NSU Law Alumna Recognized By Legal Aid Service of Broward County

Legal Aid Service of Broward County has announced that Sharon Bourassa, Director of Special Projects at Legal Aid Service of Broward County has retired after 39 years of legal public service. For almost four decades, Bourassa has been committed to representing and helping the poor and disadvantaged in the Broward County community. She has represented low-income families in cases involving federal and state environmental laws, federal and state housing laws and local code enforcement laws.

Bourassa was employed by Legal Aid Service of Broward County since 1981. Her interest and compassion for the low-income community began long before she entered law school. Before entering law school, Sharon was a divorced mother with two young children receiving welfare assistance via Food Stamps and a Section 8 Housing Voucher. Sharon became determined to earn a college degree and go on to law school, not only to help her family but also to help those who faced the same struggles she experienced.

Her advocacy through countless winning cases has brought millions of dollars’ worth of renovations to housing complexes neglected by owners that placed tenants in dangerous and unhealthy situations. Bourassa has had immense impact improving the lives of thousands of Broward’s low income and minority communities who have sought help from Legal Aid Service of Broward County.

“Our organization and the community will be suffering a tremendous loss as Sharon Bourassa retires” said Tony Karrat, Executive Director of Legal Aid Service of Broward County. “It has been her life’s mission to help those in need and right the wrongs imposed on those unable to help themselves, and through her work she has been able to accomplish this mission.”

Sharon has focused her practice on major impact cases that result in significant relief to local, state, and national segments of the low-income population. She has litigated cases against the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for operating federal housing projects that are in clear viola­­tion of applicable housing laws, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its failure to enforce laws concerning a Superfund waste site, and other governmental entities for failure to either comply with applicable code enforcement, housing, and relocation laws or for improper enforcement of said laws.

Most recently, Sharon has been instrumental in developing programs to represent welfare and low-income women and men whose legal issues are keeping them from continuing their education or job training. This includes representing them in child custody, domestic violence, evictions, foreclosure, and other consumer matters.

Karrat continued “Sharon has been a shining example of the fearless leadership and advocacy that has made Legal Aid Service of Broward County stand out both within our community and statewide.”

Bourassa has received countless prestigious legal accolades and awards throughout her career including the Jane Elizabeth Curran Distinguished Service Award from The Florida Bar Foundation in 2018, Thurgood Marshall Award from Urban League of Broward County in 2002 and Alumna of the Year presented by Nova Southeastern University, Shepard Broad Law Center on their 20th Anniversary in 1994, to name a few. It is clear Sharon Bourassa represents the highest moral, intellectual, and professional characteristics that a lawyer can have.

Article courtesy of the Legal Aid Service of Broward County.