What if, by chance, an experience working as a volunteer attorney launched a career? What if, in the midst of the greatest economic downturn since the Great Depression, a legal aid workshop on foreclosure defense opened the doors to the possibilities of an entirely new practice? What if a passion for serving the community fast-tracked one’s legal training and instilled the confidence to start one’s own firm? What if unbillable pro bono work was a leading driver for new business? What if, almost 20 years later—mid-career—one’s practice was thriving, one’s sense of professional fulfillment was robust, and one had helped establish systems to perpetuate one’s service and its impact on the Florida legal community?
Most of us would call achieving a few of these “what ifs” the makings of an extremely successful career. For us, all of these possibilities and more have become a reality through pro bono work for legal aid.
“I give total credit to my involvement with legal aid. It has completely shaped my career. During the foreclosure crisis of 2009, I was interested in a free foreclosure defense workshop that Community Legal Services was hosting,” Tim said.
After attending the workshop, Tim expressed the desire to help but was unfamiliar with the area of Law and expressed the desire to be mentored. “Lena Hopkins immediately connected me with Roberto Cruz, head of CLS. With attorney his mentorship, I was immediately engaged and began representing clients who needed help. From there, my career took off.”
Guided by the market’s opportunities, his interest in Estate Planning and,
like most attorneys
, an abiding desire to “help people,” Tim learned that estate planning—together with the related practices of foreclosure defense, trusts and estates, wills, contract review, business formation and bankruptcy—could offer a thriving and impactful career and opened his own firm in 2011.
To say his legal aid work influenced his career would be quite the understatement. Tim is the recipient of almost every pro bono award given in the state of Florida, including the Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division Pro Bono Award in 2012, 2022’s National Legal Aid & Defender Association Arthur von Briesen Award and the 2023 Florida Supreme Court Tobias Simon Pro Bono Service Award. To further underscore his contributions, Community Legal Services (CLS) has named their award recognizing the contributions of young lawyers in Tim’s honor.
While Tim’s story highlights the impact of pro bono on a private practice career, Jeff, CLS’ CEO, offers a complementary, service-first perspective as a legal aid leader and military officer. When he left active duty with the Army, he was driven to continue his service in the public realm. “Although we lead in different areas, we both share a profound commitment to pro bono through legal aid. We see not only the outsized benefits legal aid provides for low-income individuals and communities, but also the overwhelmingly positive impact it can and does have on attorneys’ careers.”
Changing Career Trajectories
We both have experienced first-hand the benefits of pro bono work via legal aid. Our careers have been shaped by service to the profession and community. Consider the following:
Career Fast-Tracking. Volunteering for legal aid representation is an excellent and immersive experience. Whether providing counsel on matters within one’s own practice area or working in a new part of law, legal aid is a structured way to gain fresh insights, learn new procedure and expand one’s networks. Few areas of law provide such broad, comprehensive training or opportunities for learning. For young attorneys, it’s an opportunity to be a sponge. As Caroline Callahan, a rising 2L at Stetson University College of Law and CLS intern, told us, “It’s real cases, real attorneys, real clients, right off the bat.”
Mentorship. One of CLS’ unique programs is the Claud B. Nelson Pro Bono Peer Academy, a series of training modules designed to familiarize attorneys with pro bono via legal aid. Each lawyer has a mentor as they progress through the courses to help the mentee quickly grasp processes and issues outside of their practice area. Mentoring is essential for young attorneys, especially as they make critical career choices. Exposure to the craft of lawyering and the demands of leadership are crucial for advancement and are—sadly—rarely taught in law school.
One of the most fulfilling aspects of Tim’s career has been his ability to mentor other lawyers and law students. This began when he served as the liaison to the Florida A&M University Housing Clinic. Law students assisted with cases allowing him to manage his load. One of these law students was Danielle Harris, who, thanks in part to this early exposure, became enamored with Legal Aid work and is now the organizations chief program officer. For both Tim and Jeff, mentoring comes full circle.
