Miami, Fla. –
Lawyers for Children America (LFCA), a nonprofit child advocacy organization, today honored Carlton Fields’ Miami office with the 2018 Pro Bono Law Firm Award. The award ceremony was held at the Hyatt Regency hotel in downtown Miami. Donna Shalala — Congresswoman-elect, former University of Miami president, and former U.S. Secretary of Health & Human Services — and Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle spoke at the awards luncheon.
Carlton Fields Miami attorneys Naomi M. Berry, Clifton R. Gruhn, Jason Patrick Kairalla, Tenikka L. Jones, Richard J. Ovelmen, Adriana A. Perez, David J. Smith, and Carlton Fields alumna and federal judicial clerk Alix Cohen donated their time to LFCA. The organization provides pro bono legal representation to children who are victims of abuse, abandonment, and neglect and are involved in the child welfare system. LFCA recruits, trains, and supports volunteer lawyers who serve as attorneys for dependent children and protect their legal rights. LFCA’s pro bono lawyers also mentor teen clients in foster care.
Kairalla served as a member of LFCA’s Regional Leadership Council and is a two-time recipient of the organization’s John Edward Smith Child Advocacy Award. The firm also supports LFCA in Hartford through the efforts of John C. Pitblado, who serves on the board of the organization; Ben V. Seessel; and Brendan N. Gooley.
Carlton Fields’ commitment to pro bono service and community involvement is a core value of the firm. As a charter signatory to the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge, the firm’s lawyers and paralegals devote at least 50 hours annually to pro bono work. The Miami office is also the 2018 recipient of the
Legal Services of Greater Miami’s Equal Justice Pro Bono Large Firm Award.