The E. Robert Williams Inn of Court revealed the new name of its professionalism award and presented it to an honorary member who practiced with the Inn’s namesake.
Douglass Myers is an assistant general counsel with the City of Jacksonville’s Office of General Counsel and is the first to receive the Inn’s John J. Schickel Professionalism Award.
“I’m one of the old-timers who practiced with E. Robert Williams, and it is an honor to receive an award with his name on it,” said Myers.
“They did a great job of keeping it a secret. I was totally surprised by the award,” he said.
The E. Robert Williams Inn of Court comprises lawyers, judges, mediators and law students who are significantly involved in the workers’ compensation area of law in Jacksonville.
It is named after E. Robert Williams, “a well-respected litigator and mediator in Jacksonville who established a great sense of professionalism and ethics in the legal community and the practice of workers’ compensation.”
Member Michael O’Rourke presented the award to Myers.
“What strikes me about Doug taking a depo is his politeness toward the deponent. He doesn’t treat them like a criminal. He treats them as a co-worker who deserves respect and who unfortunately got hurt on the job,” said O’Rourke.
“As an attorney who represents the City, he deposes teachers who educate our children, firefighters who protect our property, and police officers who keep our families safe,” said O’Rourke. “And he is able to be respectful while still doing his job.”
Myers has specialized in the field of workers’ compensation law since 1973. He joined the General Counsel’s Office in December 1997 and became board certified in workers’ compensation law in 2006.
The E. Robert Williams Inn of Court was formed in 2007 and states that its “ongoing mission is to promote professionalism, provide tutelage and mentoring amongst the Inns’ members while playing an active part in North Florida’s legal community.”
Founding members included Judge William Dane, Craig Gibbs, Judge Ivy Cream Harris, Allison Hauser, Ralph Humphries, Theodore Johns, O’Rourke, Michael Rudolph, Ben Samuels Jr., Schickel and Richard Stoudemire.
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