b'The Guardian ad Litem Office recruits and partners with pro bono attorneys throughout the state to represent children.The Legal Aid Society of theThe Office recruits pro bono attorneys Orange County Bar Associationto represent children through structured has recruited pro bono attorneys asinitiatives such as the Guardian ad Guardians ad Litem for decades andLitem Defending Best Interests Project. represents hundreds of childrenVolunteer attorneys write the legal in Orlando in partnership with theargument in a childs case on appeal Statewide Guardian ad Litem Office.with Office support. Some of the best The Office recruits individualattorneys in the state, many affiliated with pro bono attorneys to representthe Appellate Practice Section of The children. Nearly 500 have servedFlorida Bar, have donated nearly 10,000 as a Guardian ad Litem andhours to defend children\'s best interests donated legal services this year. in appeals for a value of over $3 million.For three straight years , the Guardian ad Litem Office has been awarded a Tax Watch Productivity Award for government efficiency. The Defending Best Interests Project won, as well as the Guardian ad Litem Free Florida CLE: LeGAL Support for Your Pro Bono Practice YouTube channel, where pro bono attorneys can access free continuing legal education courses on topics such as dependency, appeals, and special needs at www.FreeFloridaCLE.com. TaxWatch also recognized the Office web-based training program, the I Am for the Child Academy."13'