Y2K, JNCs, MDPs - who knew?

• Author: Oshman, Edith G.
• Position: Florida Bar - President's Page

Well, Y2K has finally come and gone. The most anxiously awaited New Year of any of our lives, for sure. The year of the most hype, and the most fear, seems to have fizzled on both counts.

A few years ago, I started buying into the hype, and dreamed about exotic ways to spend New Year's Eve 2000. As the day drew nearer, I had not yet made plans. All of the exotic trips seemed overpriced, and I was resistant to being held hostage to that. Being in the midst of the Bar presidency helped make the decision. In this job, being on the road all the time suddenly made staying home look like a vacation. As December 31, 1999, finally arrived, the world watched beautiful displays of fireworks in every time zone (Paris was my favorite), giving an armchair traveler a glimpse of celebrations around the globe. And what did I finally choose to do? I spent New Year's Eve at home with the people I love. At midnight we watched Miami's own stupendous fireworks display over Biscayne Bay and Miami Beach from our 23rd floor terrace. It was a great beginning to the new millennium.

A Pause to Reflect

For me at least, the night the millennium turned put the importance of loved ones and making the most of our brief time here in exceptionally sharp focus: as time marches on, and our children reach adulthood, we realize that our legacy is not what we do every day but whether we leave the world a better place. Our responsibility to our profession is no different. Recently, the Bar lost several outstanding leaders including Bill Colson and Don Gifford, longtime members of the Board of Governors, and Sonny Yahr Schneider, one of the most dynamic presidents of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers, Miami Chapter. While their deaths saddened all, we will always be grateful that their lives made our profession better; our lives must do the same.

For me, the New Year marked a midway point in my Bar administration. As one would have expected, it's passed in a whirlwind. When I became Bar president six months ago my dear friend and mentor, Chesterfield Smith, warned me that "there are a lot of things you want to accomplish, but don't take on too many projects ... leave room for the ones that take you on."

This year, several issues took all of us on: the Bar is now taking a close look at fundamental issues ranging from how we select judges to how we structure law firms. It is my hope that wherever you stand on these questions, you view them, as Sonny, Don, and Bill would...