The Florida Bar President's Pro Bono Service Award Recipients.

William Jemison Mims, Jr.

First Judicial Circuit

Pensacola

William Jemison Mims, Jr., is an associate with Levin, Papantonio, Thomas, Mitchell, Eschner & Proctor, P.A., in Pensacola. He spent two years working as a prosecutor for the State Attorney's Office for the First Judicial Circuit and is licensed to practice law before all Florida state courts and the Northern District of Florida.

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In the past year, Mims has donated approximately 292 hours of pro bono services. He spent more than 20 hours handling an ongoing guardianship case for two children in Escambia County. He also spent at least 40 hours handling two criminal cases for defendants who were unable to afford an attorney. He donates at least one hour per week to his church, Holy Cross Episcopal, serving as legal adviser for the church and assisting members with low or fixed incomes.

Mims has practiced in the areas of workers' compensation, criminal law, mass tort securities, and related issues. He currently focuses his practice on personal injury and wrongful death matters.

Mims received his Juris Doctorate degree in 1995 from Mississippi College School of Law, and a Master of Public Administration, specializing in coastal zone studies. He received a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of West Florida.

He is a member of the Escambia-Santa Rosa Bar Association and is an eagle member of the Florida Justice Association.

Suzanne Smith Brownless

Second Judicial Circuit

Tallahassee

Suzanne Smith Brownless practices in all areas of regulatory and administrative law. She has been in private practice in Tallahassee since 1993. She previously practiced with the Tallahassee law firm of Oertel, Hoffman, Fernandez & Cole, was staff attorney and bureau chief in the Gas Legal Section of the Florida Public Service Commission, and was assistant public counsel in the Office of Public Counsel, State of Florida.

Since 1995, she has been helping people with their legal needs through the Legal Aid Foundation of the Tallahassee Bar Association. Over the past 12 years, she has provided more than 1,060 hours of pro bono service. She has been an active member of the Legal Aid Foundation Board of Directors since 2003. She also lends her time and financial support to the foundation's fundraising events and outreach opportunities, such as "Law for All," held each May at the Leon County Courthouse.

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Brownless is past chair of the Public Utility Law Committee of The Florida Bar Administrative Law Section, a past member of the Administrative Law Section's Executive Council and a member of the Bar's City, County, and Local Government Section. She is a member of the Middle District of Florida and the Northern District of Florida, and has been a member of the Tallahassee Bar Association since 1995. She has several articles published in Bar section newsletters, as well as other professional publications, and has presented material at several Bar seminars.

She received her Juris Doctorate degree, with honors, from the Florida State University in 1980, and an undergraduate degree in biology from Stetson University.

Robert Eugene Fridley

Third Judicial Circuit

Gainesville

Robert Eugene Fridley is in private practice with the Law Offices of Robert Fridley, P.A., with offices in Gainesville, Lake City, and Jacksonville. He is a trial attorney and focuses his practice on dependency, adoption, dissolution of marriage, wills, estates, and trusts.

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Fridley has accepted pro bono cases from Three Rivers Legal Services, Inc., the court, and the community. His practice consists primarily of accepting court appointments in dependency cases. He has often represented these clients in additional legal matters pro bono.

He has also donated pro bono hours to domestic violence and guardian advocacy cases. He accepts appointments for dependency cases for rural counties within the Third Judicial Circuit, which includes Columbia, Dixie, Hamilton, Lafayette, Madison, Suwanne, and Taylor counties.

Fridley served as a chief petty officer with the U.S. Navy in San Diego. He was an attorney for the Department of Children and Families in Lake City before entering private practice in 2004.

He received his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Florida and his undergraduate degree from Chapman University in Orange, CA.

James D. Francis

Fourth Circuit

Jacksonville

James D. Francis serves as president of Freeport Petroleum Company, Ltd., and is chair of the board for Micro-Ant Inc., a designer and manufacturer of specialty antenna. He previously was a partner at the Smith & Hulsey law firm in Jacksonville, where he was AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell and focused on commercial transactions, including mergers and acquisitions and public securities offerings.

