Friday, February 13, 2015

Board of Governors of The Florida Bar from the Seventh Judicial Circuit, Seat 1


When this opening was announced I was emailed and asked to run for the position. The nominating form had some great attorneys on it. They were dedicated to their clients; they spent time consulting the poor in legal matters; and they contributed to the community and the Profession in ways I could not possibly detail here. These are attorneys I frequently look up to so being nominated by them made it very difficult to refuse.

Pro Bono Service - Recently I was privileged to travel to Tallahassee and stand before our Supreme Court along with a cohort of fellow pro bono volunteer attorneys who have directly confronted the problem of accessibility to legal representation. Too often, pro se litigants with legitimate legal issues are denied a chance at justice and attorneys who volunteer cannot save everybody. I believe that some parts of this problem can be tackled using education and technology, and that the Profession should be experimenting with solutions that could resolve simpler matters as swiftly as possible.

Technology & the Law - Because of my background in engineering and science, I want to explore how technology can be used to pull the Profession into the 21st century. Creating a more efficient court system with technologically armed attorneys representing their clients would streamline the courts and allow all of us to concentrate more on what matters to us and those we represent. I want to contribute to this evolution of legal services.

Helping Others - Finally, there are many other issues facing the Florida Bar besides these two and they certainly have equally dedicated champions. Anemic court funding, poorly compensated government attorneys, increased support for legal aid firms, soft cover books which hurt less when the judge tosses the book at you, and mentorship opportunities for attorneys are some examples of the problems I would be looking forward to addressing with other board members.

I do not have all the answers, nor will I pretend to. These are difficult problems before us and no one attorney will solve any one of them. But I would be happy to take part in finding the solutions and it would be an honor to represent you on the Board of Governors. So remember to vote and let's tackle these problems together.