Message from the President

In recent years, The Florida Bar Foundation has worked harder to share its story with lawyers, members of the judiciary, legislators and others around the state.

This newsletter and its electronic companion, "The Foundation Docket," are examples of some of the new ways in which the Foundation is sharing information about the impact of its grant programs.

A recent e-mail survey of Foundation donors shows that our efforts have been well-received.

As an example, "Speaking of Justice" generated favorable ratings of greater than 95 percent.

I would like to thank all of those who took a few minutes to share their opinions about our communications and how they might achieve maximum effect.

The Foundation and its grantees are facing major challenges, including the persistent, high demand for foreclosure assistance; more requests for legal help by victims of domestic violence, which has seen a 37 percent increase; and the many legal hurdles faced by 1.1 million unemployed Floridians.

So, it's vitally important that our message is heard loud and clear: access to justice for the poor is more than a professional obligation. It is a way to stabilize families teetering on the brink.

Thanks to the input of our survey respondents, we will be sharing that message in new ways.

For the 73 percent of respondents who indicated they would like to be able to read Speaking of Justice online, we have expanded our electronic mailing lists and will now be informing our readers via e-mail when a new issue is available.

You can help us by forwarding our news to those colleagues who might have an interest in the work of the Foundation and its grantees, by encouraging your peers to become Florida Bar Foundation Fellows, and by responding to our requests for financial support. And you can help us simply by staying informed and being a voice for the Foundation in your community.

As always, thank you for your ongoing support.

Foundation President John A. Noland