Legal Aid Foundation of the Tallahassee Bar Association

Anne MunsonFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 5, 2014

850-702-5010

History in the Making: Celebrating the Inaugural Class of Thunderdome Tallahassee

The Legal Aid Foundation Announces a New Generation of Legal Leaders Serving the Community

Tallahassee, FL:The Legal Aid Foundation of the Tallahassee Bar Association announcesthe membership of Class 1 ofThunderdome Tallahassee, a hands-on legal group training program to provideeducation, mentoring, networking, andleadershipto a new generation of lawyers serving Leon County.Launching in September 2014, Thunderdome Tallahassee addresses a desperate need for equal access to justice for low-income families and children, by attracting, harnessing, and developing the talent of volunteer lawyers as they serve those needing family law assistance. This groundbreaking program has been developed by committee and curriculum partners representing Florida’s Second Judicial Circuit Family Law Judges, Florida State College of Law and Public Interest Law Center, Leadership Tallahassee, Tallahassee Bar Association & Young Lawyers’ Section, Tallahassee Women Lawyers, and the Virgil Hawkins Bar Association.

The inaugural class has attracted 21 diverse volunteer lawyers with a drive for change and social leadership as well as the support of the firms and state government offices that support their participation. Class 1 Participants include: Joshua Aubuchon, Holland & Knight LLP; Nick Bader, Bass Sox Mercer; Chuck Bowen, Hopping Green & Sams, PA; Whitney Brummett, Public Defender's Office, 2nd Judicial Circuit; Carrol Y. Cherry, Florida Office of the Attorney General; Ralph DeMeo, Hopping Green & Sams, PA; Donna Duncan, Sanders and Duncan, PA; Jessie Harmsen, Florida Department of Financial Services; Brian Hayden, Rumberger, Kirk & Caldwell, PA; Hunter Hendrix, Law Office of Linda A. Bailey, PA; Douglas McAlarney, Attorney at Law, PL; Colleen D. Mullen, Public Defender's Office, 2nd Judicial Circuit; Virginia Ponder, Pennington PA; Gisela Rodriguez, Law Office of Gisela Rodriguez, LLC; Danielle Roth, Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles; John Sawicki, Forensic Data Corporation/Sawicki Law Firm, PA; Brandi Thomas, Akbar Law Firm, PA; Barbara J. Walker, Parks & Crump, LLC; Sarah Warren, Hopping Green & Sams, PA; Dazi Lenoir Williams, Parks & Crump, LLC; and Sheree Williams, Law Office of Sheree Williams, PA.

Special thanks go to our Class 1 Mentors, leading lawyers and judges in the community who have committed to class attendance and case mentoring for the professional development of the participants: Kristin Adamson, Mutaqee Akbar, Neibra Collins Williams, Carolyn Cummings, Sean Desmond, Sha’Ron James, Tom Powell, Judge George Reynolds, Jerry Rumph, Tom Schulte, Ruth Stone, Harriet Williams, John O. Williams, and JoLen Wolf.

The Legal Aid Foundation estimates over 2,300 low income families in Leon County need help in family law each year, often facing a 3-4 month wait for a volunteer lawyer. The result is a threat to home, family, and livelihood. Each Thunderdome Tallahassee participant will handle at least one family law case over 9 months of training, mentorship, and leadership development. Upon completion of the program, participants may return as mentors and presenters to future Thunderdome Tallahassee classes.Thunderdome Tallahassee’s supportive and experiential program will foster a new era of voluntary legal service to benefit local families and children.

"Berger Singerman is honored to sponsor the inaugural class of The Legal Aid Foundation's Thunderdome Tallahassee," said Lewis M. Killian, Jr., a team member in Berger Singerman's Tallahassee office, former Chief Bankruptcy Judge for the Northern District of Florida, and Board Member of the Legal Aid Foundation. "Not only is cultivating the next wave of legal talent in the Tallahassee community a critical component to the growth of the legal profession in the area, engaging community minded attorneys dedicated to creating social change will only lead to positive changes in the region."

An initiative of the Legal Aid Foundation of the Tallahassee Bar Association, Thunderdome Tallahassee is sponsored by the Young Lawyers Section of the Tallahassee Bar, the Tallahassee Bar Association, the Virgil Hawkins Bar Association, Berger Singerman, Florida State College of Law, Prime Meridian Bank, Holland Knight, Novey Law, Parks & Crump, Radey Law and others. Learn more at .

The Legal Aid Foundation provides civil legal representation and assistance in Leon County to people in need through volunteers and supporters. Established 45 years ago by the Tallahassee Bar, we help lawyers with a passion for equal justice to serve our community. The Legal Aid Foundation is a United Way agency, a member of the United Partners in Human Services, and appreciates the long-time mission support of the Florida Bar Foundation and Leon County.