TO: All 9th Circuit Florida Bar Members

The Florida Bar Board of Governors met on December 9, 2011. Major actions of the board and reports received included:

Charles Trippe, General Counsel for the Executive Office of The Governor, spoke to the board and answered questions about Gov. Rick Scott’s criteria when appointing judges and members of judicial nominating commissions (JNC). Trippe told the board that Gov. Scott considers: professional reputation; temperament; geographics and type of practice; racial, ethnic and gender diversity; and judicial restraint. In response to questions, Trippe said that the governor looks to appoint JNC members who will treat judicial applicants with respect. When appointing judges, the governors values candidates with the character not to abuse their office and who will practice judicial restraint.

Jake Schickel, chair of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Section, reported on behalf of the bar's newest section -- currently at 742 members -- and expressed concern about a recent Supreme Court-approved mediation rule that requires parties attending a mediation be empowered to fully settle a case. For more information on this rule and the section's concerns, please see the January 1 issue of The Florida Bar News (available online December 19).
The Trial Lawyers Section donated $75,000 from its reserves to The Florida Bar Foundation to maintain funding for an existing children's legal services attorney who otherwise would be laid off because of funding cuts.

The board's Program Evaluation Committee Chair Jay Cohen reported that the committee is continuing to study having a nonvoting representative of government lawyers on the board. He said the issue was discussed with the Council of Sections, which raised several new issues that are being vetted by the committee.

The Special Committee on Decline of Jury Trials submitted a report of its findings and recommendations. The mission of the committee was to research and analyze the trend of declining jury trials in both civil and criminal matters, in state and federal courts; determine the reasons for the decline and the impact that it has upon the justice system, the citizens of the state of Florida and Florida lawyers; report to the Board of Governors on any issues of concern; and, if appropriate, recommend action. The board will consider the report at its January 27 meeting.

Board Audit Committee Chair Leslie Lott reported that the Bar received a clean audit with “no difficulties and no issues” for the 2010-11 fiscal year.
Bar President Scott Hawkins and Annual Convention Committee Co-Chair, and 11th Circuit board member, Juliet Roulhac announced that retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor will attend the Bar’s June Annual Convention and participate in a program on judicial campaigns and merit selection and retention on June 22, from 2-4 p.m., in Orlando. The program is being arranged by the Constitutional Judicial Committee.

Board Legislation Committee Co-Chair Ed Scales and Chief Legislative Consultant Steve Metz reported that the Legislature will concentrate on reapportionment in the upcoming session and although attempts to change the court system are not expected, the Bar will be vigilant in monitoring all filed bills. Weekly updates for Bar members outlining the progress of any bills that implicate The Florida Bar's legislative platform will be posted beginning Jan. 13 on the website at www.floridabar.org/2012legislativesession. They also praised Gov. Rick Scott for increasing general revenue support for the courts in his proposed budget and for not proposing any cuts for the courts despite proposing an overall $2 billion reduction in state spending.

President-elect Gwynne Young reported that during the Bar's annual strategic planning retreat in November, a recommendation was considered to add diversity as a fifth primary strategic goal for the Bar. The revised strategic plan will be reviewed by the board at its January meeting. The strategic plan is posted on the website.

Member Benefits Committee Chair Clay Schnitker requested board approval for four new services for the Bar’s Member Benefits program. They are: Association Benefits International, which will help Bar members with their online marketing; US Legal’s Formspass, which offers more than 7,000 legal forms – for both Florida and multi-state use; AtHomeNet, which offers website design, hosting, and maintenance services; and FTD Flowers Online which will provide discounts similar to the ABA’s FTD program. The board approved the additions.

ALSO:
Bar President Scott Hawkins has sent several video messages to the membership to keep Bar members informed and engaged. The messages are sent by email and are posted with the texts on the President's Page on the website.

Access Board of Governors member and committee lists, minutes, agendas and the special appointments calendar on the website.

www.floridabar.org