In nominating Steve, Rosemary Armstrong( 2012 Tobias Simon Award Winner) noted that,
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