Pro Bono
Shutts & Bowen has a longstanding commitment to service for the public good, pro bono publico, by helping to bridge the gap of unmet legal needs in communities throughout Florida. Our attorneys work closely with legal services organizations, bar associations and various projects and initiatives to provide free legal services to underserved populations and those without access to legal services. Shutts & Bowen also provides pro bono legal services to not-for-profit educational, cultural and other civic organizations that could not otherwise afford representation.
To recognize and encourage such public service, the firm gives an amount of billable hour credit to its attorneys for pro bono matters as for the handling of billable matters for paying clients.
- In 2024, our attorneys provided 2,363 pro bono services hours.
- In 2023, our attorneys provided 2,317 pro bono services hours.
- In 2022, our attorneys provided 1,991 pro bono services hours.
Awards and Recognition
Selected recent honors include:
- 2025 “Sustaining Law Firm” designation by Bay Area Legal Services, which provides free civil legal services to financially disadvantaged Tampa Bay area residents. Shutts & Bowen recognized for helping to fund a pathway to justice when the demand for services is increasing.
- 2025 John R. Hamilton Law Firm Award of Excellence from the Legal Aid Society of the Orange County Bar Association. The lifetime achievement award was presented in recognition of Shutts’ dedication to service in the community since 1995.
- Recognition to the Tampa office at the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit’s 18th Annual Pro Bono Service Awards Ceremony in 2025 for significant contributions to pro bono legal services.
Pro Bono Activities
Examples of partnerships in pro bono work include:
- Bay Area Legal Services, Are You Safe – a nonprofit domestic violence prevention organization based in Tampa.
- Dade Legal Aid Society Put Something Back – Attorneys assist with providing free civil legal services to qualifying low-income residents of Miami-Dade County.
- Hague Convention child abduction cases referred by the U.S. State Department.
- Innocence Project of Florida – a nonprofit that helps innocent prisoners in Florida obtain their freedom and rebuild their lives. Attorneys have devoted pro bono hours to cases and a Sarasota partner was appointed Chair of the organization in January 2025.
- Lawyers Assisting Warriors initiative – provides free legal services to active-duty service members, an initiative of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
- Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County – A West Palm Beach Partner serves on the board of directors and given many hours of legal work to the organization.
- Project H.E.L.P. (Homeless Experience Legal Protection), a weekly pro-bono legal clinic
- Tampa Bay Watch – a nonprofit service organization working to protect and restore marine and wetland environments within the Tampa Bay estuary, which forms the center of the Greater Tampa Bay market
Shutts & Bowen recognizes the outstanding commitment of its attorneys and staff on pro bono matters in various ways, including instituting the “Outstanding Pro Bono Service Award” which was first awarded to Tampa attorney Melodie Khosrovani in 2024. The firm selected Miami attorney Joe Goldstein as the award recipient in 2025.
For a detailed list of representative pro bono matters handled by the firm, please click here.
