We're all in this together.

• Author: Schifino, William J., Jr.
• Position: Florida Bar - President's page

In 1978, the mighty Tampa Jesuit Tigers hit a bad stretch in our football season. Our coach, "Wild Bill Minnhan," called us together and let us know that we weren't playing as a team. Truth is, Coach couldn't complete a sentence without using an expletive. He emphasized, in his own way, it takes more than any one of you for the team to win. It's offense, defense, special teams, coaches, and trainers all working together to win. It takes a team effort. It was true in 1978, and it is true today.

Our Bar needs to function as a team. Our courts, Board of Governors, Florida Board of Bar Examiners, educators, and Florida Bar Foundation need to work together to meet the challenges our profession faces. In the end, we all have the same goal in mind: how best to serve our citizens and our members.

Our Florida Bar is a team of 103,000 members strong. We have the responsibility to serve a population of 20 million people. Now that it's my turn to take the helm as Bar president, and I have often been asked, "What is your platform for the upcoming year?" The reality is that it is our platform, The Florida Bar's, and I look forward to working with our Board of Governors to further what we all agree is the appropriate platform.

We, the members of The Florida Bar, will continue to build consensus, remembering the issues we address impact all of us.

Anticipating the year ahead, there are five core issues I know we will address, along with any others that may come our way:

* We will continue to confront changes in the profession and the impact technology has on all of us; channeling these changes to assist our fellow practitioners so they may better serve our citizens and manage their practices.

* The Constitution Revision Commission convenes every 20 years and begins in the middle of this Bar year. This and other legislative issues will certainly warrant much of our time.

* Together we will work to serve the legal needs of our working class and indigent, making certain justice is available for all, not some, not many, but liberty and justice for all.

* Together we will work to promote diversity and inclusion at all levels of our profession, but particularly the JNCs and bench.

* Working together to provide more value to our members, assisting with their professional...