Corso named Board Certified Lawyer of the Year
Chief Justice Charles Canady and Michael Corso the Justice Harry Lee Anstead Award winner.
Michael J. Corso of Ft. Myers is the recipient of the 2022 Justice Harry Lee Anstead Award for The Florida Bar Board Certified Lawyer of the Year.
The Board of Legal Specialization and Education created the award to recognize exemplary professionalism, excellence, character, and commitment to the certification program.
Chief Justice Charles Canady presented this year’s award at the Bar Annual Convention in Orlando.
Canady noted Corso is an aerospace engineer, former military pilot, and double board certified attorney in civil trial law for 39 years and business litigation for 24 years. He is also board certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy in Civil Trial Law.
Corso attended Villanova University’s law school and became a JAG special prosecutor assigned to the Airforce’s most serious cases in Southeast Asia.
“He was interviewed in 1975 by [NBC News anchor] David Brinkley regarding one of these cases against 200 servicemen and civilians that involved smuggling heroin out in cadavers,” Chief Justice Canady said. “Tom Clancy has even interviewed him for his experiences and expertise for his book, ‘Without Remorse.’”
Corso has also been involved in numerous professional activities on the local, state, and national levels, including presenting numerous ethics seminars, serving as the chair of the 20th Circuit Grievance Committee and past president of both the Lee County Bar Association and the Florida Defense Lawyers Association. He is routinely called upon by various judges and governmental leaders for advice on a host of matters, Canady said.
As stated in his nomination, Corso has been dubbed, “the lawyer’s lawyer,” as one main area of his litigation practice is representing fellow Florida lawyers in legal malpractice claims and grievance matters. He serves as general counsel to the Henderson Franklin law firm and “continues to encourage every lawyer that the number one rule of client service is communication,” Canady said.
The Florida Engineering Society (FES) Calusa Chapter also named Corso its 2022 “Engineer of the Year.” He received the honor at the FES Awards & Scholarship Banquet June 22 in Ft. Myers.
The other nominees for the Anstead award this year were Tomas L. Gracio, John H. Hickey, Steven B. Lesser, Jason Quintero, Herman J. Russomanno, William A. Snyder, Robert Sombathy, Sarah Rissman Taitt, Gregory S. Weiss, and Rebecca Wood.
