Please find the pdf of the application here.

The Fifteenth Circuit Judicial Nominating Committee (“JNC”) announces one vacancy for a Circuit Court Judge position created by the resignation of Judge Jessica Ticktin. The JNC has been asked to provide Governor Ron DeSantis with nominees for the Circuit Court vacancy.

QUALIFICATIONS OF APPLICANTS

Applicants must be able to fulfill the Constitutional qualifications before assuming the office of Circuit Court Judge, which require the person to be a member in good standing of The Florida Bar for the preceding five years, a resident of the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit and a registered voter in the State of Florida.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMISSION

1. The current Judicial Application form must be used and can be found at online. Applicants should ensure they are using the correct and current form.
2. The completed original application must be typed, bound and two-sided. The application must include a photograph.
3. In addition to the original application, applicants must provide the following: (i) one original electronic copy of the application, including all attachments, in pdf format, (ii) one redacted electronic copy of the application, including all attachments, in pdf format, excluding all exempt information under Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes or other applicable public records law. The application along with any exhibits, must be a single file.
4. Applications. The deadline for submission of the completed application is 2:00 p.m., April 30, 2020.  Applications submitted after the deadline will not be considered. Both the original and redacted electronic applications must be submitted by email. The completed original typed and bound application must be delivered to Robert J. Harvey, Jenks & Harvey LLP, 1555 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd., 16th Floor, West Palm Beach, FL 33401. Please ensure the Application is complete, including all required responses (including references, case style and contact information regarding recent cases, and class standing and degree information regarding education), and all required attachments (writing sample, financial disclosure, photograph). Incomplete applications may not be considered.
5. Interviews. The JNC anticipates conducting interviews on May 22, 2020. Applicants should check with the Palm Beach County Bar Association’s website for information as to date and time of any interview. In light of the current Covid-19 pandemic it may not be possible to conduct in person interviews. Interviews may be conducted via ZOOM. The information to attend via ZOOM will be provided for both the applicants and the public at a later date. If you expect any issues attending via ZOOM, please contact Mr. Harvey directly.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

After the deadline for submitting applications, the JNC will publish on the Palm Beach County Bar Association’s website the date, time and location or method of any interviews that the JNC chooses to conduct. Any interviews will be done in person or via ZOOM.

All JNC proceedings are open to the public, except for deliberations. Applications are not confidential. If an applicant is nominated, all materials attached to the original application will be submitted to the Governor.

A list of members of the Fifteenth Circuit JNC is available at online. Members of the bench, the Bar and the public are urged to contact the members of the Commission concerning applicants for judicial positions.

If you have any questions, please call Mr. Harvey at 561-303-2918, or via email.

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E. Smythe Gambrell Professionalism Award

About the Award

The E. Smythe Gambrell Professionalism Awards, administered by the ABA Standing Commit­tee on Professionalism and supported by the E. Smythe Gambrell Fund for Professionalism, recognizes the nation’s exemplary, innovative, and on-going professionalism programs in law schools, bar associations, courts and other legal organiza­tions that help ensure the maintenance of the highest principles of integrity and dedication to the legal profession and the public. Each award carries a $3,500 prize. 

The Gambrell Awards were established in 1991 and are named for E. Smythe Gambrell, ABA and American Bar Foundation president from 1955 to 1956. Gambrell founded the Legal Aid Society in Atlanta, where he practiced law from 1922 until his death in 1986.

Deadline for submissions extended until April 30, 2020. 

2020 E. Smythe Gambrell Professionalism Awards

2020 Nomination form (downloadble form)

The ABA Standing Committee on Professionalism is accepting nominations for the 2020 E. Smythe Gambrell Professionalism Awards.  The Awards will be presented during the ABA 2020 Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL at an awards luncheon.

If you believe your organization's professionalism program or project merits national emulation and recognition, we invite you to apply for the 2020 E. Smythe Gambrell Professionalism Awards presented by the ABA Standing Committee on Professionalism. 

Questions regarding the awards should be directed to Senior Counsel, Theresa Gronkiewicz at (312) 988- 5299 or via email. 

Nomination Guidelines

Eligibility

Law schools, state and local bar associations, court programs and projects, law firms and not-for-profit law-related organizations with professionalism programs or projects are eligible for the awards. Programs/Projects submitted for consideration must be ongoing, easily replicated, and have operated for at least one year prior to the entry deadline.

