In the past 16 years, I have written dozens of articles for the Jacksonville Bar Association and The Florida Bar.
I am out of topics.
After asking for suggestions from friends and other Bar leaders, I decided to write about my time in service for the Bar. I know, that is really boring, but I was the class clown in high school and am generally hilarious, so please keep reading.
Actually, if you do not, I do not really care at this point. I just want to go to the beach.
To all lawyers, please get involved in the JBA. You can make connections with other professionals no matter what you are passionate about.
The JBA offers multiple ways to get involved from committee involvement to running for the board. Simply put, my involvement with the Bar has been one of the most rewarding aspects of my career.
Further, getting involved early in my career was crucial to my success in the profession.
In 2008, I was a second-year lawyer who lived in an 800-square-foot apartment in Riverside. At the time, I was unmarried although dating my now-wife, Whitney, long distance and had no children.
I lost my first YLS election to Fraz Ahmed, who teamed with Pat Kilbane and fellow alumnus from the esteemed Florida Coastal School of Law Michael Orr to form an axis of evil that delivered a sound defeat to yours truly.
Fraz, Michael and Pat subsequently became close friends of mine and remain so today.
Shortly thereafter, a special seat opened up and I became a board member of the Young Lawyers Section of the Jacksonville Bar Association and have been honored to be reelected since then on both the YLS and JBA boards.
I worked alongside some of the finest lawyers and people in Jacksonville including Katie Dearing, Kirby Oberdorfer, Elizabeth Howard, Lee Wedekind, Michelle Barnett, Lindsay Tygart, Eric Roberson, the three bozos mentioned in the prior paragraph and countless others.
We had a ton of fun during the YLS years. While we did a lot and the YLS still does a lot for the Bar and for the community, I want to highlight a couple events.
My wife’s chili received second place at the inaugural YLS Chili Cook-off held on the patio at Florida Coastal. There were seven teams that first year. It is incredible that the YLS has grown that event into a community event featuring more than 50 teams and raising more than $20,000 for local charities each year.
My proudest moment on the YLS came when Dave Chauncey, Alex Hill, Michael Lockamy and I visited Jean Ribault High School to meet with the assistant principal to establish what became the “Ribault Future Lawyers” program.
Meeting and mentoring those extremely intelligent kids remains one of the brightest spots in my life.
Admittedly, I am very proud that this program not only remains, but has been replicated in other areas of the state.
During my years on YLS, I was elected to represent the 4th Judicial Circuit on the Young Lawyers Division of The Florida Bar. I spent seven years on that board, culminating in my year as YLD president.
While a lot of hard work was involved representing about 25,000 young lawyers in Florida, this also resulted in dozens of close friendships across the state and country. I strongly encourage all lawyers to somehow get involved with The Florida Bar.
After the YLS and YLD presidencies, I was done, but Geddes Anderson, Katie Dearing, Michelle Barnett and Pat Kilbane convinced me to keep going.
I was lucky enough to earn the honor of serving on the JBA “Big Board” for eight years, this past year serving as president.
It has been a true honor. The board faced some challenging issues, but I am confident we did the right thing at every step of the way.
Here we are 16 years later – I am happily married to Whitney and the proud father of 5-year-old Parker.
The time has flown by, but it is time I move on from service to the JBA and Florida Bar.
The JBA is in great hands led by the incoming executive leadership of President Brian Coughlin, President-elect Asghar Syed, Treasurer Adina Pollan and Secretary Alex Hill.
As I read what I just wrote, I completely accept that this article is entirely self-gratuitous. However, I am past my deadline and I have no ability to come up with a new topic.
It has been my pleasure to serve. If you need me, I will be at the beach or at the ballpark with my family.
Christian George is managing partner of Akerman’s office in Jacksonville and effective July 1, immediate past president of the Jacksonville Bar Association.