Alan Pickert was named by the Financial News & Daily Record as Jacksonville’s 2017 Lawyer of the Year.
A longtime partner at the law firm of Terrell Hogan, he is well known not only in the legal community but in the entire North Florida area for his accomplishments.
Alan was named one of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers by National Trial Lawyer in 2015, has been annually selected since 2006 as a Legal Elite by Florida Trend magazine, named a Super Lawyer by Law and Politics and has been inducted into the Million and MultiMillion Dollar Advocate Forum for Verdicts and Settlements.
He is AV-rated by Martindale Hubbell and was honored by being named by Newsweek magazine as one of the Top 20 asbestos lawyers in the United States.
He has successfully handled more than 400 wrongful death lawsuits and he obtained one of the largest awards in the history of Vaccine Court in Washington, D.C., for a child injured by the DTaP vaccine.
Alan is a very successful and accomplished lawyer, but it is his effort and achievement in the community that really sets him apart from others.
“I owe a great deal to The Jacksonville Bar Association for whom I am today and how I want to represent myself,” says Pickert. “My very first dip into philanthropic endeavors was through The JBA’s involvement with Special Olympics and it lit a fire in me.”
Alan spent six years on the Young Lawyers Section board and then another six years on the JBA Board of Governors. He served as president of both the YLS and The Jacksonville Bar.
During those 12 years and many years thereafter, he immersed himself in numerous charitable and pro bono programs The JBA hosts or supports.
“Participating in those programs changed my perspective of life and how lucky and blessed I was and how I should help others less fortunate. I still practice law 50 hours a week and try to be the best husband and father of four I could be while helping those less fortunate. If you think about it, it is just a natural extension of what we do as lawyers, as spouses, as parents: helping others who need some additional guidance with their lives and a helping hand at times,” Pickert said.
Just a few of The JBA programs he has participated over the years include Special Olympics; Holidays in January (for the state Department of Children and Families); mentoring programs; Jacksonville Area Legal Aid; and the Sulzbacher Center.
He was so heavily involved with the Sulzbacher Center at one point that the state Supreme Court gave him the Florida Bar President’s Pro Bono Service Award.
He has served on the board and as chair of HEAL (Healing Every Autistic Life), the YMCA Yates Gift Giving Campaign to run their programs for toddlers to seniors, and Evan’s Hope to Cure ALS. He also served three years on the Jacksonville Ethics Commission from 2013-15.
Despite the stress and hours of practicing law for 27 years, Alan is still fit and trim. He has played in The JBA sports leagues for years and has done numerous marathons, triathlons and hikes.
“My wife is a fitness trainer who actually trains the lawyers and employees of the Pajcic firm twice a week (they are one class outfit) and my law partner, Anita Pryor, is an incredible endurance athlete who has done five times more races than I ever have completed or hope to do. I don’t come close to keeping up with them. I just stay active because I love to eat junk food and sweets and it is a great stress relief for me from our job. Being a lawyer is tough work,” he said.
Everyone who comes across Alan knows how humble he is.
“I don’t deserve this prestigious award,” he says. “The list of past recipients is amazing and I don’t belong on the same page as them.”
In fact, when given the award at the Law Day Luncheon, he opted to speak about Evan’s Hope to Cure ALS and how special Jim Bailey has been to The JBA for the past 30 years. Even in accepting an award for his own accomplishments, Alan found ways to focus on others.
“I have been blessed to have an incredible wife and four children, great family, friends, law firm, legal peers and the various people I have met through JBA pro bono programs and sports leagues over the years,” said Pickert. “It is those people I just mentioned, including the homeless, those on the autism spectrum or special needs, and those who just need a little help, that have made me a better person. I owe them my gratitude and thanks. Not vice versa. I am the lucky one. All you have to do is get involved. It doesn’t take as much time as you think and the rewards are priceless.”