Latest News & Updates from the Legal Aid Society of the Orange County Bar Association, Inc.

Celebrate Pro Bono Month

2023 Pro Bono Award Recipients

The Russell Troutman Pro Bono Champion award is given to individuals who have a history of providing strong legal representation to the indigent and volunteering within LASOCBA in innovative ways, with consistent representation, and multiple cases handled within the same year. Thomas Haig Tukdarian has gone above and beyond to serve his clients and is more than deserving of this year's award. Congratulations to both Thomas and Janice on their achievements, and we hope you continue to inspire others with your work.

2023 Legal Aid Pro Bono Spotlights

This year, we recognized six pro bono attorneys on our social media pages for their outstanding work with our veteran clients in honor of Veteran's Day coming up. Each attorney has demonstrated their commitment not only to pro bono service but to excellence with their exceptional case outcomes! Congratulations and thank you for all the wonderful work that you do. You are all deserving of this recognition and we are proud to share your inspirations with the community.

Volunteer with Legal Aid As a Pro Bono Attorney

Pro Bono Attys. Skiles Jones (left), Frank Bedell (center), Eric Reed (right)

VA Medical Center - Lake Nona (Valor Clinic)

We have clients who require assistance in a variety of civil legal matters, such as family, housing, consumer, immigration, expunction of records, and other areas. Every year, our attorneys provide legal aid to more than 2,000 clients. If you are a member in good standing of The Florida Bar, you can help by taking cases.

Attorneys can also serve as a Guardian ad Litem for children in juvenile court. More than 1300 children receive services through the GAL Program. We also offer projects that cater to special client groups or needs. Attorneys help the homeless, teen parents, alternative dispute resolution, Teen Court, veterans, and low-income taxpayers, and participate in a variety of community events.

It's important to recognize the hard work and dedication of pro bono attorneys who selflessly serve our community. This month, we proudly acknowledge the excellence of our volunteer attorneys who participate in GAL cases and the VALOR Clinic project, providing free services to those in need. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all the volunteer attorneys for their valuable contributions to our community. To learn more about the pro bono services provided by Legal Aid, please click on this link.

The 16th Annual Breakfast of Champions

Thursday, November 16, the BOC is back! The Breakfast of Champions Fundraising virtual event provides a platform for our staff, government officials, community partners and our brave former clients to join and share encouraging stories of triumph and perseverance. We invite you to register this year and discover all the ways in which our organization impacts the community.

The Legal Aid Society relies heavily on the generous contributions of its supporters. Your attendance and donations will allow us to continue providing quality legal services to Orange County's residents including low-income families, abused and neglected children, veterans, seniors, and other vulnerable groups.

If you're interested in sponsoring this event and need more information, please contact Donna Haynes 772-812-5175 | dhaynes@legalaidocba.org. We look forward to presenting yet another triumphant event and look forward to seeing you there. Don't forget to register!

Register: https://boc23.eventbrite.com/

Sponsor: https://secure.acceptiva.com/?cst=m2YRZk

Donate: https://secure.acceptiva.com/?cst=FiuZcv

GAL Bike Give-Away

We are providing FREE bikes to you with an open judicial dependency case in Orange County. To register, please email bike@legalaidocba.org.When registering, please be sure to specify the child’s name, dependency case number, the county in which the case is open, the child’s age, height, preferences for bike color, as well as the name of the person who will pick up the bike for the child, and their relationship to the child.

Bike Donations Needed!

We are one month away and in need of gently used bikes! If you or someone you know are interested in donating a bike, please contact Kathy Downs at kathleen.downs@roberthalf.com.

Community Outreach

Here's where you can find us!

Throughout the year, the Legal Aid Society attends multiple events in the community to encourage and educate people about the services we provide to people in need. Make sure to visit our website at www.legalaidocba.org to find out more about our community outreach events.

Upcoming Event(s):

Legal Aid Society Lunchtime Trainings

The Legal Aid Society will be hosting a series of trainings providing in-depth insight to various legal issues. These Lunchtime trainings are reserved for Lawyers, Paralegals, & Law Students. These trainings are virtual requiring registration via Zoom.

To register, please contact Janis Mason (jmason@legalaidocba.org) or Michelle Erazmus (merazmus@legalaidocba.org). All trainings will be uploaded on the Legal Aid Society website here.

Upcoming Trainings:

VIRTUAL ONLY - November 7, 2023 "Parenting Plans in Cases Involving Domestic Violence" presented by Tenesia Hall, Esq., LAS Litigation Director & Special Guest, Andrew Nickolaou. Learn the considerations to be used when drafting parenting plans that involve domestic violence.

VIRTUAL ONLY - November 14, 2023 "The Seven Specific Developmental Disability Criteria" presented by GAL Case Coordinator, Nicolas Covelli & Guest Speaker, GAL Developmental Disabilities Attorney, Mexcye Roberts. Learn to identify suspected DD, Autism, special needs and medically complex children.

If attending in person, please make sure to register with Jmason@legalaidocba.org OR Merazmus@legalaidocba.org.

FREE LUNCH AND SPACE ARE LIMITED FOR IN PERSON TRAININGS

We have sponsorship opportunities for these informative trainings. Want exposure for your business within the legal community? Please contact Donna Haynes at dhaynes@legalaidocba.org for more information. Thank You!