by Joe Wilhelm Jr.
Staff Writer
A joint meeting of two recently-created Inns of Court benefited from their synergy.
The First District Appellate American Inn of Court located in Tallahassee was formed about a year ago and it is the third of its kind in the United States and the second in Florida. The E. Brian Williams Inn of Court is a Workers Compensation Court Inn that has reached its second anniversary.
“The First DCA (District Court of Appeal) hears all the appeals in workers compensation cases,” said First DCA Judge William Van Nortwick, “So it’s just a great opportunity to work together.”
The joint meeting of the two Inns of Court was held at Epping Forest Yacht Club on June 16. It was organized by Marks Gray attorney Allison Hauser, treasurer of the E. Brian Williams Inn of Court. More than 35 people attended including three judges from the Florida First District Court of Appeal: Charles Kahn, Jr., William Van Nortwick, Jr., and James Wolf.
Local judges in attendance were Circuit Court Judge Jim Daniel, Compensation Claims Judges Ivey Cream Harris and Stephen Rosen and retired judges Tyrie Boyer and William Dane. Clerk of the First DCA John Wheeler and First DCA Worker’s Compensation Unit Director Caroline Johnson were also in attendance.
Attendance was something that surprised Wolf about the Jacksonville members of the Tallahassee based Inn of Court.
“We have 10 members from Jacksonville,” said Wolf, a founding member of the Appellate Inn of Court. “We were worried if they would maintain their membership, but they have been religious about attending meetings in Tallahassee.”
Wheeler gave a presentation outlining statistics regarding the number of cases filed with the First District Court of Appeal which includes 32 counties in Florida and is one of the largest appellate courts in the nation both in terms of judges assigned and cases annually disposed.
Johnson gave a presentation outlining her duties and responsibilities as director of the First DCA Worker’s Compensation Unit along with a summary of the staff members assigned to the Unit.
Daniel served as moderator of a panel discussion concerning effective brief writing and oral argument with Kahn, Van Nortwick, and Wolf, Wheeler and Johnson.
Joint Inn of Court meetings are a prerequisite to qualification for the Model of Excellence Award from the National American Inn of Court Chapter based in Washington, D.C. and both Inns of Court fulfilled that requirement.
“It’s a great opportunity to meet the appellate judges on a more social basis,” said Rosen. “We can talk on a one-on-one basis that is not always available.”
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