SARASOTA, FL – Nine attorneys from the law firm of Icard, Merrill, Cullis, Timm, Furen and Ginsburg, P.A. were honored with Pro Bono Service Awards from Legal Aid of Manasota. The annual awards recognize attorneys who have donated their services to provide legal services at no cost to those in need. The Gold Pro Bono Award for over 100 hours of donated time was presented to Thomas Icard and Anthony Manganiello. The Silver Pro Bono Award for 50-99 donated hours went to Tad Drean and Jordan Riccardi. The Bronze Award for 20-49 hours was given to Jessica Farrelly, Jason Lessinger, Robert Lyons, Lindsey Meshberger, and John Waskom.
For over 25 years, the Twelfth Judicial Circuit’s pro bono program, Legal Aid of Manasota, has endeavored to provide equal access to justice for the underprivileged with the support of hundreds of attorneys, local law firms, bar associations, sponsors, and volunteers. With offices in Sarasota, Bradenton, and Venice, Legal Aid of Manasota serves thousands of indigent clients by providing free legal services and community education classes. In addition to helping those in need, they assist local nonprofit agencies and partners with State College of Florida to train paralegal students. They strive to provide their clients with the peace of mind that comes with having effective assistance of counsel as they wade into the legal system, many for the very first time.