Attorney runs 160 miles across Florida to raise $50K for Jacksonville Area Legal Aid

When local attorney Mike Freed set out to jog nearly 160 miles across Florida in a week, he encountered his share of doubters.

“You’re going to do what? Why would you want to do that?” they wondered aloud with wide-eyed skepticism.

Freed, 48, erased those doubts Friday afternoon as he crossed the finish line on the lawn of the Duval County Courthouse, wrapping up the final leg of his six-day, six-marathon journey that took him from Tallahassee to Jacksonville.

But it wasn’t the thrill of accomplishing the grueling physical feat that had him grinning ear to ear as Freed, drenched in sweat, high-fived and hugged his way through a crowd of a few dozen waiting supporters who greeted him with cheers and applause.

It was knowing that he had surpassed his goal of raising $50,000 for Jacksonville Area Legal Aid, a nonprofit group that provides legal help to low-income individuals and families, and shined a spotlight on an overlooked issue: the access to justice gap.

“There’s folks that need to use this wonderful legal system that we have, and they just need a little bit of guidance from a professional lawyer but simply can’t afford it. So that’s what got me inspired, when I realized funding was getting cut and the need was going up,” Freed said.

Freed began the six-leg endeavor May 28 at the Florida Supreme Court in Tallahassee. Then he ran a marathon a day, stopping at courthouses in Jefferson, Madison, Suwannee, Columbia and Baker counties before completing the trek Friday in Jacksonville. So how did he chart that course?

“Just simply saying, ‘I’ve gotta start out in the capital and I need to get home,’” he said. “And when I looked at the map, I saw there was a courthouse about every 26 to 30 miles, and that seemed like a good stopping point. The rest was just heading down [Highway] 90.”

That he completed the challenge without suffering any injury is remarkable considering Freed only took up running less than a year ago. The only concern his wife, Crystal, had heading into Sunday was the physical toll the effort might take on her husband. She was elated he finished without getting hurt.

“His feet look amazing,” she said. “He hasn’t lost any toenails or anything like that. No blisters. Nothing.”

Surprisingly, despite the number of calories he burned each day, the slightly-built, 135-pound Freed didn’t lose a significant amount of weight over the course of the journey.

“There’s a lot of good southern comfort food to eat along the way, so I’m down about three pounds,” he said.

When Freed began running in August, he started with three- and four-mile runs, eventually graduating to marathons and even longer distances. Now, he averages anywhere from 45 to 105 miles a week. Because of the hours he works, he racks up the bulk of his mileage early every morning.

“I’ll get up at 4 a.m., have a cup of coffee, do my Bible reading and then hit the road,” he said. “I wear a headlight and a reflective vest with some blinking lights. You would think that would draw people’s attention to it, but usually part of the experience is dodging at least one car.”

The endeavor is also remarkable because of the inspiration behind it.

A trial lawyer for the Gunster firm, Freed wanted to do something about the lack of funding available for civil legal aid. It’s a cause he’s been passionate about since his initial experiences providing pro bono work while he was an associate for the high-powered Skadden firm more than two decades ago.

“What impressed me was just how empowered they felt that somebody in a suit and tie was willing to go to bat for them,” he said. “They got to come to our fancy office and sit there and not just feel important but be important.”

Whereas everyone has the right to an attorney under the rules governing the criminal justice system, there is no such requirement in place in civil cases. That means the poor and vulnerable segments of society — the homeless, working poor, elderly people living on fixed incomes — have few options when they’re taken to court, even if they’re right.

“There is no justice for the poor because they don’t have access to our courts,” said Crystal Freed. “So this is a great mechanism to raise awareness.”

The plight of the low-income population isn’t lost on Jim Kowalski, executive director for Jacksonville Area Legal Aid (JALA). His organization aims to provide legal guidance for those who can’t afford to pay the going rate of a hired attorney. It serves about 5,500 people a year, not including clinics.

“When we take a case, it’s because the person has something to say and they need a lawyer to say it,” he said.

But while the demand for legal aid is growing, Kowalski said funding levels have plummeted to the point of crisis. The Florida Bar Foundation uses interest on trust accounts to fund legal aid statewide. But when interest rates fell, so did the funding. That means fewer attorneys for those who need them.

Kowalski said JALA, which is expected to cover 17 counties, now subsists on federal funding awarded to the entire state and contributions from Clay and St. Johns counties. That money is crucial, he said, because Jacksonville provides zero general funding for legal aid. And the poor aren’t getting any help from the state of Florida, either.

“Since Florida is one of three states that provides zero state funding for legal aid, Mike’s raising more money than the entire state of Florida,” he said.

When funding levels peaked, JALA had 40-plus lawyers on staff, according to Kowalski. But with evaporating resources, he said there are now fewer than 30.

As of Friday evening, the fundraiser had generated nearly $54,000. Dennis Harrison, JALA’s development director, said that will pay for the group to hire an attorney for an entire year. He said that attorney’s work alone will benefit hundreds of people directly and even more indirectly.

“You look at a lady who loses her car, then her home goes into foreclosure and then her children are out on the streets, homeless,” said Harrison. “That’s the type of person this will help.”

Freed secured pledges from close friends, colleagues and even complete strangers to meet his fundraising goal. They ranged from single dollar bills contributed in person to $2,000 donations provided by fellow attorneys.

“I’d go do it again if we could have the same goal,” he said. “There are just immeasurable contributions that the lawyers of JALA are going to be able to make with these resources and the awareness that’s been built, and hopefully more money that people will continue to raise.”

To contribute to the cause, visit JaxLegalAid.org/freedtorun/donate.