Duval County Judge Roberto Arias, left, and 4th District Court of Appeals Judge James Edwards
Justin Dixon
Jackie Van Laningham
Derek Mountford
James F. Moseley Jr.
Asghar Syed
Duval County Judge Roberto Arias, left, and 4th District Court of Appeals Judge James Edwards conducted a seminar Thursday for candidates seeking the office of judge in the August primary election.
Edwards is vice chair of the state Supreme Court’s Judicial Ethics Advisory Committee; Arias is a past chair. Participation is mandatory for candidates, who learned some of the finer points of Canon 7 of The Florida Bar Rules that govern judicial ethics and professionalism.
“You are starting to be a judge while you’re out on the campaign trail,” Edwards said.
The Florida Legal Access Gateway, a service designed to help the public navigate the legal and court system in certain civil matters has been cleared for statewide launch.
The program began on a limited, experimental basis in October 2016 at the Clay County Clerk of the Circuit Court’s office, offering pro se litigants online self-help forms and instructions for landlord-tenant issues and simplified dissolution of marriage. In some cases, people were referred to legal aid or other pro bono services.
Seven months later, after Clay County Clerk Tara Green recruited a panel of attorneys, “low bono” legal services were added, allowing people to seek counsel from an attorney for $30 for a 30-minute session.
Last week, the state Supreme Court’s Commission on Access to Civil Justice approved making the system available in all 67 counties while adding more types of civil case self-assistance.
The expansion will be overseen by the Florida Bar Foundation and the Florida Justice Technology Center, developers of the pilot program.
According to the commission, more than 5,700 people visited the gateway site during the pilot program. Of customers who completed a survey, 100 percent said it was easy to use and 70 percent said they were satisfied with the service from the program.
The online gateway was launched with a $500,000 budget derived from a bank settlement related to mortgage issues.
The pilot program cost about $150,000 to design and implement.
The commission anticipates the expansion can be accomplished within the $350,000 balance, with about $25,000 in recurring annual expense to maintain the statewide program.
The Jacksonville Women Lawyers Association and St. Johns Association of Women Lawyers will host a happy hour for members at 5:30 p.m. May 17 at Moxie Kitchen + Cocktails at St. Johns Town Center.
It’s sponsored by Dr. Kalpana DePasquale, who wants to network with attorneys to expand her involvement as a medical expert for legal review casework.
Visit jwla.org to register.
Holland & Knight added three attorneys as associates in the firm’s Jacksonville office.
Justin Dixon focuses his practice on commercial litigation in state and federal court. Before joining Holland & Knight, he was an assistant state attorney in the 4th Judicial Circuit, where he participated in more than 20 jury trials.
Dixon received a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Florida and a JD from the University of South Carolina.
Derek Mountford is a trial attorney who focuses his practice on commercial and consumer financial services litigation.
He is experienced in handling state and federal court actions, including class actions and in defending clients in issues including consumer law and mass torts litigation.
Mountford received a bachelor’s from Harding University and a JD from the University of Florida.
Jackie Van Laningham focuses her practice on commercial litigation and consumer financial services litigation, concentrating on trust and probate matters, contract disputes and alleged federal and state regulatory violations. She received a bachelor’s from the University of Florida and a JD from Florida State University.
Jacksonville attorney James F. Moseley Jr. has been elected an officer and membership secretary of the Maritime Law Association of the United States.
Founded in 1899, the organization has about 3,000 members, including maritime lawyers, judges active in admiralty issues, admiralty law professors and stakeholders in the maritime industry.
Moseley is a partner with the firm of Moseley, Prichard, Parrish, Knight & Jones and has been practicing in the area of civil litigation for more than 30 years.
Asghar Syed joined Gunster as a shareholder in Jacksonville and a member of the business litigation and labor and employment practice groups.
