Foundation helps fund Innocence Commission

Media statewide carried the news about the July 2 creation of the Florida Innocence Commission by Chief Justice Charles T. Canady’s administrative order, as well as the Foundation’s recently approved funding for the Commission, which will examine the causes of wrongful convictions. A $114,862 grant from the Foundation through its Improvements in the Administration of Justice Grant Program will supplement the $200,000 appropriated this year by the Florida Legislature to fund the Commission for 2010-11. Look for more on the Florida Innocence Commission in the next issue of Speaking of Justice, the Foundation’s print newsletter. If you are not already on the mailing list, you can subscribe below.

Read a sampling of news stories about the Florida Innocence Commission.
 

34th Annual Reception & Dinner

See some of the people who came to celebrate 2010 Medal of Honor recipient Joseph P. Milton and the 2010 Steven M. Goldstein Award recipients at the Foundation's 34th Annual Reception & Dinner.

Foundation officers and directors begin terms

The Florida Bar Foundation is pleased to announce the 2010-11 directors and officers of  the Foundation's board, who took office July 1.
To read more about them click on their names.  

2010-11 Foundation officers:                               Newly appointed 2010-11 Foundation directors:
John A. Noland, president                                      Douglas  M. Halsey     
Michele Kane Cummings, president-elect         Kathryn D. Weston
Maria E. Henderson, first vice president             Patrick J. Casey
John Patterson, second vice president              Juliette E. Lippman 
Adele I. Stone, immediate past president          Sam Stark

2010-11 designated Foundation directors:      Directors reappointed to three-year term:
Scott G. Hawkins                                                    Anthony J. Carriuolo
Theodore W. Small Jr.                                           Dominic C. MacKenzie
                                                                                   Roberto R. Pardo
 
View the entire listing of the Florida Bar Foundation's board of directors and officers
 

2010-11 Florida Legal Aid Leadership Development Institute participants announced

Now in its second year, the Florida Legal Aid Leadership Development Institute has become a stepping stone for legal aid attorneys wanting to advance in Legal Aid. The 14-month program is teaching 13 up-and-coming legal aid attorneys leadership skills with support from more experienced attorneys and leaders in legal aid who serve as mentors.
 
“I developed an initiative in a forum that allowed me to gain the experience that I needed on a professional level to know that I am doing exactly what I was called to do – to lead," said Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida attorney Lizzie Johnson and 2009-10 Institute fellow.

The Florida Bar Foundation allocated $100,000 and collaborated with the Center for Legal Aid Education (CLAE) to create the Institute, which was held for the first time last year.  

View a list of the 2010-11 Institute participants.

Law students help advocate for Florida's poor

A group of law students wanting to get a start in public interest law are getting their chance through The Florida Bar Foundation’s 2010 Legal Services Summer Fellowship.
The 40 fellows – from all 11 Florida law schools and six out-of-state law schools – are in the middle of their 11-week fellowships, which began in May. The law students are working in substantive law areas ranging from foster care and family law to foreclosure and immigration at 32 Foundation-supported legal aid programs.
The fellows were selected from a pool of nearly 270 applicants and their fellowship will end in August.

There's still time to support the legal rights of Florida's children!

Even if you've already turned in your Florida Bar fee statement, you still have the opportunity to meet the legal needs of Florida's low-income children through The Florida Bar's  Lawyers' Challenge for Children. Florida Bar President Mayanne Downs is asking that members make a voluntary contribution on their annual fee statement of at least $45, preferably more, or by clicking here to give to the campaign that helps bring benefits of the law and lawyers to the lives of poor children.

Foundation's Facebook page gaining in popularity

The Foundation’s Facebook page has well over 100 fans now, and a great dialog has begun to take place. We thank our fans for their comments on issues affecting the legal aid and justice communities in Florida. Recent posts on our Facebook page have dealt with Temporary Protected Status for Haitians, the Florida Innocence Commission, the Northeast Florida Medical Legal Partnership, a project to educate residents about how to avoid mortgage fraud, the Foundation’s Orlando Fellows campaign, and Florida Access to Civil Legal Assistance Act funding. Stay informed and join in the conversation at www.facebook.com/TheFloridaBarFoundation.