The Young Lawyers Section of the Jacksonville Bar Association received the 2026 Group Professionalism Award presented by The Florida Bar’s Standing Committee on Professionalism for its Young Lawyers Institute.
The award recognizes a program established and conducted by a voluntary Bar association, judicial organization, inn of court or law school organization that has enhanced professionalism among lawyers and students through programs that can be implemented by other organizations to promote and encourage professionalism in the legal community.
The Young Lawyers Institute comprised five interactive “lunch and learn” sessions at the Duval County Courthouse between September 2024 and May 2025.
The program provides young lawyers with direct access to members of the judiciary and experienced legal professionals in a casual, discussion-based setting that emphasizes professionalism, courtroom decorum, ethical practice and effective advocacy.
Each session focused on a different area of practice including circuit criminal, family law, county court, circuit civil and mediation and arbitration. Panels for each session featured judges and legal professionals who shared practical guidance, professional expectations and real-world insights from the bench.
In nominating YLS for the award, attorney and mediator Penny Schmidt said the primary goals and objectives of the institute are to promote professionalism among young lawyers, strengthen relationships between the bench and the Bar and provide practical, experience-based guidance to improve the quality of legal practice in Northeast Florida.
Evaluation methods included setting specific goals and objectives, such as enhancing professionalism and ethical awareness by providing direct instruction from judges and legal professionals on courtroom expectations, civility, ethical obligations and professional conduct; increasing judicial access and transparency by creating an informal, small-group environment in which young lawyers can engage candidly with members of the judiciary; improving practical legal skills through exposure to judicial perspectives across multiple practice areas; encouraging collegiality and mentorship among young lawyers from diverse practice areas; and creating a replicable model that can be continued annually and implemented by other Bar associations and legal organizations.
The success of the program was measured and evaluated through strong attendance across all sessions, high levels of participant engagement and positive informal feedback from attendees and participating judges, Schmidt said.
More than 100 lawyers and law students attended the sessions, with 16 young lawyers directly involved in organizing and administering the program.
Participants who attended all five sessions received a certificate of completion at the Jacksonville Bar Association Young Lawyers Section annual meeting.