Aaron J. Irving, a Florida native who previously owned the Jacksonville law firm Integrity Law, P.A., has joined Jacksonville Area Legal Aid (JALA) as director of pro bono. He was actively involved with JALA as a volunteer attorney while in private practice.
“It’s an honor to join Jacksonville Area Legal Aid and to work with the hundreds of attorneys in Northeast Florida who generously give of their time to serve those clients who would otherwise be denied access to justice,” said Irving.
“I want to continue to make it as easy as possible for attorneys to take on pro bono cases and to participate in JALA’s free legal clinics. The Pro Bono Unit provides volunteers with a platform in which to be involved. This is why the unit is so vital to our community, so we can continue to serve those in need, and I will work diligently to ensure that we can continue our good work.”
Through JALA, private attorneys donated more than $1 million in services in 2021 to low-income Northeast Florida residents in landlord-tenant, family, probate, guardianship, and other matters.
“Pro bono legal services enable JALA to help so many more people than we could do with staff attorneys alone,” said JALA CEO Jim Kowalski. “Bringing Aaron on board demonstrates the full commitment JALA has to facilitating pro bono throughout our region.”
In addition to his work at JALA, Irving is an adjunct professor of law at Florida State College at Jacksonville, where he teaches litigation in the paralegal department.
Irving said that his involvement in pro bono work and community service draw’s inspiration from Helen Keller’s words, “I am only one, but still, I am one. I cannot do everything, but still, I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.”
