News
Resources for Hurricane Season
A list of resources from the Red Cross to help prepare for hurricane season.
Community Spotlight: Shawn Bartelt, President, League of Women Voters of Sarasota County
Shawn Bartelt was recently elected President of the League of Women Voters of Sarasota County after six years as a League of Women Voters state board member and vice-president. Shawn started her career in broadcast journalism and eventually became the vice-president...
Community Spotlight: Sigrid Stang, InVEST Advocate at SPARCC
Sigrid Stang is the InVEST Advocate at the Safe Place and Rape Crisis Center (SPARCC)—a job that so perfectly aligns with her qualifications, it’s hard to believe it wasn’t created just for her. Sigrid moved to Sarasota from Connecticut seven years ago, where she...
Community Spotlight: Ryan Kelley, Program Coordinator at Booker High School’s Law Academy
Ryan Kelley is the program coordinator for Booker High School’s Law Academy, a magnet program that provides students with a rigorous academic program in conjunction with coursework in law studies and criminal justice. The program provides students with real-world...
Community Spotlight: More Too Life’s Dawn Sakes
Dawn Sakes is the executive director of More Too Life, a Sarasota-based nonprofit that provides resources, education, prevention tools and advocacy for victims of human trafficking. Born and raised in Texas, Sakes has lived in Sarasota-Manatee for seven years. We...
Community Spotlight: Legal Aid of Manasota Pro Bono Coordinator Pam Fields Is a Tenacious Matchmaker
Warm, open and inviting, Pam connects pro bono attorneys with Legal Aid clients in need of services, and she also calls on other local nonprofits to partner with Legal Aid, as well.
Community Spotlight: Attorney Michele Stephan Explains Why She Supports Legal Aid of Manasota
A trial lawyer for mctlaw in its Sarasota office, Michele Stephan grew up in Southwest Florida, attended the University of South Florida and Stetson Law, and loves living and working here. “It’s rewarding to practice law in Sarasota,” she says. “It’s a smaller legal...
How to Get Help After Hurricane Ian
Hurricane Ian wreaked havoc on Southwest Florida. While Sarasota and Manatee counties were spared a direct hit, the damage to our local community has been extensive—from flooding in South Sarasota County to widespread power outages and connectivity problems. Below,...
Community Spotlight: The Sarasota Chapter of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers
Founded in 1984, the group’s goal is to mentor female attorneys through membership, client referrals and networking.
How Legal Aid of Manasota Helped a Local Woman Stay in Her Home After Her Mother’s Death
Thanks to our pro bono attorneys, a Manatee County woman is able to remain in her home after her mother’s death.
Legal Aid of Manasota Partnership Finds Success in Providing Legal Lifeline for Children in Foster Care
Since the pandemic began, children have become no strangers to Zoom meetings. But for one foster child living in the Suncoast region, this call was different. A 12th Judicial Circuit judge was about to decide her fate in a court proceeding. Teresa had lived with her...
Talking to Tom Walker, Co-Host of WSLR 96.5’s “Peace & Justice Report”
Walker shares why he loves hosting his radio show, his volunteer efforts, and why he believes #JusticeMatters.