“There are 50-year organizations, and there are organizations that have done the same things year after year for 50 years.” These were the words of Alyce Lee Stansbury, a strategic planning consultant retained by the Jacksonville Bar Association last summer.
It was clear to us that the JBA fit the latter category. Undoubtedly, the JBA is as impactful as it is essential. But by focusing on luncheons, CLEs and socials, we have played it safe.
We have not answered the questions: What is our association of 2,000 lawyers uniquely equipped to accomplish? If we truly invested our time, treasure and talent, what could we build for our community? What difficult things can we do?
In December 2025, with the assistance of Stansbury Consulting and our board’s strategic planning committee comprising then-President Brian Coughlin, myself, Adina Pollan, Alex Hill, Tim Miller, Obi Anum and Kathryn Stanfill, the JBA answered these questions and this summer, we embark on our three-year plan.
Our first goal is to create career-changing experiences for our members. The JBA has already impacted many careers, including my own, and we will collect and tell these stories as we create new ones.
We will listen to our members. Because what gets measured gets managed, the association will diligently track program attendance, engagement and member feedback.
By focusing on legal excellence, relationships, access to justice, social justice and community stewardship, by 2029 the JBA aims to grow its membership to 60% of the attorneys practicing in Duval County.
The second goal is to operate as a high-performing organization recognized for leadership excellence. The plan calls for a best-in-class executive director and focused governance. We are well on our way, having recruited Betzy Santiago and restructuring our board committees and meetings.
We also envision our network of roughly 30 committees that host annual CLEs, convene legal specialists, create opportunities to visit with judges, celebrate affinity groups and drive professionalism operating at their full potential.
We aim to see each committee succeed.
Third, the plan capitalizes on the JBA’s strong reputation to expand community partnerships, growing our legal community’s pro bono commitment, charitable donations and partnerships with civic organizations.
In three years, we envision an annual 2,000 hours of JBA-sponsored pro bono activities focused on high-impact heirs’ property and veterans’ assistance.
Three Rivers Legal Services and Jacksonville Area Legal Aid have built frameworks that allow lawyers to engage seamlessly in such life-changing work.
On charitable giving, we are proud of the annual Holiday Project and the funds raised by the Young Lawyers Section. By 2029 we aim to grow annual giving to $150,000, reflecting our commitment to leveraging influence for community impact and expanded access to justice.
The fourth and final goal addresses financial sustainability and includes some of our most audacious targets. By 2029, the JBA intends to double annual revenue while maintaining at least two years of operating reserves.
Key strategies include a new business plan for the Lawyer Referral Service and diversifying revenue so more income comes from fee-for-service work and sponsorships.
We believe that doing “good” by driving access to justice and social justice is also good business and diversifying income remains the best way to avoid raising member dues.
Several themes run through our plan. Member engagement and career development are central because attorneys engage with the Bar when it delivers tangible value. Organizational excellence and governance appear throughout with benchmarks holding leadership accountable for results.
Community partnerships and pro bono service reflect the JBA’s belief in a civic obligation beyond its membership, and financial sustainability signals a mature organization preparing for the long term.
For Jacksonville’s legal community, the 2026-29 Strategic Plan is more than a set of institutional objectives. It is an invitation to every attorney in Northeast Florida to help build something enduring: a Bar association that ensures Jacksonville remains the best place to practice law.
Asghar Syed is a shareholder with Gunster. His practice focuses on commercial litigation.