Blog: Stories of Justice

Story of Justice: Ms. Zuluaga Appeals to the Reemployment Assistance Appeals Commission Background In the summer of 2020, Ms. Zuluaga* lost her job and proceeded to file for unemployment. After receiving several months of unemployment checks, the Department of Employment Opportunity (DEO) notified Ms. Zuluaga that thousands of dollars in unemployment benefits had to be...Read More

Story of Justice: Amanda Can’t Reach the DEO Background Amanda* was an independent contractor dog groomer. She lost her work in March when Covid resulted in the closings of the dog grooming business she was working for. She tried to apply for unemployment benefits under the CARES ACT but she did not have a computer...Read More

Profile in Good: Shayna M. Finkelstein, Esq.  Shayna M. Finkelstein has been a Staff Attorney for Coast to Coast Legal Aid of South Florida (CCLA) since 2018. Shayna works with the Family Law, Victims of Crime Unit, representing victims of intimate partner violence. As of October of 2020, Shayna began representing CCLA’s senior population who find themselves...Read More

Story of Justice: Audrey Endures Verbal and Physical Abuse Background & Assistance The verbal and physical abuse had gone on for years. Audrey* was first represented by an attorney with CCLA’s Victim of Crimes Act Project (VOCA,) who successfully obtained a Final Judgment of Injunction for Protection against Domestic Violence against Sammy, the client’s husband...Read More

Pro Bono Attorney Spotlight: Vladymir J. Champagne, Esq. Vladymir J. Champagne, Esq. is a partner at the Law Offices of Champagne and Surin, P.A. where he handles immigration and family law cases. Vladymir has been a member of the Broward Lawyers Care Pro Bono Panel for over Ten years. During that time, he has volunteered over 100...Read More