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Like his father and grandfather before him, both of whom served in World War II, Aylmar Thompson dedicated years of his life to his country, serving from 2009 to 2017 as an operations specialist Second Class for the U.S. Navy. Now a paralegal in Jacksonville Area Legal Aid’s Veterans Legal Services Unit, Thompson has used his service-related insights to help the veteran-rich community of Northeast Florida since 2020. “I have an understanding of what the veterans who come into our office are dealing with, along with the culture they experienced, which allows us as a unit to really connect with the veterans and provide them with the best service we can offer,” Thompson said. Thompson decided to pursue legal studies following his military career after “observing service members around me being given bad advice, some legal, some general. I knew there was a better way. While pursuing this new field, a desire to do more lit inside me like a fire.”

Jacksonville Area Legal Aid attorney Annie Rodriguez served in the U.S. Navy, where she learned Arabic and worked as a cryptologist translator, and went on to manage a manufacturing company before deciding that law school would be a great way to challenge herself. “A year into law school, I realized that I could really make a positive impact in individual people’s lives,” Rodriguez said. Within a few years of coming to JALA, that impact was recognized on a national level when Rodriguez received the 2023 Rising Star Award from the National Consumer Law Center. Rodriguez was humbled and encouraged by the validation for what she calls, “just doing my job.” “It has really just helped me to continue this work with enthusiasm and passion for the results that we can get,” said Rodriguez, who started out at JALA advocating for survivors of domestic violence before moving into consumer protection.