Jacksonville Bar Association

10/17/2026

Proud of today at the Special Olympics Florida Race for Champions 5K in Downtown Jacksonville at the CSX Building!

JBA President Asghar Syed, JBA Board of Governors member Ashlea Edwards and YLS Board Of Governors member Julianna ❤️‍🔥 led the JBA team in the Race for Champions, which is a powerful statewide campaign where family, friends and communities come together to celebrate and support Special Olympics Florida athletes.

Featuring four 5K events across the state, these races help create life-changing opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities and foster communities where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.

Every step taken and every dollar raised empowers more than 85,000 Special Olympics Florida athletes to compete, grow and shine as the champions they are!

Thanks to everyone in the Jacksonville legal community who joined us for this great community event and initiative!

10/15/2026

Big statewide legal news today via The Florida Bar News! Here is an excerpt:

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Most lawyers who grouse about declining professionalism probably don’t know there’s an effective tool to address it, says a veteran Florida Bar leader.

“It can change people’s lives without having to go through the formal discipline process,” said 46-year Clearwater civil trial attorney Joshua Magidson. “It works, I’ve seen it happen.”

As Vice Chair of the Standing Committee on Professionalism, Magidson is on a mission to raise the profile of Florida’s 20 Local Professionalism Panels, or “LPPs.”

The panels of experienced lawyers — five years or more — and judges, appointed by the chief judge, are charged with confidentially resolving complaints of a lawyer’s perceived unprofessional behavior — separate and apart from the Bar’s grievance process.

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You can read the full article at the link below!

Most lawyers who grouse about declining professionalism probably don’t know there’s an effective tool to address it, says a veteran Florida Bar leader. “It can change people’s lives without having to go through the formal discipline process,” said 46-year Clearwater civil trial attorney Jo...

10/13/2026

🤖⚖️ REGISTER NOW FOR MULTI-DAY GENERATIVE AI CLE! ⚖️🤖

The Jacksonville Bar Association - like everyone else - is adjusting and adapting to Artificial Intelligence.

And we want to help bring our members up to speed, too.

So we invite you to join us on Oct. 30th for Session #1 of a multi-day CLE titled, "GENERATIVE AI: Practical AI Skills For Your Law Practice."

Session #2 will be held on Nov. 6th and Session #3 is slated for Nov. 12th - all 3 at JBA Headquarters. And at the end of all 3, attendees will have earned a WHOPPING 31.5 CLE Credits (General 14.5, Technology 14.5 and Ethics 2.5).

This will be a hands-on, multi-session program designed to help legal professionals understand, evaluate and responsibly implement Generative AI tools in their practice. Satisfy a significant portion of your CLE requirements while immediately gaining applicable skills. Led by Dr. Carlton Robinson, DBA, participants will:

** Learn practical applications of ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, and AI agents
** Develop AI-assisted workflows for research, drafting, analysis, and productivity
** Explore ethics, governance, and responsible AI implementation
** Receive a personalized AI implementation roadmap

Registration includes all three days, and we offer packages for Members, Non-Members, Government/Legal Aid, and a Law Firm Package (3 Attorneys or 5 Attorneys).

Buuuuut ... be aware ...

Space is Limited!

Registration is being capped at 25 participants, so early registration is strongly encouraged!

Sign up now at the link here: https://www.jaxbar.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=2091595&group=

10/13/2026

🏃‍♂️ JOIN THE JBA & JBA YLS SPECIAL OLYMPICS RACE TEAM! 🏃‍♂️

We are joining forces with Jacksonville Bar Young Lawyers Section and have created a JBA team for the Special Olympics Florida Race for Champions 5K coming up this Saturday, Oct. 17th!

The event kicks off at 9 am at 500 Water St. - the CSX Building! There will also be live music, vendors and giveaways. It's not just going to be a race, it's going to be a big downtown party for a great cause!

The Race for Champions is a powerful statewide campaign where family, friends and communities come together to celebrate and support Special Olympics Florida athletes.

Featuring four 5K events across the state, these races help create life-changing opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities and foster communities where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.

Every step taken and every dollar raised empowers more than 85,000 Special Olympics Florida athletes to compete, grow, and shine as the champions they are!

Register to be a JBA racer at the link here: https://give.specialolympicsflorida.org/site/TR/5KRunWalk/General?pg=entry&fr_id=2205

10/09/2026

We get excited every year when y'all choose the charity to benefit from the Chili Cook-Off, and The Sanctuary on 8th Street is another GREAT choice. Can't wait to help with the planning of this event for 2027!

