The Florida Bar annual reports of sections and divisions.

Alternative Dispute Resolution

The Alternative Dispute Resolution Section is in its fourth year of existence and boasts a membership of 1,023. Since our last annual report, the section sponsored a mediation-related seminar at The Florida Bar's Annual Convention. We were pleased that we had a very large audience necessitating additional seating. In furtherance of the ADR Section's goal to increase focus on arbitration, the section also co-sponsored a webinar on the Revised Florida Arbitration Code in 2013.

The section continues publishing its newsletter, ADR News and Tips, and is grateful that so many people wish to submit articles for publication. The section now has a reserve of pieces to publish.

Since the section crossed the threshold of 1,000 members, the goals are to increase the level of involvement of our members in a new ethics column for the newsletter, plan CLE seminars, form a speaker's bureau, and focus on policy, rules, and legislation. To further these goals, the section is having a half-day working meeting for interested section members in Orlando during The Florida Bar Annual Convention in June.

For additional information on the ADR Section or to become a member, check out the ADR Section website by visiting www. floridabar.org and following the links for "About the Bar" and then "Sections." You can also contact Lani Fraser via email at lfraser@flabar.org or telephone at 850-561-5707.

KAREN EVANS, Chair

Appellate Practice

The Appellate Practice Section began the year with a wonderful celebration of its 20th anniversary. At the Annual Convention of The Florida Bar in June 2013, the section hosted several memorable celebratory events. On June 27, 2013, the section held an anniversary dinner at Ruth's Chris Steak House in Boca Raton to commemorate the section's work over the past 20 years in promoting excellence and professionalism in appellate practice. The keynote speaker, Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Ricky Polston, delivered remarks to a packed house of appellate practitioners and judges, providing insight into the importance of appellate practice and the section's work. Founding members of the section also spoke and regaled the audience with the history of the section. Later in the evening, the section held its signature dessert reception. In honor of the section's 20th anniversary, the theme of the dessert reception this year was the "Great Gatsby Gala," celebrating the 1920s. The section held its annual awards ceremony during the dessert reception. The annual Pro Bono Award was presented to Michael Ufferman for his time and service in devoting significant pro bono effort to appellate matters. The annual Adkins Award was presented to an individual who has made significant contributions to the field of appellate practice: Judge David A. Monaco.

In addition to these fantastic celebrations, at the annual convention, the section's executive council met to continue planning for the section's future. The section also hosted another of its signature events, a discussion with the Florida Supreme Court justices, following the final round of the Robert Orseck Memorial Moot Court Competition. Over the past few years, this discussion with the court has become a highlight of the annual convention. It provides practitioners and law students with the unique opportunity to ask questions of the justices, after which the court renders its decision as to the winning moot court team. We again thank the justices of the Florida Supreme Court and the Young Lawyers Division for participating in this annual event.

Along with celebrating its 20th anniversary, the section focused this year on mentoring and expanding its membership with new and diverse practitioners. In July, the section made presentations at the Wm. Reece Smith, Jr., Bar Leadership Academy fellow meetings and encouraged the fellows to participate in this section. Also with the aim of expansion and diversity, the section strove to continue to grow its Outreach Committee and interact with other sections of The Florida Bar, as well as with the local and appellate bar organizations. We appointed more than 30 liaisons, helping to ensure the section remains involved in both state-wide and local legal communities.

In September, the section was honored again to be invited to attend and participate in the Florida Conference of District Court of Appeal Judges. This year, the conference took place in Ft. Myers and was attended by more than 45 appellate practitioners. On the first evening of the conference, the section hosted a reception, which was attended by Justice Clarence Thomas of the U.S. Supreme Court. Over the next day and a half, section members interacted with Florida's appellate judges and Supreme Court justices while participating in insightful educational seminars. Participants also earned advanced appellate continuing legal education credits. The conference was a fantastic experience for section members, and the section looks forward to continued opportunities to work with, and learn from, Florida's appellate judiciary. Given the close proximity in time of the Appellate Judges' Conference to The Florida Bar's Midyear Meeting, the section held its fall executive council meeting at the Judges' Conference.

