Retired Florida Supreme Court Justice Peggy Ann Quince , the first and only black woman to serve on the Florida Supreme Court , installed the officers and board . Florida Bar President Mike Tanner also spoke at the event , applauding the vision of the organization ’ s leaders and stating that this organization will touch its members in a personal way that will provide for collegiality and mentorship . Tanner explained the bar needs organizations like this to help provide the foundation for success for the over 110,000 lawyers in the State . Other distinguished guests included the Honorable Barbara J . Pariente , Retired Florida Supreme Court Justice ; Gary S . Lesser , President-Elect of The Florida Bar ; Tricia “ CK ” Hoffler , Immediate Past President of the National Bar Association ; the Honorable W . Matthew Stevenson , Retired Fourth District Court of Appeal ; the Honorable Burton C . Conner , Chief Judge of the Fourth District Court of Appeal and the Honorable Glenn Kelley , Chief Judge of the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit . Rosalyn Sia Baker-Barnes was installed as President , Sandra Powery Moses as First Vice-President , Destinie Baker Sutton as Second Vice-President , and Salesia V . Smith-Gordon as Secretary / Treasurer .
The organization ’ s Charter Members include attorneys Donise Edwards Brown , Kalinthia Dillard , Adrienne Ellis , Gloretta Hall , Elaine Johnson James , Hershley Ogé , Ava Parker , Lisa Quarrie , Pamala Ryan , Salesia V . Smith-Gordon , Gwendolyn Tuggle , Lawonda Warren , Ethel Isaacs Williams , and Dawn Wynn . The Charter members span a wide range of practice areas and years of
experience , and include law firm partners , sole practitioners , in-house counsel , public sector leadership , a college President and the Chief Assistant State Attorney of the 15th circuit . The Organization ’ s Judicial Advisors include the Honorable Maxine Cheesman , Fifteenth Judicial Circuit ; the Honorable Renatha Francis , Fifteenth Judicial Circuit ; the Honorable Cymonie Rowe , Fifteenth Judicial Circuit ; the Honorable Debra Moses Stephens , Fifteenth Judicial Circuit , County Court ; the Honorable Shaniek Maynard , U . S . Magistrate Judge , Southern District of Florida ; the Honorable Maxine Williams , Fifteenth Judicial Circuit , Administrative Magistrate ; the Honorable Damary Stokes , Fifteenth Judicial Circuit , Former Magistrate . The organization does not discriminate on any basis and welcomes all lawyers to join and participate in the organization ’ s activities and programming . To learn more about SDCBWLA , visit www . sdcbwla . wildapricot . org and follow our social media pages .
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We look forward to partnering with our fellow voluntary bar associations and making a positive impact on the Palm Beach County legal community .
Rosalyn Sia Baker-Barnes is a partner at Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley , P . A . She is a Board-Certified Civil Trial lawyer handling catastrophic personal injury , medical negligence and product liability cases . She is a Past President of the Palm Beach County Bar Association and serves on the Florida Bar Board of Governors . You may reach her at rsb @ searcylaw . com .
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“ Left Out and Left Behind : The Hurdles , Hassles , and Heartaches of Achieving Long-Term Legal Careers for Women of Color ,” ( 2020 ) American Bar Association , Commission on Women In the Profession , available at www . americanbar . org / content / dam / aba / administrative / women / leftoutleftbehind-int-f-web-061020-003 . pdf ii
“ Visible Invisibility : Women of Color in Law Firms ,” ( 2006 ), American Bar Association , Commission on Women In The Profession , available at www . americanbar . org / content / dam / aba / marketing / women / visibleinvisibility . pdf iii
Rosalyn Sia Baker-Barnes , “ We Can , and Must , Do Better ,” ( November / December 2020 ), Florida Justice Association Journal , available at https :// mydigitalpublication . com / publication /? m = 44235 & i = 684737 & p = 1 & ver = html5