President's Message from Kenneth G. Turkel

Dear HCBA members and members of the public:

Thank you for visiting the Hillsborough County Bar Association Website. Our Association consists of more than 3,700 lawyers and legal professionals in Hillsborough County and our mission is to inspire and promote respect for the law and the justice system through service to the legal profession and the community.

To help us accomplish our mission and to provide high quality service, we offer many opportunities including assisting the public in finding a lawyer, providing legal placement services for lawyers, publishing legal articles and continuing education seminars. Membership benefits include:

• Outstanding CLE seminars on a monthly basis for lawyers at a very economical cost
• Lawyer Referral Service to help lawyers connect with potential clients
• Legal Placement Service to assist law firms in finding qualified support staff
• Over 40 committees and sections to encourage participation and leadership in our Association
• Numerous community service opportunities
• 8 membership events a year with top notch, national speakers and numerous networking opportunities 
• Award winning HCBA Lawyer Magazine published 9 times a year with cutting edge articles
• Pictorial Legal Membership Directory categorized by name and firm specialty  for help in contacting lawyers in areas of law you do not practice, but may need to partner with 
• Benefit providers giving members exclusive discounts on their products and services as a HCBA member

• Entertaining membership events to promote the legal profession such as the Judicial Pig Roast and Law Follies

Offering services to the public is equally important to us. We assist the community through the following services:

• Lawyer Referral Service -- connects lawyers with citizens needing legal assistance
• HCBA Placement Service -- assists businesses in finding support staff
• Ask A Lawyer program -- partners with Fox13 where viewers can call in and get free legal advice from our volunteer members (takes place the first Thursday of each month)
• Community service -- we host a wide array of community programs including West Tampa Elementary Reward Program, Lawyers for Literacy helping Head Start, courtroom tours, Mock Trials, Steak & Sports Day with our Young Lawyers Division 
• People's Law School is a new program we just started for the public. Please click here for information on this program.

We just moved into our new building located next to Stetson University College of Law, Tampa Campus. It is a 17,000 mediterranean-style building complete with meeting rooms, mediation rooms, a ballroom, a lounge area and boardroom. These rooms are available for rental. Click here for Room Rental Rates 

If you are not already a member, and are considering joining the Hillsborough County Bar Association  click here for the membership application. You will not be disappointed. Thank you for your support.

Sincerely, 
Kenneth Turkel, Esq.