Remembering colonel Faulkner.

• Author: Harkness, Jr., John F.
• Position: Includes 4 testimonials - Florida - Testimonial

In March of this year former Bar Staff Counsel Col. Norman Faulkner passed away at the age of 82.

Faulkner joined Bar staff in 1971 to coordinate the rapidly growing disciplinary program, and it was under his leadership that the grievance department experienced major developments, most notably from a volunteer, single-headquarters system to a salaried full-time staff with a professional branch system in major Florida cities. When Faulkner took over the role as head of the grievance department, he provided assistance to referees, the Board of Governors, and the grievance committee during trials.

Former Bar legislative counsel and unauthorized practice of law director, Richard McFarlain, who worked closely with Faulkner, said, "He was truly responsible for bringing the disciplinary system up to date."

Col. Faulkner was a retired Air Force colonel when he entered the employ of the Bar in the early 1970s. After retirement from active duty with the Judge Advocate General Corps and several years in private practice, Faulkner joined the staff of the University of Florida Law Center where he was director of placement and also taught legal ethics.

McFarlain credits Col. Faulkner's involvement in bringing the interest on trust accounts program to Florida, a program that provides millions of dollars in funding to legal service programs. The interest on trust accounts program, or IOTA, now administered through The Florida Bar Foundation, allows lawyers to place clients' funds into interest-bearing accounts. The interest on these funds is then used to fund programs such as legal aid and other legal services programs. Faulkner was instrumental in the design and implementation of this program, adds McFarlain.

Former assistant staff counsel Jerry Foster, who worked with Faulkner for several years, said, "He really was the father of...