Programs should all under the broad definition of professionalism, including programs which enhance diversity, inclusion, civility, and well-being of the profession. Past Gambrell Award winning programs/projects are ineligible.

Please Note: Submitted Nominations are maintained and will be considered for two years: the award year of submission and the following award year. Programs nominated but not selected for the Award may not be submitted in consecutive years (e.g., a program/project nominated but not selected for the Award in 2020 should not submit a new application before 2022).

Program/Project Description (not to exceed three pages)

• Please provide a one-page executive summary of your program/project, and a detailed description of the program/project, including plans for continuing operation.

Assessment of Program/Project (not to exceed three pages)

• State the specific goals/objectives of the project or program and how it seeks to enhance the professionalism of lawyers and/or law students.
• State how the success of the program/project is being measured/ evaluated.
• State how the goals are being met and how they are improving the professionalism of the lawyers and/or law students.

Program/Project Continuation-To Do Kit: (not to exceed three pages)

• Concisely state how the program/project can be duplicated and implemented by others.
• Include suggestions or recommendations for improvement or simplification that you would offer to others who might undertake a program/project similar to yours.

Additional Information

• Provide any additional existing documentation (such as program brochures, news media articles, reports or reportsummaries, or letters of support) demonstrating the effectiveness of the program. Links to resources are appreciated.

Judging Criteria

The purpose of the E. Smythe Gambrell Awards is to recognize effective, on-going professionalism programs and projects that help preserve, promote, and enhance within the entire legal community the highest principles of professionalism, including integrity, civility, competence, fairness, diversity, inclusion, independence, courage, respect, and dedication to the legal profession and to public service. The entries will be reviewed under the direction of the ABA Standing Committee on Professionalism. Factors that will be considered in selecting the winning nominations will be the distinguishing and particularly meritorious features of the program, including, but limited to:

• Overall quality of the program
  
• Ease with which other interested groups throughout the country can replicate the program
• Established history and success of the program
• Likelihood of continuation of the program
• Breadth of the program for all experience levels of law students and/or lawyers
• Proactive nature of the programs
• Effectiveness of the program
  

Past award recipients

Please submit the application to info@gscbwla.org. Thank you!

2020

MARSHALL R. CASSEDY, SR. AWARD

Presented to a Voluntary Executive or Florida Bar Staff Member who has provided extraordinary service to either a Voluntary Bar or The Florida Bar Given by The Florida Bar President at the Annual Convention 

Established in 2012, this award honors and recognizes the legacy and attributes of Marshall R. Cassedy, Sr., who served with great distinction as Executive Director of The Florida Bar from 1961-1980. After Mr. Cassedy died in 2011, then-President Scott Hawkins appointed a committee to develop recommendations to honor him. In addition to this award, which is presented at the Annual Convention, there is a permanent commemorative plaque in the lobby at Bar headquarters in Tallahassee.

NOMINATIONS ARE DUE Tuesday, March 31, 2020, 5:30 p.m. EST

Nomination Letter: Please include the following information in your nomination letter to be submitted as a .PDF via email:

RE: 2020 MARSHALL R. CASSEDY, SR. AWARD

Name of Nominee

Position and Name of Organization

Mailing Address

City/State/Zip

Office telephone

Email of Nominee

Name of Nominator(s)

Nominator(s) telephone and email

Please describe how the nominee has provided extraordinary service to either a Voluntary Bar or The Florida Bar:

Supporting materials

Supporting materials are not required but if the nominator wishes to provide any, they should be submitted in a single .pdf with the nomination letter.

Submission of nominations

Please email to: fwalker@floridabar.org no later than 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 31, 2020. An acknowledgement of receipt of the nomination will be sent to you; if you don’t receive it, please call or email Francine Walker, 850-561-5762.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 21, 2020
CONTACT: Walter J. Harvey, Chair; walter.harvey@dadeschools.net
Eleventh Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission
TELEPHONE: 305-995-1304

The Eleventh Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission has been asked to provide Gov. Ron DeSantis with nominees to fill the circuit court vacancies in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit created by the retirements of Judges Jacqueline Hogan Scola and John Schlesinger. The commission requests that interested candidates submit an application for consideration. Applicants must meet the qualifications for circuit court judges described in Article V, Section 8, of the Florida Constitution. Applicants must submit three copies of their application by 5 p.m. on Monday, Mar. 16, as follows:

(1): The original unredacted paper application shall be delivered to:

Walter J. Harvey

School Board Attorney

The School Board of Miami-Dade County, Florida

1450 N.E 2nd Avenue, Suite 430

Miami, Florida 33132

(2): The original unredacted application shall be emailed in .pdf format to: Walter.Harvey@dadeschools.net.

