by Bailey White
Staff Writer
With Chief Judge Donald Moran serving as the current president of the National Conference of Metropolitan Courts it just seemed to make sense for the organization to hold its annual meeting here.
“It’s a good time for the conference to be in Jacksonville,” said Joe Stelma, chief deputy court administrator, who helped organize the conference. “It is also an opportunity for Jacksonville to show off their new federal courthouse, which is almost complete.”
The conference allows judges and court administrators from jurisdictions of 500,000-plus in population, to discuss and work to solve various problems facing the nation’s court system.
The three-day conference was held at the Hilton and was filled with workshops addressing topics such as professionalism, court culture and security issues.
The professionalism conference was led by the Jacksonville Bar Association’s Professionalism Committee. Moran formed the committee in 1998 in an effort to address problems facing Jacksonville’s court system. The committee established a set of guidelines, created a mentor program and formed an attorney review board.
Diane Gill, executive director of the JBA, discussed the organization’s mentor program, which pairs an established lawyer with a less experienced lawyer. “The mentor program allows less experienced lawyers to find answers to all sorts of questions, including ethical, procedural, managing an office. We’re really trying to get younger lawyers involved in the program,” said Gill.
Another service provided by the professionalism committee was a set of guidelines for lawyers regarding professional conduct and standards. The guidelines must be read and signed by lawyers seeking entrance to the JBA.
“We’ve also included them in our professional directory,” said Gill, who reported that about 85 percent of local lawyers are members of the JBA.
Judge Peter Dearing, who also spoke at the professionalism workshop, added that the most lawyers would only break a rule if they were ignorant to it and that the committee’s job is to educate and remind them of the guidelines.
“It has been beneficial to the Bar, to the clients and to us as judges,” he said.
To ensure that these guidelines are adhered to, the committee has set up a review program which allows lawyers and judges to address concerns with a colleague.
Judge Charles Mitchell stressed that the review board is not intended to replace the grievance committee of The Florida Bar and is meant to aid lawyers in resolving minor problems themselves.
The conference ends Saturday with a formal dinner for the 100 attendees.