Taking the Law to The Street The new Street Legal initiative is changing how legal services are delivered in Hillsborough County by providing essential support directly to those in need in their underserved and remote neighborhoods. On Feb.4, 2026, Lisa B. McLean, the elected Public Defender of Hillsborough County, and Dionne Jones, Chief Strategy Officer for the Public Defender’s Office, join MidPoint to discuss the Street Legal program and possible legislative impacts on their work. Lisa B. McLean explains that feedback from voters and successful models in other counties inspired the Street Legal program, which will deliver legal services directly to neighborhoods far from the Public Defender’s office, where transportation is challenging for many of their clients. The idea originated from the Sixth Judicial Circuit, where former Public Defender Bob Dillinger led a community-focused initiative using a mobile legal services bus. This concept inspired Street Legal, connecting residen...