Voluntary Bar News

The Florida Bar

www.floridabar.org

This electronic digest of voluntary bar news is dedicated to the interaction of local, special interest and substantive bar associations. It will serve as a forum to share information and highlight the many activities of the voluntary bar associations of The Florida Bar and will be published at least once a month or as needed. You can view past and current issues by going to the bar's website, www.FLABAR.org. Submit articles, pictures or general comments to Maria Simmons Johnson, the Bar-to-Bar E-news editor and your voluntary bar liaison, mjohnson@flabar.org or 651 E. Jefferson Street, Tallahassee, FL 32399-2300. Photos sent by e-mail should come in jpg and gif format.

August/September 2008, Issue 40
CHAIR'S MESSAGE

Hi Voluntary Bar Liaison Committee Members –

We had such a great Voluntary Bar Leaders Conference at Saddlebrook in Wesley Chapel this past July. Thank you ALL for your attendance and “Yee Haa!!” enthusiasm. The Clearwater, St. Petersburg, and West Pasco Bars hosted record numbers this year and some of the best guest speakers I have ever heard. We will be reviewing the Survey Results at The Florida Bar General Meeting in September so that we can learn from the effort and grow. Please be sure to attend so that you can give your input in person.

It is hard to believe that the planning is underway already for the 2009 Voluntary Bar Leaders Conference but it is. So if you have any suggestions for improving the conference or your voluntary bar association wants to co-host the event sometime in the near future, please do not hesitate to contact me or Kathy Arrant, my capable vice-chair, or Maria Simmons Johnson, our wonderful Florida Bar Staff.

Thank you for your time and commitment. Together we will make The Florida Bar and the Voluntary Bar Liaison Committee great!!

From Tampa, Florida

Veronica S. Prostko
vprostko@macdonaldcenter.org
(813) 870-1300
Voluntary Bar Liaison
Committee Chair 2007-2009

WHAT'S GOING ON AROUND THE BARS...

CABA poll gives Hispanic perspective -- The Cuban American Bar Association released the results of its Judicial Poll on Aug. 13. CABA is proud to announce its poll results, which had a 17% response rate. The CABA poll rated candidates and judges who are now facing election, as exceptionally qualified, qualified or unqualified. The poll went out to about 1,400 lawyers in the county, and 243 of them mailed back the questionnaires. For more information, go to www.cabaonline.com.

South Florida Minority Mentoring Picnic set for Nov. 1 -- Mark your calendars for Nov. 1 and join more than 1,500 lawyers, judges, minority law school students, guests and family members for the Fifth Annual Minority Mentoring Picnic that will be held at Amelia Earhart Park in Hialeah. Voluntary bar associations from throughout Florida participate. For more information, to RSVP and to see photos from past picnics, go to www.kttlaw.com/mmp. If you have specific questions, e-mail John Kozyak at jk@kttlaw.com or call him at (305) 377-0654.

PBCBA to host Cocktail Reception and Spelling Bee -- The Palm Beach County Bar Association's Lawyers for Literacy Committee will host its Annual Summer Cocktail Reception and Spelling Bee on Aug. 28 from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. at the President Country Club in West Palm Beach. The cost to attend is $20 for members and complimentary for judges. Proceeds will benefit local literacy programs. To attend, RSVP to www.palmbeachbar.org.

Florida State University College of Law Offers Speakers -- Florida State University College of Law is offering an outreach program to bar associations and other professional groups. The law school offers professors as speakers at meetings, conventions and other events. For information about additional faculty members and recent faculty presentations, you can visit www.law.fsu.edu/faculty/publications/presentations.pdf or if you would like a Florida State Law professor to speak at an upcoming event, contact Kelly A. O'Keefe at kokeefe@bergersongerman.com or (850) 521-6724.

Central Florida to host Diversity Picnic -- The Central Florida Diversity Picnic will be held on Feb. 28, 2009 at Stetson University College of Law, Tampa Law Center. All minority law school students from all Florida law schools are invited to attend. The event will allow law students from diverse backgrounds an opportunity to meet and begin to establish mentoring relationships with attorneys and members of the judiciary from Central Florida. For more information, contact Tony Cabassa at lcabassa@tsg-law.com.

HCBA provides legal education to the public -- The Hillsborough County Bar Association will provide a legal education series to the public with this year's People's Law School. The goal of the People's Law School is to provide free legal education for the public at the layperson level. Attorneys and legal professionals of the Hillsborough County Bar Association will be presenting the series. There is no cost to attend, nor a pre-registration. Seating is on a first-come first-serve basis. The HCBA's People's Law School is held at the Chester H. Ferguson Law Center. For more information and a series schedule, contact Lisa Tifft, Public Relations Coordinator, at (813) 221-7779.

