TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida Bar will recognize 21 lawyers across the state for their work for low-income and disadvantaged clients.
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A ceremony will take place at the Supreme Court of Florida on Thursday, January 16.
The Flordia Bar President’s Pro Bono Service Award is intended to encourage lawyers to volunteer free legal services and recognize those who help make public service commitments.
Florida Bar President Roland Sanchez-Medina Jr. will present the awards, will will be in conjunction with the Tobias Simon Pro Bono Service Award.
Among the 21 nominees, several operate here in Northeast Florida. They are:
Fred Cromwell Issac, 4th Judicial Circuit
(Clay, Duval, and Nassau counties)
'Fred Cromwell Isaac has provided legal services for the past 50 years, earning a pristine professional reputation among fellow legal professionals and clients alike. Isaac has provided pro bono legal assistance to several hundred clients over the years who could not afford legal representation. Previously, he provided services through Jacksonville Area Legal Aid and the Jacksonville Bar Association; however, at this stage in his career, he provides direct legal services to individuals and nonprofits who could not otherwise afford representation. In the past year, he has provided over 150 hours of pro bono service, representing clients in three probate cases, providing estate planning documents to four clients, two of whom were critically ill and hospitalized; and handling several contract negotiations/disputes. One contract litigation case involved over 100 hours and took over two years to conclude. Isaac wrote off all the fees for the client, who was a veteran.'
Carol Ann Tipton Daniels, 7th Judicial Circuit
(St. Johns, Volusia, Flagler, and Putnam counties)
‘Over the past 15 years, Carol Ann Tipton Daniels has dedicated hundreds of hours to St. Johns County’s most vulnerable populations, providing a consistent source of hope to those who need it the most. Each month, Daniels assists with St. Johns County Legal Aid’s Pro Bono Advice Clinic as well as its Pro Se Forms Class. In addition to this regular commitment, she has accepted individual pro bono cases. Throughout her 46-year legal career, Daniels has practiced law in California, Massachusetts, Texas, and, since 2009, Florida. She barely let the dust settle on her new legal practice 15 years ago before reaching out to the St. Johns County Legal Aid office, where she jumped right in to help people with family law questions, issues, cases, and pro se forms.'
Eric Andrew Atria, 8th Judicial Circuit
(Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Gilchrist, Levy, and Union counties)
‘Eric Andrew Atria has dedicated his entire career to indigent criminal defense. From 2005 when he worked as a public defender to today, when he works as an assistant conflict counsel with the Office of Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel, Atria has demonstrated an enduring commitment to ensuring that everyone has access to competent counsel. Unsatisfied with merely serving the public in these government roles, Atria began providing pro bono services in 2019, after he received a blanket solicitation email from the Florida Pro Bono Law School Challenge program, which pairs lawyers with law students to work on pro bono cases. The Law School Challenge connected him with legal aid services in multiple circuits in the state, where he subsequently stepped up to help with any sealing/expunge requests they received. Atria also regularly participates in the Alachua County Driver’s License Clinic, where he helps residents navigate the license reinstatement process.'
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