Legal Aid Service of Broward County Attorneys Receive Prestigious Awards from Broward County Bar

June 17, 2010 - PRLog -- Fort Lauderdale, FL - Legal Aid Service of Broward County's (LAS) Anthony J. Karrat, Esq., Executive Director, and Walter Honaman, Supervising Attorney of the Children's Advocacy Program were honored with the Broward County Bar Association's (BCBA) Lynn Futch Professionalism in Practice Award and Joseph J. Carter Professionalism Award respectively .

Selected by a distinguished committee of prominent professionals in the legal industry, the winners were announced on June 3 by BCBA President, Carlos Llorente. Karrat and Honaman were awarded at BCBA's 2010 Annual Installation and Awards Dinner on Thursday, June 10 at the Marriott Harbor Beach Resort and Spa.

The Lynn Futch Professionalism in Practice Award recognizes those in the legal profession who exhibit the highest characteristics of professionalism in his or her daily practice - as well as in their personal lives. Karrat has served as Executive Director of Legal Aid since 1976. Under his direction, Legal Aid has grown from a three-attorney office to a large law firm of 29 attorneys and support staff. Under Karrat's leadership, Legal Aid has had a significant impact on the underprivileged residents of Broward County in areas as diverse as: abused children in foster care, the homeless, children in need of special education, victims of domestic violence and families losing their homes to foreclosure. In 1982, Karrat, together with BCBA, helped create Broward Lawyers Care which is managed by Legal Aid and enables Broward County's nearly 8200 private attorneys to donate legal service to the poor every year.

The Joseph J. Carter Professionalism Award recognizes those in the legal profession less than 20 years who display the highest degree of professionalism in terms of respect for the law and the preservation of decorum and integrity of the legal system. As supervising Attorney of the Children's Advocacy Program in Legal Aid, Honaman advocates for and represents Broward County youth who are either involved in or at risk of entering into the delinquency system in civil matters such as educational needs, health care, dependency, custody and kinship issues. A resident of Broward for 19 years, he is active in many committees and groups, working with children's issues and service provision including the Transitional Independent Living Task Force, the Big-Idea Crossover Task Force, and the Diversion Providers Committee.

Awarded since 1999, the Lynn Futch Professionalism in Practice Award is widely recognized as one of the South Florida legal industry's most prestigious awards. Previous winners include: J. David Bogenschutz, John G. Jordan, and Steve E. Moody. The Joseph J. Carter Professionalism Award was created in 2009 with Juliette E. Lippman being the first honoree. This year marks the first time both awards have been given to members of the same organization. Visit http://www.legalaid.org/broward for more details.

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About Legal Aid Service of Broward County (LAS)
Legal Aid Service of Broward County (LAS) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit law firm and has been providing free civil legal services to Broward County children, families and senior citizens in the low income and underserved communities for 36 years. Last year LAS assisted over 10,000 family members and over 3000 children at no charge. LAS also manages the largest pro bono program in Broward County, Broward Lawyers Care.