by Gabrielle Davis Stetson University law student Jhenerr Hines’ desire to help the disadvantaged started at home. “I grew up in a very poor home, and most of the people I grew up with are dead or in jail,” said Hines, a native of Montego Bay, Jamaica. “I’m very blessed,
Legal Aid lawyer Matthew Trail thought a Lee County public school needed systemic change. The school, designed for children with behavioral problems, was failing the students by not providing mental health and proper academic support as mandated by law, said Trail, an attorney with the Florida Equal Justice Center in
by Gabrielle Davis Even with an attorney by her side, Maria Perkins was gripped by fear as she stood before the judge. Although she had made every decision for her son Mark Morrison since he was born with Down syndrome, suddenly she had to petition a Seminole County judge for
At 68, an age when most Americans are drawing Social Security and enjoying their retirement, Jean Felix Philius would like nothing more than to be back at work picking beans all day in the scorching South Florida sun. Instead, Philius is unemployed and hoping to recover wages he says are
by Nancy Kinnally In his cell at Lake Correctional Institution in Clermont, Fla., Kenneth Young, 25, keeps among his few possessions a worn copy of USA Today dated May 18, 2010, the day after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that juveniles cannot be sentenced to life without parole for crimes
by Nancy Kinnally When James Kearse learned that a lawyer at the Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County might be able to help his first-grader, he let nothing stand in his way. “I’d do anything for my kids,” said Kearse. “I’d go around the world for them.” So, with
by Nancy Kinnally If he’d gotten into a fight at school just a couple of years ago, Escambia County eighth-grader K.P. could have easily been looking at out-of-school suspension or even criminal sanctions. Today, the district is instead giving students like K.P. the chance to make amends and work through
by Nancy Kinnally When James Bain of Lake Wales, Fla., was released at the age of 54 after serving 35 years in prison for a rape and kidnapping he did not commit, his smile said it all. Bain, who has the unfortunate distinction of having been imprisoned longer than
Students in Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties have been learning this year about the U.S. Constitution, the branches of government, how bills become law and other fundamental principles of American government through a project spearheaded by the Sarasota County Bar Association Young Lawyers Division (YLD). In partnership with the Sarasota
Lake Worth resident Elena Diego had heard her mother’s stories of armed men entering people’s homes at night, unannounced, and suddenly forcing them out onto the street during Guatemala’s civil war. Such a thing, she thought, would never happen in America — until it happened to her. According to federal
by Gabrielle Davis At the age of 17, Kamesha Grant made the hardest decision a former foster child could make: to re-enter the foster care system. What could have been a tragedy is turning into a triumph because of help from a Children’s Legal Services advocate. “[My advocate] has done
by Gabrielle Davis When it came to naming the new home of Florida Legal Services, only one person would fit the bill, said FLS Executive Director Kent Spuhler. “There was only one name that could go on the state capital justice center,” said Spuhler at the Dec. 10 unveiling of