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In 2005 Francis began pro bono work with Jacksonville Area Legal Aid. He has used his background in commercial law in representing five legal aid clients in complex foreclosures, spending hundreds of hours on these cases in 2006 and 2007. In one, he obtained a $4,000 attorney fee, which he donated to JALA.

He also successfully represented two clients in defending against suits brought by debt buyers and has used his business knowledge to help legal aid develop this area of practice.

He received his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Florida in 1973 and his Bachelor of Science in commerce from the University of Virginia.

Jack Arthur Moring

Fifth Judicial Circuit

Crystal River

Jack Arthur Moring is a partner and shareholder in the Crystal River law firm of Moring & Moring, P.A. He practices in appellate law and family law and focuses on Americans with Disabilities Act accessible client services. He is eligible to practice before the U.S. Bankruptcy Courts, U.S. District Courts and Florida state courts. He also is a Certified Family Mediator.

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Moring has provided several hundred pro bono hours over the last five years representing children in Citrus County whose parents end up in dependency court. He has also represented indigent adults in connection with Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida. In one case, during 2005 and 2006, Moring represented seven siblings who were removed from their parents' custody because of severe physical abuse. The case generated a lot of publicity because of the severity of the case and because the parents fled and were eventually captured. He represented each of them through dependency proceedings and did not stop representing them until each one aged out of the system. He spent more than 150 hours representing the siblings.

Moring received his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Florida in 1985 and a Bachelor of Arts in history from Lee College in Cleveland, TN.

He is a member of the Family Law Section and member of the Family Law Rules Committee of The Florida Bar and serves as chair of the Fifth Circuit Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee. He currently serves as president of the Citrus County Bar Association and is a member of the Citrus-Hernando Inn of Court. He is a founding member of the Citrus County Children's Advocacy Program, where he also serves on the board of directors. He is a member of the Citrus County Family Visitation Center, Inc., Board of Directors, a member of the Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida, Inc., Board of Directors, and a member of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts.

Dionne Maria Blaesing

Sixth Judicial Circuit

New Port Richey

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Dionne Maria Blaesing is a partner in the New Port Richey firm of Blaesing & Diaz, P.A. She practices in the areas of animal law, family law, business law, estate planning, and general civil practice. She entered the legal profession as a second career. For two decades she managed, developed, and worked in public and private veterinary hospitals. The knowledge she gained from her former career provided the foundation for her niche as an animal law attorney.

Blaesing donates at least 16 hours per month to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, four hours a month to Bay Area Legal Services, four hours for the guardian ad litem program, and several hours a month providing pro bono legal services directly to the general public.

She earned her Juris Doctorate degree with honors from the University of Florida in 1994. She attended Barnard College of Columbia University in New York and received a Bachelor of Arts cum laude in Economics from the University of South Florida. Her memberships include the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section of The Florida Bar, the West Pasco Bar Association, the Allgood-Altman Inns of Court, Florida Association of Women Lawyers, and the Calusa Business and Women's Association.

Blaesing also is a board member of Bay Area Legal Services and a board member and second vice president of the West Pasco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. For the past 10 years, she has been solely responsible for the poster and essay contests that are a part of Law Week activities for the West Pasco Bar Association.

Debra Trevlyn Alexander

Seventh Judicial Circuit

St. Augustine

Debra Trevlyn Alexander is in private practice in St. Augustine and serves as court-appointed counsel for felony, misdemeanor, delinquency, and dependency matters as well as providing representation in private criminal and civil family law. Her pro bono service is primarily in civil family law matters.

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In 1998, when she was admitted to the Bar, Alexander immediately took on six pro bono cases from a legal aid program. Her pro bono work has continued over the past 10 years in many forms. In addition, she has been the teacher for a monthly Pro Se Forms Class presented by a local legal aid office providing assistance with their do-it-yourself Supreme Court approved forms. She also regularly staffs the Pro Bono Advice Clinic, which is held once a month by St. Johns County Legal Aid. Each class and clinic is a four hour commitment for attorneys.

She received her law degree from the University of Florida in 1997. She is a member of the Family Law and Public Interest Law sections of The Florida Bar. Since 1999 she has been a member of the St. Johns County Bar Association, serving as president in 2004-2005.

