We’re continuing to shine a light on our amazing pro bono attorneys and supporters throughout the month of October, and today we’d like to introduce you to the law firm of Boyer & Boyer.
Boyer & Boyer is located in downtown Sarasota and specializes in elder law and estate planning. The firm was founded 25 years ago by Edwin M. Boyer, Esq. and Mary Alice (Ferrell) Jackson, Esq., due to their mutual passion for serving the legal needs of their clients and the Sarasota-Bradenton community. All of Boyer & Boyer’s attorneys take on pro bono cases, and we are so grateful for their support to both Legal Aid of Manasota and our community.
Tell us about your firm’s commitment to pro bono work and how that came about.
The nature of elder law is community service. Helping people and service to community remain the central focus of the core values of the firm today. Edwin M. Boyer (1994), Mary Alice Jackson (1998), and Andrew R. Boyer (2015) have all been awarded The Florida Bar President’s Pro Bono Service Award.
At Legal Aid of Manasota’s Justice Is Served fundraiser
What motivated your firm to take on pro bono work for Legal Aid of Manasota?
Both Mary Alice and Ed served on the original Board of Directors of Legal Aid of Manasota and continued to serve as board members off and on for many years. They enjoyed the comraderie of working together on the many Legal Aid fundraising events, such as the “Justice Is Served” cook-off where area chefs were paired with an attorney who served as sous chef, as well as the Gilligan’s Island scavenger hunt fundraiser.
At Legal Aid of Manasota’s Gilligan’s Island Scavenger Hunt in 2002
Why is Legal Aid of Manasota important to our community? (Examples include access to justice, a fair chance in court, preventing homelessness, and a safety net for low-income people who face civil legal emergencies.)
Legal Aid of Manasota is important to our community because it provides access to justice for all citizens of our community. If you do not have access to legal counsel, the other three options aren’t possible.
The Boyer & Boyer team is dedicated to community service.
Tell us a fun anecdote about your firm.
Our firm prioritizes community service by closing our office down for the afternoon several times a year to volunteer with local organizations such as Meals on Wheels of Sarasota and All Faiths Food Bank as well as participating in the Shoeboxes for Seniors project each year.
What do you wish people understood about the justice system and legal aid? How would you make justice work for everyone?
There are many people in our community who cannot afford lawyers. They deserve a fair chance, too. Access to justice is the bedrock of our whole system; equal justice for all is a foundational principle of our society. For these reasons, we will continue to support the efforts of Legal Aid of Manasota.