Alaimo honored for providing pro bono services
The Florida Bar has recognized 21 lawyers for their work on behalf of low-income and disadvantaged clients at a ceremony at the Supreme Court of Florida.
Established in 1981, The Florida Bar President’s Pro Bono Service Awards are intended to encourage lawyers to volunteer free legal services to the poor by recognizing those who make public service commitments and to raise public awareness of the substantial volunteer services provided by Florida lawyers to those who cannot afford legal fees. Florida Bar President Roland Sanchez-Medina Jr. will present the 2025 awards.
The awards recognize pro bono service in each of Florida’s 20 judicial circuits as well as service by one Florida Bar member practicing outside the state of Florida. They are presented annually in conjunction with the Tobias Simon Pro Bono Service Award and other service awards, which are given by the chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court.
In the most recent reporting period from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024, Florida lawyers provided more than 1.7 million hours of pro bono services to those in need and $11.6 million to legal aid organizations.
The honorees included:
Maria Rita Alaimo, 20th Judicial Circuit (Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry and Lee counties)
Helping those who can’t fully advocate on their own is at the core of the Lee County Legal Aid Society’s mission – and is at the heart of Alaimo’s own personal commitment to the organization and those it serves. Most weeks, you can find her staffing the weekly self-help Zoom calls at which both staff attorneys and volunteers provide limited legal advice to the public, as part of a partnership with the Lee County Clerk of Court’s office.
Alaimo also serves as vice president of the Lee County Legal Aid Society’s Board of Directors and president of the Lee County Association for Women Lawyers, where she has helped implement one of the most significant efforts in the organization’s history – a coordinated effort to provide free civil legal aid to displaced immigrants under age 18 who are in foster care or require other legal support as a result of being abused, neglected or abandoned.