[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 46 (Thursday, April 23, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E653]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     TRIBUTE TO CHESTERFIELD SMITH, ESQ., ON THE DEDICATION OF THE 
              CHESTERFIELD SMITH CENTER FOR EQUAL JUSTICE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. CARRIE P. MEEK

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 23, 1998

  Mrs. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, it is indeed a distinct honor to 
pay tribute to one of Miami-Dade's unsung heroes, Attorney Chesterfield 
Smith. The dedication of the Chesterfield Smith Center for Equal 
Justice on April 23, 1998 is a well-deserved honor.
  Attorney Smith represents the best of our community. Having dedicated 
a major portion of his life to making the justice system work on behalf 
of the less fortunate in Miami-Dade, he was relentless in his 
development of probono legal services program that responded to the 
crying needs of our community's poor. His was a crusade that maximized 
understanding and compassion for countless destitute who severely lack 
the financial wherewithal to have their cases move up through the maze 
of the legal system.
  Under his leadership many lives have been saved and countless 
families have been rendered whole because of the poor's accessibility 
to pro-bono legal services. He was virtually the lone voice in the 
wilderness in exposing his righteous indignation over the hopelessness 
of countless individuals who through the various crises of poverty 
rendered them helpless before the legal system. At the same time, he 
has been forthright and forceful in advocating the tenets of equal 
treatment under the law for the poor who have been remanded to the 
complex proceedings of the court system. His sensitivity toward them 
knew no bounds, and he was likewise untiring in seeking the appropriate 
guidance and counseling strategies for them.
  In an April 5, 1998 Miami Herald write-up, Attorney Smith was 
genuinely lauded as a community leader whose `` * * * life serves as an 
example of how much difference each of us can make in behalf of the 
less fortunate.'' Singlehandledly he has championed a career-long 
commitment to free legal services to the poor.
  In his stint on the prestigious Holland & Knight law firm, Attorney 
Smith truly represents an exemplary community servant who abides by the 
dictum that those who have less in life through no fault of their own 
should somehow be lifted up by those who have been blessed with life's 
greater amenities. As a gadfly among South Florida's law firms, he is 
wont to prod his colleagues toward the support of the Legal Services of 
Greater Miami to provide a more hopeful life for our community's poor.
  As one of those hardy spirits who chose to reach out to those living 
in public housing projects, Attorney Smith thoroughly understood the 
accouterments of power and leadership. He sagely exercised them 
alongside the mandate of his conviction and the wisdom of his 
knowledge, focusing his energies to enhance the well-being of a 
community he learned to love and care for so deeply.
  His undaunted efforts in the legal system through his tenure as 
President of the American Bar Association helped shape and form the 
agenda of many legal organizations. His word is his bond to those who 
dealt with him, not only in moments of triumphal exuberance in helping 
many of the poor turn their lives around, but also in his resilient 
quest to transform Miami-Dade county into a veritable mosaic of vibrant 
cultures and diverse peoples converging together into this great 
experiment that is America.
  Numerous accolades with which various organizations have honored him 
symbolize the unequivocal testimony of the utmost respect and 
admiration he enjoys from our community. Attorney Chesterfield Smith, 
lawyer par excellence, truly exemplifies a one-of-a-kind leadership 
whose courage and resilient spirit that genuinely dignifies the role of 
a community servant.
  Today's dedication is genuinely deserved! I truly salute him on 
behalf of a grateful community.

                          ____________________