I couldn’t have done it without you.
As my term as president comes to an end, I am amazed at how time has flown and how fortunate I have been to represent our Bar Association and serve on the board, including our Young Lawyers Board, for more than 15 years.
It has been nothing less than an absolute honor and a privilege to have been extended the opportunity to serve our members. Our Bar Association has the finest members — members who are true examples of the good of our profession, members who are dedicated to improving our profession through serving others and giving back to our community.
I am saddened as my term as president and years of board member service come to an end, but content in the knowledge that our association and its members have done great deeds this past year, impacting the lives of many. Thank you all for taking the responsibility to assure that our profession maintains its honorable and significant place in society. The lawyers of the Fourth Judicial Circuit are some of the best in Florida.
It also has been rewarding and a true pleasure to serve with The JBA’s board of governors. Your board members are some of the most dedicated attorneys I have ever met. Their service on the board represents true public service in its purest sense.
I would like to thank each board member for his and her dedicated work, friendship, wise counsel and service to the attorneys in the Fourth Judicial Circuit.
The future of The JBA is in good hands with your board of governors and incoming President Mike Freed and President-elect Ray Driver. They will continue to seek to fulfill the mission of The JBA.
For those who have had the occasion to work with The JBA office, you also know what a tremendous gift our Bar has in our executive director, Susan Sowards, and our support staff of Shotsie Main, Kendra Rhodin, Jessie King, Kathy Carver and Linda Morris, our RMFMP administrator, along with the rest of the RMFMP staff.
These individuals are dedicated and work tirelessly to assure that our association serves our members and continues its prominence around the state.
In extending thanks, I must also thank my firm, my Bedell family, for providing support and assistance not only this year, but throughout my many years of Bar service.
I thoroughly enjoy serving the Bar and without their support and tolerance, my service would not have been possible. I am especially indebted to my partners John and Hank, who have provided advice, encouragement and assistance, and upon my paralegal, Katie, and my assistant, Melissa, who were always willing to lend a helping hand and provide a little ray of sunshine when needed.
Serving The JBA has been an unforgettable experience, which I humbly thank you for allowing me to enjoy. I hope that each and every one of you will accept the opportunity to participate with The Bar.