Message from the Chair

It's easy. In the Fall 2006 issue of The Record, immediate past Chair Susan Fox dispelled the common myths about section participation. As she proved, there is nothing to it. Show up at one of our meetings and you will be welcomed instantly into a fraternity of fellow professionals who can help your practice every day. Raise your hand and you'll be called upon for any number of interesting projects that will raise your profile and make you a better appellate lawyer. Show up and raise your hand consistently and before you know it, you'll be in the leadership of the section. Its that simple.

But why do it? Why get involved? First and foremost, it's the people you will meet and the networking opportunities that you will create. Around ten years ago I showed up at my first appellate section committee meeting in Miami knowing almost no one except the lawyers I happened to meet as part of my practice. Now I count among my friends a large group of fellow professionals from every corner of the state. Do I need to know about a particular trial or appellate judge? No problem, I know just whom in the section to call. Do I have a strange procedural question about administrative appeals? Once again, the answer is likely just a phone call or email away. Where is the best place to stay for oral argument, the best restaurant in town, or where to park? An expert is always available to steer me in the right direction.

Even though I come from a big firm practice and already have the luxury of colleagues from around the state, I still find myself utilizing nearly every week the appellate network of friends I have developed over the years. Just think how valuable this network could be for a solo practitioner or a lawyer from a small firm. Take advantage!

And it is not just other appellate lawyers you will be meeting. Many appellate judges around the state are active in the section. Come to our meetings and you will be serving with these judges on committees. With that service comes the opportunity to get to know these judges on a far more personal level. Think how much easier your first argument in a particular appellate court might be if you already know and feel comfortable around the judges of that court.

There are other selfish reasons. All of us are constantly involved in practice development, whether it be inside our own firms or in the marketplace. Participating in the section is an important way to raise your profile, build your resume, and to enhance your credibility as you sell yourself as an appellate practitioner. With increased activity in the section comes opportunities and responsibilities, which will help demonstrate your commitment to the appellate practice. Perhaps you'll have the opportunity to publish an article or to speak at a statewide seminar. Perhaps you'll chair an important committee. All of these activities enhance your reputation, and there is no easier way to get these opportunities than to join the section.

Once you become involved, there is plenty to do. Join the publications subcommittee and soon you'll be writing an article for The Record or for the Florida Bar Journal. Perhaps you will get the chance to edit the work of other appellate lawyers. Join the CLE Committee and soon you will be helping to organize an appellate seminar. Perhaps you will even get the opportunity to speak at one of our seminars. Join the Programs Committee and you can help stage one of our signature events such as our Dessert Reception at the June Annual Meeting and then disco or salsa the night away.

There are lots of exciting new opportunities on the horizon. Think about the web. The section is going to focus hard on developing the section's website into a powerful tool for our members. We are initiating discussion groups and establishing mentoring opportunities on the web. We may be taking the "Bible" of most appellate practitioners, the Guide, and moving it on the web. We need lots of volunteers to assist, particularly you younger and more tech-savvy members.

You can organize pro bono work. The section is working to strengthen its commitment to pro bono service. We have many section members who are interested in pro bono appellate service and numerous potential pro bono clients who need our services. We need volunteers to help us make the connection between our lawyers and potential clients.

You can be a mentor or mentee. We are working to make it easier for new lawyers to find senior lawyers to talk to about appellate practice. We also will be participating in a statewide appellate moot court contest for high school students. Perhaps you could grade briefs or coach an oral argument or serve as a judge in a local competition or a practice round.

You can write or edit a chapter in an important treatise. For example, we need volunteers to become involved as an author or editor of the section's Pro Se Appellate Handbook, a major treatise just published by the section. The Handbook is drafted to guide pro se litigants through the maze of appellate practice and procedure. The brainchild of past chair Tom Hall, the Handbook was a massive undertaking, coordinated by Vice Chair Dorothy Easley, but completed with the participation of many members of the section. But the work is just beginning. Now that the manual has been published, it will constantly be in need of updating and improvement and we will need your help. There is no better way to learn the ins and outs of appellate practice and procedure than to teach them to someone else.

You can help determine the future of the Appellate Justice Conference. This conference, which the Appellate Section has co-sponsored since its inception two years ago, is a meeting of appellate judges and practitioners to discuss issues relevant to the appellate process. The conference has been a big hit, but we need help in figuring out how to fund it and how to staff it with volunteers to keep it alive and well.

In short, there is no shortage of interesting and rewarding projects.

To get involved, just email me at steve.brannock@hklaw.com and I will set you up right away. Alternatively, show up at one of our upcoming meetings. Our next meeting is at the downtown Miami Hyatt on Thursday, January 17, 2008. We next meet on June 19, 2008 at the annual meeting in Boca Raton. On September 11, 2008 we meet in Tampa at the Tampa Airport Marriott. Attend any of these gatherings of the bar, wander into the appellate section meeting room, join a table, raise your hand, and you're in. We look forward to seeing you there!

- Steven L. Brannock