by Joe Wilhelm Jr.
Staff Writer
The Fourth Judicial Circuit advocates for professionalism and collegiality, and The Jacksonville Bar Association continued its “Sidebar Lunch” program to further that environment.
Judges from the Family and Juvenile Divisions of the Fourth Judicial Circuit met with area lawyers Wednesday at the Duval County Courthouse for lunch and a discussion about court procedures.
Circuit Judges Karen Cole, Don Lester, Tom Beverly, Linda McCallum, Henry Davis, Greg McCaulie, E. McRae Mathis, David Wiggins and John Merrett are currently serving in the Family and Juvenile Division. They will be joined by Judge Lance Day in January. Day last served on the bench in the Family Division in 1999.
Luncheon moderator Marla Buchanan of Rogers Towers asked the judges to tell the audience of about 35 attorneys what is expected of them in court.
“The better you can do at presenting the evidence of the case, the better we can do to decide what to do with the case,” said McCaulie.
Lester presented three actions that should be done at the start of every hearing.
“Introduce yourself to the judge, introduce your client and tell me what you are going to be arguing,” said Lester.
Requests for emergency motions also were discussed.
“I don’t mind working late, but if you expect me to invest my time on an emergency motion, then you should be in the office waiting for my reply,” said Cole.
“Often when I call the office of an attorney after staying to handle an emergency motion, I’ve been told that the attorney has gone home. What you are telling me there is that it really wasn’t an emergency,” she said.
Buchanan also asked what the judges would like to see lawyers stop doing.
“Don’t fax motions,” said McCallum. “We get them faxed to us out of the blue all the time. Give us the courtesy of an explanation.”
Davis addressed an issue outside of the courtroom that may affect the daily ebb and flow of the courtroom.
“There are some important things that can be done in setting up a practice,” said Davis. “The person you have answering the phones is the most important person in your office. Make sure they are trained properly. Sometimes it’s difficult to get information when someone doesn’t know what they are doing.”
The judges and attorneys then discussed the possibility of developing a lunch where legal assistants could meet the judicial assistants.
Merrett also urged the lawyers attending to reach out to the younger lawyers to help them preserve the circuit’s professionalism.
“We want to keep this a place where the practice of law is a decent way to make a living,” said Merrett. “Not combat with neckties.”
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