the thirteenth JuDiciaL circuit 2018 pro Bono service awarD winners
Pro Bono Committee, Thirteenth Judicial Circuit
Continued from page 58
practicing law, Ms. Simmons has
provided pro bono legal services
to non-profit organizations,
children in foster care, and poor
clients involved in guardianship
proceedings, landlord/tenant
disputes, marital dissolutions,
child support actions, and domestic
violence cases. In 2017, Ms.
Simmons donated 179 hours
providing pro bono legal services,
146 hours promoting pro bono
legal services, and countless
more hours volunteering with
community organizations.
Ms. Simmons’ colleagues have
described her as “an extraordinary
young lawyer, with a fierce desire
to give of herself for the benefit of
others in need;” a lawyer whose
“extraordinary intelligence is only
exceeded by her dedication to
ensuring that poor people in our
community receive quality legal
representation in their times of
need.” From 2013 to 2017, Ms.
Simmons has consistently given her
time and legal acumen representing
poor clients through the BAVLP,
the Domestic Violence Injunction
Clinic, Project H.E.L.P., and
Crossroads for Florida Kids;
and has provided pro bono
representation to Trinity Cafe
and Bay Area Legal Services.
As the pro bono coordinator
for Hill Ward Henderson, Ms.
Simmons encourages and assists
other attorneys on pro bono
matters and played a critical role
in the launch of The Florida Bar
Foundation’s “Pro Bono Matters”
website in this circuit. Additionally,
she is responsible for organizing
and training the firm’s Project
H.E.L.P. volunteers, who staff
clinics two months every year.
Ms. Simmons also serves on the
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HCBA LAWYER
13th Judicial Circuit Pro Bono
Committee and had a critical role
in the 2017 Law Firm Pro Bono
Summit. Ms. Simmons is actively
involved in the community. She
serves on the Board of Directors for
Trinity Cafe, a local nonprofit that
serves over 380 nutritious meals to
the hungry and food insecure in
Tampa every day; as a mentor with
the Hillsborough Education Take
Stock in Children Program; and
is a member of the Pearl Society
philanthropic giving circle.
Outstanding Pro Bono
Service by a Paralegal:
Katherine Kobos
Shutts & Bowen paralegal
Katherine “Kathy” Kobos
has made invaluable contributions
to Tampa’s Project H.E.L.P.
(Homeless Experience Legal
Protection), ensuring that our
community’s vulnerable homeless
population has access to legal
advice. Ms. Kobos has donated
more than 150 hours of her time
since 2016, when Shutts & Bowen
became the Tampa program’s
coordinating firm. As the Tampa
program’s Executive Director
Ella Shenhav stated, the program
“could never have accomplished
half as much without the tireless
work of Ms. Kobos.”
Ms. Kobos makes sure that the
H.E.L.P clinics run smoothly. She
personally staffs at least one clinic
a month, including the monthly
“transitional” clinic that occurs
when a new staffing group begins.
She is responsible for the plethora
of reference materials provided to
H.E.L.P. clients, spending many
hours of her free time ensuring that
they are updated and organized.
Additionally, she coordinates
volunteers for each of the weekly
clinics (each requiring four to six
attorneys and three to four
intake personnel), maintains the
calendar, confirms the volunteers’
attendance, fills in gaps when a
volunteer cannot attend, and
tracks each volunteer’s hours.
Ms. Kobos consistently comes
up with new ways to expand the
program’s reach, improve the
clinics, and better serve clients.
She personally distributes clinic
flyers in locations where potential
clients might see them and
organizes an annual Project
H.E.L.P reception. She also
recently assisted in the opening
of Project H.E.L.P.’s Orlando
program. Ms. Kobos traveled
to Orlando twice to meet with
paralegals and assistants interested
in the program, train volunteers on
how to run the clinics, and assist
volunteers in assembling reference
materials for their clinics.
Outstanding Pro Bono
Service by a Law Firm:
Foley & Lardner, LLP
Foley & Lardner, LLP’s
commitment to pro bono legal
services has been a longstanding
tradition throughout its 175-year
history. The firm’s website explains:
“Our commitment to conscience
and community — established by
our founding partners and still a
core value to this day — includes
providing quality pro bono legal
services that ensure every person
and organization, regardless of
financial means, has access to the
justice system.” That commitment
is demonstrated by the firm’s 100
percent attorney participation rate
in pro bono legal work, and the
5,598 pro bono hours that firm
attorneys spent representing poor
clients from 2015 to 2017.
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