Carlton Fields Shareholder Jon T. Gatto Receives “Outstanding Pro Bono Service By A Lawyer” Award

Tampa, Fla. – Jon T. Gatto, a shareholder in Carlton Fields’ Tampa office, was selected as the recipient of the 2018 Thirteenth Judicial Circuit’s Outstanding Pro Bono Service By A Lawyer Award, in recognition of his exceptional pro bono service to the community. He was honored at the Pro Bono Awards Ceremony on April 19, 2018 at the Chester H. Ferguson Law Center in Tampa.

Since 2011, Gatto has volunteered with Bay Area Legal Services’ Volunteer Lawyers Program (BAVLP), which nominated him for the award. Over the past seven years, he has contributed nearly 350 hours of pro bono work for the organization. Since 2013, he has undertaken 13 pro bono cases through its Case Referral Panel, with four cases still ongoing. He has served as an advocate for victims of domestic violence, and his pro bono efforts have helped his clients to improve their quality of life through education and professional opportunities.

“Jon’s dedication to pro bono has been nothing short of exceptional,” wrote Erin Rackauskas, the Bay Area Legal Services staff attorney who nominated Gatto. “With every case he takes on, he goes above and beyond to ensure that the client obtains a favorable result so that they will not have future legal troubles regarding the same issue.”

At Carlton Fields, Gatto focuses his law practice on complex health care regulatory issues. These include: public-private relationships in the health care space, including public hospital sales and leases, sovereign immunity, and compliance with the Sunshine Law and Public Records Act; Medicare Advantage and other risk-based managed care payment models; Stark, anti-kickback, and health care fraud and abuse; electronic medical records, and non-competitive agreements.

Photo of Erin Rackauskas from Bay Area Legal Services and Jon T. Gatto courtesy of the Hillsborough County Bar Association (HCBA).