The Florida Bar Young Lawyers’ Division’s Commission on Women is excited to announce its upcoming Presidential Showcase at the Annual Convention. Engage: Advancing Women is a Cause for All Lawyers, is a live CLE presentation that will take place on June 17, 2016 from 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. at the Hilton Bonnet Creek.  The CLE is open for in-person attendance or you can sign up to attend the live webcast.  Four CLE credits will be earned.

The Commission on Women was created this year under President Glover to assess the current status of women in the profession, to identify quality of life and balance issues and to break down barriers faced by women in their legal careers.  The Commission has put on numerous events promoting these goals, including a webinar series, a website with resources and helpful links and an interview series, among others.  The Presidential Showcase will be a culmination of the Commission’s work in its inaugural year and will include informative presentations on Interrupting Bias, How Big Law Leadership Can Effect Change, Lessons on Rainmaking, How Men Can Sponsor Women, Leadership in the Law and a Judicial Panel to finish the afternoon.

The presentation is for male lawyers, female lawyers, young lawyers and more experienced lawyers.  All of the segments will provide valuable insight from well-respected members of our profession, our judiciary and our community, including Florida Bar President-Elect William Schifino, Jr., Dean Laura Rosenbury, the first female Dean of the University of Florida Law School, and the Honorable Patricia Seitz, federal judge and the first female Florida Bar President.

Jacqueline Simms-Petredis resides in Tampa, Florida and is a partner at Burr & Forman LLP.  She graduated from the Tulane University Law School.  Jacqueline is a past president of the Hillsborough County Bar Association Young Lawyers Division.