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Roland Sanchez-Medina, Jr., becomes president of The Florida Bar

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Sanchez-Medina said a key to better well-being is the support that he cultivated through extensive Bar involvement

Roland Sanchez-Medina, Jr., takes the oath of office

Roland Sanchez-Medina, Jr., takes the oath of office at the Bar’s General Assembly June 21 in Orlando as his wife, Johanna Armengol, and children Mariana, Christian, and Alessandra look on. “Americans of Cuban descent realize, as recent U.S. history has shown, that our republic and our democracy are more fragile than we know,” Sanchez-Medina said. “It’s not something that under any circumstances can be taken for granted. The greatest generation of Cubans is right here in the state of Florida, protecting that democracy and the rule of law.”

Stressing the Cuban roots he shares with Supreme Court justices, and pledging to help lawyers navigate the “pressure cooker” of modern practice, Roland Sanchez-Medina, Jr., was sworn in Friday as the 76th president of The Florida Bar.

A gregarious Miami transactional lawyer who is known for wearing his heart on his sleeve, Sanchez-Medina alternated between tears and one-liners as he addressed friends, family members, and colleagues who packed an Orlando ballroom for the General Assembly of 2024 Annual Florida Bar Convention.

President Roland Sanchez-Medina, Jr.

President Roland Sanchez-Medina, Jr., says “my commitment to our members is to cultivate an environment that prioritizes support, collaboration, and well-being. A healthy lawyer that feels valued and supported is a better lawyer, a better family member, and a better friend.”

Saying he was “beyond humbled,” Sanchez-Medina described how, when he was a young boy, his family fled a dictatorial Cuban regime, first heading to Africa, before ultimately settling in South Florida.

“As far as I can tell, I’m only the third president of The Florida Bar to be born outside of the United States – Steve Zack and Frank Argones being the others,” he said. “I’m proud to be a naturalized citizen of the United States.”

Zack, The Florida Bar’s first Hispanic president, served from 1989-1990, and later, as the first Hispanic ABA president. Angones served as Florida Bar president from 2006-2007.

“Americans of Cuban descent realize, as recent U.S. history has shown, that our republic and our democracy are more fragile than we know,” Sanchez-Medina said. “It’s not something that under any circumstances can be taken for granted. The greatest generation of Cubans is right here in the state of Florida, protecting that democracy and the rule of law.”

Sanchez-Medina then nodded to Chief Justice Carlos Muñiz, who flanked him on the stage, and noted that Supreme Court Justices Jorge Labarga, John Couriel, and Meredith Sasso, share his Cuban heritage.

“However, I don’t want Chief Justice Muñiz, Justice [Charles] Canady, Justice [Jamie] Grosshans, and Justice [Renatha] Francis to feel alienated, so I would be happy to swear you in as an honorary Cuban,” he quipped. “As Justice Labarga says, then we would have a majority on the Supreme Court.”

When it comes to his professional roots, the 1991 Boston College Law School graduate said he will “always be a child of the Cuban American Bar Association, CABA,” which he headed in 2009.

After praising President Scott Westheimer, President-elect Rosalyn Sia Baker-Barnes, and his Board of Governors colleagues, the SMGQ Law managing partner thanked his “firm family” and then welled up as he paid tribute to his late father, who died only recently, for “risking everything” to give his children a better life.

“We love you!” shouted a family member from the audience, and smiling, Sanchez-Medina turned to the year ahead.

“So, what am I going to do?” he quipped.

Apologizing for the cliché, Sanchez-Medina said the scales of justice are an apt metaphor for his agenda because they symbolize “the need for balance” between the Bar’s core mission of lawyer regulation and helping its members succeed.

“Our No. 1 mission is regulating lawyers, something The Florida Bar has led the country in,” he said, adding that the legal profession leads all others when it comes to self-regulation.

However, “the Bar can do better,” Sanchez-Medina said.

“I believe in fostering a culture of fairness within the Bar, but also, always upholding the integrity of our profession. And always holding everybody to the highest standard of ethical conduct, there is no other option.”

At the same time, “my commitment to our members is to cultivate an environment that prioritizes support, collaboration, and well-being,” he said. “A healthy lawyer that feels valued and supported is a better lawyer, a better family member, and a better friend.”

And lawyers need more help than ever, he said, at a time when communications technology has made them available 24/7, and created a “pressure cooker” existence.

“Relentless is the word that I typically use because it just doesn’t stop. You win a big case; you have to respond to pleadings the next day. You close a major transaction; you have to get loan documents out the next day. It’s relentless.”

Sanchez-Medina said a key to better well-being is the support that he cultivated through extensive Bar involvement.

Elected to the Board of Governors more than nine years ago, Sanchez-Medina has served on numerous board committees, including recently chairing the Program Evaluation Committee.

In addition to his affiliation with CABA and local community organizations, including the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Miami-Dade County School Board, and the Orange Bowl Committee, Sanchez-Medina is a member of the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law, Business Law, and International Law sections.

“Too few members participate in Bar activities, for professional development, community engagement, and developing a network of valuable and supportive contacts,” Sanchez-Medina said. “As I’ve already mentioned my involvement with CABA, the Bar, the Business Law Section, the RPPTLs it has not only made me a better lawyer, but it’s also helped me build a practice.”

Even better, Sanchez-Medina said, “I’ve also made friends who have lasted a lifetime.”

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