Florida's Bay Area Legal Services (BALS) has announced the launch of the L. David Shear Children's Law Center. The center is dedicated to securing permanent residency for young children in out-of-home care. Richard Woltmann, BALS Executive Director, said that getting children out of the foster care system and placed with permanent loving families is crucially important to their growth and development.

L. David Shear is a lifelong resident of Tampa, Fla., partner with the law firm of Ruden McClosky, and dedicated supporter of equal access to justice. Shear helped found, and now heads, the Bay Area Legal Services Development Council, which educates community leaders about the vital services provided by the program. He was one of the original supporters of Florida's Interest on Lawyers Trust Account program, and was elected in 2007 to be the American Bar Association's representative on the Board of Directors of the National Equal Justice Library.