On Feb. 4, 1897, 33 lawyers gathered in a city of barely 17,000 souls to charter the Jacksonville Bar Association.
Back then, Jacksonville was known as a “Winter City in a Summer Land”— a tourist destination with luxurious hotels and a vibrant Downtown. A major port and rail hub, the city was on the move. Henry Flagler’s railway connected Downtown to the Beaches, and the urban landscape was being designed around electric street cars.
There had not been a Great Fire, no world wars were on the horizon and modern legal practice had yet to be conceived. In subsequent decades, Jacksonville has transformed. But those founders enshrined commitments to ethics, education, service and collaboration that have endured.
As the JBA steps into its 130th year, I have the privilege of serving as the association’s president and, through the Bar Bulletin in the Jacksonville Daily Record, I am honored to share my perspective on Jacksonville’s legal community.
I begin by addressing a deceptively simple question: Why does the JBA exist?
The JBA has played an outsized role in fostering the culture of collegiality and professionalism we enjoy in Northeast Florida. And it exists to ensure Jacksonville is and remains the best place to practice law.
To be clear, I believe Jacksonville is already the best place to practice law. I am not from here, but I feel incredibly blessed to have pursued my career in Northeast Florida.
As a child, I had no idea I would be a lawyer. There were none in my family. Growing up in the Middle East and attending British schools, no one in my orbit had experience with the American justice system.
In 2005, while I was wrapping up a year teaching English in China (with no real career plan), my brother accepted a position with a Jacksonville neurology practice. I followed the path of least resistance: moving in with my brother, signing up for the LSAT, and applying to UF law. As of 2005, I could have ended up literally anywhere doing virtually anything. Thanks to my brother, I ended up here.
So what makes Jacksonville special? Our profession is no monolith, but it is undeniable that lawyers here have a better shot at work-life balance than attorneys in major markets. Given Northeast Florida’s relative affordability, young professionals can achieve economic milestones like home ownership—something that seems daunting, if not impossible, for young lawyers in South Florida.
What really sets Jacksonville apart is our culture of collegiality. Among members of the Jacksonville Bar, a conferral tends to be an honest-to-God conferral. We know each other. We know our judges. We know this isn’t the last time we’ll need to discuss whatever problem we’re dealing with and, next time, the tables may be turned.
By setting aside petty squabbles and gamesmanship, we save clients money and deliver results. Effective dispute resolution drives job satisfaction and incalculable benefits for our community.
More fundamentally, our culture allows us to cut through nonsense and focus on what we love—being lawyers.
On any given day, a lawyergets to be a pugilist, detective, therapist, problem solver, facilitator of justice or defender of the Constitution. Ours is a full-contact sport. It tests us and forces us to overcome our limitations.
We are constantly learning—steeping ourselves in narratives, industries and social issues. We are witty, clever, pragmatic, sometimes cynical, but usually quite capable. We are proud, and we should be, because we offer hope to our clients when they need it.
The JBA exists to lift up and celebrate lawyers in doing exactly what they love. The JBA delivers CLEs and organizes committees of specialists because it believes in excellence. It facilitates networking opportunities because relationships can deliver career-changing experiences. It operates a Lawyer Referral Service and promotes pro bono work because it believes in access to justice and social justice. It funds charities and volunteers because it is a community steward.
As Northeast Florida’s legal community, we are of this place, we believe in its potential and we remain committed to seeing Jacksonville flourish.
It is our commitments to our profession, our city, and each other that makes Jacksonville the best place to practice law.
Asghar Syed is a shareholder with Gunster. His practice focuses on commercial litigation.