TALLAHASSEE — The Florida Bar has named Tori Simmons as its recipient of the 2019 Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division Pro Bono Service Award.
The honor rewards attorneys that are younger than 35, have been practicing for over five years and have demonstrated a dedication to public service or legal aid.
There will be an awards ceremony on Feb. 7 at the Supreme Court of Florida where Simmons will be officially presented with the award.
Tori Simmons
| Florida Bar
Simmons earned her J.D. from the Duke University School of Law in 2013. She has been employed as an associate for the Litigation Group at Hill Ward Henderson in Tampa. During her time with the firm she has been focusing on complex commercial business litigation.
She has consistently donated over 150 hours each year pro bono to help clients with matters like guardianship, eviction/landlord tenant disputes, dissolution of marriage, child support, domestic violence, help for nonprofit organizations as well as children in foster care.
“As an attorney, I feel that I have a responsibility to provide legal services to those in my community who lack access to representation,” she was quoted as saying in the Florida Bar's press release.
“Even though sometimes it feels as though providing legal representation is not enough, it is the way that I can help the most.”
Her volunteer work includes time at the Bay Area Legal Services Volunteer Lawyer Assistance Project where she handles family law cases.
She has also been coordinating her firm’s work in Project H.E.L.P. The organization holds weekly legal clinics at Metropolitan Ministries for those who are poor or homeless. In addition, she volunteers for Crossroads for Florida Kids. Currently, she is handling a case of two siblings who are in foster care.
In 2015, she took on the role of pro bono coordinator for Hill Ward Henderson.
The following year, Simmons started volunteering with the Domestic Violence Injunction Clinic at the Hillsborough Country courthouse.
Simmons is a member of the 13th Judicial Circuit’s Pro Bono Committee. As part of her responsibilities with the organization, she has been a representative of the committee to launch the Pro Bono Matters website in Tampa.
There will be 22 lawyers in total honored at the Feb. 7 ceremony.