Defending Foreclosures in Florida -- Miami-Dade FAWL, in conjunction with the DCBA Young Lawyers Section, Put Something Back Project, the CABA Put Something Back Program, the Institute for Foreclosure Legal Assistance and Legal Services of Greater Miami, Inc. will present a seminar titled, Defending Foreclosures in Florida on Sept. 12 from 9 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Nationally recognized foreclosure defense expert April Charney will be the featured speaker. The seminar is designed for all attorneys interested in learning how to handle foreclosure cases. No prior experience is necessary. For more information, contact Put Something Back at (305) 579-5733, ext. 2252 or psb@dadelegalaid.org.

Greer to lead the FSCHS -- Alan G. Greer of Miami, partner and shareholder in the Richman Greer law firm, has been elected president of the Florida Supreme Court Historical Society for 2008-09, succeeding Rutledge R. Liles of Jacksonville. As FSCHS president, he will direct the organization's programs and activities designed to educate the public about the important role of the courts in our system of government and to preserve the history of the Florida judiciary. The society has 640 members, mostly lawyers and judges, located throughout Florida and elsewhere.

PBCBA and FAWL to host luncheon -- The Palm Beach County Bar Association and the Florida Association for Women Lawyers will co-sponsor a membership luncheon on Sept. 17 at 11:45 a.m. at the West Palm Beach Marriott. The guest speaker will be author Virginia G. Drachman who wrote Enterprising Women: 250 Years of American Business, published in association with the Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University. To attend the luncheon the cost is $22 for members and $25 for non-members and you can register at www.palmbeachbar.org.

Keep us in the KNOW: Send us your news -- Does your bar association have a newsletter, e-bulletin or announcements? If so, please don't forget to send us your publication by updating your mailing list to include Voluntary Bar Liaison, Maria Johnson, 651 E. Jefferson St., Tallahassee, FL 32399-2300 or mjohnson@flabar.org.

THE FLORIDA BAR

2008 General Meeting of Committees and Sections -- The 2008 General Meeting will be held Sept. 10-13 at the Tampa Airport Marriott. See the meeting schedule for a list of all events.

Florida JQC Vacancy -- Persons interested in applying for a Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission vacancy may download the "Special Appointment" application from The Florida Bar's Web site at www.floridabar.org or call Bar headquarters at (850) 561-5757, to obtain an application form. Completed applications must be submitted to the Executive Director, The Florida Bar, 651 E. Jefferson St., Tallahassee, FL 32399-2300, no later than close of business, Friday, Oct. 31, 2008. Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of applications. For more information, contact Kristen Wilson, The Florida Bar at (850) 561-5757 or kwilson@flabar.org.

Five new products added to Member Benefits -- The Board of Governors has approved adding five new products to the Bar's Member Benefits program. The new services include: ADP, which provides payroll services, including tax withholding and retirement record keeping; Staples, which provides office supplies; two products from BPC Financial: workers' compensation and pet insurance (the company already provided affinity group plans, premium discounts, life, health, dental and other insurance products); and TheBillableHour.com, which includes law related gifts, office items, cards and similar items. A complete listing of all Member Benefits programs can be found on the Bar's Web site at www.floridabar.org.

Deadline approaches to apply for 10 legal board certification areas -- Florida Bar members interested in board certification must submit applications by Aug. 31 for 10 of Florida's 22 legal specialization areas. The specialties are Admiralty and Maritime Law, Appellate Practice, Aviation Law, Civil Trial, Elder Law, Immigration and Nationality, International Law, Labor and Employment Law, Marital and Family Law and Tax Law. Applications are available on The Florida Bar Web site at www.floridabar.org/certification.

Intake form available to help homeowners -- An on-line intake form is now available for Floridians hoping to avoid foreclosure. Completing the on-line form will allow those seeking help from the Florida Attorneys Saving Homes program to bypass the toll-free hotline. The hotline will still be staffed from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday at (866) 607-2187, but those using the on-line form will be able to submit it directly for processing.

THE ABA

ABA Midyear Meeting -- The ABA Midyear Meeting will be held in Boston, Massachusetts Feb.11-17, 2009. There is no registration fee for the Midyear Meeting. Attendees can register for the Midyear Meeting several ways: on-line, by fax, by mail or on-site at the Sheraton. The deadline for advance registration is Jan. 9, 2009. For more information contact the ABA Meetings Department at (312) 988-5870 or abameetings@staff.abanet.org.

ABA BLI to be held in March -- The ABA Bar Leadership Institute will be held in Chicago at the Marriott Downtown, March 12-14, 2009. The BLI is the premier program for developing the skills and substantive grounding for leading a bar association with insight, innovation and inspiration. For more information, go to www.abanet.org/barserv/bli.html or contact Pamela E. Robinson at (312) 988-5345 or robinsonp@staff.abanet.org.

# # #

Maria Simmons Johnson
Voluntary Bar Liaison
The Florida Bar
850/561-5648
850/561-5733(fax)

[Revised: 08-28-2009]