Established in 1981, The Florida Bar President’s Pro Bono Service Awards are intended to encourage lawyers to volunteer free legal services to the poor by recognizing those who make public service commitments and to raise public awareness of the substantial volunteer services provided by Florida lawyers to those who cannot afford legal fees. Florida Bar President Rosalyn Sia Baker-Barnes will present the 2026 awards.

The awards recognize pro bono service in each of Florida’s 20 judicial circuits as well as service by one Florida Bar member practicing outside the state of Florida. They are presented annually in conjunction with the Tobias Simon Pro Bono Service and other service awards, which are given by the chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court.

In the most recent reporting period from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025, Florida lawyers provided more than 1.6 million hours of pro bono services to those in need and $9.6 million to legal aid organizations.

Here are the circuit honorees for the counties around Lake Okeechobee

Alan Roy Crane, 15th Judicial Circuit
(Palm Beach County)

Since 1993, Alan Roy Crane has partnered with the Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County, providing more than 1,000 hours of pro bono service representing clients with consumer debt issues, bankruptcy, family law matters, and mentoring other attorneys. He zealously advocates on behalf of his clients and always finds a way to help the most vulnerable among us. Crane accepts cases directly from the Legal Aid Society and from the Bankruptcy Bar Association of the Southern District of Florida through their partnership with the Legal Aid. He also serves as a mentor to the Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County Bankruptcy Assistance Project (BAP). In this role, he reviews the individual facts of BAP in-house bankruptcy cases and provides pro bono mentorship to Legal Aid staff attorneys in their work as needed.

Jennifer N. White, 19th Judicial Circuit
(Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee and St. Lucie counties)

In just over one year, Jennifer N. White has dedicated more than 200 hours mentoring a teen girl through the Florida Guardian ad Litem Office. In the summer of 2024, White became a mentor through the Guardian Ad Litem’s Office through its partnership with the Florida Association for Women Lawyers. White’s consistent presence and support have indelibly changed the life of her mentee, a 17-year-old girl who endured significant trauma. At a time when this teen’s future felt uncertain, White stepped in and opened doors to a brighter path forward. White has supported her mentee in obtaining SSI survivor benefits and managing an inheritance, even helping her purchase a car to prepare for college. What once felt impossible now seems within reach: White’s mentee plans to pursue a nursing degree and envisions a stable, independent future.

Kristianna Rodriguez Soto, 20th Judicial Circuit
(Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry and Lee counties)

Kristianna Rodriguez Soto has never backed down from serving her community — not even while building her solo legal practice and raising children. Despite these time-consuming personal and professional obligations, Soto regularly contributes pro bono services through Family Resource Center, Lee County Legal Aid Society, and Florida Rural Legal Services (FRLS). Through the Legal Aid Society alone, Soto dedicated more than two dozen hours through their specialty clinics and weekly virtual pro bono clinic. As a pro bono attorney at FLRS, Soto has also volunteered at legal clinics, where she goes above and beyond to not only help clients directly but also to educate clients on their rights and resources available to help them advocate for themselves. Before opening her own law firm, Soto was a supervising attorney and legal training attorney for the Office of the Public Defender.