The Florida Bar Business Law Section Pro Bono Award

The Florida Bar Business Law Section Pro Bono Award is awarded periodically (no more than annually) at the Annual Florida Bar meeting to one member of the Business Law Section of The Florida Bar who exemplifies the highest ideals of the profession by either directly providing legal services to persons of limited means or underserved communities, facilitating the access to justice and the delivery of legal services to persons of limited means or underserved communities or promoting access to justice and the delivery of legal services to persons of limited means or underserved communities.

Consideration for this award is not limited to the events of the immediately preceding year. A nominee’s overall or cumulative record of pro bono work and public service activities may be considered. Award recipients will be selected, not only on the basis of the number of hours of service performed, but also on the substance, scope and impact of their work. Award recipients cannot be employees of an organization providing free or low-cost legal services to persons of limited means or underserved communities.

In no more than five single-spaced pages, on or before January 31st of each year, nominations should provide specific, concrete examples of the individual qualifications for the award efforts meeting as many of the following criteria as are relevant.  The nomination package may also include up to five (5) letters of support of the nomination and up to (5) articles or other documents describing the nominee’s qualifying work.

The Award’s specific criteria includes:

• a demonstrated dedication to the development and delivery of legal services to persons of limited means and/or underserved communities;
• providing significant work that develops innovative approaches that increase or facilitate the delivery of volunteer legal services and/or provided sustained pro bono legal counsel to nonprofit or charitable organizations whose primary purpose is to provide non-legal assistance to persons of limited means or underserved communities;
• creating or refining programs that serve to satisfy previously unmet needs of persons of limited means and/or underserved communities or extend legal services to persons of limited means and/or underserved communities;
• successfully litigating pro bono cases in any forum (administrative hearings, trial, arbitration or appeal), that favorably affect persons of limited means and/or underserved communities; or
• consistently exemplifying the highest ideals of the profession in ensuring the availability of legal services to persons of limited means and/or underserved communities.

Award Criteria:

The Florida Bar Business Law Section Pro Bono Award is awarded periodically (no more than annually) at the Annual Florida Bar meeting to one member of the Business Law Section of The Florida Bar who exemplifies the highest ideals of the profession by either (i) directly providing legal services to persons of limited means or underserved communities, (ii) facilitating the access to justice and the delivery of legal services to persons of limited means or underserved communities, or (iii) promoting access to justice and the delivery of legal services to persons of limited means or underserved communities.

Consideration for this award is not limited to the events of the immediately preceding year.  A nominee’s overall or cumulative record of pro bono work and public service activities may be considered.  Award recipients will be selected, not only on the basis of the number of hours of service performed, but also on the substance, scope and impact of their work.

Eligibility:

The nominee must be a member in good standing of The Florida Bar and a member of the Business Law Section of The Florida Bar. The nominee must be actively engaged in a profession relative to the practice of law including, but not limited to, practicing lawyers, judges, or teachers in the legal field. Award recipients cannot be employees of an organization providing free or low-cost legal services to persons of limited means or underserved communities.