Jacksonville Bar Association

06/02/2026

Love it! Such a fun, worthwhile event every year. Thanks to everyone who signed up!

06/01/2026

🌟 THREE JBA MEMBERS NAMED TO NEW FLORIDA BAR LEADERSHIP ACADEMY CLASS! 🌟

How about three cheers for three Jacksonville lawyers who were recently named to The Florida Bar Leadership Academy Class XVI ...

🎶 Hip-hip hooray! Hip-hip hooray! Hip-hip hooray! 🎶

Congrats today goes out to Kimano Edwards, Morgan Justice and Clare Kelly, all of whom were the only lawyers selected from the Jacksonville area this year to join the prestigious William Reece Smith Florida Bar Leadership Academy!

Kimano is a trial lawyer with Edwards Law, LLC. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in History with a minor in Education from the University of Florida and obtained his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law.

Morgan - who might just have the best last name in the entire legal profession! - is an Assistant Public Defender at the 4th Circuit PDs office. Like Kimano, she also got her Bachelor of Arts and JD at the same school, hers coming at Florida State and FSU College Of Law.

And Clare is an Assistant State Attorney with State Attorney's Office, 4th Judicial Circuit of Florida. She is a University of South Carolina undergrad who went on to earn her Juris Doctorate from the Joseph S. Rice School of Law.

The Wm. Reece Smith, Jr. Leadership Academy is a multi-session training program designed to help selected lawyers become better leaders. Each year a select group of participants are selected from applications submitted to The Florida Bar to become Academy Fellows.

Selected from across the state, all of these emerging leaders represent the future of our profession, and we can't wait to see what they accomplish next year and in the years to come!

Congrats again to Kimano, Morgan & Clare! 🙌 ⚖️

06/01/2026

What is absolutely all star lineup for Tuesday's YLS Noon In June event! Make sure you get registered ASAP if you're not already!

⚖️ MEET YOUR "NOON IN JUNE" PANELISTS! ⚖️

Goooood morning, and Happy Monday, Jax legal community! Are you ready for what's SURE to be an epic "Noon In June" event on Tuesday, June 2, at the Duval County Courthouse?!?

We know some Jax legal All-Stars - AKA, our esteemed panelists - certainly are!

Let's meet them, shall we?

Speaking on our “Day in the Life” panel at 2pm in Courtroom 308 in the Duval County Courthouse on Tuesday, June 2, will be an amazing collection of lawyers from a wide range of practice areas. And when they finish, attendees can ask interactive questions about “a day in the life” of their different practice areas.

Our panel includes:
** Tricia Rover (Public Defender’s Office)
** Kayla Haines-Herrin (Transactional Law)
** Mary Offutt (Term Law Clerk for the Honorable Jacob A. Brown, Bankruptcy
** Adam Edgecombe (Civil Litigation – Plaintiff)
** John Weedon (Civil Litigation – Defense)
** Courtney M. Johnson (Surrogacy Law/Solo Practitioner)
** Captain Tyler C. Patrick (Judge Advocate, U.S. Marine Corps)
** Sarah Byres (Family Law)

Noon In June, an annual half-day CLE filled with incredible programming helpful to young lawyers, kicks off at - not at noon - but 11:30 am with lunch sponsored by Miles Mediation in the Attorney Lounge of the Courthouse. At noon, we move to our Institute Panel in Chief Judge Lance Day’s Chambers. At 1 pm, attendees will take a Courthouse Tour led by Judge Robin Lanigan. The “Day in the Life” Panel in Courtroom 308 begins after that as lawyers in different areas of practice share their insights on what a typical day looks like in their lives.

Noon In June then closes with a Resume Workshop from 3-4 pm, which is also hosted and overseen by our panelists.

The event wraps up with the JBA YLS Annual Meeting, which begins at 5:30 pm.

There are still time to join us and register for BOTH the Noon In June and the YLS Annual Meeting. And links for both are below!

See y'all there! 👋 ⚖️

** Noon In June - https://www.jaxbar.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=2058051&group=

** YLS Annual Meeting - https://www.jaxbar.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=2057979&group=

06/01/2026

💕 ⚖️ Honoring Leadership: Thank You To Outgoing JBA Presidents, Excited For Incoming Leaders ⚖️💕

This month marks an important transition as we welcome new leadership across both the Jacksonville Bar Association and the Young Lawyers Section. At the same time, we pause to recognize and thank two individuals whose leadership has made a lasting impact on our organization and our legal community: Brian Coughlin and Adam Prom.

Together, Brian and Adam have led with purpose, integrity, and a commitment to service that benefits not only our members, but the broader Jacksonville community.