Later, in October, as chair of the section, I was honored to be asked to make a presentation on behalf of the section at Tom Hall's retirement ceremony at the Florida Supreme Court. Tom retired as clerk of the Florida Supreme Court after 13 years of dedicated service. Tom is a former section chair (2004-2005) and active section member. He is also one of the founders of the section's Appellate Practice Workshop, an outstanding educational appellate practice seminar, which the section is planning to hold again in the next couple of years. The workshop is a unique, intensive, three-day continuing legal education program in which participants have the opportunity to develop their brief writing and oral argument skills under the tutelage of a faculty of appellate judges and highly experienced appellate practitioners.

In January, at the Bar's Winter Meeting, the section's executive council again had the opportunity to meet and continue to plan for the future.

Thanks to the efforts of the CLE Committee, the section has already held three successful CLE programs this year, "Advanced Appellate Review" in January, "The Art of Objecting: A Trial Lawyer's Guide to Preserving Error for Appeal" in March, and "Practicing Before the Second District Court of Appeal" in May. In addition to these rich educational programs, the section hosted its monthly Tuesday lunch-time telephonic CLE courses.

Continuing its tradition of publishing educational and informative materials, the section's Publications Committee remained active with monthly articles in The Florida Bar Journal. The committee will also release two issues of its signature publication, The Record, and the online publication of The Guide, offering insight into Florida's appellate courts.

The section's Pro Bono Committee remained active in handling appeals for litigants who cannot afford an appellate attorney.

The Self-represented Litigant Committee has been updating the 22-chapter Pro Se Appellate Handbook, an informal but helpful guide for pro se appellate litigants.

Not wanting to forget any of the events of its last 20 years, the section appointed its first historian and History Committee, who, along with the Website Committee chair, continue to gather and update the content of the section's website.

On behalf of the section, I thank each of its judicial liaisons, committee chairs, editors, officers, executive council members, section members, and persons too numerous to list here, who devote their time, brilliance, and energy to develop and coordinate all of the section's programs, events, and publications. Each of them ensures that the section remains a vital part of the Bar and continues in its goal to promote excellence and professionalism in appellate practice. Not to be overlooked, the section thanks its Florida Bar liaison and administrator, Mary Ann Obos, whose hard work and dedication are vital to the section carrying out its work and fulfilling its mission.

To conclude the year, the section's officers, executive council, committees, and membership will meet again in June at the 2014 Annual Convention of The Florida Bar in Orlando, where the section will host its annual dessert reception and discussion with the Florida Supreme Court. All practitioners looking to get involved in the section are encouraged to attend.

CARYN L. BELLUS, Chair

Business Law

The Business Law Section (BLS) is in the midst of fundamental transition. Although the section historically has delivered high-quality services to its members and offered sound policy considerations for legislative matters affecting businesses in Florida, we lacked an overall strategic approach. Our bylaws, written for a small section in the early 1970s, did not reflect how we operate; we needed a new website; tweaking some committee structures was warranted. So, we're transitioning. Fortunately, we have come a very long way in a relatively short time.

For any multi-initiative undertaking to be successful our chair, chair-elect, and secretary/treasurer need to operate as a true executive team: sharing areas of primary oversight responsibilities, learning from one-another, building trust, becoming functionally effective. The spin-off effects are enormous: The learning curve for new BLS top leadership virtually is eliminated; initiatives requiring more than one Bar year can be nurtured with sustained focus in a multi-year perspective. A strategic approach and a longer event-horizon simply could not be assured without a functional team. We had to develop one. This first experiment is a success thanks to Chair-elect Judge William Van Nortwick's and Treasurer/Secretary Alan Howard's enthusiastic support and their stated desire to...