We’re all busy people, and you are probably asking yourself why you should spend half a day this week attending the 2009 Professionalism Symposium. The answer is simple: If you really care about the practice of law in our community and making it better for yourself and for your colleagues, you can’t afford not to.
The 2009 JBA Professionalism Symposium, cosponsored by the Fourth Judicial Circuit and the Jacksonville Bar Association, will bring together area attorneys and judges in an open forum to discuss how to improve the practice of law in our community. This year’s symposium will be held at the Main Branch Public Library Conference Center from 12:30-5 p.m. on Thursday. A reception follows the event from 5-6:30 p.m. at Café Nola in the Museum of Contemporary Art.
Attendees will earn 4.5 Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credits from the Florida Bar, including 3.0 Professionalism credits and 1.5 Ethics credits. Continuing Judicial Education credits are also being sought. The cost to attend is $115 for JBA members, $160 for nonmembers, $80 for Government nonmembers, and $60 for Government members, making the Symposium an incredibly cost-effective way to get those hard-to-earn Ethics and Professionalism credits.
An amazing group of experts will be present to talk about real-life issues impacting professionalism in our community, as well as possible solutions. The JBA is very honored that the Honorable Susan H. Black of the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals will be the featured keynote speaker at the 2009 Symposium. The JBA is also excited to welcome Jack Marshall, Esquire, a nationally renowned expert in legal ethics, to be the plenary speaker.
It was very important to the planning committee for this year’s symposium to make sure attendees had choices regarding the program. As such, attendees may tailor their experience to their own areas of interest, and will have four post-plenary breakout sessions from which to choose. The first breakout, led by Mr. Marshall, will be a continuation of ethical topics covered in his plenary. The second, moderated by Shawn Arnold, will be a panel discussion on professionalism in the practice of criminal law, led by United States Attorneys A. Brian Albritton, Federal Defender Donna Lee Elm, and Fourth Judicial Circuit State Attorney, Angela Corey, and Public Defender, Matt Shirk. The third, led by national speaker Byron Sabol, will examine enhancing business and professional relationships in today’s electronically driven world. The fourth, led by Professors Cynthia Baines, Gina Donahoo and Kirby Oberdorfer of Florida Coastal School of Law, will examine the keys to professional communication.
The final portion of the symposium will feature a panel of distinguished judges, including U.S. District Court Judge Timothy J. Corrigan, and the Honorable Roberto A. Arias, Jean M. Johnson and David C. Wiggins from the Fourth Judicial Circuit. Moderated by Hugh Cotney, the panelists will address professionalism-related questions submitted by members of the Jacksonville Bar Association.
Working together, we can help our legal community reach its full potential. Please come lend your voice and your ideas to this effort. For more information on this event, please contact the JBA Office at (904) 399-4486.