[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 22 (Monday, February 22, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E183]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 CONGRATULATING MR. IRA LEESFIELD FOR HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN THE LEGAL 
                               COMMUNITY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, February 22, 2010

  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. 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.

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