Legal Services of Greater Miami celebrates equal justice honorees, Jaret Davis & David Lawrence, Jr., at 15th Annual Heart of Giving

Legal Services of Greater Miami celebrates equal justice honorees, Jaret Davis & David Lawrence, Jr., at 15th Annual Heart of Giving

‘Each family you assist and each person you shine a light on is one more person that continues to believe the legal system works and continues to subscribe to it’

Fifteenth Annual Heart of Giving Celebration and Judicial Reception Chair Lilly Ann Sanchez, from the left, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine-Cava, award recipients David Lawrence, Jr., and Jaret L. Davis, and Monica Vigues-Pitan, Legal Services chief executive officer.

The 15th Annual Heart of Giving Celebration and Judicial Reception drew over 400 guests from the legal, financial, and business sectors to recognize exceptional individuals committed to the cause of justice.

The Heart of Giving Celebration is Legal Services of Greater Miami’s (Legal Services) annual event and was held this year at the Rubell Museum in the Allapattah neighborhood of Miami

The 2024 Equal Justice Leadership Award was presented to Jaret L. Davis, senior VP of Greenberg Traurig and co-managing shareholder of the Miami office, and the 2024 Equal Justice Humanitarian Leadership Award was presented to David Lawrence, Jr., founder and board chair of the Children’s Movement of Florida and former publisher of The Miami Herald.  The awards were presented by Neda Ghomeshi. assistant general counsel of Ryder System, Inc., and Legal Services Board Director Enjoliqué Lett of Greenberg Traurig.

The celebration was hosted by Master of Ceremonies Eliott Rodriguez, Emmy Award-winning journalist and CBS South Florida news anchor.  Legal Services Board President D. Porpoise Evans and event Chair Lilly Ann Sanchez welcomed guests to the ceremony and introduced Mayor Daniella Levine-Cava who delivered a message about the importance of access to justice.

“This was our biggest celebration yet, and we are so proud to honor these role models in our community for their dedication to equal justice,” said Legal Services CEO Monica-Vigues-Pitan. “Both Jaret and Dave have set a high standard for leadership and civic engagement and have demonstrated a strong commitment for solving important problems in our community.”

Davis expressed his support for the critical role Legal Services plays in the community.

“Providing visibility and dignity on a case-by-case basis is beyond noble, but the services that the Legal Services of Greater Miami provide goes so much further,” Davis said. “Each family you assist and each person you shine a light on is one more person that continues to believe the legal system works and continues to subscribe to it. So long as we continue to maintain that buy in, there is no social or economic challenge we can’t overcome together.”

Lawrence expressed during his acceptance speech, “Justice is my journey. I’ve worked hard to be fair, and I have wanted my life to be one of listening and learning and making a difference.”

Ryder presented a check to Legal Services for nearly $90,000 in memory of Julie Azuaje, a longstanding member of the Legal Services Board of Directors who championed social justice.