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Exoneree James Bain surrounded by family

Surrounded by family, James Bain, 52, meets the press on Dec. 17, 2009, after being exonerated with the help of the Innocence Project of Florida. Bain served 35 years in prison for a rape and kidnapping that DNA evidence proved he did not commit.


Foundation helps fund newly formed
Florida Innocence Commission

When James Bain of Lake Wales, Fla., was released at the age of 53 after serving 35 years in prison for a rape and kidnapping he did not commit, his smile said it all.

Bain, who has the unfortunate distinction of having been imprisoned longer than any other DNA exoneree in the country, now has a new reason to rejoice.

On July 2, Chief Justice Charles T. Canady of the Florida Supreme Court issued an administrative order establishing the Florida Innocence Commission, which has been funded by both the Florida Legislature and The Florida Bar Foundation in hopes of making cases like Bain’s a thing of the past.Read More »


Make your mark. Plan a gift. Leave a legacy... by giving the gift that gives back:
a charitable gift annuity. an older couple

Fund a charitable gift annuity with cash or appreciated securities and you will receive a fixed income for the rest of your life, plus related income- and estate-tax benefits.

At the termination of your annuity, the remainder passes to the Foundation for its work in your name as a member of The Legacy for Justice

Find out more.

Tim Bachmeyer
tbachmeyer@flabarfndn.org
(407) 451-9187

Foundation Fact

The Florida Bar Foundation distributed $50,000 to 15 voluntary bar associations in 2009-10 to support their community service projects. Through its Voluntary Bar Association Community Service Grant Program, the Foundation provides one-time grants of up to $5,000 to Florida voluntary bar associations to promote new projects — or significant improvement in existing projects — that provide education, outreach or service delivery to enhance the administration of justice in Florida.