State Supreme Court Chief Justice Jorge Labarga will deliver the keynote address at Jacksonville Area Legal Aid’s 18th annual Equal Justice Awards.
The event begins at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront with cocktails and a silent auction followed by dinner and the awards ceremony.
Since 1999, JALA has hosted an annual celebration of altruism and generosity to recognize members of the community who work for social justice and further equality through pro bono work and monetary donations.
The event’s capstone award honors the late Robert J. Beckham, a former board member and longtime supporter of JALA. It is bestowed on a person or organization who has notably promoted the cause of equal justice for low-income residents of Northeast Florida.
This year’s award will go to two attorneys who have made a significant impact on the community through their work and service: William “Bill” Sheppard, a civil rights and criminal defense attorney; and Samuel Jacobson, a family and marital law attorney. Both have received high honors for their extensive volunteerism and pro bono work and embody the values of Jacksonville Area Legal Aid.
Tickets to the event, $125 per person, can be purchased online at jaxlegalaid.org/equaljustice and also will be available at the door the evening of the event. Cocktails and dinner are included and a silent auction will be held to support the work of Jacksonville Area Legal Aid.
In addition to the awards celebration, this year JALA will team with The Florida Bar Foundation to promote the local launch of Florida Pro Bono Matters, a new interactive website that allows attorneys to search available pro bono cases on their smartphone or computer and register their interest in taking a case. More information can be found at FloridaProBonoMatters.org.
The Jacksonville Lawyers Chapter of the Federalist Society has invited John Baker Jr., visiting professor at Georgetown University Law Center, for a special Constitution Day program at 4:30 p.m. Thursday at San Jose Country Club.
He was a friend of the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and taught courses for the Federalist Society on the separation of powers with Scalia.
A leader in the national Federalist Society, Baker will discuss the state of civic education and the prospects for teaching students about the founding fathers, the Constitution and the Federalist Papers.
He also will discuss pro bono opportunities for members of the Federalist Society in Jacksonville.
The event is free and open to the public.
All who pre-register are welcome. Register at eventbrite.com/e/constitution-day-reflection-on-the-federalist-papers-tickets-37470924544.
Rogers Towers added attorney Jason Tiemeier to its Jacksonville staff. He will practice in the Business & Tax Department in the areas of business entity formation, mergers and acquisitions and corporate and individual income tax planning.
Tiemeier holds four degrees from the University of Florida.
In 2013, he earned a Bachelor of Science in business administration, with a concentration in finance.
In 2016, he earned an MBA, Hough Graduate School of Business, and a Juris Doctor, Levin College of Law.
In July, Tiemeier earned a master of laws in taxation.
MaguireWoods ethics lawyer Tom Spahn will present an interactive ethics course at 8:30 a.m. Sept. 21 in the ninth floor conference room at the Bryan Simpson U.S. Courthouse.
The course, “Confidentiality: Non-Clients’ Misunderstanding and Mistakes” (applying for 1.5 hours Florida Bar ethics CLE), will use hypotheticals to explore lawyers’ confidentiality and disclosure duties in the context of nonclients’ misunderstandings and mistakes. The program will address the difference between ethics and professionalism; dealing with unrepresented people who may misunderstand a lawyer’s role; negotiation ethics (including adversaries’ factual or legal misunderstanding, substantive mistakes or scrivener’s errors); litigators’ disclosure duties in the face of litigation, adversaries’ or courts’ misunderstanding, mistakes, or scrivener’s errors.
Check-in and breakfast begin at 8:30 a.m. RSVP to [email protected] or by visiting the “Events” tab at jacksonvillefederalbarassociation.org.