Theodore Mark Burt

Eighth Circuit

Trenton

Theodore Mark Burt is in private practice in Trenton. His practice is in the areas of government law, real estate law, probate and estate planning, and Social Security disability. He focuses on legal matters in rural areas, including land disputes, contract preparation and consummation, administrative and governmental law, and probate administration.

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Burt has represented clients through Three Rivers Legal Services Volunteer Attorney Program since the early 1990s, providing more than 100 hours of pro bono services. With his knowledge of real property and probate law, he has helped several individuals in rural areas preserve family property, homesteads, and farms.

He received his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Florida and a Bachelor of Science in accounting from Florida State University. He was admitted to The Florida Bar in 1994.

He was county attorney for Gilchrist County for nine years and Dixie County for seven years. He also was a part-time instructor in the legal program at Santa Fe Community College in the 1970s and 1980s, and a frequent public speaker for local organizations.

John Richard Hamilton

Ninth Judicial Circuit

Orlando

John R. Hamilton is a Florida Bar board certified appellate practice lawyer and partner in Foley & Lardner in Orlando and has been with the firm since 1988.

Since 1988, Hamilton has done pro bono work on more than 100 cases devoting more than 3,000 hours. He has provided advice for and counseling in appellate cases for staff of the Legal Aid Society of the Orange County Bar and to other pro bono attorneys. He also organized and taught a training session with Judge William Palmer on appellate practice for legal service programs staff. In recognition of his extensive pro bono efforts, he was awarded the 2007 Pro Bono Award from the Appellate Practice Section of Bar.

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His memberships include the American Bar Association, the U.S. Supreme Court Historical Society, the Florida Supreme Court Historical Society, and the Orange County Bar Association, where he was a founding member of the Appellate Practice Committee, served as president from June 2001 to May 2002, and is on the board of trustees of the Legal Aid Society. He also was a charter member of the Appellate Practice Section of The Florida Bar in 1994 and served on the Appellate Rules Liaison Committee in 1995 and 1996.

Hamilton is admitted to practice before several courts including the Supreme Court of Florida, the Supreme Court of Kentucky, and the Supreme Court of the United States, eight appeals courts, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, the U.S. Court of International Trade, and the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. He also is a member of the Ninth Judicial Circuit Grievance Committee E.

He received his Juris Doctorate degree, with distinction, from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 1988 and a Bachelor of Arts, with distinction, from the University of Kentucky.

Gary Randal Gossett, Jr.

10th Judicial Circuit

Sebring

Gary Randal Gossett, Jr., has had his own firm, Gossett Law Offices, P.A., in Sebring since 1991. His areas of practice include personal injury and wrongful death, bankruptcy, employment discrimination and civil rights, construction litigation and real estate, and estate planning. He practices in Florida and federal courts.

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Gossett's pro bono services include a case of parental rights against the Department of Children and Families and a domestic violence case in which the victim suffered personal injuries. Additionally, he has provided pro bono legal services to other individuals, including many members of the local Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4300. He has spent hundreds of hours handling these and other pro bono cases.

In addition to Florida, he is a member of the District of Columbia Bar. He is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. District Court for the Middle and Southern districts of Florida, the U.S. Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit, the U.S. Court of International Trade, and the U.S. Court of Military Appeals.

He received his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Miami in 1988.

Melanie Emmons Damian

11th Judicial Circuit

Miami

Melanie Emmons Damian is a partner in and chief financial officer of Damian & Valori in Miami. Her practice areas include complex commercial litigation, corporate fraud litigation, and investigation, corporate governance litigation, professional negligence litigation, real estate litigation, and employment litigation and counseling.

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Damian performs pro bono child advocacy through guardian ad litem and Lawyers for Children America. She also is founder and chair of the board of directors of the nonprofit organization Educate Tomorrow Corp., which seeks to assist disadvantaged children in getting post-secondary education. She dedicates an estimated 500 hours a year to this cause. For her work with Educate Tomorrow, she received the 2007 Pepsi Everyday Freedom Hero Award.

Damian is AV rated and admitted to practice in all Florida state courts as well as the U.S. District Court for the Southern District and Middle District of Florida, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

A member of The Florida Bar's Business Law and Labor and Employment Law sections, she also is a member of the executive council for the Business Law Section's Communication Committee, the American Bar Association's Business Law Section, where she is chair of the Women Business Advocates, the Dade County Bar Association, and Florida Association of Women Lawyers.

