A ConversAtion with Judge suzAnne LAbrit
Appellate Practice Section
Continued from page 22
Judge Labrit and her family at her swearing-in ceremony .
to McDermott , Will & Emery , where she made partner . In 2003 , she joined Shutts & Bowen , accepting the position in large part because of the opportunity to build a dedicated appellate practice group . She once again made partner , founding and co-chairing the firm ’ s appellate practice .
She met her future husband , Tom Long , when they served as opposing counsel . At the time , Tom lived in Tampa while Judge Labrit was still in South Florida . After a few years of being an American Airlines frequent flier , Shutts & Bowen added a Tampa office , and Judge Labrit made the move . Although she grew up in South Florida , Judge Labrit thinks she belonged in Tampa her whole life .
In 2014 , Judge Labrit finally took the plunge , following her husband ’ s advice that , “ You will never get this job if you don ’ t apply .” So , she did . She was stunned by the JNC ’ s decision to nominate her , and although others were chosen for those seats , her early success in the process gave her the confidence to keep trying . And try she did — she didn ’ t stop until she made it , six years and six applications later .
“ The one surefire way to not get the job is to not try ,” Judge Labrit told me . “ Every time I applied , I became a better lawyer , and I made new friends , and that made it worth it .”
When asked how the transition is going — during a pandemic — she praised the court and its staff , explaining that although it has been unusual , it seems as if the
court has been doing things this way forever . The biggest adjustment has been the volume and pace , the swing from putting out little fires everywhere in private practice to having one large , slowly burning fire to concentrate on . From having dozens of emails and phone calls before lunch to having a handful of emails a day , and a virtually silent phone . She suspected the email system was broken for her first few days on the court !
In her free time , Judge Labrit enjoys cooking for her family , reading contemporary fiction , and watching movies . When asked to describe herself in three words , she picked two , and let me choose the third . “ Perseverant . And it might be a little redundant ,” she said , “ but I ’ m diligent .” I agree with those descriptors and add that she is also quite humble . From what I have learned , she is also thorough , strategic , and analytical , and she will make a wonderful addition to the appellate bench . n
Author : Torri D . Macarages - Brannock Humphries & Berman
Appellate Law Section CLE on october 14 , hCbA ’ s Appellate section hosted a CLe webinar on “ Practicing in a Pandemic .” the topics included a court operations update from Austin roe ( second district of Appeal ), tips and tricks for video oral argument from duane daiker ( shumaker , Loop & Kendrick , LLP ), preserving the record via zoom by sarah Lahlou-Amine ( banker Lopez gassler P . A .), and effective uses of technology by dineen wasylik ( dPw Legal ). thank you to all our speakers for sharing their knowledge during this webinar !
Joe Eagleton Duane Daiker Austin Roe
Chance Lyman Sarah Lahlou-Amine Dineen Wasylik
J A N - F E B 2 0 2 1 | H C B A L A W Y E R
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