by Monica Chamness
Staff Writer
The Appellate Law Section of the Jacksonville Bar Association has a full calendar of events for the year under the leadership of chairman John Mills.
A relatively new addition to the JBA, the section has been quite active for the past three years.
Seminars, meetings and special programs are all penciled on their upcoming agenda.
One project the group has undertaken involves guiding lawyers outside the appellate specialty through the process of appeal.
“We are putting together a pilot program to assist lawyers in town with appeals through mock oral argument,” said Mills of The Mills Firm. “It’s a service we’re looking to provide to the Bar. If they have an appeal and have to go to oral argument, we can help them prepare.”
Facing a trio of judges lobbing questions to attorneys not well-versed in the appeal process can be a daunting experience. The Appellate Law Section believes it can reduce the appealing attorney’s stress in these matters by lending their expertise.
How it works is that the section requests briefs [written arguments] from the attorney in need of assistance. They put together a mock panel of judges from within the section to aid the attorney in practicing their oral arguments in a realistic environment.
“We help them learn what questions to expect and how to deal with the tough questions,” said Mills.
The section also serves as a liaison with Jacksonville Area Legal Aid and Florida Legal Aid, so their members regularly handle pro bono appeals. Additionally, the section’s members make themselves available for pro bono appointments from the 11th Circuit.
Monthly meetings are a tradition religiously observed amongst the section’s members.
“We meet every month and the meetings are well-attended,” maintained Mills.
“Two of the judges from the 1st District Court of Appeal, Peter Webster and William Van Nortwick, are from Jacksonville are are active in the section. They appear each month by telephone.”
The section will be working with that court and the Florida Coastal School of Law to hold a professionalism seminar targeting issues as they relate to the appeal practice.
“One of our focuses is to develop ties between the Jacksonville Bar and the First District,” said Mills. “They [the 1st District] come to Jacksonville twice a year to hear oral arguments so we’re trying to set it up for then. Every time they send a panel down, we host them for dinner. The idea is to develop strong ties between the bench and bar. It also allows appellate lawyers to get feedback from the judges we appear before, which helps us improve our skills.”
A similar plan is being constructed for the 11th Circuit, the federal appeal court. This court also sends a panel two or three times a year to the area to hear arguments. Local judges Gerald Tjoflat and Susan Black are part of this panel.
Another activity for the section includes the annual CLE presentation. This year they will be presenting part of the Ray Erlich seminar in conjunction with the trial law section.
“Our purpose is to promote the concept of the appellate specialist, to serve trial lawyers and to promote better relations between the Jacksonville Bar and the appellate courts,” explained Mills. “We are not the biggest section but we are one of the most active. We always take time to share war stories and things relevant to appellate lawyers.”