This year’s virtual ceremony is scheduled for Thursday, January 28, at 3:30 p.m.
The Florida Bar will recognize 21 lawyers for their work on behalf of low-income and disadvantaged clients at a January 28 ceremony streamed live online by 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 Dori Foster-Morales will present the 2021 awards.
Jacksonville attorney Carrington “Rusty” Madison Mead will receive the 2021 Pro Bono Award for the 4th Judicial Circuit from the state Supreme Court at a Jan. 28 ceremony in Tallahassee.
He was nominated for the award by Jacksonville Area Legal Aid, the Jacksonville Women Lawyers Association and the state Guardian ad Litem Office.
A volunteer with JALA for almost 20 years Mead has participated in civil legal assistance clinics, group information clinics and Ask-A-Lawyer free legal advice clinics.
Mead donated almost 470 hours of pro bono time through his assistance with about 80 outreach and clinic events and almost 80 full representation cases.
He is a founding member of the Florida Association of LGBT Lawyers and Allies. He helped create the bimonthly Name Change Clinic and serves as the expert resource for the assistance program.