Happy Holidays, Appellate Practice Section Members!
I hope you are enjoying all the festivities the holidays have to offer while also taking some time to reflect on what a year it’s been. As for the Section, we started 2022 wondering if in-person meetings would actually happen (they did!) and planning for an international retreat in London that seemed almost too good to be true (it happened!), and here we are preparing for an exciting and productive 2023.
On that note, please make plans to attend the in-person Florida Bar Winter Meeting at Orlando’s Rosen Shingle Creek. On Thursday, January 19 at 10:00 a.m., the Section will hold a Town Hall – with a hot breakfast – for Section members to share their thoughts on where the Section has been and where it’s headed. We want to hear from you as the Section plans for the future! We will hold the Executive Council Meeting immediately after the Town Hall at 12:00 p.m. Committee meetings will take place before the Winter Meeting, so stay tuned for details from your Committee Chairs. More information about the Winter Meeting, including hotel accommodations, is available at the below link, and please note that the deadline to make hotel reservations at Rosen Shingle Creek is next Tuesday, December 27th:
https://www.floridabar.org/news/meetings/pcle001/
I’m excited to introduce our new Section Program Administrator, Paige Dooley-Levy, who will be joining us at the Winter Meeting. Paige is very enthusiastic about her new role and I know she will be a great asset for our Section. She is taking over for Cheri Wright, who has taken the position of Senior Communications Coordinator for the Bar. I thank Cheri for many years of dedicated service and friendship to our Section, and I’m glad we will still see her at Bar events in the future. Welcome, Paige!
Turning to the Section’s CLE offerings, two highly anticipated events occur in January. Matt Conigliaro presents his popular “Year in Review” audio webcast on Tuesday, January 17 at 12:10 p.m.
https://tfb.inreachce.com/Details/Information/caa849d0-f690-4b17-99ce-bf463c1b7c91
The Appellate Practice Board Certification Boot Camp will take place virtually on Monday, January 30 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., with presenters covering the topics of administrative appeals, Florida civil appellate practice, writs, Florida criminal appeals, and Federal appellate practice.
https://tfb.inreachce.com/Details/Information/2d450a48-848c-441a-827c-208c87a1f659
I also have exciting news to share about the Section’s participation in the Florida High School Appellate Brief Writing & Moot Court Competition. Online registration is now open, and we expect to receive student briefs by the end of February. We are still recruiting Section members to serve as brief graders. If you are interested and able to grade a few briefs in early March (no more than three), please let Paige Dooley-Levy know at plevy@floridabar.org. The top teams will compete in the moot court rounds before our six District Courts of Appeal with the top two teams advancing to a final round before the Florida Supreme Court. Stay tuned, as I know you’ll be impressed with the competitors!
Finally, I end this Chair’s Message with a photo from the Section’s Retreat in London this past October. The UK Supreme Court hosted the Section for a truly memorable tour and education session. I’m so thankful to our Retreat Committee – Courtney Brewer, Kristin Norse, Diane DeWolf, Judge Alan Forst, and Cheri Wright – for their hard work and enthusiasm in planning a truly memorable experience. And I’m truly honored to lead this wonderful Section this year. 2023, here we come!
Cheers,
Carrie Ann Wozniak, Chair
Appellate Practice Section
