BAR SEEKS PUBLIC MEMBER TO SERVE ON BOARD OF DIRECTORS 

Continuing its practice of public involvement, The Florida Bar seeks a new nonlawyer to serve on its governing board.

Since 1987, two public members have served on the Bar’s 52-member governing board, after the Supreme Court of Florida approved the organization’s request to have nonlawyer representation on the board. Only 12 other state bar associations have public members on their governing boards.

The board member will replace Sharon Middleton of Ponte Vedra Beach, whose second two-year term expires June 2020.

A screening committee of The Florida Bar Board of Governors has been appointed to review the applications for the public member position, conduct final interviews, and make recommendations to the Bar’s governing board during its March meeting. The board will then recommend three persons to the Supreme Court of Florida and the court will appoint one of the three nominees to the board.

The Board of Governors oversees the Bar’s lawyer discipline program, continuing legal education programs, legislative activities, and the overall administration of The Florida Bar. Board members, who are all volunteers, average 200-300 hours per year on Bar business depending on committee assignments. Although attorney members of the Bar’s governing board pay their own expenses related to their attendance at six board meetings and other events held each year, nonlawyer board members are reimbursed for “reasonable travel and related expenses for attending official bar functions.”

The new board member would serve a two-year term commencing June 19, 2020. Public members are not allowed by rule to serve more than two consecutive terms. Most of the Bar’s board is apportioned according to Florida’s 20 judicial circuits, with attorney members elected by lawyers in their locality. There are four additional out-of-state representatives. The other public member currently serving on The Florida Bar’s Board of Governors is Joseph “Jody” Hudgins of Naples.

Persons interested in serving as a public member may complete and submit the application online at the Bar’s website www.floridabar.org, or should call The Florida Bar headquarters at 850-561-5759, to obtain the application. applications must be received by Joshua E. Doyle, Executive Director, The Florida Bar, 651 East Jefferson Street, Tallahassee 32399-2300, no later than January 24, 2020.

FLORIDA BAR'S BOARD OF GOVERNORS SEEK APPLICANTS

The Board of Governors is seeking applicants for the following vacancy to be filled during its March 20, 2020, meeting:
 
Supreme Court’s Judicial Ethics Advisory Committee: One lawyer to fill a four-year term commencing July 1, 2020, and ending June 30, 2024. This is a 12-member committee that renders 20 to 25 written advisory opinions a year to inquiring judges and judicial candidates regarding application of the Code of Judicial Conduct to specific instances of contemplated judicial and non-judicial conduct. The committee meets once a year at The Florida Bar’s Annual Convention and attendance is strongly encouraged. The majority of the committee’s work, however, is undertaken via e-mail and phone conferencing. The committee is also responsible for judicial campaign conduct forums scheduled in election years.
 
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 Friday, February 7, 2020. Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of the required application. The Board of Governors will review all applications and may request telephone or personal interviews.

ACKERMAN LLP MIAMI OFFICE SEEKS NEW ASSOCIATE ATTORNEY

The Miami office of Akerman LLP is seeking an Associate with 1 to 3 years of experience in probate and trust administration and related litigation and estate planning experience. Guardianship administration experience is considered a plus. LL.M. in Estate Planning or Taxation is preferred. Must possess an outstanding academic record (with a JD from an ABA accredited law school), along with excellent writing and analytical skills and be a member of The Florida Bar. Akerman LLP is a top 100 U.S. law firm recognized by Financial Times as among the most forward thinking firms in the industry. Its more than 700 lawyers and business professionals collaborate with the world’s most successful enterprises and entrepreneurs to navigate change, seize opportunities, and help drive innovation and growth. Akerman is known for its results in middle market M&A and complex disputes, and for helping clients achieve their most important business objectives in the financial services, real estate and other dynamic sectors across the United States and Latin America.

ACLU FLORIDA SEEKS A STAFF ATTORNEY IN IMMIGRANTS' RIGHTS

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Florida seeks an immigrants’-rights attorney to combat pressing civil rights and liberties issues affecting communities across the state.

The position is based in Miami and reports to the legal director.

The ACLU of Florida, the state’s premier civil rights advocacy organization, is a not-for-profit, nonpartisan organization that employs litigation, public policy advocacy, and public education and communications to protect and promote a broad range of constitutional issues and individual rights and freedoms, including the freedom of speech, racial justice, right to privacy, religious liberty, criminal justice reform, reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, and immigrants’ rights.

The ACLU of Florida is an affiliate of the national ACLU, the leading defender of civil liberties guaranteed by our nation’s Bill of Rights. The national ACLU implements its vital civil liberties mission in all 50 states in large part through affiliate entities such as the ACLU of Florida. With offices in Jacksonville, Miami (headquarters), Pensacola, and Tampa, the Florida affiliate has a $5.5M operating budget and over 30 staff positions, placing it among the larger affiliates in the nation.

Attorneys at the ACLU of Florida play a critical leadership role in advancing the ACLU’s mission to uphold constitutional rights by developing and managing impact litigation and engaging in integrated advocacy. Attorneys work collaboratively with the national
office’s various legal projects as well as with the ACLU of Florida’s communications, policy and advocacy, field, and development departments. Attorneys also play an important role in community outreach and education.

