Not the end, but a new beginning.

• Author: Blumberg, Edward R.
• Position: Florida - President's Page

We are down to the end now. Rather than the end, though, I hope I have given you a new beginning. I have had no reason for serving as your president other than a love for the law and a desire to make it better for you and the clients we serve.

Twelve months ago I set specific goals designed to preserve and enhance the practice of law. At that time the conventional wisdom was that these ideas were too far-reaching and ambitious to have a probability of coming to fruition. Let us now revisit these aspirations to see if indeed they have become a reality.

Grievance mediation. It seemed clear in our grievance system that lawyers and clients were bogged down in a lengthy and cumbersome resolution process in many matters which could be promptly and expeditiously handled through the use of mediation. A pilot program was begun in Tampa, Tallahassee, and Miami using volunteer mediators. More than 75 cases were mediated, with a 98 percent success rate. The average time of the mediation process has been four weeks from the time the complaint was first filed until the resolution of the matter. I have personally spoken with complainants and respondent lawyers, as well as mediators, and all have been satisfied. Clients and lawyers alike are supportive of the program.

Because of the success of the pilot program, a permanent Florida Bar Standing Committee on Grievance Mediation has been put in place, and a petition has been filed with the Florida Supreme Court to incorporate the process into the Rules Regulating The Florida Bar.

Speakers bureau. The lack of respect and understanding for lawyers and the legal and judicial system has reached an intolerable level. The public has a misconception as to what lawyers are all about. This disrespect is perpetuated through our school children, who are not being exposed to the routine good deeds lawyers do. To solve this problem on a grass-roots, person-to-person level, The Florida Bar Speakers Bureau was created. The first presentations were geared to adults and made to Rotary Clubs, Kiwanis Clubs, and various other civic groups. A major breakthrough occurred last October, when Education Commissioner Frank Brogan entered into a partnership agreement with the Bar to have lawyers go into the 831 public middle and high schools of Florida to reach out to young people and clear up their misperceptions about lawyers and the administration of justice. Partnerships next were struck with the Association of Independent...