Mr. Speaker, I rise today to salute Miami attorney Ira Leesfield on receiving the 2010 American Jewish Committee’s Judge Learned Hand Award for Preferred Excellence.
The American Jewish Committee must have had Ira in mind when this prestigious award was created to honor the memory of Judge Learned Hand and the principles that he so well represented: individual rights and the importance of democratic values in an orderly society. With his very strong professional background, outgoing personality and true compassion for our community, Ira Leesfield has been a strong voice for civil rights in south Florida for many years, and I am honored to count him as a friend.
As the senior and managing partner of Leesfield & Partners, P.A., Ira has received many other honors, including the Anti-Defamation League’s Jurisprudence Award, and he was the first Florida recipient of the American ORT Jurisprudence Award.
I am pleased to join the American Jewish Committee, his family, friends, and neighbors in their celebration of Ira’s countless contributions to our community and, indeed, to our Nation.