by Liz Daube
Staff Writer
With more than 79,000 Florida Bar members, 350 Florida Bar employees statewide and 850 media outlets to keep track of, the staff of the Florida Bar’s Public Information Department have their hands full all year long.
Arranging the committees for the upcoming annual Bar meeting may mean a bit more work for the staff of 11 women, but director Francine Walker said the department is used to coordinating a variety of people and assignments.
“I juggle a lot of things every day, and a lot of issues. It (the annual meeting time) is just a little more intense because a lot of things are going on at once,” said Walker.
She explained that the Florida Bar often deals with topics that have both state and national impact. While the Bar supplies the public information department with expert consultants, Walker said the sheer number of issues and people can be a bit overwhelming: “It’s a big world out there, and that’s a challenge.”
While Walker said the all-female demographics of the office are pure coincidence, she added that women tend to be well-suited to public relations because of their multi-tasking abilities.
“Public relations is, I believe, a great field for women. Women are creative and innovative when approaching problems. We work hard. We know how to multi-task because we multi-task in every aspect of our lives.”
Walker added that she doesn’t mean to “male-bash” — she’s met plenty of men that work well in public relations.
Walker said the best part of her job is educating the public about legal issues. The focus of her job is more informative rather than promotional, she said, and the distinction can be particularly important in Florida because the Bar’s advertising rules are “the strictest in the country.”
“It’s really more oriented toward legal issues and problems; we don’t promote using a lawyer,” said Walker. “We certainly want the public to know and understand the difference between using a lawyer and getting ripped off by someone who is not.”
In addition to public information services, Walker said the department performs a variety of other tasks, from writing the language for plaques to assisting the Bar president with a speech.
Right now, Walker said they’re preparing for Jacksonville attorney Hank Coxe’s installation as the incoming Bar president June 22-24. They have to create a new Web page and other promotional material for him.
Walker said the office has to adjust to the preferences of each president year after year, but that comes with the job. She’s been working in public relations for the Florida Bar for six years, and she spent much of her previous career in medical public relations. Walker said the transition from one focus area to another was comfortable, and she thinks the medical and legal professions have a lot in common.
“Certainly in my 25 years, I have seen a lot of changes in the practice of medicine and law,” said Walker. Specialization and board certification became popular marketing tools for the medical profession years ago, she said, and now lawyers are moving toward a similar trend.
Some of the professions’ similarities can benefit the public, Walker said. After the Terry Schiavo controversy, Walker said she helped organize a public awareness campaign between the Bar and medical representatives.
“We joined to form public awareness of living wills,” she said. “Lawyers and doctors worked together to promote it.”
While Walker’s department accomplishes a lot for the Bar, she emphasized that a separate publications staff serves a vital role, as well. They create a biweekly newspaper, a journal and an annual directory. Both publications and public information fall under the Bar’s communication division. The four other Bar divisions include legal, programs, administrative and executive.