FoundationNews

OCBA Foundation Scholarship

Meet Olivia Opitz, our 2023 OCBA foundation scholarship recipient! We made a surprise visit during her UCF Legal Studies course with Professor Heather Ostroff!

Through the generous support of the OCBA, each year, we can award this scholarship to a deserving University of Central Florida (UCF) B.S./B.A. Legal Studies student or Valencia A.S. Paralegal Studies student. The scholarship award recipient will have demonstrated leadership, academic excellence, and involvement on campus and in the general community.

Law Merit Badge Day

Eight Boys and Girls Scout Troops from Central Florida, North Florida, and Tampa Bay participated in the OCBA Law Day Committee & OCBA Foundation Law Merit Badge event! Can you imagine our discussions with these bright young minds?

Kudos to the OCBA Foundation board member, Euri, for a job well done as Chair. We couldn’t have accomplished this without our volunteer speakers:

Judge Amy Carter

Judge Craig McCarthy

Deputy Tom Lin

Judge Leticia Marques

Attorney Rachel Mattie

Attorney Coravious Cowart

Attorney Lisa Gong

Guerrero

Judge Eric DuBois

Other volunteers: Jill Davis

Peonca Grier

Onchantho Am

Leilani Am

Special thanks to our venue partner at Barry Law School!

Ana “Ani”Rodriguez-Newbern, Esq.

Hearsay

NOTE: The Hearsay column of The Briefs was created to share news and happenings around the OCBA. In each publication over the next year, we’ll hear from leaders, past, present, and future, on the topics of the day.

The Florida Bar, in the Rules Regulating the Florida Bar, requires that “Each member of The Florida Bar in good standing, as part of that member’s professional responsibility, should

(1) render pro bono legal services to the poor and (2) participate, to the extent possible, in other pro bono service activities that directly relate to the legal needs of the poor.”

Community and pro bono service means so many different things to our OCBA community. Here is just a little bit of what you’ve been saying:

1. Judge Brian Sandor – “OCBA service has given me the opportunity to connect with both the legal community and the larger community as a whole. It helps keep my family’s tradition of service in the community going.”

2. “It is so important to give back to our community, whether it is in the form of legal services, financial help, or volunteering. We should never give back in order to feel better about ourselves, but to remind ourselves of just how blessed we are, so let us bless someone else.” Ashley

Baillargeon,

Esq. | Baillargeon Law Firm

3. “The OCBA provides its members with opportunities to not only build their practice and legal experience, but through its committees, the OCBA gives members the opportunity to volunteer, give back, and make a difference in our community.” – Brandon Sapp, Esq. | Burns Sheppard Favors

4. Kelsey A. Weiss, Esq. | McEwan, Martinez, Dukes & Hall, P.A. – “Volunteering with the OCBA has allowed me to create meaningful and lasting relationships with local lawyers and judiciary while, at the same time, help support our community directly and through organizations such as Legal Aid Society and the OCBA Foundation that provide counseling and services to those of our community that need it most. Serving with the OCBA has been a true win-win opportunity that I would recommend to any young lawyer!”

5. “The opportunity to perform meaningful community service and provide pro bono legal services to the needy are the greatest privileges of being an attorney. They are rewarding experiences to be cherished, not burdens to be avoided.” – Michael Barber, Esq. | The Law Office of Michael D. Barber, P.A.

6. “It is an honor to be part of our legal profession. Many of the people I’ve met during my time as co-chair of OCBA’s mentoring committee, as a longtime panelist for OCBA’s Mandatory Fee Arbitration Committee, and as a director on the OCBA’s Board have become my good friends over the past two decades.” – Eve Brackmann, Esq. | Munck Wilson Mandala

7. “Education and Access are essential to understanding how the judicial system works. From our Self-Help Center to our Legal Matters webinars, as the Public Affairs & Outreach Specialist I am dedicated to serving the community and providing innovative and timely resources to make sure the public is aware of the services available to them.” – Charlean Gatlin, Public Affairs & Outreach Specialist | Orange County Clerk of Courts

8. “The OCBA provides opportunities to connect with local attorneys who practice in other areas of the law that I normally do not see on a regular basis.” – Lisa Gong Guerrero | Office of the State Attorney

9. “My favorite quote that comes to mind regarding community service is from Muhammad Ali. He said, ‘Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.’ As a lawyer we are change makers and I believe we have a duty to help the underserved/underrepresented. Some problems should not exist when I leave this earth.” – Ayana K. Barrow, Esq. | Acceptance Insurance Staff Counsel

Special thanks to the OCBA Membership Committee for their assistance with this month’s submission.

Ana “Ani” Rodriguez-Newbern, Esq., practices Family Law at Tangel-Rodriguez & Associates. She has been an OCBA Member since 2014.