(3): A redacted .pdf of the application shall be emailed to eleventhjnc@dadeschools.net. Personal information not subject to public disclosure—such as the social security number—shall be redacted as permitted by Section 119.071 of the Florida Statutes.

Untimely applications will not be considered. The filename for .pdf applications should be as follows “20.03.16 FIRSTNAME LASTNAME Circuit Application (redacted /unredacted).”

Applicants are invited to provide the chair with a one-page sheet listing the date, location and time of hearings or trials that they would want the commissioners to observe. The one-page disclosure sheet is not mandatory and can be provided to the chair at any time before the interview day. No information other than the date, location and time should be provided on the one-page sheet.

Applications may be downloaded from The Florida Bar’s website and the Office of the Governor.

Applicants should include a recent photograph.

NOTE TO APPLICANTS: To assist the JNC in its review of applications, all questions must be fully and completely answered. Applications must include current contact information, including e-mail addresses, for judges, co-counsel, opposing counsel, and references to facilitate the background investigation that will be conducted by the members of the commission. Please print to .pdf in lieu of scanning where possible.

The Eleventh Circuit JNC will confer at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Mar. 17, to schedule interviews. A room will be made available to members of the public (The School Board of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Board Attorney’s Office, 1450 N.E. 2nd Avenue, Suite 430, Miami, Florida 33132) who wish to attend.

ELEVENTH CIRCUIT JNC MEMBERS

Walter James Harvey (chairman)

School Board Attorney’s Office

1450 NE 2nd Avenue, Suite 400

Miami, FL 33132

Office Tel.: 305-995-1304

Fax: 305-995-1412

walter.harvey@dadeschools.net

Robert H. Fernandez (vice chairman)

RHF Law Firm, LLC

2600 S. Douglas Road, Suite 305

Coral Gables, FL 33134

Office Tel.:305-215-2264

rfernandez@rhflawfirm.com

David Axelman

Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP

200 S Biscayne Blvd., Ste 400

Miami, FL 33131

Office: Tel.: 786-322-7395

Fax: 786-322-7501

David.Axelman@bclplaw.com

Scott M. Dimond

Dimond Kaplan & Rothstein, P.A

Offices at Grand Bay Plaza

2665 South Bayshore Dr. PH 2B

Miami, FL 33133

Office Tel.: 305-374-1920

Fax: 305-374-1961

sdimond@dkrpa.com

Daniel S. Fridman

Fridman Fels & Soto, PLLC

2525 Ponce de Leon Blvd., Suite 750

Coral Gables, FL 33134

Office Tel.: 305-569-7720

dfridman@ffslawfirm.com

Jorge A. Mestre Rivero Mestre, LLP

2525 Ponce de Leon Blvd. Suite 1000, Miami, FL 33134

Office Tel: 305-445-2500

Fax: 305-445-2505

Jmestre@riveromestre.com

Hayden P. O’Byrne

United States Attorney’s Office, SDFL

99 NE 4th St.,

Miami, FL 33132

Office: 305-961-9447

Fax: 305-530-7679

haydenjnc@gmail.com

Robert R. Pardo

Robert R. Pardo, P.A.

7700 N. Kendall Drive, Suite 512

Miami, FL 33156

Office: Tel.: 305-596-7794

Fax: 305-596-5854

RPardo@Pardolaw.com

Miranda Lundeen Soto

Shutts & Bowen LLP

200 South Biscayne Boulevard, Suite 4100

Miami, Florida 33131

Office Tel.: 305-347-7326

Fax: 305-347-7985

MLundeenSoto@shutts.com

###

Please submit the application to info@gscbwla.org. Thank you!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 4, 2020
CONTACT: Kristen Wilson, kwilson@flabar.org
The Florida Bar
TELEPHONE: 850-561-5757

Florida Board of Bar Examiners Vacancies: Lawyer applicants are being sought to fill three vacancies on the Florida Board of Bar Examiners. A joint screening committee of Florida Bar Board of Governors members and Board of Bar Examiners members will recommend nine nominees for three lawyer vacancies at its May 15 meeting. The nominations will then be forwarded to the Supreme Court to fill three five-year terms commencing November 1, 2020 and expiring on October 31, 2025.

