5 South Florida attorneys had been honored for their volunteer lawful do the job
Jan. 28—Contrary to the aged indicating, time just isn’t revenue — funds can be changed. Time can’t. And awards lauded five South Florida attorneys Thursday for the time they give with free authorized do the job.

4 lawyers — Coral Gables’ Mary Lou Rodon, Fort Lauderdale’s Jill Ginsburg, Tavernier’s Joseph Mack, Boca Raton’s Jay Mussman — just about every will receive a Florida Bar President’s Professional Bono Provider Award, which is offered to one particular legal professional in just about every Florida judicial district and just one Florida Bar member working towards exterior the condition.
Hallandale Beach’s Anthony Musto will get the state’s maximum pro bono honor, the 2021 Tobias Simon Professional Bono Services Award, from state Supreme Court Main Justice Charles T. Canady.
In buy of district:
From the 11th Judicial District (Miami-Dade County), Coral Gables’ Mary Lou Rodon. The Bar claims Rodon does most of her professional bono get the job done by Dade Legal Help/Place A little something Back again, which delivers no cost lawful enable to qualified persons on difficulties from domestic violence to individual bankruptcy to patents.
“Outside of the Put Something Again Project, Rodon has volunteered 515 hours on matters in Dependency Court, exactly where she handled household reports, dwelling visits, healthcare facility and psychological overall health medical center visits and juvenile detention visits,” the Bar suggests. “Protecting small children is Rodon’s life’s perform.”
Rodon went to the University of Miami University of Legislation and was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1982.
From the 15th Judicial District (Palm Beach front County), Boca Raton’s Jay Mussman. Many of Mussman’s professional bono clientele will need his help with a single of the scariest authorized monsters all over.
Mussman, the Bar says, does most of his pro bono function by way of the Lawful Support Modern society of Palm Seashore County’s Lower Income Taxpayer Clinic and Florida Rural Lawful Services’ Minimal Cash flow Taxpayer Clinic, “each of which helps persons included in tax controversies with the IRS.”
The Bar claims while with Dade Legal Assist, Mussman created a mentoring system to draw other lawyers to professional bono operate.
“For Mussman, making sure equal obtain to justice is at the core of what it signifies to be an attorney,” the Bar states.
Mussman graduated kind the University of Miami University of Regulation and was admitted to the Bar in 1988.
From the 16th Judicial District (Monroe County), Tavernier’s Joseph Mack. Mack started practicing regulation in Maryland in 2005 and was carrying out professional bono function in Florida below an additional attorney’s supervision in advance of joining the Bar.
“When COVID-19 paralyzed the rural communities of Monroe County,” the Bar claimed, “Mack assisted with Part 8 housing circumstances, landlord tenant instances, household regulation issues which includes little one custody disputes, and helping persons with sealing/expungement and restoration of civil legal rights so that they can secure gainful employment.”
Mack went to the University of Maryland Legislation Faculty and joined the Florida Bar in 2019.
From the 17th Judicial District (Broward County), Fort Lauderdale’s Jill Ginsburg. Most of Ginsburg’s do the job with Lawful Support of Broward County is with the Mission United Veterans Pro Bono Lawful Task, which helps veterans in civil legal matters. Ginsburg was the 2015 Mission United Star Legal professional Award.
Ginsburg went to Brooklyn Legislation College and joined the Florida Bar in 1989.
Musto has recorded far more than 1,200 hours of pro bono assistance, significantly of it dealing with juvenile dependency and delinquency appeals
The Tobias Simon Pro Bono Services Award goes to Hallandale Beach’s Anthony Musto. When the American Bar Affiliation required schooling video clips for lawyers accomplishing pro bono function in the Rio Grande Valley border location symbolizing grownups and unaccompanied small children in federal custody, the ABA arrived to Musto.
That indicates the regard Musto, an adjunct professor at St. Thomas College of Legislation, has acquired for his professional bono function considering the fact that signing up for the Florida Bar in 1975.
His do the job with the Florida Guardian advert Litem Application attained him their Kid’s Champion Award. The Bar credits Musto with building the Broward County Attorney’s Office environment pro bono system, which it states turned a model for comparable packages about the nation. In an ABA website interview, Musto ranks the creation of that software as just one of his two most important career highlights.
“Musto also created two statewide pro bono programs,” the Bar states, “one particular to tackle the lawful needs of youngsters getting old out of the foster treatment technique and a single to support human trafficking victims attain sealing and expunction of data for crimes fully commited although under the influence of their traffickers.”
