Message from the President

As a family lawyer and a longtime member of The Florida Foundation board, I know that

Michele Kane Cummings

children living in poverty often need legal help in order to secure their rights to special education services, medical and other public benefits, as well as assistance in navigating the foster-care system.

Since the mid 1990s, the Foundation has addressed such needs through its Children’s Legal Services (CLS) Grant Program, which in recent years has distributed $2.8 million a year to 23 legal aid organizations around the state.

These funds support the work of a highly specialized workforce of legal aid attorneys who have dedicated their careers to helping low-income children. Unfortunately, we have had to reduce our CLS grants by 20 percent in the current grant year, and anticipate further cuts next year. We hope to be able to restore CLS funding in several years when IOTA revenue is expected to increase.

In the meantime, I hope that each and every person who reads this issue of Speaking of Justice, will respond to our appeal to donate $100 or more to the Foundation’s year-end campaign for Children’s Legal Services. Every dollar raised will go directly to our CLS grantees to provide legal services to children in need.

I’ve seen so many heartwarming examples of how legal aid attorneys funded by Foundation grants have helped kids overcome barriers and enabled them to succeed in school and in life. This issue of Speaking of Justice features one such story about Leonardo Leal, who is now a freshman on full scholarship at Stanford University. Were it not for the legal help he received from a Foundation CLS grantee, Leonardo would probably not be where he is today.

Clearly, Leonardo is an exceptional student. Not every child will end up like him. But every child deserves the chance to reach his or her full potential, and when a lawyer can help that happen, that’s a proud moment for our profession.

Michele Kane Cummings
President