Staff Writer
The Jacksonville Bar Association kicked off its 2010-11 year Thursday with its monthly luncheon at the Hyatt with guest speaker Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles Canady.
Christa Figgins, JBA Board of Governors member, reported that the membership participated in a food drive to stock the Hubbard House pantry. Hubbard House provides shelter and outreach services for domestic violence victims and their families. In total, The JBA members were able to gather 600 pounds of food during the drive.
The organization also took time to remember recently departed members and supporters of the association. Senior Judge Bernard Nachman paid tribute to former Circuit Court Judge Virginia Beverly.
“Her courtroom always had a mixture of decorum and warm congeniality,” said Nachman. “She made you feel that you had to behave, but you were always welcome in her courtroom.”
Financial News & Daily Record Publisher Jim Bailey remembered his father, James Bailey Sr., who was recognized for his support of The JBA.
“My father did a job placement service on the side for the legal community,” said Bailey. “He had this yellow legal notepad on his desk with all these names on it and I asked him one day why he didn’t just place ads for the jobs. He would explain that one person wasn’t right for this office and another didn’t have the temperament for that office.”
Bailey explained that his father really enjoyed helping people get to the right place.
Canady was set to take the podium after the tributes, but not before a proper introduction, via a recorded video message from U.S. Rep. Ander Crenshaw. The introduction was somewhat of an oddity being that it was produced in Washington, D.C., without the assistance of a teleprompter.
“Charles is a longtime friend of mine. He has undertaken a lot of tasks over the years, and he has done an outstanding job just about every time,” said Crenshaw. “He served in the Florida House of Representatives. He became a member of the United States Congress and was an outstanding member in this body up here.”
Canady spoke on the issues of adequate funding for the state court system and the need for pro bono service from Florida Bar members.
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