History
For any family, basic survival depends on the ability to stay in a home, to secure food and other necessities, and to provide a safe and stable environment for children. Families with challenges in these areas may be torn apart or driven into poverty, with children often suffering the most. And without money to afford legal help, low-income citizens do not have equal access to justice.
In 1968, the Tallahassee Bar Association (TBA) took steps to meet the civil legal needs of low-income families in Leon County and formed the Legal Aid Foundation of the Tallahassee Bar Association, established to address the civil legal needs of those who could not hope to afford a lawyer. In the early years, TBA members manned the Leon County Courthouse basement office in rotating shifts, helping clients as they walked in.
In 2014, the organization became the Legal Aid Foundation of Tallahassee (LAF) and hired its first Executive Director as a stand-alone organization. Standing by the same mission to provide quality representation and guidance to the indigent population of Leon County through volunteer attorneys LAF serves clients through our Pro Bono Legal Services program, Promise Zone Legal Services Program, and our Mobile Law for All clinics. LAF trains volunteer attorneys through the esteemed Thunderdome Tallahassee program. LAF never charges a fee for our services to a client.
1968
2014
LAF receives financial assistance primarily from the following sources:
-
The Florida Bar Foundation
-
The City of Tallahassee and Leon County through the Community Human Services Partnership
-
The Tallahassee Bar Association
-
Other local associations and partners
LAF’s priority areas of representation include support for families; preserving the home; maintaining economic stability; safety, stability and health; and serving populations with special vulnerabilities.