Each week on “Your Legal Buzz” our host Tiffany Howard talks to attorneys in the North Florida area about important legal questions. This week Tiffany sat down with Missy Davenport from Jacksonville Area Legal Aid.
Developed during the Great Depression and subsequent recession of 1937, the organization that has become Jacksonville Area Legal Aid, Inc. (JALA) was born when a group of Jacksonville Bar attorneys banded together to provide legal services to those in need.
To learn more, visit https://www.jaxlegalaid.org.
Why did you choose to go into law?: I wanted to help people who were most in need and to help serve justice.
What is your specific field of law?: I am the Pro Bono Director at JALA so I get to work in many areas but my previous experience is in family law and criminal law.
How do you set yourself apart from other firms in the area?: I am very lucky to work for a great organization that has a wonderful reputation for helping the community.
What do you see as the greatest challenges in your practice?: My greatest challenge is that the need for legal assistance is so much greater than the help that is possibly available.
What do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment as an attorney?: I love that I am able to bring together wonderful attorneys who want to give back with people who are in dire need of help.
How do you stay connected to your community? Are you involved in any local organizations?: I am a member of the Jacksonville Bar Association, Jacksonville Women Lawyers Association, and am active with my child’s school.
What advice would you give someone considering going to law school?: Make sure that you love to read and write! The practice of law does not take place only in the courtroom and there is much research and writing that must take place before you enter the courtroom.
