The Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee will host a Judicial Pro Bono Summit to coincide with and, indeed, kick off local pro bono events during National Celebrate Pro Bono Week, which runs from October 25-31. The summit will be held at the Chester Ferguson Law Center on October 26 at noon.
The summit's format is simple and designed to take no more than one hour. Over a boxed lunch (or bring your own brown bag) in a meeting room away from the courthouses, state and federal judges will hear several five-minute presentations from pro bono providers/coordinators on what population those organizations serve and in what subject matters.
The judges will also hear a brief presentation on behalf of the Florida Bar Foundation on how to become a Foundation “Fellow.” And the judges will get some tips on special accommodations judges may make for pro bono attorneys.
Once the presentations are concluded, the guest presenters will be excused, and the judges will end with an open brainstorming session on other ways judges can be involved in pro bono activities. The committee will distribute to the judges a handbook-style compilation of useful resources, including referral information for legal services providers in the area, so that these resources will be within arm's reach on the bench. The materials will also include ways a judge may participate in pro bono.
P.S. To all federal and state judges sitting in Hillsborough County: Please, SAVE THE DATE!
