Susannah Collins, Robinson Collins, P.L.
Susannah Collins is a family law attorney, social investigator, attorney ad litem, and Florida Supreme Court certified family law mediator whose law office is located in Jacksonville’s historic district of Riverside. Her practice focuses on all areas of family law, including divorce, paternity, domestic violence, child time sharing, alimony, enforcement, civil parental kidnapping, and extended family adoptions. Since her practice began nearly 20 years ago, Collins has also offered many legal services pro bono.
“The feeling of community I find when helping others and expecting nothing in return is unparalleled,” she said. “The gratitude given by someone who is lost in ‘legalese’ and in the fear which comes with incomprehension is the greatest payment an attorney will ever receive.”
Collins offers her pro bono services through a variety of channels. In addition to taking cases through Jacksonville Area Legal Aid and Three Rivers Legal Services, she conducts monthly family law legal clinics for litigants representing themselves, offers her services at monthly Clay County Legal Aid gatherings, and she attends quarterly “Ask-A-Lawyer” inner-city pro bono events at various venues around Jacksonville. In her role as Vice President of the Board of The Missing Link of Jacksonville Inc., she helps victims of domestic violence take the necessary legal steps to separate from their abusers.
Much of her pro bono work also benefits veterans. Collins actively participates in the monthly Veteran’s Legal Collaborative at the downtown Veteran’s Administration and offers her services to veterans at The Wounded Warriors Project. She also takes domestic violence and family law cases through Jacksonville’s Hubbard House and Rethreaded.
She has found both personal and professional value in this pro bono work.
“The cases which I take on a pro bono basis are always the cases which test my knowledge and skill to the highest degree and which teach me more about the law than I would otherwise have known,” she said.
Although unable to provide monetary payment, many of her clients have found other ways to express their gratitude for her services.
“I’ve received weeds, which were hand-picked for me by a 2-year-old in the front yard of my office, many pictures from parents who have been reunited with their children, colorful drawings from a 4-year-old who was adopted by her grandparents, a watermelon, and a $10 gift card from Starbucks,” Collins said. “Usually I just get tears and hugs and words of gratitude, and that is the best feeling ever.”
Collins encourages other attorneys to take on pro bono cases as well, recognizing the value of sharing legal knowledge.
“Sometimes just being able to sit down with an attorney and ask questions, even for a few minutes, is a gift beyond words.”
Ultimately, whether mentoring other attorneys in their pro bono efforts, or taking pro bono cases herself, Collins’ commitment to pro bono work has been unwavering. “It may sound cliché,” she said, “but all of my pro bono cases are rewarding.”
