Susan E.Mack has practiced law for 37 years as a senior corporate counsel and general counsel in the area of insurance and reinsurance transactions. Currently partner and pro bono coordinator at the firm Adams and Reese, Mack has demonstrated a strong commitment to pro bono service.
At the request of a local judge, Michelle Broyles, Division Chief of JALA’s Family Law and Victim Advocacy Unit, began advocating on behalf of “Dre,” 5. Dre’s mother struggles with substance abuse, which led to Dre being bounced around between his grandfather in Connecticut and different people in Jacksonville, some of whom were family and some friends.
“Sebastian,” 67, a veteran who suffers from PTSD and other service-connected psychological and emotional issues, contacted St. Johns County Legal Aid for help when his quiet upstairs neighbors moved away and were replaced by a noisy family.
After experiencing domestic violence that included choking, hitting, punching, stalking and cyberstalking, “LaRon,” 25, turned to JALA for help. At the time, she was in the midst of a paternity case involving her son. After paternity was established, the child’s father, who was also LaRon’s abuser, then withheld her son from her without justification for more than nine months.
“Soraya,” 54, is permanently disabled and unable to work. Her husband, a truck driver, is also her abuser. He threatened to take away her home and her citizenship if she asked for alimony. Soraya speaks only Spanish and was terrified to go to trial. She is a citizen, and it took her a long time to understand that her husband cannot take her citizenship away from her.
For the first time since April — when businesses were forced to close down — Floridians will be without statewide protections against evictions and foreclosures. Despite Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' decision to allow the eviction moratorium to expire, Florida families who can’t pay rent after losing their jobs due to COVID-19 still have protections under a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention order. The federal order is set to expire on Dec. 31.
A U.S. Army veteran, “Reginald,” 70, had been living on Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and part-time wages as a handyman, earning less than $12,000 a year. Reginald, who had been diagnosed with two different types of cancer, applied to JALA for help with a divorce and was referred to the Veterans Services Unit.
Freed to Run 4.0 , Nov. 16-21, will still feature six marathons in six days from Tallahassee to Jacksonville, but for the first time the sixth and final marathon will be on a Saturday, and the route will include a 14-mile stretch on the Baldwin Trail.
Photo not that of the actual client. Fulfilling a longtime dream, “Shu-Ching,” a first-generation Taiwanese immigrant, was hired in 2018
Dr. Paul Pitel, who is retiring as longtime chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Nemours Children's Specialty Care in Jacksonville, will be honored by Jacksonville Area Legal Aid during its Bridges to Justice for Children’s Health virtual event, which will be broadcast Tuesday, Sept. 15, at 6:30 p.m. on JALA’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/JaxLegalAid.
