Glover in line to lead the Young Lawyers Division
Glover in line to lead the Young Lawyers Division
Megan E. Davis
Associate Editor
The Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division recently elected Gordon Glover of Ocala president of the YLD for 2015.
“This is Gordon’s sixth year on the board, and you would be very hard-pressed to find a single member who wouldn’t say exemplary things about Gordon, his hard work, and his accomplishments thus far,” said Ashley Sybesma of Ft. Lauderdale, as she nominated Glover for the position. “His dedication to this board is undeniable, and I am fully confident that Gordon’s time to lead our board is now.”
Glover will take over the reins as president-elect in July, under the leadership of President Michael Fox Orr. In the election, Glover ran against Katherine Hurst Miller of Daytona Beach and Sorraya Solages of Ft. Lauderdale. He defeated Miller in a run-off.
Glover said a desire to support Florida’s young lawyers inspired him to run for the position.
He recalled some of the alarming statistics he’s heard as a member of the technology subcommittee of Bar President Eugene Pettis’ Vision 2016 commission, including a prediction that only 28,000 job openings will exist for 44,000 new lawyers entering the profession each year for the next decade.
“One of the main reasons I ran for president-elect is because I believe the YLD has the unique ability to shape the future practice of law and become the place where young lawyers find the guidance and support they need to be successful,” Glover said.
During his year as president-elect, Glover said he plans to “meet and speak with as many young lawyers throughout the state as possible in order to learn more about their needs and the current issues facing today’s young lawyer.”
As president, Glover said meeting the needs of young lawyers transitioning from law school to practicing law will be his top priority.
“One of my goals will be to promote and encourage law firms throughout Florida to start programs such as the recently developed Resident at Law program,” he said. “This program is an 18-month opportunity for recent law school graduates to receive in-depth training in a specific legal area. Although it initially did not gain much traction, Greenberg Traurig recently began a similar lawyer-in-training program at its 29 U.S. offices.”
Gordon said he also plans to build on the board’s services for new lawyers forced to open their own practices immediately after law school.
“There is a growing number of lawyers who hang their shingle out of law school and desperately need our help,” he said. “Many new lawyers do not have the support they need and are faced with questions they never imagined while sitting in law school — like how to operate a trust account. As a result, the YLD must support young lawyers by making available to them the tools they need to succeed.
“It is my hope to enhance programs we currently offer, such as Practicing with Professionalism, Basic CLEs, Mentoring with the Masters, and online webinars, as well as find new and innovative ways to assist young lawyers as they venture into the real world.”
Additionally, Glover named serving as a resource to young lawyers for their technological needs as a goal for his presidency.
“We all appreciate the fact that technology is revolutionizing the practice of law at lightning speed,” he said. “Technology tools, such as apps and practice management software, are no longer luxury items that lawyers can live without. They are essential to run an efficient and effective law practice.”
Fellow board member Christian P. George of Jacksonville praised Glover’s work in various leadership positions on the board.
“He doesn’t just take leadership positions and go through them as they were done before. He takes a fresh approach and he innovates. He often leaves the position in better shape than it was in before,” he said.
George pointed to Glover’s work as co-chair of the board’s Communications Committee as an example.
“At that time, every section of the Bar had a hard copy newsletter,” he said. “Gordon came up with the idea of converting ours to an electronic version. This was the first section to do that and now every section has followed that lead.”
Glover has also chaired the Practicing with Professionalism Committee for two years and heads an ad hoc committee tasked with investigating and overseeing opportunities to offer PWP online.
“Having been the single person on the committee who dissented to the move, I had sincere doubts about how this would be accomplished,” Sybesma said. “Gordon was careful to understand the viewpoints of myself and others who opposed the transition. He and his committee have now developed an impressive framework for an online PWP that will be more than just a standard online course and will integrate a fully interactive engaging program that can serve as a model for other sections and other states to follow.”
Sybesma also praised Glover’s efforts as co-chair of the technology committee.
“Gordon created our wildly popular lunch webinar series, which are offering CLE credits to our members,” she said. “We have had almost 1,000 registrants for each webinar.”
Together with Co-chair Zack Zuroweste, Glover initiated a campaign promising to donate $1 to The Florida Bar Foundation for every new “like” to the division’s Facebook page and new follower on Twitter.
The campaign raised more than $2,000.
Glover has also chaired the Moot Court Committee.
Born and raised in Gainesville, Glover attended the University of Florida for undergrad before receiving his law degree from Florida State University College of Law. In October 2012, he opened the Glover Law Firm in Ocala and The Villages. His practice focuses primarily in plaintiff’s personal injury, but he also practices commercial litigation.
Glover and his wife, Ashley, have 2-year-old twins, Bennett and Elsa.
Looking forward to the next two years, Glover said the opportunity to serve as YLD president excites him.
“I strongly believe that if we start to look at things differently and think outside of the box, we can change the landscape of the legal profession for the better,” he said.
