Talenfeld Law Named Legal Aid Service of Broward County and Coast to Coast Legal Aid of South Florida 2017 Law Firm of the Year
Talenfeld Law has been named the 2017 Law Firm of the Year, the preeminent law firm serving children who have been abused, harmed, and neglected in foster care and other child welfare settings, has been named the 2017 Law Firm of the Year by Broward Lawyers Care, the pro bono project of Legal Aid Service of Broward County (LAS) and Coast to Coast Legal Aid of South Florida (CCLA).
Talenfeld Law has made significant contributions to legal service providers and their clients in Broward County. Firm Founder Howard Talenfeld, one of the nation’s preeminent children’s rights attorneys, established the firm as the first in Florida to focus exclusively on protecting the rights of physically and sexually abused, medically fragile, foster and other at-risk children. The partners and staff at Talenfeld Law have long been supporters of Children’s Advocacy Programs at LAS and CCLA, such as the Tracey McPharlin Pro Bono Dependency Project. For many years, the firm has also sponsored the FOR THE PUBLIC GOOD event and the Bridge to Justice breakfast.
“We are truly honored to receive this recognition,” said Talenfeld. “Organizations such as Legal Aid Service of Broward County and Coast to Coast Legal Aid of South Florida are essential for ensuring that important legal services are provided to individuals in need. We encourage all of Broward’s legal community to get involved and make a commitment to the children and families in our community.”
For more than 25 years, Talenfeld and his team have represented foster care children and the developmentally disabled who are victims of physical abuse, sexual abuse and neglect in damages cases and personal injury claims. Firm Partner Stacie Schmerling is a veteran child abuse case worker and investigator who has 15 years of experience working in the child welfare systems in New Jersey and Florida, and has worked alongside Talenfeld since 2008. The team of attorneys, including Nicole Coniglio, Lisa Elliott and Barri Reisch, has secured millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements for abused, disabled and injured children.
The official awards will be presented at the 17th Annual FOR THE PUBLIC GOOD event, which will be held in October 2017. FOR THE PUBLIC GOOD is an annual fundraiser for Legal Aid Service of Broward County and Coast to Coast Legal Aid of South Florida. Proceeds benefit families and individuals in gaining access to equal justice.