the thirteenth JuDiciaL circuit 2018 pro Bono service awarD winners
Pro Bono Committee, Thirteenth Judicial Circuit
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Council, serving on the Board of Directors from 1995-1997, as well as a member of FRANCO( French-American Business Council of West Florida, Inc.), serving as secretary from 2007- 2009. Ms. Smietanski is a member of the Hillsborough County Bar Association. She has also served as treasurer and as a member of the Hillsborough Association for Women Lawyers’ Board of Directors from 1993- 1997, and as secretary and as a member of the Florida Association of Women Lawyers’ Board of Directors from 1993-1995.
Ms. Smietanski is an advisory committee member for both the Community Foundation of Greater Tampa, Inc., and the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, and is a member of the Planned Giving Committee for the Humane Society of Tampa Bay. Ms. Smietanski is an active member of St. Mary’ s Episcopal Church and Day School, serving on its vestry and as treasurer from 2013-2015. She is currently chair of the Board of Trustees for the St. Mary’ s Episcopal Church Endowment Fund, a role that she has held since 2016. St. Mary’ s is dedicated to community service and is significantly involved in the various ministries of Metropolitan Ministries, which Ms. Smietanski has regularly participated in over the past several years.
Outstanding Pro Bono Service by a Lawyer: Jon Gatto
Carlton Fields shareholder Jon Gatto practices in the area of complex health care regulatory issues, with a focus on representing hospitals. He handles intricate litigation matters, including major government investigations, multimillion dollar contract litigation, sovereign immunity, and other related healthcare matters. Since 2011, Mr. Gatto has given hundreds of hours of his time to the BAVLP and has undertaken 13 pro bono cases through the BAVLP, four of which are ongoing. In 2017, Mr. Gatto provided 173 hours of pro bono legal services to the poor.
Mr. Gatto initially began volunteering with the BAVLP at Client Intake Clinics, where he interviewed and advised legal service applicants, and assessed the merit and priority of their various legal issues. Mr. Gatto interviewed a client whose circumstances he found to be so compelling that he volunteered to take the case; thereafter, he began serving on BAVLP’ s Case Referral Panel. Several of Mr. Gatto’ s cases have had exigent circumstances that required zealous representation along with a holistic problemsolving approach. One such case involved a victim of a brutal assault who was being harassed with frivolous litigation by the perpetrator. The client became overwhelmed and unable to participate in the suit, and a default judgment was entered against her. Mr. Gatto litigated the matter in the trial court, successfully appealed an order denying his motion to set aside the default, and ultimately achieved a complete dismissal of the case.
Outside of the law, Mr. Gatto has donated his time to Paint Your Heart Out-Tampa, assisting low-income elderly citizens, and The Children’ s Home, providing services to at-risk children and families. Both are innovative programs designed to create longterm positive impacts. Mr. Gatto demonstrates the same philosophy in his pro bono legal work, consistently demonstrating that his dedication to his pro bono clients goes beyond their immediate legal needs. Mr. Gatto reported that the most rewarding aspect of his pro bono work has been being able to put his pro bono clients in a better position than when he met them. He has sought out educational and professional opportunities for his clients, allowing them to better themselves in the midst of stressful circumstances. Equally as important, he provides his vulnerable clients with a sense of security. For instance, Mr. Gatto litigated a deficiency judgement for a working mother of seven who served as the caretaker for her disabled husband. When she expressed concern that the opposing party would continue to be a problem, Mr. Gatto made clear that he would represent her if any future issues arose. In another matter, he represented a single mother of two whose opposing party threatened to appeal. Mr. Gatto assured her that, if so, he would handle the appeal.
Outstanding Pro Bono Service by a Young Lawyer: Tori Simmons
Tori Simmons is a commercial litigator at Hill Ward Henderson, where she focuses her practice on business torts, contract disputes, intellectual property, class action litigation, and professional liability cases, including legal malpractice and officers and directors litigation. Since 2013, when she began
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