St. Pete Bar Foundation Honors 'Heroes'

St. Pete Bar Foundation Honors 'Heroes'

More than 200 people attended the Jan. 29 St. Petersburg Bar Foundation's "Heroes Among Us" dinner at the Don Cesar Beach Resort. Three lawyers were honored: Louie Adcock Jr., Danell G. DeBerg and the late H. James Fischer.

Adock, a Korean War veteran, has served on the boards of numerous community organizations, including Bay Area Legal Services, the St. Petersburg Bar Association and the Florida Bar Board of Governors. He was chairman of the bar committee that helped the Florida Legislature rewrite the probate laws in 1999 to benefit surviving spouses. And he's the past recipient of the St. Petersburg Bar/GCBR Professionalism Award. He's a partner at Fisher & Sauls PA.

DeBerg, of DeBerg & DeBerg PA, spends weeks each year tending to the medical needs of poor people in undeveloped countries. At home in St. Petersburg, she regularly helps prepare meals for the homeless.

Fischer, who died unexpectedly last year, helped others, even those who lacked the resources to pay. He represented a St. Petersburg police officer who lost her legs in a car wreck while responding to an emergency call. "Fish" celebrated when he won a settlement to pay for the woman's prosthetics, even though there wasn't enough money to compensate him for the 1,000 hours he'd spent on her case.

Proceeds from the dinner benefit the foundation, which provides legal services to the poor.

- Janet Leiser