Happy Holidays, Appellate Practice Section Members,

Reminiscing, the D.C. Retreat was amazing. The Section gathered for informative panels, like the insightful interview of Judge Forst and eye-opening panel of former Supreme Court law clerks discussing the intricacies of Supreme Court practice. We peeked into the Supreme Court courtroom, and watched the sunset over the courtyard. We toured the Capitol in the midst of Justice Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings. And most importantly, we workshopped, brainstormed, and designed a strategic plan to move the Section further and provide more member benefits.

From that Retreat, so many incredible projects were developed. We now have the Fellowship Program, aimed at attracting and cultivating young, diverse leadership in the Section. We have a Finance Committee committed to advising on the Section’s financial goals and programs. We synthesized and collected the work of the Section into an updated Internal Operating Procedures Handbook. And D.C. provided the perfect landscape and historic backdrop for this innovation.

Looking forward, the Retreat Committee is carefully considering how to recreate that magic, while being ever flexible and cognizant of the challenges of international travel. After two years of canceled meetings, we are looking to Fall 2022 as the Section’s opportunity to reconnect and strategize about the Section’s goals and projects for the future. When the Retreat Committee was brainstorming places to go, London stood out as the next logical place to continue the Section’s work after D.C. And by grabbing our passports and crossing the pond to London, the deep history of the city will enhance our Section’s work and provide new opportunities to engage, network, and innovate. The parallels and contrasts between the legal systems in the Americas and the UK will provide attendees with a unique educational experience, and the Section’s efforts to keep the per-person costs of the trip as reasonably low as possible will provide the opportunity for more members to engage and attend.

I am excited about what the Retreat Committee has in store for us, and I know you will love it too as you learn more in the coming months. Stay tuned for more information about the Retreat. In the meantime, please take a few moments and let us know your thoughts by this Friday, December 10, on the Fall 2022 Retreat. The responses to these couple of questions will help the Executive Council and Retreat Committee in planning our 2022 Retreat.

After that, check out some courses that will get your appellate practice off to the right start in 2022, the highly anticipated Appellate Law 2021 Year in Review and the must-attend Advanced Appellate Practice and Board Certification Review 2022 for anyone interested in becoming board certified in appellate practice.

Finally, if you haven’t done so already, now’s the time to book your hotel room for the 2022 Florida Bar Winter Meeting at the Rosen Shingle Creek hotel in Orlando, Florida. The Appellate Practice Section plans to meet in-person and virtually on Thursday, January 27 and the statewide Guardian ad Litem program is planning a full-day seminar for Wednesday, January 26 that you won’t want to miss. Keep an eye out for registration and agenda information for APS meetings and the Guardian ad Litem seminar. I look forward to interacting with everyone at the 2022 Florida Bar Winter Meeting, and hope everyone has a healthy and joyful holiday season!