E x E C U T I V E d I r E C T O r ’ S M E S S A g E
J o h n F . K y n e s – H i l l s b o r o u g h C o u n t y B a r A s s o c i a t i o n
hcBacelebrates25thanniversaryofBench Barconference : uniqueProgrammingandspeakers
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hcBaPresidentsimms-PetredissaystheBenchBarconference hasbecomesuchasuccessbecauseofthestrongsupportofthe judiciaryandalltheeventsponsors .
In november 1997 , the newly formed Tampa Bay devil rays named Larry rothschild as the expansion team ’ s first manager .
That same month , a group of 200 or so attorneys and judges gathered in downtown Tampa for the HCBA ’ s first Bench Bar Conference .
Fast forward 25 years to this past October , when almost 500 HCBA members and judges participated in the HCBA ’ s 25th Annual Bench Bar Conference , Membership Luncheon , and Judicial reception , held at the JW Marriott Tampa Water Street .
“ The Bench Bar Conference is one of the HCBA ’ s signature events and we are very excited to celebrate its significant milestone this Bar year ,” said HCBA President Jacqueline Simms-Petredis . “ It ’ s wonderful how the conference has grown and evolved over the past 25 years .”
Thirteenth Circuit Judges Samantha Ward and Thomas Palermo were co-chairs of the HCBA ’ s Bench Bar Committee again this year .
They worked with the other dedicated committee members and HCBA staff for months planning the conference .
“ The planning committee works hard each year to develop a conference theme and programming that is relevant and interesting to a wide range of practitioners ,” Judge Ward said . “ A priority for the planning committee has been to provide as much interaction between the judiciary and attorneys as possible ,” Ward added .
Borrowing a baseball analogy , organizers titled the conference theme “ game On : Teaming Up On the Legal Field .”
This year , there were 14 separate breakout sessions , with a criminal , civil and YLd / student track .
In the morning , there was the always popular session with Stetson law professor Louis Virelli , who focused on recent U . S . Supreme Court decisions .
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Bench Bar Luncheon Speaker Fred Hearns ( center ) is joined by ( l to r ) Programs Chair Ciara Willis , HCBA President Jacqueline Simms-Petredis , Bench Bar Co-Chair Judge Samantha Ward , and Bench Bar Committee Members Christian Katchuk and Lyndsey Siara .
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