Professionalism. As
mentioned before
in this column, the bar faces a professional crisis. Legal aid helps positively introduce whole segments of society to the judicial system, eliminating fear and establishing trust. We have a unique opportunity to raise the bar on professionalism for the entire legal industry. This means leading by example. Legal aid organizations prioritize professionalism when they train volunteer attorneys, staff lawyers, our legal professionals and even interns.
Opportunity. As Tim and many others will tell you, pro bono via legal aid opens doors and creates opportunities that might otherwise be missed. “I built a practice from nothing,” Tim says. “Legal aid has been a key driver for new clients. Many times, someone will say to me, ‘I heard how you helped my friend; I want you to represent me.’” For several CLS staff attorneys, volunteering for legal aid changed their minds about the field’s possibilities and inspired career adjustments. Working in a new practice area introduces an attorney to new judges, new colleagues, new laws and new processes.
Re-motivation. Quite simply, volunteering for legal aid work refuels the need we have as attorneys to help people and do good things. Far too often, attorneys get caught in the day-to-day grind of their practices and our profession
suffers
for it. Pro bono through legal aid is a quick tonic—nothing reminds us more of the value of our work than helping someone who desperately needs counsel.
Time to Volunteer—What to Expect?
As mentioned before, CLS’ Peer Academy helps maximize the pro bono for legal aid experience. Developed by volunteers—including Tim—to raise professionalism, provide better outcomes for clients, and create a legacy of mentorship and service, the Peer Academy is a comprehensive training program. It includes live (virtual) training, dedicated mentors, peer email discussion groups, forms, checklists, client interview questions, additional CLE training, practical application of learning through case representation and brief advice, and counsel clinics, as well as networking with judges and other professionals. And CLS pro bono attorneys are eligible for malpractice insurance and CLE credits.
Legal aid organizations work with volunteer attorneys to develop flexible schedules and match matter subjects with expertise and interest. Law school students can gain invaluable experience assisting legal aid attorneys with case matters, working community legal advice sessions, doing legal research and helping educate the public at community outreach events. As Caroline notes, “After just one summer, I feel like I’ve gained several years of real lawyering experience.”
One key aspect of our approach is that we become a partner for volunteer attorneys. Our network extends far beyond the legal community, and we work as a team to answer questions, make introductions or even provide counsel when needed. The team ethos extends beyond our staff and volunteers. We help elevate the bar by being a legal resource for any attorney in our community. As Tim says, “Legal aid means you always have help.”
Pro Bono Through Legal Aid Changes More Than Careers
Regardless of where an attorney is in their career, volunteering for legal aid work impacts the community as well as one’s career. We see first-hand a law student like Caroline whose eyes have been opened to the promise of a meaningful practice and what lawyering really looks like. After his Army active duty, Jeff’s drive to continue serving quickly led him to legal aid. For Tim, volunteering gave him the experience and confidence to open his own practice. For all of us and for every volunteer attorney, legal aid provides opportunities that may not have existed had we “stayed in our lanes.”
Legal aid exists to bridge the justice gap, as Tim calls it, “that disconnect between someone’s potential legal problems and receiving sound counsel.” Pro bono via legal aid not only helps close that gap but dramatically impacts the profession. It provides experience, opportunity and mentorship and reveals to others the promise of law’s professionalism. By raising awareness of who we are, providing beneficial counsel to those who need it most and showing the high degree of care with which we practice, we make great strides in closing that justice gap. As our experiences demonstrate, legal aid through pro bono creates exemplary careers.
Jeffrey D. Harvey is the chief executive officer of
Community Legal Services
, a full-service civil legal aid law firm serving the central Florida community. He is a 24-year veteran of the U.S. Army and recently completed a master’s degree in strategic studies at the U.S. Army War College. Timothy A. Moran is the founder and principal of
The Law Office of Timothy A. Moran
. His practice focuses on all aspects of estate law, as well as financial matters such as bankruptcy and business formation. He lives in Oviedo, Florida, and is active in many community organizations.
Nov 24
Deal Summary
