from staff
The Florida Bar’s 2007 Annual Convention at the Orlando World Center Marriott Wednesday-Saturday may see record attendance as nearly 3,000 attorneys are expected to participate in the meeting that will see the first Cuban-born attorney become president of the 80,000-plus member organization.
The convention’s theme, “Stand Up for Justice,” pays homage to the Pulitzer Prize- winning book “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Author Harper Lee gave The Florida Bar permission to use the phrase “Miss Jean Louise, stand up,” which is spoken to “Scout” as her father leaves the courtroom and she is told to stand in honor of his quest to save an innocent man.
“We thank Ms. Harper Lee for granting us her personal permission to borrow from her classic work about justice, prejudice, compassion and integrity,” said Florida Bar President Hank Coxe. “Stand Up for Justice is an invitation for each of us, as lawyers, to work to stand up for justice by bringing compassion and integrity to our work within the legal system.”
In addition to offering 18 seminars, the convention will see the installation of Frank Angones as the Bar’s 59th president. A civil trial attorney in Miami, Angones arrived in the United States 46 years ago from Cuba via the child-rescue program called Operation Peter Pan. He will be sworn in as president during the General Assembly Friday. Palm Beach County attorney John G. White III, will be sworn in as president-elect, to become president in June 2008. At the General Assembly, Florida Sen. Mel Martinez will give the keynote address.
Other highlights of the convention include the Judicial Luncheon Thursday with Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice R. Fred Lewis giving a State of the Judiciary address. The luncheon’s keynote speaker will be U.S. District Court Judge William G. Young, who sentenced “shoe bomber” Richard Reid and in doing so made an impassioned declaration about the value of freedom and individual rights.
At the annual gathering, 123 attorneys who have been members of The Florida Bar for 50 years will be honored. Gerald Bard Tjoflat, a 50-year member and judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, will speak at the recognition luncheon. Also being honored are nine senior counselors, who have been attorneys for 50 years or more but not members of The Florida Bar for the entire time.
Conventions give attorneys a chance to advance their legal educations in seminars presented by the Bar’s committees and sections. Among this year’s seminars are:
• Two presidential showcases: “Criminal Justice and Our Constitutions - That Delicate Balance: Where Courageous Inquiry Leads ...” Thursday; and “Litigating Consumer Cases in Arbitration and Court: Practical Lessons for the Defense and Plaintiff Bar” Friday.
• “Animal Law — State and Federal Issues in Today’s Society” (Thursday)
• “eDiscovery: The Changing Landscape” (Thursday)
• “Your Firm’s Culture: Breed Malpractice or Support Professionalism?” (Friday)
• “First Amendment and the U.S. Supreme Court” (Friday)
• “2007 Military Law and Legal Assistance Symposium” (Saturday)
• “Trials and Tribulations with Roy Black and Ervin A. Gonzalez” (Saturday)
At Friday’s dinner and show, Frank Caliendo, Mad-TV alumnus and creator and star of the upcoming “The Frank Show,” is the featured entertainer. The Malones Motor City Review will provide the music. Many attorneys bring their families with them to the annual gathering. A special “Friday Night Fun Just for Kids!” is planned, with face painting, a juggler, a magician, balloon artists and movies and cartoons.
In honor of the late Alan C. Sundberg Jr., the “Hat Shirt Squirt 5K” is Saturday. All proceeds from the event, which asks participants to “put on your hat, your shirt and your sunscreen” benefit the Florida Skin Cancer Foundation.
The Bar rotates its annual conventions between the Orlando World Center Marriott Resort and the Boca Raton Resort and Club. The Orlando facility rests on more than 200 acres and is minutes away from major area attractions. The hotel, which boasts nearly a quarter-million feet of meeting space, also has an 18-hole championship golf course, 10 restaurants and lounges and six pools.