Attorney members must have been a member of The Florida Bar for at least five years. They must be practicing lawyers with scholarly attainments and have an affirmative interest in legal education and requirements for admission to the Bar. Appointment or election to the bench at any level of the court system will disqualify any applicant. Law professors or trustees are ineligible.

Board members of the Bar Examiners must be able to attend approximately 10 meetings a year in various Florida locations. Members should be willing and able to devote the equivalent of three to four days’ work a month, or up to 350 or more hours per year on Board business, depending on committee assignments. Actual travel expenses connected with the meetings and examinations are reimbursed.

Persons interested in applying for these vacancies may download the Application for Special Appointment or should call Bar headquarters at (850) 561-5757, to obtain the application form. Completed applications must be received by the Executive Director, The Florida Bar, 651 East Jefferson Street, Tallahassee, Florida, 32399-2300 or submitted via e-mail to specialapptapp@floridabar.org no later than the close of business on Monday, March 23. Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of the required application. A joint committee of Florida Bar Board of Governors and Florida Board of Bar Examiners members will review all applications and may request telephone or personal interviews.

###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 23, 2020
CONTACT: Walter J. Harvey, Chair; walter.harvey@dadeschools.net
Eleventh Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission
TELEPHONE: 305-995-1304

The Eleventh Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission is extending the deadline for applications to fill the vacancies in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit created by the elevation of Judges Christina DiRaimondo, Robert Watson and Ramiro Areces. The commission requests that interested candidates submit an application for consideration. Applicants must meet the qualifications for county court judges described in Article V, Section 8, of the Florida Constitution. Applicants must submit three copies of their application by 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 7, as follows:

(1): The original unredacted paper application shall be delivered to:

Walter J. Harvey

School Board Attorney

The School Board of Miami-Dade County

1450 N.E 2nd Avenue, Suite 430

Miami, Florida 33132

(2): The original unredacted application shall be emailed in .pdf format to: Walter.Harvey@dadeschools.net.

(3): A redacted .pdf of the application shall be emailed to eleventhjnc@dadeschools.net. Personal information not subject to public disclosure — such as the Social Security number — shall be redacted as permitted by Section 119.071 of the Florida Statutes.

Untimely applications will not be considered. The filename for .pdf applications should be as follows “20.02.07 FIRSTNAME LASTNAME Circuit Application (redacted /unredacted).”

Applicants are invited to provide the chair with a one-page sheet listing the date, location and time of hearings or trials that they would want the commissioners to observe. The one-page disclosure sheet is not mandatory and can be provided to the chair at any time before the interview day. No information other than the date, location and time should be provided on the one-page sheet.

Applications may be downloaded from The Florida Bar’s website and the Office of the Governor. Applicants should include a recent photograph.

NOTE TO APPLICANTS: To assist the JNC in its review of applications, all questions must be fully and completely answered. Applications must include current contact information, including e-mail addresses, for judges, co-counsel, opposing counsel, and references to facilitate the background investigation that will be conducted by the members of the commission. Please print to .pdf in lieu of scanning where possible.

The Eleventh Circuit JNC will confer at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 11, to schedule interviews. A room will be made available to members of the public (The School Board of Miami-Dade County, Board Attorney’s Office, 1450 N.E. 2nd Avenue, Suite 430, Miami, Florida 33132) who wish to attend.

