Pro Bono Awards were presented January 8th to the lawyers who did the most pro bono work in 2022. St. Johns County lawyers reported over 1,975 hours of free legal work assisting the poor, disabled, and low-income people in our community (and that is just the hours that were disclosed, so the actual number is much higher).
Joseph “Joe” Clay Davis Meux died on November 21st, 2022 at the age of 94. He was born in Memphis, TN on October 10th, 1928 to William Leigh Meux and Doris Davis Meux. He is survived by his beloved wife of 56 years, Elizabeth Freitag Meux; children, Joseph “Clay” Davis Meux Jr (Elizabeth) and John Edward Meux; grandchildren, Olivia and Davis; brother-in-law, John William “Bill” Freitag (Donna); nieces, Bette “Lou” Meux Solomon (William), Doris Ann “Dee” Meux, Christina Freitag Martin (Patrick); and great niece, Ella Greer Martin.
Most practicing attorneys are aware of the moral and ethical duties we have, as members of The Florida Bar, to “never reject, from any consideration personal to myself, the cause of the defenseless or oppressed,” included in the Oath of Admission. It is no coincidence that this language is specifically placed at the end of our oath. It is that important. Many, myself included, sometimes neglect this part of our oath. That said, I commend anyone that donated their time and energy assisting those in need. We can do better. We as a community must, because pro bono matters. On Sept. 1, I left behind my private practice at Integrity Law P.A., to join Jacksonville Area Legal Aid as its new director of pro bono.
St. Johns County Legal Aid presented its 2021 Pro Bono Awards via zoom to the following attorneys and “Most Helpful Clerk” of the year. On the top row from the left are legal aid staff Megan Wall, Savannah Stevens and Elizabeth Teelon. In second row from the top are honorees Vincent Sullivan and Pam Holcomb, staffer Michael Pelkowski, and Judge Kenneth Janesk. In the next row down are Jim Kowalski, director of Jacksonville Legal Aid, Judge Howard McGillin, and honorees Tania Schmidt-Alpers and Carol Daniels. On the bottom are honorees Tom Pycraft, Jay Grife, Christina Collins (winner of the Most Helpful Clerk of Court Award), and Jim Middleton. Others recognized but not pictured are Donato Ronaldi and Eva Paulk.
The Florida Bar will recognize 20 lawyers for their work on behalf of low-income and disadvantaged clients at a Jan. 20 ceremony at the Supreme Court of Florida. Established in 1981, The Florida Bar President’s Pro Bono Service Awards are intended to encourage lawyers to volunteer free legal services to the poor by recognizing those who make public service commitments and to raise public awareness of the substantial volunteer services provided by Florida lawyers to those who cannot afford legal fees. Florida Bar President Mike Tanner will present the 2022 awards.
Now in its fourth year, Jacksonville Area Legal Aid’s Eviction Defense Self Help Project focuses on assisting tenants facing an eviction or dealing with unsafe conditions in a rental residence owned by a private landlord. Stable housing often is the foundation for steady employment, educational achievement, good mental and physical health and economic autonomy. The project originated from a collaboration with Smith, Gambrell & Russell and the law firm continues to support the effort with several attorneys volunteering each month.
While the past months changed so many parts of our lives, the need for pro bono civil legal assistance has not diminished and in many cases has increased. Our community is lucky to have so many attorneys who are willing to meet this challenge and volunteer their time and expertise to assist those in need. Each year, the 4th Judicial Circuit and the Jacksonville Bar Association pro bono committees celebrate local attorneys who provided at least 20 hours of volunteer civil legal service in the previous calendar year at an appreciation ceremony. For the second year, the William A. Van Nortwick Jr. Presentation of the Pins Pro Bono Awards Ceremony was a virtual webinar event open to the legal community.
Christina McEuen was still adjusting to life as a widowed mother of three when she signed a lease on a small home in the Mandarin neighborhood of Jacksonville in 2016. Almost immediately after moving in, McEuen found the house had leaks everywhere, including the roof, pipes, and water heater. When an outlet caught fire, she discovered the fire extinguisher didn’t work. The handyman sent to correct the problems essentially applied useless Band-Aids to gaping wounds. “This house was a nightmare,” said McEuen, who had been a server at St. Mary’s Seafood and More until she gave birth to a baby with a compromised immune system and other special needs, including severe autism. Early in her pregnancy, her husband had died in a trucking accident, so she was alone in caring for her little Mikey and his older brothers, William and Jeffrey.
A combined effort between legal aid agencies and a volunteer lawyer to help clients facing reverse mortgage foreclosures may be providing a blueprint to help reverse financial constraints faced by legal aid offices. Palm City attorney Paul Regensdorf has worked with Coast to Coast Legal Services of South Florida and Jacksonville Area Legal Aid, among others, in a joint effort that, using state law on fee awards, can generate fees for both the volunteer lawyer and the legal aid offices.
While there is a process for lawfully withholding rent when a landlord has not repaired unsafe conditions in a rental property, that does not always result in a satisfactory outcome for the tenant. Christina McEuen recently faced such a situation. Luckily, she came to Jacksonville Area Legal Aid and attorney Nick Pulignano was willing to step in to volunteer his time to assist McEuen after several private firms declined her case.
