So dawn goes down to day, nothing gold can stay. These were the sentiments felt by many as June’s Annual Florida Bar Convention marked the close of yet another year and a transition in leadership from President Michelle Suskauer and YLD President Christian George to John Stewart and Santo Digangi. In this annual passing of the helm, Presidents John Stewart and Santo Digangi set their course toward new goals and initiatives, including preparing members for the challenges presented by the modern practice of law and engaging and embracing government lawyers across the State.
Hosted at the beautiful Boca Raton Resort & Club, this year’s Convention featured its usual swarm of thousands of attorneys coming together in the spirit of professionalism and camaraderie. As what may fairly be described as our busiest meeting of the year, the Young Lawyers Division was hard at work organizing and judging the Robert Orseck Moot Court competition, presenting annual awards, transitioning board of governors members, and of course, welcoming our new YLD President Santo Digangi.
The Orseck Moot Court Competition was organized this year by YLD Board members Dwayne Robinson and the Honorable Judge Andrew Manko, who has been an essential contributor to the competition for the past several years. This year’s problem was a compelling issue concerning Florida’s Stand Your Ground law and juror biases. After several rounds of oral argument, including a hotly contested final round in front of the Florida Supreme Court, this year’s winners were announced: Florida A&M University College of Law. The YLD congratulates FAMU Law again on their outstanding accomplishment, and applauds the outstanding hard work put forth by all of the contestants. Of course, the competition would not be possible if not for the admirable efforts of our hard working committee members.
This year’s YLD transition meeting brought with it the addition of seventeen new board members. The Board also announced the winners of its annual awards. Committee chairs Alex Palermo and Lyndsay Tygart worked relentlessly to scrutinize every application and select only the most deserving candidates from around the State. The winner of the Michael K. Reese Quality of Life Award was presented to Rochelle Gapere, who shared her inspiring story of making the transition out of the traditional practice of law toward a happier more fulfilling lifestyle as a life and happiness coach. Judge Meenu Sasser was awarded the Outstanding Jurist Award and newly-inducted YLD Board member Marianne Curtis was this year’s recipient of the Outstanding Woman Lawyer Achievement Award. Finally, the Lynn Futch Most Productive Young Lawyer award was presented to Traci Koster from Hillsborough County for her contributions to countless projects, initiatives, and boards, and for being a constant champion of professionalism and service. Congratulations to all of the award winners.
Following a long day of Moot Court Competitions, meetings, and award presentations, young lawyers from across the state were invited to unwind at the YLD Past Presidents Reception and Casino Night. Thank you again to all of our sponsors for making the event a success and the night a blast!
The seminal event of the Annual Convention came Friday morning: General Assembly. The new YLD Board of Governors was presented and sworn into service by the Honorable Chief Justice Charles T. Canady, marking the official start of their new term. Next came President Michelle Suskauer’s presentation of awards, which included a President’s Award to YLD Past-President Zack Zuroweste and perhaps the most-deserved award ever presented to anyone, anywhere, ever: The Marshall Cassidy Award presented to YLD Program Administrator Thomas Miller. After being admonished for their eruption of applause, the YLD Board regained their composure and re-took their seats for the swearing-in and speeches of new Presidents John Stewart and Santo Digangi.
Florida Bar President John Stewart delivered a speech and message that was true to his character: cheerful yet solemn, and well-seasoned with comedic relief. After expressing sincere gratitude for his friends, his support system, and his daughter MaryClaire, President Stewart’s speech challenged Florida attorneys to embrace the changing tides of the profession and to fathom innovative ways to meet the needs of the unrepresented public. “How do we find new ways of working with alternative legal services providers in the broader marketplace to protect the traditional core values of the legal system while striving to provide access to justice for all?” he challenged. The answer, we hope, will be unearthed during his tenure.
YLD President Santo DiGangi’s speech matched Stewart’s in cheerfulness and appreciation, though his message and goals were different. A past assistant state attorney, President DiGangi aims to discover new ways to engage and embrace government lawyers who might not have currently have the means or ability to be active in voluntary bar associations. Addressing concerns of rapid turnover in Public Defenders’ and State Attorneys’ offices state-wide, he suggested the resulting delay of justice is, in truth, a denial of justice. Faced with challenges of high debt, reduced income, and massive case loads, he encouraged all Florida lawyers to take a fresh look at these challenges facing young government lawyers, and come up with meaningful solutions on both a local and state level. He hopes the first ever government lawyer summit, planned for later this year, will bring these issues into the spotlight.
The week was capped off with the annual President’s Reception on Friday night, where attendees drew the convention to the close with an evening of dining and dancing. It was a tremendous success, and the YLD wishes to once more thank all those who had a part in it.