ELEVENTH CIRCUIT JUDICIAL NOMINATING COMMISSION MEMBERS

Walter James Harvey (chairman)

School Board Attorney’s Office

1450 NE 2nd Avenue, Suite 400

Miami, FL 33132

Office Tel.: 305-995-1304

Fax: 305-995-1412

walter.harvey@dadeschools.net

Robert H. Fernandez (vice chairman)

RHF Law Firm, LLC

2600 S. Douglas Road, Suite 305

Coral Gables, FL 33134

Office Tel.:305-215-2264

rfernandez@rhflawfirm.com

David Axelman

Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP

200 S Biscayne Blvd., Ste 400

Miami, FL 33131

Office: Tel.: 786-322-7395

Fax: 786-322-7501

David.Axelman@bclplaw.com

Scott M. Dimond

Dimond Kaplan & Rothstein, P.A

Offices at Grand Bay Plaza

2665 South Bayshore Dr. PH 2B

Miami, FL 33133

Office Tel.: 305-374-1920

Fax: 305-374-1961

sdimond@dkrpa.com

Daniel S. Fridman

Fridman Fels & Soto, PLLC

2525 Ponce de Leon Blvd., Suite 750

Coral Gables, FL 33134

Office Tel.: 305-569-7720

dfridman@ffslawfirm.com

Jorge A. Mestre Rivero Mestre, LLP

2525 Ponce de Leon Blvd. Suite 1000, Miami, FL 33134

Office Tel: 305-445-2500

Fax: 305-445-2505

Jmestre@riveromestre.com

Hayden P. O’Byrne

United States Attorney’s Office, SDFL

99 NE 4th St.,

Miami, FL 33132

Office: 305-961-9447

Fax: 305-530-7679

haydenjnc@gmail.com

Robert R. Pardo

Robert R. Pardo, P.A.

7700 N. Kendall Drive, Suite 512

Miami, FL 33156

Office: Tel.: 305-596-7794

Fax: 305-596-5854

RPardo@Pardolaw.com

Miranda Lundeen Soto

Shutts & Bowen LLP

200 South Biscayne Boulevard, Suite 4100

Miami, Florida 33131

Office Tel.: 305-347-7326

Fax: 305-347-7985

MLundeenSoto@shutts.com

###

The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit invites applicants for the Federal Public Defender position for the Middle District of Florida stationed at Tampa. The Federal Public Defender serves a four-year term and may seek reappointment. The Federal Public Defender, under authority of 18 U.S.C. § 3006A(g)(2)(A)(link is external), provides criminal defense services to individuals unable to afford counsel and supervises a full-time staff of attorneys and administrative and clerical personnel. A review committee will evaluate all qualified candidates in accordance with the regulations of the Judicial Conference of the United States and the Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit governing the appointment and reappointment of Federal Public Defenders.

The Court is searching for the best qualified person currently available and encourages applications from all qualified persons, including women, members of minority groups, and individuals with disabilities. All applications will be subject to the same standard of review. The current salary is $170,800. Hiring for this position is subject to the availability of funds. Federal public defenders may not engage in the private practice of law and are subject to judiciary financial disclosure requirements.

The qualify for appointment as a Federal Public Defender, applicants must:

1. be members in good standing of at least one state bar or the District of Columbia or the Virgin Islands bar, and members in good standing of every other bar of which they are members;
    
2. have been engaged in the active practice of criminal law for a period of at least five years, preferably with significant federal criminal trial and appellate experience;
    
3. possess the ability to administer a Federal Public Defender's office effectively;
    
4. possess, and have a reputation for:
   1. integrity and good character;
       
   2. sound physical and mental health;
       
   3. commitment to equal justice under law and vigorous representation of his or her clients;
       
   4. outstanding legal ability and competence (evidenced by substantial legal experience, ability to deal with complex legal problems, aptitude for legal scholarship and writing, and familiarity with courts and court processes);
5. have a commitment to the vigorous representation of those unable to afford counsel; and
    
6. not be related by blood or marriage to a judge of the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals or to a judge of the district court to be served, within the degrees specified in Title 28, United States Code, Section 458(link is external) at the time of the initial appointment.

Applications are available at www.ca11.uscourts.gov; from any federal Clerk of Court in the states of Alabama, Florida, and Georgia; and from the Circuit Executive, James P. Gerstenlauer, 56 Forsyth Street, NW, Atlanta, Georgia 30303. Applications should be submitted in confidence to the Circuit Executive and must be received in the Circuit Executive's Office no later than 19 February 2020. Email and fax copies of applications will not be accepted.

The United States Courts are equal opportunity employers

Resources

Public Notice: Appointment of Federal Public Defender, Middle District of Florida(link is external) (PDF)