JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Aaron J. Irving, a Florida native who previously owned and operated his own Jacksonville law firm, Integrity Law, P.A., has joined Jacksonville Area Legal Aid as director of pro bono.
“It’s an honor to join Jacksonville Area Legal Aid and to work with the hundreds of attorneys in Northeast Florida who generously give of their time to serve those clients who would otherwise be denied access to justice,” said Irving, who was actively involved with JALA as a volunteer attorney, while in private practice.
“I’m also grateful to have such fine examples to follow in Missy Davenport and Kathy Para, both of whom provided me such great support when I took on pro bono matters through JALA,” he said. “I want to continue to make it as easy as possible for attorneys to take on pro bono cases and to participate in JALA’s free legal clinics. The Pro Bono Unit provides volunteers with a platform in which to be involved. This is why the unit is so vital to our community, so we can continue to serve those in need, and I will work diligently to ensure that we can continue our good work.”
Davenport led JALA’s pro bono program from 2019 until joining the Jacksonville University College of Law this summer, and Para, who had preceded her as JALA’s pro bono director, came out of retirement to serve in an interim capacity while a search was conducted to fill the position.
Through JALA, private attorneys donated well over $1 million in services to low-income Northeast Florida residents in landlord-tenant, family, probate, guardianship, and other matters in 2021.
“Pro bono legal services enable JALA to help so many more people than we could do with staff attorneys alone,” said JALA CEO Jim Kowalski. “Bringing Aaron on board demonstrates the full commitment JALA has to facilitating pro bono throughout our region. Recent events have unfortunately illustrated the fact we no longer have traditional partners in this effort, such as Three Rivers Legal Services and others, but JALA ultimately is the one responsible for fulfilling our mission, and having someone of Aaron’s caliber as our point person shows that dedication.”
Irving’s primary areas of practice at Integrity Law included family law, probate and estate planning, as well as personal injury. He also served as a court-appointed Guardian ad Litem in family law matters. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science at Florida State University and a law degree from Florida Coastal School of Law.
In addition to his work at JALA, he is an adjunct professor of law at Florida State College at Jacksonville, where he teaches litigation in the paralegal department.
Irving said that his involvement in pro bono work and community service draw’s inspiration from Helen Keller’s words, “I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.”
About Jacksonville Area Legal Aid
Jacksonville Area Legal Aid is a nonprofit law firm focused on delivering economic, social, and housing justice to low-income and at-risk individuals and families on the First Coast.
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