Business Litigation Board Certification.

• Author: Jackson, Hank
• Position: Annual Reports of Committees of the Florida Bar: 2018-2019

The Business Litigation Certification Committee is composed of nine board certified business litigators, including two that are also sitting as circuit court judges. Hank Jackson is currently serving as committee chair, with Mike Freed serving as vice chair. Other committee members include Donna Solomon, Sheila Biehl, Andrew Lannon, Joanne O'Connor, Jeremy Slusher, Judge Kimberly Sharpe-Byrd, and Judge Janet Carney-Croom. Each committee member values board certification and has given freely of their time to actively participate in committee meetings.

The certification committee had five meetings at which the committee has, among other things, reviewed initial and recertification applications, composed, edited, and reviewed exam questions, as well as discussed various ways to improve the initial and recertification application process.

The committee has also worked diligently on a proposed rule amendment to allow for an advance trial advocacy course, which specifically covers jury trial skills, to qualify as a substitute for the jury trial requirement. This proposed amendment came as result of a decreasing number of applicants who were otherwise qualified but had difficulty meeting the jury trial requirement. The amendment was approved by the Board of Governors in October 2018. The committee has noticed an increase in the numbers of initial...