July 26, 2010 — Coral Gables — Edward H. Davis, Jr., J.D. ’87, recently received The Florida Bar Association’s G. Kirk Haas Humanitarian Award for raising $32,000 for Haiti relief efforts. In turn, Davis will award a $3,000 scholarship to a second-year Miami Law student who demonstrates an exceptionally high degree of integrity, ethics, professionalism and concern for others.
Davis, who is a former chair of The Florida Bar’s International Law Section (ILS), responded quickly to the devastating earthquake that hit Haiti on Jan. 12 and rallied other members of the ILS. Under his leadership, the Florida Bar ILS set up an American Red Cross online account and asked Bar members to donate to that account. The drive raised more than $32,000, which was used to send relief supplies to Haiti.
“The Haas Humanitarian Award is a great honor, and it was totally unexpected. However, more than being an individual honor, it is reflective of what was a real team effort by the Florida Bar ILS, and we thank everyone who gave,” Davis said. “The important thing now is to not forget that the big job – the rebuilding of Haiti and its infrastructure, legal and otherwise, still remains to be done. We have just passed the six-month anniversary of the earthquake and while relief supplies remain vitally important, the much larger and longer-term task of rebuilding will need the support of the members of the Florida Bar and the University of Miami alumni even more in the future.”
Established in 1998, the G. Kirk Haas Humanitarian Award recognizes a Bar member for humanitarian works and meritorious service to the profession. It is named after Miami lawyer G. Kirk Haas, who was renowned for his humanity and legal ethics.
Davis, a founding partner at Astigarraga Davis, received both his B.A. and J.D. degrees at the University of Miami. A specialist in financial fraud and asset recovery, he is Vice-Chair of the Anti-Corruption Committee of the International Bar Association. He is also a member of numerous legal organizations, including the International Chamber of Commerce’s FraudNet, the advisory committee of the International Association for Asset Recovery and the Bankruptcy Bar of the Southern District of Florida.
