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Bar leadership Institute Chairs : HillaryThornton – Wicker , Smith , O ’ Hara , McCoy & Ford , P . A ., PaigeTucker – PublicDefender ’ sOffice & IdalisVento – SammisLawFirm
theinstitute ’ sprogramaimstoidentifyand developyoungattorneysofdiversebackgrounds whohavethepotentialanddesiretogrowinto futureleadersintheHCBAandthegreater HillsboroughCountycommunity .
We are very excited to announce that the Hillsborough County Bar Association Bar Leadership Institute ( BLI ) is underway for the 2023-24 year ! HCBA President Alex Caballero has appointed BLI co-chairs Paige Tucker , Idalis Vento , and Hillary Thornton , all of whom were members of the BLI 2022-23 class .
The Institute ’ s program aims to identify and develop young attorneys of diverse backgrounds who have the potential and desire to grow into future leaders in the HCBA and the greater Hillsborough County community . This year ’ s HCBA BLI year will run from September 2023 through May 2024 , and will allow BLI members to visit , learn from , and engage with established leaders in the community through monthly modules , in an effort to increase their knowledge of the inner workings of the HCBA , the legal community , and the greater community at large .
BLI members will have several incredible opportunities throughout their time in BLI , which include , among others , trips to the Hillsborough County Courthouse , meetings with leaders in the community , and Fire Department / Tampa Police Department tours , all while
developing critical professional and interpersonal skills necessary for the success of the group dynamic and the associated activities in which BLI members will participate .
BLI members are encouraged to enhance their understanding of the HCBA through attending and engaging in events and board meetings . Further , the 2023-24 BLI Class will plan , execute , and participate in a community service project to increase their knowledge of the amazing community programs that serve the Hillsborough County area every day and provide much needed assistance to these programs .
We are thrilled to have selected a highly diverse and committed group of young lawyers as BLI members for the 2023-24 Bar Leadership Class . As co-chairs , we are excited to engage with this incredible group of lawyers and provide a fantastic leadership and learning experience . We are pleased to provide the readers a quick introduction of ourselves :
Paige Tucker is an Assistant Public Defender for the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit in Felony Division D . Outside of work , Paige serves as a Co-Chair of the Leadership Academy for Hillsborough Association of Women Lawyers ( HAWL ), she is a provisional member of Junior League of Tampa , and serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Hillsborough County Bar Association Young Lawyers Division ( HCBA YLD ). This year , Paige was accepted to the Wm . Reese Smith Leadership Academy ( Class XI ).
Idalis Vento is currently an Associate at Sammis Law Firm practicing criminal defense . She received her Bachelor ’ s in History at Stetson University and her Juris Doctorate at New England Law , Boston . Idalis began her career as an Assistant Public Defender with the Office of the Public Defender in Montgomery County , Maryland , before returning to Florida . Upon returning to Florida and passing the Florida Bar , Idalis worked as an Assistant State Attorney in the 13th Judicial Circuit before leaving at the end of March 2023 to begin at Sammis . She was a member of the HCBA 2022-2023 BLI class and has been a member of the Member Service Committee of the HCBA YLD since 2021 .
Hillary Thornton is an Associate Attorney at Wicker , Smith , O ’ Hara , McCoy & Ford , P . A . In addition to serving as Co-Chair of the 2023-24 BLI Class , she is also an active member of the Hillsborough Association for Women Lawyers ( HAWL ), the Junior League of Tampa ( where she currently serves as the Training Chair-Elect ),
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