On behalf of the Jacksonville Bar Association, thank you for your leadership, your service, and your lasting contributions. We look forward to your continued involvement and impact in the years ahead.

And moving forward, we are excited to welcome NEW Jax Bar President Asghar Syed and NEW Young Lawyers Section President Matt Borello!

And on a statewide level, we are thrilled that longtime Jacksonville Bar Association member and Past JBA President Michael Fox Orr is going to be sworn in as the next The Florida Bar President in 2 weeks in Orlando!

Like we said, it's a big month for the JBA! Congrats and best of luck to our JBA leadership! 🍀 ⚖️

05/28/2026

Best of luck to all the candidates and we look forward to working with you!

🗳 YLS Board of Governors Voting Is Now Open! 🗳

The Jacksonville Bar Association Young Lawyers Section Board of Governors elections are officially open!

This is a great opportunity to get involved, serve the local legal community and help shape the future of the YLS.

There are four open seats available this election cycle, including two incumbents that are running for re-election. The candidates are:

** Summer Reed (Incumbent)

** Camille Sheppard (Incumbent)

** Carson Proctor

** Dillon Rheuby

** Paige Rheuby

** Victoria Welch

Nominations will remain open through Tuesday, June 2, at 4 pm. We encourage all interested members to cast their vote before the deadline at the link here: https://www.balloteer.com/bp/nph-ballotdisplay?&electionid=84357453030778210178&bsc1=02896512262134550802828&tid=1780000447

Learn more about the candidates at the "View Info" links next to their names on the ballot (also at the link above).

Best of luck to all the young lawyers vying for a seat on our board, and we will announce the winners next week!

05/28/2026

LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER FOR ...

"Mindfulness and the Legal Profession" (Zoom Event)

In this upcoming JBA CLE on Friday, May 29th, discover how mindfulness can enhance both your professional and personal life. This program will introduce the fundamentals of mindfulness and explore practical ways it can support law students and attorneys in managing stress, improving focus, and fostering well-being.

Speakers:
** Alexandra "Cookie" Echsner-Rasmussen
** Professor Scott Rogers at the University of Miami

Register at the link here: https://www.jaxbar.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=2062287&group=&utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAb21jcASFgXpleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA81NjcwNjczNDMzNTI0MjcAAaetSHGSpdMJ7xXctRyXLiY4Y1RFrL4JQUvYuyQJMFChabzqcl7Rj3aqrSUJgw_aem_SSm0X5q9kslVAcT7xXwvWw

05/25/2026

The Jacksonville Bar Association and hope everyone has a safe and thoughtful Memorial Day today.

We are keeping the Blue Star & Gold Star families on our minds this Memorial Day. Blue Star Families have a loved one currently serving in the U.S. military, while Gold Star Families have lost a loved one in military service.

We honor them both today for their sacrifices made for our country and offer our support for their service. 🇺🇸 🫡

05/20/2026

🗳 2026 JBA ELECTIONS: Welcome JBA Board Member John W. Wallace! 🗳

The votes are in!

Thank you to all who participated in our recent Board of Governors elections and helped us decide our five open Jacksonville Bar Association BOG seats, one of them going to:

JBA member John W. Wallace!

Congrats to John, an attorney with Smith Hulsey & Busey who is a first-time board-electee and will serve alongside incoming JBA President Asghar A. Syed and newly elected JBA President-Elect Adina Pollan!

We truly appreciate members like John - and all of our candidates - who stepped forward to lead and join the JBA as we focus on elevating the member experience and creating opportunities that truly make a difference.

Join us in congratulating John on his election win and welcoming him to the JBA Board of Governors! 🙌 ⚖️

05/20/2026

🗳 2026 JBA ELECTIONS: Welcome JBA Board Member Ashlea A. Edwards! 🗳

The votes are in!

Thank you to all who participated in our recent Board of Governors elections and helped us decide our five open Jacksonville Bar Association BOG seats, one of them going to:

JBA member Ashlea A. Edwards!

Congrats to Ashlea, a shareholder with GrayRobinson, P.A. - and former Jacksonville Bar Young Lawyers Section President! - who is a first-time board-electee and will serve alongside incoming JBA President Asghar A. Syed and newly elected JBA President-Elect Adina Pollan!

We truly appreciate members like Ashlea - and all of our candidates - who stepped forward to lead and join the JBA as we focus on elevating the member experience and creating opportunities that truly make a difference.

Join us in congratulating Ashlea on her election win and welcoming her to the JBA Board of Governors! 🙌 ⚖️