Charitable Giving

Our Charitable Giving in Action

The Family Law Section of The Florida Bar™, believes that contributing to charitable organizations that support the legal community is a key component of our Section’s mission to serve Florida’s families and better the legal profession. Each year we provide tens of thousands of dollars to legal aid and legal advocacy programs, child advocacy programs, and programs which better the legal profession, including scholarships for young lawyers, members of the judiciary and others. Every dollar we allocate to charitable giving ultimately helps those families we work on behalf of every day. By helping those who help and advocate for others, our members, our profession, and, most importantly – Florida families, benefit from the critically important work we do.

Organizations & Programs We Support

  • Florida Bar Foundation – Annual contributions totaling $650,000 since 2009 (as of Summer 2022.)
  • Scholarships – Estimated at over $35,000 annually:
    • General Magistrate & Hearing Officers for the Board Certification Review Course;
    • Diversity/Attendee Scholarships for Board Certification Review Course;
    • Hardship/Attendee Scholarships for Board Certification Review Course; and
    • Diversity/Attendee Scholarships for Trial Advocacy Workshop.
  • Chair’s Honorarium – Annual contribution of $5,000 to a charity or organization personally selected by the Section’s Chair
  • Florida Chapter Association of Family and Conciliation Courts – Annual $5,000 contribution.
  • Surfside Family/Victims – One-time contribution of $5,000 in 2022.
  • Complimentary Redbooks/Marital Review Course materials for all members of the judiciary, including Judges and General Magistrate & Child Support Hearing Officers in each of Florida’s 20 judicial circuits.
  • Robust support for our many members who manage pro bono cases throughout the State.

Florida Bar Foundation

In 2009, the Section began annual contributions to the Children’s Legal Services program of the Florida Bar Foundation, after much of its revenues were lost in the recession. Since that time, the Section has contributed a half million dollars to that program (as of February 2021) and is the largest contributor to the Foundation of any Bar Section. We are extremely proud of this distinction and consider it a privilege, and our duty, to contribute to this immensely valuable and important program that serves some of our State’s most vulnerable citizens.

Chair's Honorarium

Each year the Section Chair is allocated $5,000 to contribute to a charity or organization that is near and dear to his/her/their heart. The Honorarium has supported domestic violence shelters, humane societies, Legal Aid chapters, Guardian ad Litem programs, and many other worthy organizations – both large and small – across the state of Florida.