AS
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ACH CO
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SOCIAT
PALM BEACH COUNTY BAR
ASSOCIATION BULLE
IN
WWW.PALMBEACHBAR.ORG
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OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE PALM BEACH COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION
JUDGE MAXINE CHEESMAN
By all reports, Judge Maxine Cheesman has led a life of self-
discipline, scholarly pursuit, and selfless devotion to others.
She is the first African-American and Jamaican to be elected
judge in Palm Beach County, without first being appointed. On
March 1, 2019, she will formally be invested as a circuit judge,
filling the vacancy created by Judge Pete Blanc’s retirement.
Judge Cheesman, who will assume her position in Division FA/
IB (family/probate) in the main courthouse, will replace Judge
Janis Keyser in that division.
Judge Cheesman was born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica, in
a family that valued education and high achievement. She had
a very solid primary education in the Jamaican school system,
modeled after the British system. Upon graduating high school,
she enrolled in the University of the West Indies, where she
earned a BS in Chemistry, with first-class honors. In 1979, she
migrated with her family to Miami.
Upon migrating, Judge Cheesman started working in a small
private lab laboratory. After toiling diligently at the lab for some
time, Judge Cheesman asked her boss for a raise. Her boss
explained that he was not authorized to give her the raise, and
suggested that she request one directly from the lab owner.
After speaking with the lab owner, Judge Cheesman returned
to the lab, where her boss was eager to find out whether she
received the raise. “Not only did I get one,” she told him, “You
did too!” Not only had Judge Cheesman requested her own pay
raise, she also requested one for her boss, believing he deserved
one, as well. Needless to say, her boss was thrilled.
Impressed with her advocacy (and her kindness), Judge
Cheesman’s boss, who had (not so secretly) taken a special
liking to her, now liked her even more. He invited her out on a
date. That date began a romance that blossomed into a marriage
that has lasted thirty-three years.
Judge Cheesman’s former boss, turned husband, is Everard
Cheesman, a gentle man now confined to a wheelchair due
to multiple sclerosis. Judge Cheesman’s eyes light up when
talking about Everard, whom she affectionately calls “Cheesy.”
In spite of his condition, Everard Cheesman maintains a
remarkable “can do” spirit that Judge Cheesman and so many
others respect and admire. Judge Cheesman is unswervingly
(Con’t. on pg 11)
| FEBRUARY 2019
JUDICIAL
RECEPTION
The Law Week Committee is requesting contributions from
law firms for its annual Judicial Reception honoring the
local judiciary and judicial assistants.
The event will be held on Tuesday, April 23, 2019
at 515 N Flagler Drive
(Darth Vader Building)
in Downtown West Palm Beach.
Sponsors will be recognized on email notices, on a sign at the
reception and in the Bar Bulletin.
Those interested in making a contribution should send
a check no later than April 1, 2019 to the Palm Beach Bar
Association
Attn: Nicole Nelson
PO BOX 17726
West Palm Beach, FL 33416
Sponsorship amounts are as follows:
$600.00 for firms of 10 or more attorneys
$425.00 for firms of 4 - 9 attorneys
$275.00 for firms with 1 - 3 attorneys
President’s Message page 4
Judge Maxine Cheesman page 11
PBCBA Section Board Nominations page 10