TALLAHASSEE –Orlando attorney Thomas Zehnder was selected to receive The Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division Legal Aid Public Service Award for his contributions to those in need of free legal services. The award will be presented to Zehnder by Young Lawyers Division President Mark Romance at the Florida Supreme Court on Thursday, January 29.

The award was instituted in 1991 by the Young Lawyers Division and is presented in conjunction with the Supreme Court of Florida and The Florida Bar's Pro Bono Service Awards. Generally, pro bono refers to legal services provided free of charge to those who cannot pay for them. The term "pro bono," derived from the Latin phrase "pro bono publico," means "for the good of the public."

Thomas Zehnder was born in Yokohama, Japan, the son of Lutheran missionaries who served there for more than nine years. Mr. Zehnder grew up in Stuart, Florida, and settled in Orlando after graduating from Valparaiso University in 1991 with a B.S. in Business Administration with a Finance concentration. He then attended law school, graduating from the University of Florida with honors in 1995. That May, Mr. Zehnder joined the Orlando law firm of King, Blackwell & Downs, P.A. In July 2001, he became a shareholder of the firm where he practices primarily in the area of complex commercial litigation.

A member of the Orange County Bar Association (OCBA) since his admission to practice, Mr. Zehnder is the Treasurer of the OCBA's Young Lawyers' Section and currently serves on its Executive Board. His involvement in the OCBA YLS includes twice chairing its largest annual fundraiser, a charity golf tournament, and serving on several YLS committees that organize various charitable endeavors. Mr. Zehnder has participated in many YLS outings with local organizations such as the Great Oaks Village, Seniors First, Inc. and Habitat for Humanity.

Mr. Zehnder has also been active in pro bono work through the OCBA's Legal Aid Society, handling several family law cases involving domestic violence and custody issues and serving as a Guardian ad Litem for children in juvenile dependency cases. Since 1996, he has handled over 28 files, many GAL cases involving multiple children, and has donated over 700 hours of time. In 2001, his dedication to pro bono service was recognized by the Legal Aid Society, which awarded him the New Attorney Award of Excellence, an honor acknowledging the pro bono service of lawyers practicing less than five years. Mr. Zehnder currently serves as the GAL for several children and was nominated for The Florida Bar YLD Pro Bono Award by the OCBA's Legal Aid Society.

Mr. Zehnder is married to Leigh Sigman Zehnder, also an Orlando lawyer and member of The Florida Bar. They recently celebrated the birth of their first child, Ryan Thomas.

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[Updated: 07-01-2005 ]