HCBA Lawyer Magazine Vol. 28, No. 5 | Page 63

the thirteenth JuDiciaL circuit 2018 pro Bono service awarD winners Pro Bono Committee, Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Continued from page 60 the “justice gap” that occurs when citizens are unable to obtain affordable legal services and attempt to represent themselves in court, or fail to understand the consequences of legal actions; and third, to give their students practical experience that reinforces the legal education they are receiving. From 2012 to 2017, Stetson Law students donated 127,625 legal pro bono hours to the poor and 65,015 non-legal pro bono to Tampa Bay communities. Stetson Law students are required to perform a total of 60 hours of pro bono service during their law school career. Thirty of those hours must be law-related service, and the remaining 30 hours may be non-legal pro bono community service. Stetson Law’s Social Justice Advocacy Concentration Program professors administer the pro bono program, pre-approve students’ pro bono proposals, and oversee the services that students provide. Hundreds of Stetson Law students donate their time to the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program, spending their weekends and nights traveling throughout the Tampa Bay region to help people complete their tax returns. Others volunteer to be guardians ad litem and volunteer at clinics hosted by Bay Area Legal Services and Gulfcoast Legal Services. Students also provide services through Stetson Law’s on-campus Veteran’s Law clinic, Wills for Warriors clinic, and the Elder Law Center, which places students in legal services offices representing people over the age of 60. Additionally, Stetson Law students organize an annual event for the children of Gulfport; give M AY - J U N E 2 0 1 8 | HCBA LAWYER tours of the school to children in foster care; actively participate in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program; and volunteer to do homework and have lunch with struggling elementary-age children. Stetson Law professors provide pro bono legal services to those in need, including individuals facing the death penalty; and sit on a variety of boards for non-profit organizations, including Gulfcoast Legal Services, the St. Pete Free Clinic, the local food bank, and the Florida Holocaust Museum. The Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee commends the extraordinary service of the 2018 award recipients. Lapel Pin Recipients 20-49 Pro Bono Hours in 2017 Eric Adams Eric Almon Natalie Annis Dale Appell Michael Ashy Shamika Askew-Storay Jordan August Anderson Baldy Amy Bandow Laura Bare Michael Barnett Caroline Barnhill Bernard Barton, Jr. George Bedell David Befeler Stacy Blank Alan Borden Yova Borovksa Michelle Brinner Michael Broadus Melinda Budzynski Michael Califano Tirso Carreja Amanda Chafin Hunter Chamberlain Blair Chan Yvette Chapman Patrick Chidnese Jeanne Coleman Kamala Corbett Chris Coutroulis Christopher Cutler Gerald Davis James Davis Blake Delaney Erik De L’Toile Theresa Donovan Fentrice Driskell Amy Drushal Ricardo Duarte Marc Edelman Zarra Elias William Keith Fendrick Katelyn Ferry Paul Figueroa Elizabeth Fisher Megan Flatt Helen Fouse Robert Freedman Jeffrey Gad Laura Gallo Michelle Garcia Gilbert James Giardina Suzanne Glickman Paul Godfrey Paige Greenlee Tami Lyn Grys Cameron Hall Kimberly Hamill Brian Harris Barbara Hart Kelley Hayashi Ashley Hayes Jourdan Haynes Katherine Heckert Dane Heptner Elizabeth Herd S. Gordon Hill Patrick Hogan Adrienne Holland Laura Howard Tyler Hudson Nehemiah Jefferson Suzanne Johnson Continued on page 62 61