Bilzin Sumberg to receive commendation for pro bono work
Bilzin Sumberg — a Miami-based firm that has gone above and beyond to serve its community — will receive the 2023 Law Firm Commendation from Chief Justice Carlos G. Muñiz at the annual Pro Bono Awards ceremony January 26 at the Florida Supreme Court.
The commendation honors significant contributions in the delivery of legal services to individuals or groups on a pro bono basis.
Community engagement and pro bono service are a crucial part of Bilzin Sumberg’s ethos. In 2021, the firm through its single Miami office collectively contributed 2,235 pro bono hours to individuals and nonprofit organizations across the state. The firm has a two-pronged strategy to pro bono work, working with local legal aid and voluntary bar associations to take individual pro bono cases while also supporting the ecosystem in which underserved individuals live and work.
Bilzin Sumberg also regularly collaborates with various pro bono feeder organizations, including Legal Services of Greater Miami (LSGM), Lawyers for Children America (LFCA), the Cuban American Bar Association Pro Bono Legal Services, and the Southern District of Florida federal court pro bono program.
Working with legal aid organizations, Bilzin Sumberg provides pro bono services to a diverse group of individuals. The firm has represented clients in cases ranging from eviction defense, land-use and zoning matters, immigration filings, civil rights and disability determinations. Through its involvement with LFCA, Bilzin Sumberg lawyers have also represented abandoned, abused, and neglected children.
Underscoring the firm’s dedication to serving the community is its Bilzin Sumberg Cares program, which has stood as a centerpiece of the firm’s commitment to the community and to service for 14 years.
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, January 26, at 3:30 p.m. It may be watched live on Facebook, WFSU: Gavel to Gavel and the Florida Channel.