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Florida Legal Services, Inc. (FLS) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1973 to provide civil legal assistance to indigent persons who would not otherwise have the means to obtain a lawyer. A statewide support center, dedicated to ensuring poor people have equal access to justice, FLS fulfills its mission primarily by working with local legal aid and legal service programs to improve their ability to provide legal assistance to those in need in their communities.  Providing service delivery coordination, training, case consultation and technical assistance to all legal service providers in Florida, FLS also is the coordinating organization for the first in the nation comprehensive Florida Supreme Court Voluntary Pro Bono Attorney Plan.   FLS has published our July 2011 Docket - Check it out. FLS Court Victory! - FLS led a group of distinguished counsel to victory in the rule-making case.  Read more about it here. The new office/provider directory is ready! - Click here. Florida Legal Services/Legal Aid Programs Announce ADA Coordinators FLS Staff Accolades In 2010, Florida Governor Crist held a bill signing ceremony in Esplanade Park in Ft. Lauderdale.  His signature made HB11 law, and added the status of homelessness to Florida’s hate crimes statute, officially making assaults on homeless persons a hate crime under Florida law.  It was in this park that Norris Gaynor was beaten to death with a baseball bat by a group of teenage boys.  His beating was captured on videotape and was broadcast throughout Florida and the nation.  It was this incident that spurred legislative action to make such an assault a hate crime.  This culminates a 5 year effort by FLS, and allies, to enact legislation to protect this vulnerable population.  Rep. Ari Porth and Sen. Jeremy Ring, of Broward County, sponsored the bills passed by the legislature this past session.  The law went into effect on October 1, 2010, making Florida the 4th jurisdiction to make attacks on homeless persons a hate crime.  The others are Maryland, Maine, and Washington, DC. Purvi Shah Profiled: Chuck Elsesser Honored With Prestigious NLADA's Kutak-Dodds Prize For most of the last 33 years, Charles Elsesser has tirelessly worked as an advocate for low-income people covering a wide swath of legal issues, from affordable housing to welfare. As the senior litigation attorney with Florida Legal Services, Inc., he principally engages in the representation of community organizations in complex and class action litigation in federal court involving housing and disaster-related issues, as well as naturalization and public benefits.  Read more and see the plaque! Legal Aid Day 2008 Click on Kent for the whole story       Miriam Harmatz in Medicaid victory.             Arthur Rosenberg honored by the Florida Coalition for the Homeless         Legal services embodies two basic principles: fidelity to our clients, and commitment to our community which is bound together by our devotion to equal justice.

Click the image below to learn how you can help     FLS build justice in Florida. Training Updates Click here for training/CLE opportunities from FLS. Updated 2/3/2012. Sharon Caserta's Deaf & Hard of Hearing Advocacy Handbook - click here.   What is Legal Aid? Click here for a video for the deaf community.     Florida Legal Services, Inc. 2425 Torreya Drive Tallahassee, FL 32303 Phone: (850) 385-7900 Fax: (850) 385-9998