by Bradley Parsons
Staff Writer
The campaign for Jacksonville’s open seat on the Florida Bar’s board of governors might be summed up as the wine glasses versus the pint glasses.
The contest for Seat Two — Jacksonville attorney Grier Wells holds the other — in the Bar’s Fourth Circuit pits one of Jacksonville’s most established lawyers, Jake Schickel, a partner at Bay Street firm Coker Myers, Schickel, Sorenson and Green, against sole practitioner Arthur Hernandez.
Bar members in Duval, Clay and Nassau counties will decide who gets the seat. Ballots will be mailed March 1 and must be returned by March 29.
Many of the City’s most recognizable legal last names turned out Thursday at the Grotto wine bar in San Marco to support Schickel. Hernandez said his supporters would be more likely to toast his campaign over dollar beers.
The Grotto party was put together by Schickel supporter Jefferson Morrow, a civil trial attorney. The idea was to raise awareness of Schickel’s campaign with the election approaching, but Schickel hardly seemed in need of publicity. It was difficult for him to carry on conversations in full sentences for all the interruptions caused by well-wishing lawyers and judges.
Count Hernandez among Schickel’s admirers. He calls Schickel a “brilliant attorney and one of the classiest, most ethical guys around.” But Hernandez thinks the time is right to make over the board to reflect the State’s rapidly evolving legal landscape. He sees a vote for him as a step in that direction.
“I kind of see this campaign as old school versus new school,” said Hernandez. “When you think about all these establishment guys supporting Jake, it’s actually perfect. That’s exactly what my campaign is fighting against.”
Schickel sees his across-the-board legal and business experience as the perfect complement for the board. He points to a resume stacked with wide-ranging legal experience and prominent positions in Jacksonville’s political, business and non-profit communities. He’s served as chairman of JEA’s board and as a board member of the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce.
His business background would be an asset to the Bar when it comes time to plan budgets, he said. And his business and political contacts give him the clout to lobby effectively for both the Bar and for Jacksonville’s legal community.
Both candidates say they’ve taken a typically low-key approach to campaigning. Both have used e-mails and phone calls to get word-of-mouth rolling among the voters.
Hernandez sees the campaign as issue-driven. Dominated by attorneys from big firms, the Board is out of touch with some of the practical concerns facing small firms and sole practitioners, he said.
For instance, the Bar discourages advertising, a stance that Hernandez said favors better-known large firms. Although he doesn’t advertise, Hernandez said he’d be willing to listen to the pro-advertising argument.
Schickel thinks the campaign is about choosing a person, not a platform.
“The Board of Governors shapes the goals and policies of the Bar. Board members should enhance the Bar’s prestige and set an example for members to follow,” he said. “I think this campaign looks more at the person and their breadth of knowledge and experience.”
If voters agree with that standard, even Hernandez admits he’ll have a tough time beating Schickel.
“I mean the guy is board certified in two different areas,” he said.
Even if the anti-establishment vote isn’t sufficient for Hernandez to pull off the upset, he said the campaign won’t have been in vain.
“Every election should be contested,” he said. “It brings about an awareness of what’s at stake. Even if I lose, the Florida Bar wins.”