She received her Juris Doctorate degree cum laude from the University of Miami in 1996 and a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Wisconsin.

Morgan Ray Bentley

12th Judicial Circuit

Sarasota

Morgan Ray Bentley is a partner with Williams, Parker, Harrison, Dietz & Getzen in Sarasota. He practices primarily in the area of business and real estate litigation and environmental and land use law.

Bentley has been a volunteer attorney with Legal Aid of Manasota, Inc., since 1992. He has served on its board of directors since 1998 and is currently serving as president.

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He has also been active in fundraising to benefit legal aid. However, his role in providing legal services to the poor goes beyond fundraising and leadership. In 1995, he was instrumental in drafting and gaining approval for the first law firm pro bono plan in the 12th Circuit, which includes DeSoto, Manatee, and Sarasota counties. He also has donated hundreds of pro bono hours by staffing a free legal advice clinic and accepting cases for direct representation.

His memberships include the American Bar Association and the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, and the Sarasota County Bar Association, where he serves as president. He was recognized this year by Florida Trend magazine as one of its "Legal Up and Comers."

He received his Juris Doctorate degree with honors from the University of Florida in 1992 and a Bachelor of Arts with honors from the University of Florida.

Danelle Dykes Barksdale

13th Judicial Circuit

Tampa

Danelle Dykes Barksdale has been an adoption attorney with The Law Offices of Jeanne T. Tate, P.A., in Tampa since 1999. She was admitted to The Florida Bar in 1993.

Because of her extensive knowledge of adoption and surrogacy law, Barksdale has mentored less experienced attorneys in handling adoption cases. She also has participated in training sessions addressing adoption and relative caregiver issues at Bay Area Legal Services. The pro bono efforts of Barksdale and her firm earned Jeanne T. Tate, P.A., the Outstanding Pro Bono Service by a Law Firm Award by the Hillsborough County Bar Association in 2006. Barksdale was awarded the Hillsborough County Bar Association's 2007 Jimmy Kynes Award for her long-term outstanding pro bono service.

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She is a member the Northern, Middle, and Southern Districts of Florida, the Hillsborough County Bar Association, the Hillsborough County Association for Women Lawyers and the Florida Adoption Council.

Barksdale received her Juris Doctorate degree with honors from the University of Florida in 1992 and a Bachelor of Arts from Rice University in Houston, TX.

As a volunteer for the Bay Area Volunteer Lawyers Program since 1992, she has donated more than 100 hours representing low-income residents in adoption matters. Additionally, she has donated more than 100 hours interviewing applicants seeking legal aid and providing advice to indigent clients as an intake attorney for the program.

Carlotta Appleman-Moniz

14th Judicial Circuit

Panama City

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Carlotta Appleman-Moniz is a partner in the law firm of Harrison, Sale, McCloy and Thompson, P.A, in Panama City, where she has worked since 2000. Her practice areas include probate, estate planning, real estate litigation, real estate closings, business law, bankruptcy, collection, and guardianship.

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Appleman-Moniz has contributed a significant number of pro bono hours providing legal assistance to individuals needing help with real estate planning and probate as well as general areas of law. She has also provided assistance to at least three local churches in clearing titles, purchase, and sale of real estate and other legal matters relating to church business. In 2007, she served as chair of the First Saturday Legal Clinic. This required several hours each month to arrange for attorneys to attend the clinic and assist her in providing legal services to the people seeking help from the clinic, as well as compiling reports on the results of those clinics.

She was admitted to The Florida Bar in 2000. Her other memberships include the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida, the Bay County Bar Association, American Inns of Court, and St. Andrews Bay American Inns of Court.

She received her Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Mississippi College of Law, Oxford, Miss., in 1999 and a Bachelor of Science in finance, cum laude, from Florida State University.

Julie Hope Littky-Rubin

15th Judicial Circuit

West Palm Beach

Julie Hope Littky-Rubin is a Florida Bar board certified appellate attorney and is head of the appellate practice section at Lytal, Reiter, Clark, Fountain & Williams in West Palm Beach. She provides trial support and handles appeals from all areas of civil law.

