Pro Bono

As lawyers, we take an oath. In Florida, the last lines of that oath are these: 

I will never reject, from any consideration personal to myself, the cause of the defenseless or oppressed, or delay anyone’s cause for lucre or malice. So help me God.

We take these words seriously. Over the past decade, our firm has provided over $1 million worth of pro bono legal services. For a small firm, that requires a tremendous commitment to public service and even longer hours. But we do this because we must. At this moment, America is in the midst of a massive crisis regarding access to justice. The overwhelming majority of Americans cannot afford legal representation. Even folks who are solidly middle class do not have the means to hire a lawyer. 

When someone making $50,000 or $60,000 a year gets sued over a non-compete agreement or for theft of trade secrets, that person simply cannot afford a defense. In dozens of cases, our firm has stepped in and represented poor, working class, and middle-class Floridians who would otherwise have no chance of defending themselves. We have done it for years. And we will keep doing it. 

The firm’s founder Jonathan Pollard is an outspoken advocate for ending non-compete abuse, reforming non-compete law, and holding companies accountable for illegal efforts to limit employee opportunity and mobility. For nearly a decade, Pollard has focused specifically on the plight of low wage workers who are subject to unlawful non-compete agreements. Pollard has many critics and detractors. But nobody can question his commitment to this cause or his willingness to back up that commitment with his time and his own money. And, at this very moment, Pollard is working on drafting proposed new non-compete legislation at both the state and federal level. 

Over the years, Jonathan Pollard has been honored for his commitment to pro bono work and public service. The City of Lauderdale Lakes named a day in Pollard’s honor for his volunteer work with the debate team at Boyd Anderson High School. And the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida placed Pollard on its Pro Bono Honor Roll. 

If you find yourself in need of legal counsel and without the means to hire an attorney, please do not hesitate to contact our office. We cannot help everyone with every case. We are a small law firm. But we do our best to live up to the oath we swore. We do our best to defend the defenseless.