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Thursday, Mar 28, 2024
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Ex-Lawyer Honored for Goodwill in Field

What started as a simple goodwill effort to raise money for a nonprofit legal organization turned into much more for Al Walkoe.

Walkoe was involved with the Legal Aid Society of San Diego County for more than 40 years, and decided that upon his retirement from the legal field he would focus on helping them. He started the San Diego Advocates for Social Justice (formerly the San Diego Friends of Legal) to do just that.

This year marks the 10th anniversary for the nonprofit organization. Walkoe will be honored for his dedication at a ceremony April 24 at the Prado in Balboa Park.

“It’s nice to see Al get recognition for all he has done,” said Bill Hargreaves, an attorney and friend who worked on several committees with Walkoe. “He has done so much over the years.”

Along with raising funds for the Legal Aid Society, Advocates for Social Justice provides free legal services to those experiencing financial hardships. The primary purpose of the organization is to serve those in need of representation and ensure the enforcement of benefits such as human rights, affordable housing, medical care and other necessities of living.

Walkoe said he decided to start the organization because he had been pretty successful in raising funds for other benefits.

“I had done some successful fund raising for my church, so I thought I could do some fund raising for the Legal Aid Society,” Walkoe said.

During his law career, Walkoe volunteered legal services and served on the board of the Legal Aid Society for nearly 30 years. He was president of the organization twice, and was a part of a committee of the San Diego County Bar Association created to make changes in legal aid required by new federal funding.

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