I write this as I see the familiar pumpkin spice products appear, college and regular season NFL football has started (yay!), school is back in session, and it’s still 93 degrees outside! I am thrilled to be serving as Chair of the Appellate Practice Section this year. It’s been a life-changing couple of years, hasn’t it? And still our Section has continued its accomplishments no matter the circumstances. I must pay tribute to our “pandemic past chairs” Nick Shannin (2019-2020), Chris Donovan (2020-2021), and Kim Jones (2021-2022) for their truly admirable leadership. It takes a special type of leader to keep everyone’s motivation up over endless Zoom meetings and the disappointing cancellation of numerous in-person events over multiple years. Remember when the worst we thought would happen is the cancellation of the DCA Judges Conference due to a hurricane?

It was wonderful seeing so many APS members in-person at the Florida Bar Annual Convention earlier this summer, the first time since February 2020. For me, it was comforting to get back into the routine of in-person meetings and at the same time it was like we never skipped a beat. Our London Calling-themed Dessert Reception was an absolute hit and a great preview for our first international retreat in London this October. During the Annual Convention, we honored Judge Stephanie Ray as the recipient of the Section’s James C. Adkins Award, recognizing her contributions to appellate practice and APS, and John Mills as the recipient of the John R. Hamilton Pro Bono Award.

Even though we are coming out of the summer months, our APS Committees have been hard at work. Our CLE Committee has coordinated various well-attended CLE webinars on topics including Appellate Representation Agreements, an Interview with the Florida Solicitor General, the Rule Amendment Process, and an Introduction to the Sixth District Court of Appeal, with many more CLEs to come. And those of you who have registered for the London Retreat are in for a truly amazing time in October thanks to the Retreat Committee’s hard work and enthusiasm. We will be holding our first overseas APS Executive Council Meeting in London on Monday, October 10, with a virtual attendance option for those staying stateside. Stay tuned for further details.

Thank you to everyone for your dedication to appellate practice and our Section. It’s going to be an amazing year!

Cheers,

Carrie Ann Wozniak, Chair
Appellate Practice Section