For more information, visit their website: Immigrants' Rights Attorney

THE ELEVENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT OFFICE OF THE GENERAL COUNSEL IS SEEKING A JUNIOR ATTORNEY

This is responsible and professional work, providing legal advice to judges, magistrates, and court personnel. Primarily, trial court law clerks conduct legal research and prepare legal memoranda. They advise county and circuit court judges how to rule on a variety of issues arising from various pre-trial, trial, and post-trial motions, such as motions to dismiss, motions for summary judgment, motions to strike, motions for new trial, post-conviction relief motions (3.800, 3.850, 3.851, and 3.853), prisoner petitions, motions to suppress evidence, various discovery motions, etc. They also advise circuit court judges acting in their appellate capacity on appellate issues raised in briefs.

Trial Court Staff Attorneys work in a vast array of substantive legal areas, including civil procedure, insurance, foreclosures, Florida Bar matters, contracts, administrative law, legislation, criminal law and procedure, product liability, complex business matters, ethics, etc.

The work performed by Trial Court Staff Attorneys involves considerable interpretation and judgment in the analysis of legal issues in the areas of criminal law, probate, civil law, appellate, family law, juvenile, or any matters arising under the jurisdiction of the county or circuit court.

Working contacts are established with judges and other trial court personnel. Work is performed under the general supervision of a supervising staff attorney, and is reviewed in progress, as required, and upon completion.

This recruitment is for one Trial Court Staff Attorney vacancy. A successful applicant may be placed in the UCC/Family/Dependency/Juvenile Division of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit’s Office of the General Counsel.

For more information, visit: Eleventh Circuit Careers

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

January 6, 2020

MIAMI – The Eleventh Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission has been asked to provide Governor DeSantis with nominees for 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 circuit court judges described in Article V, Section 8 of the Florida Constitution. Applicants must submit three copies (3) of their application by 5:00 pm on Monday, January 20, 2020 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

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

(0): 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 “20.01.20 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 at www.flabar.org and the Office of the Governor at www.flgov.com. Applicants should include a recent photograph.

NOTE TO APPLICANTS: To assist the Judicial Nominating Commission 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 Judicial Nominating Commission will confer at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 22, 2020 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.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

January 7, 2020

NOTICE OF JUDICIAL VACANCY – INSTRUCTIONS
 
As a result of the appointment and confirmation of Judge Anuraag Singhal to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission is accepting applications for one vacancy on the Broward Circuit Court.
 
1. Applications for the Circuit Court vacancy must be received by 12 p.m. on Jan. 21, and should be delivered to:
 

Seventeenth Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission
c/o Kenneth J. Joyce, Chair
Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP
110 SE 6th Street, Suite 2600
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
954-728-1280
ken.joyce@lewisbrisbois.com  

 
Applications received after the deadline will not be considered. All applicants must have been members of The Florida Bar for at least five years, electors of the State of Florida, and residents of the Seventeenth Circuit before taking office.
 
2. Applications may be downloaded from The Florida Bar’s website and the Office of the Governor. To be considered, applicants must submit the following, without exception:
 
· One original application, typed and bound securely;
 
· One separate redacted copy of the application excluding all exempt information under Chapter 119, Florida Statutes, or other applicable public records law, typed and bound securely;
 
· An electronic copy of both the original application and the redacted application, saved in PDF format, each on a separate password-secured flash drive, with the applicant’s name clearly indicated on the exterior of the flash drives. Each PDF must be a single file not to exceed 8 Mb. The applicant shall provide the password(s) for the flash drives on a separate piece of paper and shall not write the password on the exterior of the flash drives. No other attachments or files are to be included on the flash drives
 
· All letters of recommendation that the applicant wishes the commission to consider. The letters shall be included as attachments to the original application and the redacted copy and shall be included with the applications saved on the flash drives.
 
· The financial disclosure information requested in the application, inclusive of a completed Form 6 (Full and Public Disclosure of Financial Interest) must be submitted with the original application, the redacted application and the electronic copies of each.
 
· A recent photograph of the applicant shall be attached to the application and redacted application and included as an attachment to the applications saved to the flash drives.
 
· Any additional information that the applicant feels may be helpful to the commission in assessing the applicant’s qualifications. The information shall be included as attachments to the application and redacted application and shall be included with the copies of each saved to the flash drives.
 
3. Applicants are asked to strictly follow all requests and instructions in this notice. Failure to do so could result in an application not being considered.
 
4. The commission strongly suggests that applications be submitted as soon as they are prepared and well before the deadline. Applicant interviews will be scheduled in the order in which applications are received.
 
5. After the deadline for submitting applications, the commission will determine which applicants will be interviewed. Applicants selected will be contacted to confirm the date, time and location of the interviews.
 
6. All proceedings of the commission are open to the public, except for deliberations. Accordingly, applicants should not expect applications and/or information to be kept confidential, subject to applicable Florida Statutes.
 
7. If an applicant is nominated, all materials attached to the original application will be submitted to the Governor’s Office, which may request additional copies of same.
 
8. If there is any question about the application process, please contact the chair of the JNC, Kenneth J. Joyce, or his assistant, Rhonda Havard, at 954-728-1280.