The Section is honored to recognize Justice Quince as the 2018 recipient of the Section’s highest honor, the James C. Adkins Award. The award honors a member of The Florida Bar who has made exemplary contributions in the field of appellate practice. For more than thirteen years, Justice Quince served at the Attorney General’s Office, Criminal Division, where she handled numerous appeals in many jurisdictions. In 1993, Justice Quince was appointed to the Second District Court of Appeal. She was the first African-American female to be appointed to a DCA. In 1998, she was appointed to the Florida Supreme Court. Throughout her years of public service, she has contributed to the development of the field of appellate practice as a member of the Executive Counsel of the Appellate Practice Section and active membership in numerous professional associations and Florida Bar and State committees. The Section is excited to include the Adkins Award to the many honors Justice Quince has received for her dedicated service and contribution to the community.

To honor the tradition of service demonstrated by Mr. Hamilton, the Section selected Anthony Musto as the 2018 recipient of the John R. Hamilton Pro Bono Award. This annual award recognizes exemplary pro bono service in appellate practice. A board-certified appellate specialist and beloved professor at St. Thomas University School of Law, Mr. Musto has supported pro bono legal services in every aspect of his career. During his tenure as Chair of the Section, he established the Pro Bono Committee and served as the committee chair for many years. As Chief Appellate Counsel at the Broward County Attorney’s Office, he oversaw its pro bono program and established its Veterans Appeals Project. He has dedicated over 800 hours of appellate pro bono service for juvenile dependency and delinquency appeals. These are just a few examples of why Mr. Musto has demonstrated remarkable pro bono service in appellate practice.

In recognition of his dedication to Pro Bono serve, the Section is pleased to announce the renaming of the annual Pro Bono award to honor John R. Hamilton. John Hamilton was a Board Certified Appellate Specialist with Foley & Lardner and pro bono advocate. He dedicated over 2,500 hours to the OCBA Legal Aid Society, along with handling appeals for the Seminole County Bar Association Legal Aid Society and Harbor House. His many recognitions include the New Attorney Award of Excellence from the Legal Aid Society of the OCBA, the Award of Excellence for the Legal Aid Society of the OCBA, the Edward C. Smith Outstanding Pro Bono Service Award from the Seminole County Bar Association Legal Aid Society, the Judge J.C. “Jake” Stone Distinguished Service Award from the Legal Aid Society of the OCBA, The Florida Bar President’s Pro Bono Service Award for the Ninth Judicial Circuit and the Appellate Practice Section’s Pro Bono Award in 2008.