National Recognition of Ira H. Leesfield
Ira Leesfield is the senior and managing partner of Leesfield & Partners, with offices in Miami, Key West and South Beach. He is board certified by the National Board of Trial Advocates and now serves as board member of the certification board; a past President of the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers; an EAGLE Patron; and now serves as Senior Florida Governor of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America serving over 20 years. Mr. Leesfield received the Anti-Defamation League’s prestigious “2001 Jurisprudence Award.”
He was honored by the Florida Region of American ORT as the first recipient in Florida of the “American ORT Jurisprudence Award” for his lifetime of dedication to his profession, his nation and his community, and recognizing his outstanding initiative in prosecuting cases that benefit public interest. He was also awarded the “2002 Melvin Belli Award” for outstanding practitioner of advocacy and for exercising extraordinary initiative in prosecuting cases that benefit public interest.
In 2004, the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers recognized his lifetime achievement by awarding the A. L. J. Cone Lifetime Achievement Award for his life-long crusade in helping the less fortunate and his commitment to preserving our civil justice system. He was nominated as “Lawyer of the Year” by the Trial Lawyers for Public Justice, after he obtained a $19.8 million verdict in a defective product case, and selected as one of America’s Top Ten Trial Lawyers.
Mr. Leesfield has twice been awarded the prestigious Wiedman Wysocki medal for outstanding advocacy. He is a Life Member of the Fellows of the American Bar Foundation. Mr. Leesfield was the keynote speaker at the Florida Supreme Court Justices Teaching Institute in Tallahassee, Florida where top educators from around the State of Florida convene annually for an intensive study of the judicial system.
Recipient of the 2003 Crystal Eagle Award of the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers, in recognition for his exceptional generosity on behalf of Florida’s families. He is past President of the Melvin M. Belli Society. In the 2007 legislative session, Ira worked closely with FJA in obtaining passage of Senate Bill 1822 mandating carbon monoxide detectors in public accommodations arising from injuries to multiple clients at a Key West hotel.
The American Jewish Committee has named Ira Leesfield the 2010 Recipient of American Jewish Committee’s Judge Learned Hand Award for Preferred Excellence. American Jewish Committee created the Judge Learned Hand Award to honor the memory of Judge Learned Hand and the principles he represented: the rights of the individual and the importance of democratic values in an orderly society.