Over the past year I have been fortunate enough to serve as a liaison to The Florida Bar Board of Governors under the appointment of President Gary Lesser.
You hear lawyers running for president-elect of The Florida Bar say that they want to do some program or initiative but when they visit the local Bar associations around the state, I always hear that they want to find a way to work better with local voluntary Bar groups.
Lesser was no exception. In talking with him, he was genuine in that and truly wanted to hear ideas. I suggested that when The Florida Bar came up with programs and ideas that they want the local voluntary Bars to be a part of that there should be an executive director from a local Bar at the table, wherever that table was. The representative could provide real-time information about how a program could or could not fit into what local Bars are doing.
Lesser thought that was an interesting idea and asked me to sit at the table with The Florida Bar Board of Governors.
I was a bit surprised when he asked me, all the way from Jacksonville when he had been involved in his local Bar in Palm Beach County. He insisted that I was the right person at the right time for this.
With support from the Jacksonville Bar Association Board of Governors, I was able to accept the appointment. It was a busy year serving on the Program Evaluation Committee and assisting the Communications Committee.
In the Program Evaluation Committee, we looked at many issues including merit retention polls, the Vote’s in Your Court educational program, mentoring of new lawyers, Florida Lawyers Assistance and the Florida Lawyers Helpline and much more.
In the Communications Committee I was asked to help and provide insight from both a member of the public and a Lawyer Referral Service for the campaign Life’s Legal Moments.
This program was designed to inform the public of the importance of hiring a lawyer for the times in your life that are so important such as forming a business, buying a house, drafting a will and more.
It has been a privilege and honor to represent the JBA on the state board this year and also represent voluntary Bars around the state.
As I attended these meetings I was fortunate to meet many members of the board of governors around the state. It was great to hear of the reputation our lawyers in North Florida have around the state. It is the lawyers like you that give the JBA and North Florida lawyers such a sterling reputation around the state.
Craig Shoup is Jacksonville Bar Association executive director.