by Joe Wilhelm Jr.
Staff Writer
In current financial times, economy of motion is a valued asset, and it was the asset area bar associations were looking for when they met Downtown Wednesday.
The Jacksonville Bar Association President Michael Freed invited the leaders of area bar associations to discuss the goals of the associations and the issues facing their members.
“After attending The Florida Bar voluntary bar leaders meeting recently, I wanted to meet with area bar leaders to find out what kind of opportunities there are for us to work together on programs or issues facing the memberships,” said Freed.
He said that all could save time and money in spreading a message or promoting an educational event by working together.
One of the biggest issues facing the associations was the economy, which has affected the legal community in many ways.
Freed asked if the smaller bar associations were experiencing a dip in membership because of attorneys having to reduce spending on bar association dues, but some said the evaluation is beyond just dropping a membership.
“We’ve lost members because they’ve had to leave town to find jobs,” said Maria Aguila, president of the Jacksonville Asian American Bar Association.
The leaders agreed that not only has the job market for lawyers become very limited, and it is also home to Florida Coastal School of Law, whose graduates could continue to seek jobs in Jacksonville.
“I don’t think it’s a Coastal issue. If Harvard were here and it was graduating 500-600 students a year, we’d have the same issue,” said Freed.
“We had slow growth in this legal community for so many years, and now we are having rapid growth at a time when we have economic decline,” he said.
Lawyers are not limited to seeking employment from established firms. They also can open their own practice.
The group identified growth of new solo practitioners as a problem if they don’t have access to the proper guidance and mentorship when they enter the practice of law.
Some leaders shared information about the mentorship programs available from organizations.
“I’ve been in discussions with (Florida Coastal) about the idea of having an evening social event so that law students could come and meet different lawyers,” said Circuit Judge Karen Cole, president of the Florida Family Law American Inn of Court.
“It would not only be an opportunity to meet students for the possibility of job interviews down the road, but also the possibility of meeting students for unpaid internships. Students know that the more they get to know a firm, the more likely they are to get a job offer down the road,” she said.
Mark Mitchell, president of the Jacksonville Bankruptcy Bar Association, talked, about the “Bankruptcy Boot Camps” his association offers.
“They are primarily aimed at newer practitioners and we’ve had great feedback from that program,” said Mitchell.
The JBA plans to focus on the development of its mentorship program and will begin its drive to sign up interested members at its Aug. 23 luncheon at the Downtown Main Library.
The Hispanic Bar Association of Northeast Florida also has a mentorship program in partnership with Florida Coastal.
Associations represented at the meeting included the American Board of Trial Advocates Jacksonville Chapter; the Association of Legal Administrators Jacksonville Chapter; the Clay County Bar Association; the D.W. Perkins Bar Association; the E. Robert Williams Inn of Court; the Federal Bar Association Jacksonville Chapter; the Florida Family Law American Inn of Court; Friends of 440 Scholarship Fund; the Hispanic Bar Association of Northeast Florida; Jacksonville Area Legal Aid; the Jacksonville Asian American Bar Association; the Jacksonville Bankruptcy Bar Association; and The JBA.
356-2466