I hope you had the opportunity to see The Jacksonville Bar Association’s special section that appeared in The Florida Times-Union on Oct. 13. The main purpose of the section was to inform the public about the many positive things lawyers do in our community. There were profiles of the civic, charitable and pro bono efforts of many area firms and lawyers. There were also articles spotlighting Jacksonville Area Legal Aid and The Jacksonville Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service.
The idea behind the special section was to use the mass media to tell the “true story” about the good works of lawyers, not unlike the Dignity in Law campaign of The Florida Bar. Far too often the portrayal of lawyers in the media is a negative or inaccurate one. I believe that anybody who read the special section could not help but see what many of us in this Association have always known — that no profession gives more generously of its time and talents to this community than does ours.
The response to the special section that I have received from friends and neighbors who have read it has been overwhelmingly positive. I would appreciate hearing from you about any comments you have heard from those you know about the special section or any other thoughts you might have regarding the project.
I would like to thank all of the lawyers and firms who contributed to this project and helped to make it a success. I would especially like to thank Dan Bean, who chaired this project for our Board of Governors, for his many hours of hard work on this effort.
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Tod Aronovitz, president of The Florida Bar, was the speaker at our October monthly luncheon and gave an outstanding presentation on the Bar’s Dignity in Law campaign. We have an extraordinary lineup of speakers for this year’s monthly luncheons. I hope all of our members will make an effort to attend as many of the luncheons as possible.
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Speaking of our monthly luncheons, in deference to the busy schedules of our members, we are making every effort to end the luncheons by 1:15 p.m. In order to do this, we need all members take their seats and come to order by 12:15 p.m. This also requires that we commence our program while the meals are still being served, which creates a fair amount of noise. For that reason, it is very important that we eliminate as much talking and other noise to ensure that the speakers can be heard and that the program can move on in a timely manner. We very much appreciate your cooperation in this effort.
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As you may have seen or heard in the news, several area law firms and other businesses, in response to the problems encountered in recent elections, have volunteered to staff voter precincts for the upcoming Nov. 5 elections. The Board of Governors of The Jacksonville Bar Association and the Board of the D.W. Perkins Bar Association will jointly staff two precincts. The participation of so many lawyers in this effort is yet another outstanding example of the many ways lawyers serve our community.
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Finally, I would like to commend to you for our annual Holiday Project. For those of you who have not participated in the past, the Holiday Project helps to brighten the holidays for area senior citizens who are participants in the Meals on Wheels program. It is one of the most rewarding projects in which I have ever participated.
Many firms have chosen to give up their holiday gift exchanges and instead use that money to participate in the Holiday Project. The Holiday Project provides attorneys and staff members the chance to work together to help the needy in our community. It is also an opportunity for all who participate to be reminded of the true spirit of the holiday season.
If you are interested in participating in the Holiday Project, please see the flyer enclosed in this edition of the Bulletin, or please call our Holiday Project Committee chairperson Sonya Hoener of Marks Gray, at 398-0900.