Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Mr. Ira Leesfield on being a recipient of the American Jewish Committee’s Judge Learned Hand Award. This prestigious award honors leaders in the legal profession for both their overall excellence in the workplace and their contributions to the community. Mr. Leesfield has always welcomed the challenge to serve the underserved, and it is this devotion that has earned him one of the American Jewish Committee’s highest honors.
Mr. Leesfield carries himself with great integrity, respect, and dedication in everything he does for his profession and for his community. A look into his background shows just how successful he has been on both of these fronts. In 1976, Ira Leesfield founded Leesfield & Partners, dedicating his professional life to protecting the courtroom rights of the firm’s clients throughout Florida and the United States. He currently holds record personal injury verdicts and settlements in a plethora of jurisdictions, earning him recognition as one of America’s top ten trial lawyers.
However, Mr. Leesfield’s interest reaches far beyond monetary figures as he has been recognized for prosecuting cases that benefit the public interest. He has received the American Occupational Rehabilitation Training (ORT) Jurisprudence Award for his dedication to his profession, as well as the prestigious Jurisprudence Award from the Anti-Defamation League for his success in gaining access to the courts for the less privileged. Ira was elected President of both the Melvin M. Belli Society and the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers after receiving each organization’s respective awards: the Belli Award and the Al J. Cone Lifetime Achievement Award.
A resident of Florida since 1956, Ira is an American Bar Foundation Fellow, life member of the American Association for Justice as well as the Roscoe Pound Foundation, and a past adjunct professor at the University of Miami School of Law. Mr. Leesfield’s success hits close to home as his many accomplishments have greatly benefited myself as well as the great people of Florida’s 23rd Congressional District.
Madam Speaker, I am truly honored to recognize Mr. Ira Leesfield for his dedication to the legal profession and to the South Florida community as a whole.
