Christian George has been appointed by Akerman LLP managing partner of the law firm’s Jacksonville office.
With Akerman since 2012, he is a partner in the litigation practice group and most recently served as local practice group leader. He will continue working with clients in the areas of commercial litigation, bankruptcy and the financial services sector.
According to a statement released by Akerman, in his new role, George will “strengthen the firm’s ties” in Jacksonville and help guide strategic local growth.
“I’ll help recruit talented attorneys and identify practice areas to expand,” he said.
In terms of adding to the firm’s roster, George said Akerman, which has 24 offices in the U.S. and Latin America with about 650 attorneys, plans to slowly grow in Jacksonville from the current 32 attorneys.
“We’re not in a rush by any means,” he said.
George is president of The Jacksonville Bar Association Young Lawyers Section Board of Governors and also president-elect-designate of the 30,000-member Young Lawyers Division of The Florida Bar. He’ll take over leadership of the statewide group in June 2018.
George, 35, already has established goals for his terms as president-elect and president.
He said the division will be closely monitoring the deliberations of the Florida Constitution Revision Commission that may put amendments on the general election ballot in November 2018 that could impact the legal community.
Of particular interest are the issues of preserving the independence of the judiciary and maintaining the state Supreme Court’s self-regulation of the legal profession.
“The Florida Supreme Court is currently the governing body of The Florida Bar — and we feel it should be,” George said.
He plans for the division to continue developing instructional programs designed to assist new attorneys in their transition from law school to the practice of law.
While The Florida Bar and the YLD have in place “a tremendous amount” of materials to assist young lawyers, “we must market the material better,” he said.
Technology and inclusion also will be on the agenda.
“The YLD will remain on the forefront on technology and equality issues,” said George. “Technology changes our profession daily. We will remain nimble and will be willing to address and teach our members how to adjust to evolving technology,” he added.
Looking further into the future, George plans for The Florida Bar and its younger members to continue to level the playing field for all their colleagues.
“By the time my generation of lawyers all grow gray hair and become more advanced in our careers, it is our goal to eliminate any and all bias relating to race, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity,” he said.
George realizes his new responsibility at Akerman adds even more to his plate, but “I’m relatively young and I’ve worked hard to develop business” and “I’ve got the time and the energy,” he said.
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