Westheimer to be sworn in as Bar president tomorrow
Scott Westheimer
Sarasota attorney F. Scott Westheimer will be sworn in as The Florida Bar’s 75th president and Miami attorney Roland Sanchez-Medina, Jr., will become president-elect during the 2023 Annual Florida Bar Convention Friday.
The installation of the two top officers will be featured during the General Assembly on June 23 beginning at 9 a.m. The assembly will also include awards announcements and a speech by Westheimer as incoming president, the swearing in of new Board of Governors, and the induction of Young Lawyers Division officers and Board of Governors members.
Westheimer is a partner with Syprett Meshad, P.A., where he began as an associate in 1996, primarily representing plaintiffs in personal injury and commercial litigation. He also is an adjunct professor with the University of Florida Levin College of Law.
Westheimer’s main focus during his term will be to analyze, enhance, and improve the discipline system, which is already a national leader, and further its primary goal of protecting the public. He plans to help educate Bar members on compliance, improve communication about the system to our members, and the public, and invest in, and empower the Bar’s more than 111,000 members, by supporting them “in meaningful, practical ways with their daily practice of law, educating them about their ethical duties, providing them tools and resources to assist in complying with our rules, and supporting their health and wellness.” Another focus will be examining changes in legal technology such as AI tools and cybersecurity. He also wants to increase collaboration between the Bar and its sections and divisions, as well as the valuable voluntary bar associations across the state to better serve Bar members.
Westheimer has served on The Florida Bar Board of Governors since 2013 as the 12th Circuit representative and on the Young Lawyers Division Board of Governors from 2004-2013. He served as chair of the Disciplinary Review Committee for 2020-2021 and on the Executive Committee for five years. He chaired both the Communications Committee and the Program Evaluation Committee and served on the Special Committee on Technologies Affecting the Practice of Law and Strategic Planning Committee.
He is a past president of the Sarasota County Bar Association (2010-2011),and a past president of the Sarasota County Bar Association Young Lawyers Division
Westheimer is an active volunteer in his community, working with various charitable organizations over the years. He served on the Humane Society of Sarasota County Board of Directors, Doctor’s Hospital Board of Trustees, the University of Florida Levin College of Law Alumni Council Board of Directors, and the University of Florida Levin College of Law Board of Trustees.
He is admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of the U.S.; U. S. District Court, Middle District of Florida; U.S. District Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit; and Florida state courts.
Roland Sanchez-Medina, Jr.
Roland Sanchez-Medina, Jr., is a transactional lawyer and managing partner of SMGQ Law. He is a member of The Florida Bar’s Business Law; Real Property, Probate and Trust Law ; and International Law sections. He served as Cuban American Bar Association president in 2009.
He was elected to The Florida Bar Board of Governors more than nine years ago, and has served on many board committees, including recently chairing the influential Program Evaluation Committee. His extensive history of community and professional service includes stints as chair of the Miami-Dade County School Board’s Budget & Audit Committee, chair of the board of directors and general counsel of the South Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and as a member of the Orange Bowl Committee.
Sanchez-Medina graduated from Boston Law School in 1991.
