Passion for pro bono.

• Author: Schifino, William J., Jr.
• Position: Florida Bar - President's page

In my three decades as a business litigator, I've participated in some exciting trials and helped many clients solve their problems.

But the most impactful case of my career was a pro bono case, and I've never felt better about making such a difference in a person's life.

Years ago, I accepted a pro bono case representing a poor mother embroiled in a nasty divorce. Her husband accused her of abusing their three sons, and the state was trying to take away her little boys.

I remember the case like it was yesterday. Deborah stood about 4-10 and weighed less than 100 pounds, and I believed in my heart she did not abuse anybody. The substance of the abuse allegation was a little red mark on one of the boy's neck--a scrape that any little boy could have gotten on a playground.

But her husband was a big bully who called her a child abuser. So she was kicked out of her house and separated from her boys. She didn't have two nickels to rub together and she thought, "My God, how am I going to navigate out of this swamp?"

I took the case and fought for justice for Deborah and her sons. It wasn't easy. I was shocked when we lost the case at the administrative level, but I appealed it to the Second District Court of Appeal and won.

This wasn't a case of realigning $50 million, taking money from one pocket and putting it into another. I'm not diminishing the importance of business litigation, because it's very important to a business when you are able to rectify a wrong.

But when you can see the tears of joy from a mother who gets custody of her children back, wow! That is impactful!

That case not only made a world of difference in the lives of Deborah and her three boys, it made me a better lawyer. It was the right thing to do and it felt good. It underscored my obligation, as mandated by the Supreme Court, to not only serve our clients, but also the citizens of our state who can't afford access to civil justice.

Not only do our pro bono lawyers change the lives of those they help, I truly believe it changes the lives of those lawyers doing that work for the public good. Pro bono, at its very core, shows what a critical role we lawyers can play in society by helping the lives of those who need us most.

Whether it's a child who could be rescued...