Ausley McMullen — a Tallahassee-based law firm that has made pro bono service a part of every firm attorney’s responsibilities and duties — will receive the 2022 Law Firm Commendation from Chief Justice Charles T. Canady at the annual Pro Bono Awards ceremony Jan. 20 at the Supreme Court of Florida. The commendation honors significant contributions in the delivery of legal services to individuals or groups on a pro bono basis.
Ausley McMullen’s commitment to the profession and community represents one of the founding principles of the firm. The firm as a whole and its individual attorneys dedicate substantial legal services to the indigent population in Tallahassee. Individually, attorneys from Ausley McMullen have taken more than 100 cases pro bono from Legal Services of North Florida (LSNF) and Legal Aid Foundation of Tallahassee (LAF).
With LAF, attorneys from Ausley McMullen have been instrumental in creating the award-winning Promise Zone Mobile Law Clinic, the very first comprehensive expungement program in the 2nd Judicial Circuit. They have also helped create a statewide recognized pro bono attorney training program, Thunderdome Tallahassee. Thunderdome Tallahassee has trained over 80 attorneys to represent indigent families in family law matters.
Ausley McMullen attorneys have also spent valuable time promoting pro bono service. One attorney organized and hosted a panel discussion of pro bono opportunities in Tallahassee, and two attorneys have been long-time members of the LAF board of directors. They also regularly present at educational clinics on topics from probate law to landlord/tenant law.
This year’s awards ceremony, which also honors Individual, Circuit, Voluntary Bar, Young Lawyers Division, Distinguished Judicial Service, and Distinguished Federal Judicial Service pro bono efforts, takes place at the Florida Supreme Court on Thursday, Jan. 20, at 3:30 p.m. Watch it live on Facebook, WFSU: Gavel to Gavel and the Florida Channel