PRESIDENT ’ S MESSAGE
Scott B . Smith 2022-23 PBCBA President
Hello fellow Palm Beach County Bar Association members . It ’ s hard to believe that we are now already 1 / 3 of the way into recognizing and celebrating the PBCBA ’ s 100th Anniversary ! We started the recognition and celebration with the wonderful PBCBA Installation Banquet back in June and we have all continued since then to make this an even extra special year for the Association and all our members and will continue to do so throughout our entire Centennial year .
Although our focus is on this year and ensuring that we are fulfilling the PBCBA ’ s mission , I ’ d like to take this opportunity here in this President ’ s Message to say thank you to several very important and great people who led , steered , and guided the PBCBA through the challenges , difficulties , and surprises that were created by the pandemic and the ensuing quarantine . I also want to take this opportunity to highlight their incredible selflessness and unselfishness . Without their talents , skills , and noble character traits I am uncertain as to where the PBCBA would have gone , evolved , or , worse yet , shrank over the last few years .
Upon and with reflection , it is amazing to think about how much our professional lives and our personal lives have been changed by how we had to adapt to challenges caused by the pandemic . Truthfully , I didn ’ t even know what Zoom was until we began to have “ remote ” proceedings , i . e . hearings , depositions , mediations , etc . I barely knew how to use the Facetime function on my cell phone , let alone on how to use Zoom or some other application to take a productive and meaningful deposition with the use of “ screen-sharing ” exhibits . It is remarkable to me to think about how quickly all of us adapted to these needed and necessary changes , so that both the criminal and civil justice systems could continue to move forward .
First , I want to recognize all Judges of the 15th Judicial Circuit who were tasked with essentially an insurmountable task of continuing to preside over and manage their large caseloads and dockets while the pause button was pressed at the Courthouse . Without the Judiciary of Palm Beach County being willing , able , and capable of adapting to the needed technological changes that allowed for remote proceedings , I am uncertain as to what direction the justice system would have gone , especially on the criminal side with constitutional and due process rights and issues always at play . All members of the Palm Beach County Bar Association are very thankful for and greatly appreciate how our Judiciary helped all of us practitioners and our clients in being able to move matters forward during the difficult time caused by the essential closure of the Courthouse , at least the brick-andmortar aspect of it . A special thank you is also owed to former Chief Judge Krista Marx and current Chief Judge Glenn Kelley for their tremendous leadership at the 15th Judicial Circuit during the height of the pandemic . Undoubtedly , the justice system , like so many other businesses , processes , and activities , was tremendously impacted by the pandemic and without Judge Marx and Judge Kelley being so actively involved and engaged we would not have moved forward as efficiently and productively as we did .
Next , I want to recognize our Executive Director , Carla Tharp-Brown , and all the PBCBA staff for their hard-work and creativity since March of 2020 . Carla and the entire PBCBA staff somehow found a way to ensure that the PBCBA was able to remain an active , vibrant , and viable voluntary bar association even though we were unable to get together in person for meetings , luncheons , seminars , and other various activities commonly held by the PBCBA . The PBCBA staff made sure throughout the entire time it was simply unsafe for us all to congregate together , at least in smaller indoor spaces , that our mission of serving our members , fostering professionalism and the enhancing the public ’ s understanding and awareness of the legal system was still being fulfilled . A big thank you to Carla and all PBCBA staff for their tireless work and efforts for us during such challenging times .
Last , but certainly not least , I want to personally say THANK YOU to PBCBA past-President Dean T . Xenick and PBCBA immediate past-President Julia Wyda . I have said it before a few times and I am going to continue to say it for many years to come , without the incredible leadership of both Dean and Julia the PBCBA would absolutely not be in the very positive and vibrant position that it is . As mentioned earlier herein , Dean and Julia were both so selfless and unselfish in putting the PBCBA and , most importantly , the health , wellbeing and safety of our members first as they led us during the pandemic . Dean and Julia were so incredible gracious in having to forego on their respective installation banquets to ensure the safety of our membership was not jeopardized . They also both routinely made difficult decisions that were always in the best interest of the entire PBCBA membership . I cannot thank Dean and Julia enough for everything that they did for the PBCBA during those unprecedented times .
I know there are so many more that can and should be thanked for all they did for the criminal and civil justice systems , the 15th Judicial Circuit and the PBCBA during and throughout the pandemic , but the word count for this President ’ s Message has been busted through . With that levity aside , please allow me to finish this message by saying thank you to our Judiciary , all PBCBA members , and the PBCBA staff for their hard work , dedication and commitment to justice and fairness and for making the needed adjustments to make it all a reality .
PBCBA BAR BULLETIN 3