Florida A&M University (FAMU) College of Law received The Florida Bar Foundation’s 2019 Florida Pro Bono Law School Challenge Award for Outstanding Alumni Engagement. FAMU Law placed first in the alumni category.
“We are delighted to know our graduates are making a significant difference in our communities by offering pro bono services to those who need it the most,” said FAMU Law Interim Dean, Nicky Boothe Perry.
FAMU Law alumni are providing pro bono work for a wide variety of legal cases and community organizations such as:
- El So Jupiter Neighborhood Resource Center’s Legal Clinic
- Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida
- FAMU Law Legal Clinic
- Haitians Lawyers Association
- HE GOT UP!
- Migration Justice Institute
- Orange County Bar Association’s Wills for Heroes Program
- Various legal cases including drug trafficking, probate land disputes, labor law, age discrimination, and class action lawsuits
Some of the pro bono work is being done by Kelsey C. Burke, president-elect of the Palm Beach County Hispanic Bar Association and FAMU Law Class of 2015, Tanya White, MBA, Esq., TW Law Group, FAMU Class of 2014, Jianyin Liu, Esq., Law Offices of James Liu, FAMU Law Class of 2017, and Soeurette Michel, Esq., Michel Law Firm, LLC, FAMU Law Class of 2009.
“FAMU Law alumni are setting an excellent example as providers of pro bono service,” Florida Bar Foundation President Julliette E. Lippman said. “FAMU Law’s alumni dedication and commitment to pro bono service in our community is inspiring.”
The award was presented on Thursday, June 27, at The Florida Bar Annual Convention in Boca Raton.
Florida’s 12 law schools competed to see which could take the most pro bono cases during the spring 2019 semester using an online platform to match students with alumni mentors. At FloridaLawSchoolChallenge.org, students used a new, cutting-edge interactive platform developed by SavvySuit to pick a pro bono case and be matched with an alumni mentor. Cases posted by legal aid organizations on FloridaProBonoMatters.org populated the law school challenge site. The owners/developers of SavvySuit are graduates of FAMU Law.
For more information about the FAMU College of Law, please visit law.famu.edu.
