Ft. Lauderdale ABOTA pushes professionalism
Ft. Lauderdale ABOTA pushes professionalism
More than 200 attended the First Annual Professionalism Program in honor of the late Henry Latimer, hosted by the Ft. Lauderdale Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates.
The chapter dedicated its professionalism program to Latimer to recognize “his legacy of unfailing professionalism, integrity, leadership, compassion for others, and public service to the legal profession and the community at large.”
Latimer was a member of The Florida Bar Board of Governors who was killed in a car accident in 2005. Later that year, the Bar’s Center for Professionalism was renamed to honor Latimer and is now known as the Henry Latimer Center for Professionalism.
The ABOTA program focused on professionalism in the courtroom and pet peeves of judges and attorneys. The program covered conduct in the courtroom from several different perspectives: A View from the Bench: Ethics and Professionalism from the Judiciary; Ethics and Professionalism — 2012 Case Law Update; Professionalism from the Judicial Assistant’s Perspective; A View From the Trial Bar: Professionalism and Ethics in the Courtroom; and Professionalism in the Courtroom: A Special Set Hearing to Remember.
“Our program made a significant and positive imprint on our legal community toward excellence, professionalism, and integrity in the practice of law,” said Diana Santa Maria, co-chair for the program and president of the Ft. Lauderdale ABOTA chapter. “My proudest moments came from seeing the quality and caliber of lawyering from our own ABOTA members and leaders.”
The faculty was comprised of Broward circuit judges, their judicial assistants, and ABOTA member attorneys. The judicial panel included Judges John B. Bowman, Marina Garcia Wood, Charles M. Greene, Jeffrey Levenson, Carol Lisa-
Phillips, Carlos A. Rodriguez, Mily Rodriguez Powell, Jeffrey Streitfeld, Michele Towbin-Singer, and Peter M. Weinstein.
“From what I saw and the audience’s feedback, the program was a smashing success due to the performances by its outstanding faculty,” said William Clayton, program co-chair and president-elect of the Ft. Lauderdale chapter.
“Rarely have I ever seen a large audience ‘hold’ until the very end of a legal seminar, as it did here.”