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In recognition of her pro bono work in the pro bono appeal of two boys, ages 2 and 3, she was awarded a Pro Bono Award in Appellate Practice by the Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach in 2004. Due in part to her ongoing work, the Florida Supreme Court ruled this year that the two boys will continue to live with their adoptive parents. She also has volunteered in the Palm Beach County's attorney ad litem program, assisting with expediting adoptions.

She is a member of the American Bar Association, the American Association for Justice, the Florida Association for Women Lawyers, where she served as president in 2000, the Florida Justice Association, the Palm Beach County Bar Association, and the Palm Beach County Justice Association. An AV-rated attorney, she is admitted to practice in Florida state courts, the U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Middle Districts of Florida and the U.S. Court of Appeal, 11th Circuit.

She received her Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Florida in 1993 and a Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, from Brown University.

Patricia Ann Eables

16th Judicial Circuit

Key West

Patricia Ann Eables is a partner in the law firm of Horan, Wallace & Higgins, LLC, in Key West. She practices in the areas of business litigation, real property, products liability defense, probate law, administrative law, and Americans with Disabilities Act defense.

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Eables has provided legal services in court-appointed cases involving the Guardian Ad Litem Program. Additionally, since 2005 she has served on the board of trustees for Our Kids of Miami-Dade/Monroe, Inc., a community-based organization focused on the well-being and development of children. She is also on the board of directors of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Monroe County.

Eables is admitted to practice in Arkansas and the U.S. District Court, Eastern and Western District of Arkansas, and the Southern District of Florida. She is a member of the Unlicensed Practice of Law Committee, Sixteenth Judicial Circuit Committee, serving as chair since 2006.

Russell E. Carlisle

17th Judicial Circuit

Ft. Lauderdale

Russell E. Carlisle, sole practitioner of the Carlisle Law Firm in Ft. Lauderdale, is Florida Bar board certified in elder law. In his more than 50 years as an attorney, he has been dedicated to helping the poor get legal assistance and has been a leader in pro bono service.

Carlisle was the founding president and a board member of Legal Aid Service of Broward County, Inc. In 1975, he was invited to serve on the board of directors of Florida Legal Services, the statewide organization of local legal aid groups. He was instrumental in establishing the Interest on Trust Accounts program in use in Florida today. In 1981, he was elected president of the Broward County Bar Association. His principal project was starting Broward Lawyers Care, the pro bono program of the Legal Aid Service of Broward County, which now has 1,250 members. Through Broward Lawyers Care, Carlisle has provided numerous pro bono hours providing representation in various legal issues, from Haitians from the Duvalier-regime seeking asylum in the United States to guardianship matters. His pro bono efforts continue in the areas of elder affairs and advocacy.

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Carlisle is a former president of The Florida Bar Foundation, Florida Legal Services, the Broward County Bar Association, and Legal Aid Service of Broward County. He also received the President's Pro Bono Service Award in 1982 and the Award of Merit in 1985.

He served in active duty in the U.S. Naval Reserve from 1955-1959, reaching the rank of lieutenant. During that time, he was certified as a general counsel for courts martial under the Uniform Code of Military Justice and was admitted to the Bar of the United States Court of Military Appeals. He is admitted to the Florida, New Hampshire, and Virginia state bars.

He received his Juris Doctorate degree from The George Washington University Law School in 1955 and a Bachelor of Arts with distinction and honors in political science from the University of Michigan.

Amy Christine Hamlin

18th Judicial Circuit

Longwood

Amy Christine Hamlin is an associate attorney with the law firm of Levin, Morgan & Longo in Longwood, where she represents family law clients in circuit and appellate matters.

Hamlin started her legal career in 2000 as a staff attorney for Greater Orlando Legal Services and then began working at the Seminole County Bar Association Legal Aid Society. After she joined the private sector, she continued to represent low-income clients through the Seminole County Bar Association Legal Aid Society. She donated more than 393 hours in pro bono services in family law cases. She also conducted a seminar for the staff attorneys at Seminole County Legal Aid Society regarding trial preparation and use of exhibits.

