Public Interest Law.

• Author: McCarthy, Craig A.
• Position: Annual Reports of Sections and Divisions of the Florida Bar: 2018-2019

The Public Interest Law Section (PILS) of The Florida Bar continues to take an active role promoting equal justice under the law and improving the quality of legal work among our attorney members and for our clients and the issues about which PILS members are passionate.

Public Interest Law section members have taken leadership roles in supporting and promoting juvenile law board certification. The section has developed a training curriculum to prepare test takers for the board certification examination in recognition of the demand for highly qualified practitioners in juvenile dependency and delinquency courts. For the third year, beginning with the first year of juvenile law board certification in Florida, the PILS will offer a training and review course for attorneys sitting for the certification examination and all others interested in comprehensive juvenile law CLE. As in 2017 and 2018, the 2019 course will take place over the course of two days on the campus of our gracious host, the Barry University School of Law in Orlando.

The Public Interest Law Section continues to partner with Legal Services of North Florida in presenting CLE on topics of interest to public interest lawyers and others throughout the year, at no cost to attendees and available online.

PILS was honored to host Justice Jorge Labarga, then chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court, as our keynote speaker at our annual meeting last June. Members of our section and the majority of our executive council meet in person a minimum of twice annually and present awards to recognize excellence in legal advocacy for a variety of issues.

The Public Interest Law Section executive council meets telephonically at least monthly, with other committees of the section doing the same between executive council meetings. Our next in-person meeting of the...