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Terry spent his early childhood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania before he and his family moved to Niceville, Florida when he was thirteen years old. Terry recalls growing up around fishermen and those in the military as they lived near the Eglin, Florida military base. After high school, Terry went to college at Tuskeegee University on an Air Force scholarship majoring in electrical engineering. At the young age of twenty-two, he joined the Air Force and moved to California, becoming the Program Manager for the Electric Propulsion Space Experiment (ESEX) program, the highest-powered subsystem ever flown in space by mankind.
Terry eventually relocated back to his home in Florida working on combat systems engineering, and shortly after, he made the decision to go to law school.
After law school, Terry was hired at the Holland & Knight law firm (f/k/a Maguire, Voorhis, & Wells—Orlando’s oldest law firm). It was at this law firm that Terry was introduced to the world of legal aid. He recalls the law firm’s management team, Jim Beusse and Bob Duckworth, expressing their passion for providing equal access to justice for all. Bob Duckworth (former Orange County Bar Association President) made it clear from the first day that Terry worked at the firm, the expectation was that attorneys work with the Legal Aid Society’s Guardian ad Litem program.
After passing the bar, Terry learned more of the program and knew he had a desire to help the community’s most vulnerable residents receive quality, legal representation, especially Central Florida’s children in the dependency system. Terry Sanks has shown up consistently for the Orange County community and goes above and beyond in the pro bono cases he handles for the Legal Aid Society. Terry states that, “Attorneys are afforded a unique opportunity to practice law and each of us should be doing our part to give back to the community and help our most vulnerable residents.” He especially encourages young lawyers, who may be early on in their career and unable to financially contribute, to dedicate some of their time and take pro bono cases as a means of giving back.
Terry's employees describe him as a dedicated, caring, employer who respects his staff and operates the law firm with integrity and equality. Terry encourages his staff to do their very best each day which includes volunteering. He explains that there is a grand need for attorneys to step up to the challenge and help those who are unfamiliar with the legal system…in particular our abused, abandoned, and neglected children who need genuine-hearted people to advocate for them and ensure their needs are met while in the dependency system.
The Orange County community is a better place because of people like Terry and the Legal Aid Society is grateful to have the support of diligent, passionate attorneys like Terry Sanks who rise to the occasion and consistently answers the call of duty. If you would like more information on how you can get involved here at the Legal Aid Society, please give us a call at 407-841-8310. Thank You.
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