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She is a member of the Family Law Section of The Florida Bar and the Seminole County Bar Association and is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court. She also is involved with the Central Florida Family Law Inn of Court. As part of the Bar's Family Law Section, she has served on several committees, as assistant editor of the Commentator, the section newsletter, and as a member of the executive council for the 2007-2009 term.

She received her Juris Doctorate from Suffolk University Law School in Boston, Mass., and a Bachelor of Arts in history from the University of Maryland.

Ginger Allison Miranda

19th Judicial Circuit

Ft. Pierce

Ginger Allison Miranda, sole practitioner of Ginger Miranda, P.A., in Ft. Pierce, works extensively with immigrant programs.

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Miranda has performed an estimated 600 hours of pro bono legal services through programs such as the Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center, the St. Lucie County Bar Association, and Florida Rural Legal Services. She worked with the bar association and Florida Rural Legal Services in offering Hispanic Pro Bono clinics to assist non-English speaking clients with problems in domestic relations and foreclosure. She also undertook training for domestic relations to recruit lawyers who do not practice family law.

In September 2007, the St. Lucie County Bar Association offered a foreclosure clinic to assist pro se litigants who were dealing with debtor relief issues in the county. Miranda attended the clinic and brought two legal advocates with her to assist the large number of clients seeking help from the clinic. Also, through the Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center, and other community groups, she helped with two citizenship drives to help lawful residents apply for U.S. citizenship.

She also assisted the St. Lucie County School District in implementing Law Week, including mock trials and other activities to educate students about the legal system. She founded the first multicultural club at Ft. Pierce Central High School. Miranda also serves as chair of the executive council of the St. Lucie County Public Schools Hispanic Advisory Council.

She received her Juris Doctorate degree from Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad Law Center in 1997.

Melinda Paniagua Riddle

20th Judicial Circuit

Naples

Melinda Paniagua Riddle has been a solo practitioner in Naples since 1994. She concentrates her practice on probate and guardianship and domestic/family law issues.

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Riddle was key in bringing legal aid services to Collier County, working with other attorneys in forming committees to set up a legal aid office in Naples. In 1997, The Collier County Bar Association approved the formation of Legal Aid Services of Collier County and Riddle served on its board of directors from its inception until 2004.

In her 23 years of practice, Riddle has donated countless hours of pro bono representation to citizens and organizations in Naples and throughout Collier County. She accepts many cases on short notice, gives free advice at legal clinics and handles a large volume of pro bono case referrals, all in addition to her regular law firm duties. Her experience, fluency in Spanish, and passion to help the constituency has made her an asset to Legal Aid Services.

Riddle's memberships include the Collier County Bar Association and the Indiana State Bar Association. She served in the U.S. Army, Third Infantry Division, and was stationed in West Germany. She was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for exceptional service. After her military service, she received a Bachelor of Arts with distinction from Indiana University and her Juris Doctorate degree from Indiana University School of Law.

Ross Benjamin Bricker

Out-of-State

Chicago, Illinois

Ross Benjamin Bricker is a partner in the Chicago office of Jenner & Block, where he is a member of the firm's litigation department. He joined the firm in 1980 and became a partner in 1987. He was a founding member of the firm's Washington, D.C., office and served as managing partner of the firm's Miami office.

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Throughout his career, Bricker has handled pro bono cases involving the First Amendment, freedom of religion, Section 8, and other forms of public housing, criminal defense, civil rights, and numerous other areas of law. He has been recognized by the Trial Lawyers for Public Justice Foundation, for his precedent-setting work on behalf of migrant farm workers, and the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights, for his efforts to redress housing discrimination directed at persons with disabilities. At the request of the Litigation Assistance Partnership Project of the American Bar Association, Section of Litigation, Bricker serves as lead counsel for displaced public housing residents of New Orleans in their efforts to return to the city.

In the past 12 years he has devoted more that 3,600 hours to pro bono efforts. In 2007 alone, he provided more than 470 hours of pro bono legal representation. He is also an active volunteer in trial advocacy programs and in his support of civic and bar organizations.

Bricker is a member of the bars of Illinois, Florida, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Supreme Court and numerous federal and appellate courts. Bricker received his Juris Doctorate degree in 1980 from Washington University School of Law and his undergraduate degree from Lake Forest College, where he graduated with honors.