Pajcic & Pajcic to receive commendation for pro bono work – The Florida Bar
The Law Firm of Pajcic & Pajcic — a Jacksonville-based law firm that has made pro bono service an integral part of
Commentary: Lawyers should be required to give back
The importance of pro bono legal work has increased and will continue to do so. By Stacey DeVall | Jacksonville Area Legal Aid deputy pro bono director | November 6, 2025 “Have-tos before want-tos.” That is a pretty common saying in my house. My kids always want to do the fun things first—the activities that bring instant joy—before tackling homework, laundry or dishes. I get it. But without tending to the “have-tos,” the foundation crumbles. We fail ourselves and our communities. The same principle applies to our profession. Many lawyers think about pro bono work as a “want to.” They really want to help the community, and they want to be able to report it to the Bar and they want to put it on their website. But what if we reframed pro bono not as a “want to” but rather as a “have to,” because in reality, it is.
National Pro Bono Week is Oct. 19-25
By Aaron Irving | Jacksonville Area Legal Aid director of pro bono & Samantha Howell | Three Rivers Legal Service pro bono
A lifelong commitment to pro bono
Joshua “Josh” Gostel’s journey into pro bono work began during his years at Georgetown Law, where he first discovered his passion for helping those with limited resources. While volunteering with the Capital Area Immigrant Rights Coalition in Washington, D.C., he provided free legal assistance to detained immigrants, planting the seeds for what would become a lifelong commitment to pro bono service. After seven years in practice focusing primarily on commercial and construction litigation, Gostel moved to Jacksonville in 2021 and immediately sought opportunities to continue his pro bono work in his new community. It was then that he connected with JALA’s Pro Bono Unit, where he has since become an invaluable volunteer attorney.
Stacey DeVall rejoins Jacksonville Area Legal Aid as deputy director of pro bono
Jacksonville, FL – Former staff attorney Stacey DeVall has rejoined Jacksonville Area Legal Aid as deputy director of pro bono, bringing more than a decade of legal experience and a long-standing commitment to public service and access to justice. She previously served as a staff attorney in the St. Johns County office from 2020 to 2021. For the past four years, she served as a General Magistrate for Florida’s Fourth Judicial Circuit Court, where she presided over a variety of family law matters including temporary, final, and post-judgment hearings. “We are thrilled to have Stacey return to JALA,” said Aaron Irving, Director of Pro Bono at JALA. “She is perfect for this role. Her deep legal expertise, dedication to pro bono service, and knowledge of the court system will strengthen our pro bono program.”
St. Johns County Legal Aid recognizes its pro bono volunteers
The St. Johns County Legal Aid Jay Grife Pro Bono Awards were presented January 13 at the Casa Monica Hotel in St. Augustine. The award recipients, shown holding their awards, were congratulated by judges and legal aid staff. In the front from the left are Vincent Sullivan, Pam Holcombe, Tance Roberts, Dashona Drayton, Nancy Harrison, Donato Rinaldi, Virginia Morgan, and Jamin Rubenstein. In the back from the left are Megan Wall of St. Johns County Legal Aid, Rusty Collins, Judge Casey Woolsey, Dan Lang, Judge Christopher Ferebee, Judge Kenneth Janesk, Judge Howard McGillin, and Jacksonville Area Legal Aid President and CEO Jim Kowalski. Honored but not pictured were Carol Daniels, Jay Grife, Mitchell Ortega, and Christine Cooper.
Local legal aid receives more than $7.7 million in grants
Two local organizations – Jacksonville Area Legal Aid and Three Rivers Legal Services – will receive a combined $7.72 million in grants from Funding Florida Legal Aid. The Funding Florida board approved a general distribution Jan. 14 of $89.74 million in Interest on Trust Accounts funds to 35 Florida civil legal aid organizations. “This funding is transformative for Florida’s network of legal aid providers, allowing them to retain and hire more highly qualified legal professionals, expand facilitation of pro bono volunteerism and ultimately increase the number of clients receiving legal assistance,” Funding Florida Legal Aid President Roberto Pardo said in a news release. JALA President and CEO Jim Kowalski said the organization will use its $4.83 million Interest on Trust Accounts grant to expand services by hiring a full-time attorney to help JALA clients in Nassau County and also to expand services in St. Johns and Putnam counties.
Attorneys, judge to be honored for pro bono service
The Florida Bar will recognize lawyers for their work on behalf of low-income and disadvantaged clients at a ceremony Jan. 16 at the state Supreme Court. Established in 1981, The Florida Bar President’s Pro Bono Service Awards 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. Selected for the award in the 4th Judicial Circuit, comprising Clay, Duval and Nassau counties, Fred Cromwell Isaac has provided pro bono legal assistance to hundreds of clients over the years independently and through Jacksonville Area Legal Aid and the Jacksonville Bar Association for more than 50 years.
Pulitzer-prize-winning journalist and author Andrea Elliott to headline Jacksonville Area Legal Aid event honoring Pajcic & Pajcic
Robert J. Beckham Equal Justice Awards Celebration Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024 Marriott Jacksonville Downtown JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Aug. 6, 2024 – Pulitzer-prize-winning journalist and author Andrea Elliott will deliver the keynote address at Jacksonville Area Legal Aid’s 22nd Equal Justice Awards Sept. 18 at the Marriott Jacksonville Downtown. Elliott has documented the lives of poor Americans, Muslim immigrants and other people on the margins of power. She is an investigative reporter for The New York Times and the author of Invisible Child: Poverty, Survival, and Hope in an American City, which won the 2022 Pulitzer Prize in General Nonfiction. Elliott also was awarded a 2007 Pulitzer Prize for feature writing. She is currently a Writer in Residence at Princeton University.
Rinaldi to receive Florida Bar President’s Seventh Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Award
Longtime JALA pro bono advocate F. Susannah Collins will receive The Florida Bar President's 2024 Pro Bono Service Award for the Fourth Judicial Circuit at a ceremony at the Florida Supreme Court in Tallahassee Jan. 18. A family law practitioner, Collins accepts family law cases pro bono through JALA and plays a significant role in JALA’s outreach. She makes presentations on Dissolution of Marriage, Paternity, Child Support, and Timesharing at the Northeast Florida Women Veterans Center, as well as at JALA’s monthly virtual family law clinics. She volunteers each month at JALA’s Veterans Legal Collaborative, participates in inner-city pro bono JALA Ask-A-Lawyer events, and serves as an expert resource for matters related to family law. Collins also received JALA's Kathy Para Outstanding Pro Bono Service Award in 2022 -2023.