H C B A
Continued from page 4
informative to all attending the sessions, including the
most experienced conference attendees.
After the morning sessions, Professor Luis J. Virelli, III,
a professor at Stetson University College of Law,
presented the always-popular “Review of the U.S.
Supreme Court.” During his discussion, Professor Virelli
examined impactful decisions from the U.S. Supreme
Court’s previous term, and gave us a heads-up on
important cases to come. This discussion began years ago
as a small break-out session with the Honorable Michael
Allen, then an assistant dean at Stetson. The growing
popularity of this session over the years has made it a
must-see plenary session for all conference attendees.
Following Professor Virelli, Dr. Susan MacManus,
distinguished Professor Emerita with the University of
South Florida, and Florida’s most-quoted political
scientist, provided a detailed look at the upcoming
election. Among other things, Dr. MacManus dissected
the many proposed constitutional amendments on the
ballot and discussed the amendments’ many implications.
At noon, 550 judges and lawyers joined us for the
HCBA’s second membership luncheon of the year, a sold-
out event with a busy agenda. After thoughtful
introductions by Judge Frances Perrone, Chief Judge Ron
Ficarrotta, and Judge Greg Holder, the Thirteenth
Judicial Circuit honored Rob Williams and Jay Pruner
with its 2018 Professionalism Award. The Hillsborough
County Bar Foundation also awarded $100,000 to six
local programs that provide assistance to the poor,
disabled, and disadvantaged in our community, after
which our keynote speaker, Dr. MacManus gave an easy-
to-understand explanation of why Florida has become
the “swingingest” of purple states in the country.
NOV - DEC 2018
|
HCBA LAWYER
P R E S I D E N T ’ S
M E S S A G E
John A. Schifino – Gunster
Following lunch, dozens of judges took time out of
their busy schedules and participated in the HCBA’s
annual “View to and From the Bench” session.
Conference attendees then had the choice to attend one
of two sessions. During the first, “Deconstructing Jury
Decision Making,” former jurors answered questions
about their courtroom experience. Gloria Gomez from
Fox 13 News moderated the session and then shared the
story on her 5:30 news segment that evening (Thank
you Gloria!).
The second, “Arbitration: Be Careful What You Ask
For,” was moderated by Scott Ilgenfritz, Laura Prather,
Chris Shulman, and Paul Ullom, four attorneys at the top
of the arbitration game in Florida. They gave a thorough
overview of the arbitration process and provided
important tips of the trade.
The conference concluded with a plenary session led
by Professor Charles W. Ehrhardt, Professor Emeritus at
Florida State University College of Law. Professor
Ehrhardt, who authored Florida Evidence, the leading
treatise on the subject, spoke about impeachment of
witnesses and effective methods to rehabilitate impeached
witnesses. Professor Ehrhardt is a legal giant in the state
of Florida and what a privilege it was to have him join us
at the conference.
Thank you to Steve Yerrid and the Yerrid Law Firm
for stepping up as our Diamond Sponsor once again, and
thank you to all of our sponsors for supporting the Bench
Bar Conference. (Photos from this year’s Conference and
the full list of sponsors start on page 34.) A special thank
you also to Judge Samantha Ward and her co-chair, Tom
Palermo, for leading the Bench Bar Conference to new
heights in 2018. We’re looking forward to more great
things for our attendees at the 2019 conference. We hope
you can make it.
5