More than 250 guests attended the Cuban American Bar Association’s 13th Annual Art in the Tropics fundraiser presented by U.S. Century Bank. The fine arts fundraiser took place last month at the HistoryMiami Museum and featured local artwork, flavorful cuisine, open bar and live music.
The event raised more than $20,000 in support of CABA Pro Bono Legal Services (CABA Pro Bono) and its mission to change the lives of children, individuals and families in need through legal advocacy by providing free legal services to those who cannot afford it — regardless of race, creed, color, gender, sexual orientation or national origin.
Each year Art in the Tropics attracts the community’s lawyers, government officials, dignitaries, judges, and business leaders. This year’s lineup of restaurants and community sponsors included DLD Lawyers, Bacardi, SMF Law, Digital EventAssociates, Broad and Cassel, Piedra & Associates, P.A., Peterson, Baldor & Maranges Attorneys at Law, Akerman, ARHMF L.L.P, Esquire Solutions, and Holland & Knight. Generous donations by sponsors and attendees helped to underwrite a majority of the costs associated with CABA Pro Bono’s advocacy services, which continues to grow.
Nearly 1,857 new cases were programmed in 2016, with the number of volunteer attorneys and pro bono hours significantly increasing from 2016 to 2017. Last year, over $1,200,000 in-kind services were donated by volunteer attorneys and over 200 outreach clinics were conducted on nights and weekend for easy accessibility. Outreach clinics like Hurricane Irma Legal Clinic assisted a total of 371 Miami-Dade County residents throughout Little Havana, Liberty City, Big Pine Key, Hialeah, Doral, and Marathon. The organization has also partnered with other community organizations to provide immigration and foreclosure clinics to serve and reach more members of the Miami-Dade community.