Gunster attorney receives significant recognition from The Florida Bar
Fort Lauderdale, Fla., December 17, 2008 Gunster attorney Heidi Davis Knapik has been selected to receive the Florida Bar President’s Pro Bono Service Award for 2009 from the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit, which encompasses all of Broward County. This prestigious award recognizes Knapik for the outstanding effort, time and professional expertise that she has contributed in making legal representation available to those who are unable to afford it. Knapik will receive the award during a ceremony in Tallahassee on January 29, 2008.
Knapik provided nearly 200 pro bono hours to assist The Pantry of Broward, Inc. a 501(c)3 entity, with obtaining land use and zoning entitlements and approvals for its operational headquarters and offices in Fort Lauderdale. The Pantry is a not-for-profit organization that works with the elderly poor. Its mission is to support life while providing resources for senior citizens and grandparents raising grandchildren.
“We are thrilled to see Heidi receive this important award,” said George LeMieux, chairman of Gunster. “Her pro bono work, particularly with The Pantry is both impressive and wonderful, and she has set a standard for all our attorneys to give unselfishly of our time and experience.”
Knapik resolved various issues facing The Pantry and overcame numerous land use and zoning hurdles to obtain the necessary approvals to open its doors four months ahead of the final entitlement schedule, so that the elderly in need could be assisted. Without her volunteer assistance, The Pantry could not have opened its doors nor begun operations to assist grandparents and the elderly in need in time for this year’s Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, a crucial time, as it is when a majority of The Pantry’s donations are received.
Heidi Davis Knapik resides in Gunster’s Fort Lauderdale office and concentrates her practice in the areas of land use and development. She represents commercial, residential and industrial developers and property owners, hotel and resort properties and commercial lenders in all areas of land use and zoning matters. She earned her Juris Doctor from The George Washington University’s National Law Center in 1992, and her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Florida in 1986.
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Gunster, established in 1925, is a full-service Florida law firm providing counsel to significant national and international clients with opportunities and business in the state of Florida. With eight offices strategically located across the state, 140 attorneys and 200 support staff, Gunster is Florida’s Lawyers for Business.
Media Contact: Caren Berg of Boardroom Communications at (954) 370-8999 or via e-mail at [email protected].
