33rd Annual Nuts & Bolts of Family Law Seminar trains 100+ pro bono attorneys
Karen Ladis, DLA executive director, from the left, David Alschuler, Pro Bono GAL Award recipient, and Judge Samantha Ruiz Cohen.
Dade Legal Aid and Put Something Back hosted its 33rd Annual Nuts & Bolts of Family Law Seminar on May 29, recruiting and training over 100 attorneys to handle pro bono family cases.
“This was our 33rd year, and we were thrilled to have so many seasoned attorneys as well as newcomers join us to learn about family law and accept pro bono cases,” said Karen Ladis, DLA executive director. “The needs of the low-income client population are at an all-time high,”
The 4.5 CLE program was moderated by long-time Dade Legal Aid family attorneys Mark Brown and Geoffrey Valdes-Alba.
Panelists included 11th Judicial Circuit Chief Judge Nushin G. Sayfie; Judges Samantha Ruiz Cohen and Jason E. Dimitris; First Family Law American Inn of Court President Marck K. Joseph; American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers Fellow Ronald H. Kauffman; Cyril Moody of Stearns Weaver Miller; Jessica S. Satinoff, of Buckner, Shifrin, Etter, Dugan & Bradfute; Cynthia Stafford of DLA; Anya Cintron Stern; and Joanna Veloz of the State Attorney’s Office Child Support Program.
The seminar covered a variety of topics, including equitable distribution, unified family court, time sharing and relocation, digital evidence, technology, social media, ethics, and the importance of pro bono work.
The course was free for all attorneys who accepted a pro bono family law case from the Put Something Back Pro Bono Project.
The training was sponsored by First Family Law American Inn of Court, Miami Dade Bar Young Lawyer Section, Caribbean Bar Association, Haitian Lawyers Association, Miami-Dade chapter of the Florida Association of Women Lawyers, and Gwen S. Cherry Black Women Lawyers Association.
Dade Legal Aid-Put Something Back presented the following awards during the event:
- “Outstanding Law Firm” pro bono honor was presented to Stearns Weaver Miller Alhadeff & Sitterson
- “Exceptional Guardian Ad Litem Pro Bono Award” was presented to David Alschuler, Sandra Hoyos-Mejia, and Lee Teichner
- “Child Advocacy Award” was presented to Sara Courtney-Baigorria
- “Family Law Award” was presented to Pablo Arriola, Andres F. Daza, and Anthony Genova
- “Domestic Violence Pro Bono Appeals Award” was presented to Sydney Feldman D’Angelo
- The inaugural “Maurice Jay Kutner Family Law Excellence Award” was presented to Jacqueline M. Valdespino for her decades of leadership and commitment to the program.
Amber Kornreich, of Kornreich & Associates, was also recognized for having received this year’s Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division Pro Bono Award in Tallahassee.
“We are so grateful to our speakers, supporters, honorees, and sponsors, Funding Florida Legal Aid, Soberlink, Peak Legal, Cole Scott Kissane, and Soman Stewart CPA, for helping to make this year’s event such a success,” said Ladis.
For more information and photo gallery click here.
To accept a new pro bono family or GAL case, contact [email protected] or [email protected].
