In celebration of Pro Bono Week, the Legal Aid Foundation of the Tallahassee Bar Association will host a public reception to honor volunteer lawyers and Class 1 of Thunderdome Tallahassee, a hands-on legal group training program to provide education, mentoring, and leadership to a new generation of lawyers serving Leon County. Launched in September 2014, Thunderdome Tallahassee addresses a desperate need for equal access to justice for low-income families and children.

Special guest speakers Talbot ("Sandy") D'Alemberte, President Emeritus of The Florida State University, and Bruce B. Blackwell, CEO/Executive Director of The Florida Bar Foundation, will address the need for pro bono legal services, how volunteer lawyers affect the safety and stability of families, and how legal aid impacts the community as a whole. Darby Kerrigan Scott, President of The Young Lawyers Section of the Tallahassee Bar Association, will announce the establishment of two awards for Thunderdome Tallahassee: the "Elizabeth 'Bib' Willis Outstanding Thunderdome Mentor Award," in recognition of a long-time Legal Aid Foundation volunteer known for mentoring attorneys through family law cases, and the "Tallahassee Young Lawyers' Section Outstanding Thunderdome Participant Award." Award winners will be announced in the spring of 2015.