The E. Robert Williams Inn of Court honored Judge M. Kemmerly Thomas, the newest member of the 1st District Court of Appeal, at the group’s fall quarterly meeting.
President Michael Rudolph congratulated Thomas and noted she was the only sitting DCA judge with a background in workers’ compensation.
In his introduction of Thomas, 1st DCA Judge Scott Makar praised Thomas for her role as a much-needed expert in the field of workers’ compensation.
Prior to her appointment, Makar said he felt the workers’ compensation unit with the court was sufficient to address cases before the judges.
However, Makar said his view changed after he had the opportunity to work with Thomas.
“I am now a believer that the 1st DCA needs a (workers’) comp lawyer on the bench,” he said.
Thomas is from Monroe, La., where she received her B.A. from Louisiana State University in 1988 and her law degree from the University of Mississippi in 1991.
After relocating to Tallahassee, she joined McConnaughhay, Coonrod, Pope, Waver & Stern, where she practiced in workers’ compensation defense, employment issues, lien resolution and carrier audit litigation until her appointment to the bench in June.
Thomas shared some interesting facts about herself with inn members, including her experience hunting with Phil and Si Robertson from the “Duck Dynasty” reality television series and her status as a certified wildlife, conservation and land management expert, stemming from her ownership of two farms in Mississippi and Georgia.
She also shared personal experiences as a new judge and said the 1st DCA is one of the top five busiest courts in the United States.
In 2015, workers’ compensation cases comprised 4 percent of the appellate case load but were twice as likely to receive a written opinion.
She lauded her fellow jurists on their thorough preparation on the cases despite the variety in many different specialties of the law.
At the end of her presentation, Thomas was recognized for her dedication to professionalism and was given a plaque declaring her an honorary member of the inn.
The group includes attorneys, judges, mediators and law students who are involved in the inn’s mission, which is to promote professionalism, provide tutelage and mentoring among members while being active in North Florida’s legal community.