10/09/2026

We've said it before and we'll say it again: The YLS' Young Lawyers Institute will go down in Florida legal history as one of the BEST programs ever created for young lawyers! Not only do they get a wealth of CLE credits in one meeting, but they leave with a wealth of knowledge imparted on them by a panel of experienced judges. Well done once again, YLS!

10/06/2026

🚨 🗞 OCTOBER 2026 JAX BAR BULLETIN IS OUT! 🚨 🗞

The latest and greatest edition of the Jax Bar Bulletin - via our friends at the Jax Daily Record - is officially out!

Available both in print and online, here's a quick look at all of the headlines dotting the pages in the October 2026 issue:

** From The President: When moral clarity transcends culture wars
** Getting to know 4th Circuit Magistrate Patricia Parker
** JALA’s Equal Justice Awards celebrate service
** Commentary: Success at mediation requires preparing your mediator
** Clay County conducts first sealing and expungement fair
** Commentary: Continuing along the path of the law requires citizens to vote
** Commentary; I don’t need to hate opposing counsel to beat them

Check out the pages of the October 2026 Bar Bulletin issue here and make sure you read it cover to cover. Thanks to its wealth of local legal information, the monthly Jax Bar Bulletin truly is a Jacksonville lawyer's best friend! ⚖️

And if you missed any of the articles from the September edition, all of those headlines pick up right where the new ones from October drop off when you read it online. 💪

Check out all of this month's stories at: jaxdailyrecord.com/news/law/the-bar-bulletin

10/04/2026

Thank you to all the JBA members who joined us for the recent CLE on the important topic of Guardianship and Guardianship Advocacy.

Led by Magistrate Amber Donley, the program was designed to help attorneys navigate guardianship and guardian advocacy matters more effectively within Florida's Fourth Judicial Circuit. Presented from the perspective of Magistrate Donley, this CLE provided valuable insight into the role of the Magistrate as a finder of fact in guardianship proceedings involving indigent parties and the process of making recommendations to the Court.

Held at JBA Headquarters, attendees received a step-by-step overview of Guardianship and Guardian advocacy procedures, including orders of referral, hearing procedures, report and recommendation processes, post-hearing timelines and judicial review. The program also highlighted practical considerations that can help matters proceed more efficiently and avoid common delays.

We appreciate Magistrate Donley's time and expertise on the topic, and we hope all of our members who attended found the CLE helpful!

To see upcoming CLEs like this, visit/bookmark our JBA Master Schedule here: https://www.jaxbar.org/events/event_list.asp

10/02/2026

⚖️🎉🎂🥳 COUNTDOWN TO JBA'S 130TH BIRTHDAY BEGINS! 🥳🎂🎉⚖️

On February 4, 1897, a group of Jacksonville attorneys came together and formed the Jacksonville Bar Association with a vision: to strengthen the legal profession, uphold its highest ideals and build a community rooted in professionalism, ethics, service and collegiality.

Exactly 130 years later, on February 4, 2027, we will come together once again - this time at the Jacksonville History Center - to celebrate the JBA's milestone 130th birthday!

For 130 years, the Jax Bar Association has been a constant in a city that has changed dramatically around it. Generations of attorneys and judges have passed through our ranks. Our legal community has grown and evolved. But the principles at the heart of the JBA have endured.

The JBA has long been more than a professional organization. It is where Jacksonville's legal community connects. Where relationships between the bench and bar are strengthened. Where young lawyers find mentors and colleagues become friends. Where generations of leaders have worked together to serve our profession, our justice system and our community.

And on Thursday, February 4, 2027, we're going to celebrate that remarkable legacy.

We're planning a special 130th Anniversary celebration that will look back at where we've been, recognize many of the people who helped bring us here and look ahead to the future of Jacksonville's legal community.

Expect some history.

Some familiar faces.

A special guest (or two).

A few surprises.

And an opportunity to experience pieces of the JBA's story that span more than a century.

Most importantly, it will be a celebration of you - our members, our leaders past and present and the generations of Jacksonville lawyers who have made the JBA what it is today.

The official JBA calendar already marks February 4 for our 130th Anniversary Member Luncheon.

But there's much more to come!

For now, SAVE THE DATE: FEBRUARY 4, 2027.

130 years of history.

130 years of service.

130 years of Jacksonville's legal community.

It's a milestone worth celebrating. And today? The countdown to begins! ⚖️

(Keep an eye on our event page for updates and key information ahead of Feb. 4, 2027: https://www.jaxbar.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=2076496&group=)