Schifino sworn in as Bar president
WILLIAM SCHIFINO, JR., takes the oath of office with Chief Justice Labarga, as Schifino’s wife, Paola, holds the Bible, and daughters Amanda and Julia, and son Will witness the occasion.
Schifino sworn in as Bar president
‘As we travel this road together, we should never fear new ideas’
Calling for a collaborative approach, Florida Bar President William Schifino, Jr., pledged to tackle challenges facing the profession head-on while listening to others.
“As we travel this road together, we should never fear new ideas,” 56-year-old Schifino, the Tampa managing partner at Burr Forman, told those gathered at his swearing-in ceremony at the Bar Convention’s General Assembly on June 17.
“We should never fear healthy, robust, debate and dialogue. Let’s instead navigate, engage, adapt, and lead those ideas, those challenges, and those opportunities. For they are our challenges. Our opportunities.”
Schifino quoted Winston Churchill: “There is nothing wrong with change, if it is in the right direction. To improve is to change, so to be perfect is to have changed often.”
“While we shouldn’t expect perfection as we navigate through these challenging times, with change all around us, we will navigate together ‘in the right direction,’” Schifino said.
During these travels in the right direction, Schifino said, lawyers will “never sacrifice our commitment to professionalism, never waver on our commitment to serve the citizens of our state, never lower the standards of what it takes to become a Florida lawyer, and never compromise the ethical standards that have been established for the privilege of practicing law.”
He’s been asked many times what his platform will be for his year as president.
“I quickly reply, ‘This is our platform, The Florida Bar’s.’ I look forward to working with our Board of Governors to further what we all agree is the appropriate platform. We, the members of The Florida Bar, will continue to build consensus. We will make it our year, remembering the issues being addressed impact all of us.”
Schifino outlined five core issues he is confident will be addressed, along with many others:
•“We will continue to address the changes in the profession, including the advancement in technology, and challenging these advancements to assist our fellow practitioners so we all better serve our citizens and manage our practices.
• “The Constitution Revision Commission, which convenes every 20 years, begins in the middle of this Bar year. This and other legislative issues will certainly warrant much of our attention and time.
• “Together, we must continue to serve the legal needs of our working class and indigent, making certain justice is available for all — not some, not many — but liberty and justice for all.
• “We will continue to promote diversity and inclusion at all levels, especially our judicial nominating commissions and bench. An example of our efforts can be found in the Leadership Academy, our future leaders.
• “We’ll continue our efforts to provide more value to our members, assisting with their professional practices, through innovative solutions, and helpful services, such as Lawyers Assisting Lawyers, a Young Lawyers Division peer-to-peer statewide mentoring program.”
While the legal profession faces challenges and likely always will, Schifino said, he is heartened to meet lawyers and members of the judiciary who are passionate about the profession.
“I see an opportunity for all of us to continue to work together, as a team, utilizing all our available resources and our skills to collaborate to find innovative solutions,” Schifino said.
“We lawyers have the opportunity to serve the noblest of professions, for we are guardians of justice and the rule of law. Let us choose to seize that opportunity together. We will be a team, build consensus, and continue to grow as we honor our great profession.”
At Burr Forman, Schifino focuses on litigation and trial practice, including securities litigation and arbitration, professional malpractice litigation, employment litigation, and intellectual property litigation. He also is on the firm’s Executive Committee and is a board certified specialist in business litigation.
Schifino earned his J.D. from the University of Florida College of Law and his B.A. from Tulane University. After law school, he worked for Taub & Williams, P.A., then helped establish Williams, Schifino, Mangione & Steady, P.A., where he was a founding shareholder, president, and then managing director before the firm combined with Burr Forman in 2012.
Schifino recently completed an eight-year term as a member and chair of the 13th Judicial Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission.
Schifino is active in Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Greater Tampa and is director of the corporate board of the Boys & Girls Club of Tampa Bay, Inc. He is on the Board of Trustees for the University of Florida Levin College of Law. He also spent many years as a youth league softball coach.
