April Charney, Jim Kowalski, Margery Golant Recognized by Florida Bar as Consumer Heroes
Many years ago, I was just another lawyer flailing about not really sure what my contribution to the profession of law would be. That all changed when I attended a seminar in Tampa put on by April Charney. April was a Legal Aid attorney our of Jacksonville and her seminar covered a topic that at that point in time was just extraordinary….the suggestion that an attorney could actually defend a homeowner facing foreclosure! (I mean, who had ever heard of such a thing?)
April was bold and passionate and was totally committed to the extraordinary concept that homeowners facing foreclosure had real defenses that should be carefully and painstakingly raised. She was equally passionate about convincing all the lawyers who took this session to fulfill their obligations of service to the community by agreeing to take on foreclosure defense cases pro bono and to volunteer to serve at their local Legal Aid Offices. Humble and deferential she gave most of the credit for the early success and the strategies that were being developed to the Legal Aid offices and attorneys who were the force behind this early movement….and to Jim Kowalski and his groundbreaking work. (Read More About Jim Kowalski Here)
Over the years April Charney, with the support of Legal Aid of Jacksonville, crisscrossed the state spreading her message of defense of homeowners and convincing untold thousands of lawyers across this country to take up the charge and fight this good and noble fight. Above and beyond her in person training, she set the bar for sharing work and time and ideas and professional collaboration that has been so critical in this fight.
With her countless seminars and the extraordinary amount of personal time she and the other exceptional lawyers at Jacksonville Legal Aid inspired countless thousands of lawyers to serve their communities and exhibit, in a very real and personal way, the very highest expectations of this honorable profession.
It would be impossible to calculate just how many tens of thousands (hundreds of thousands?) of people across this country experienced first-hand the highest ethical calling of the legal profession because they were served by an attorney who was inspired by April Charney, Jim Kowalski or the fighters at Jacksonville Legal Aid. (No slight to Margery Golant here, I just don’t know her, but I’m sure she’s a fine person inasmuch as the fine company she keeps.)
If you’ve been helped by an attorney in your foreclosure case. If you’ve found a motion out there or a chatroom message or a picked up legal concepts or principles that have been of benefit to you, you have benefited directly from the extraordinary example set by Jacksonville Legal Aid and their team of exceptional lawyers. Please log on to the Jacksonville Legal Aid Website and learn more about their mission…..and if you really do understand the true value of all this service and honorable commitment, make a small donation to honor the good work done by this most exceptional group!
CONGRATULATIONS APRIL, JIM AND MARGERY!
