PBCBA BAR BULLETINS PBCBA Bulletin - February 2020 | Page 3

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE We’re All One Legal Community Section and the Palm Beach County Chapter of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers (“FAWL”). FAWL’s mission is to “actively promote gender equality and the leadership roles of FAWL’s members in the legal profession, judiciary and community at large.” Jessica Callow 2019-20 PBCBA President When I began practicing law in 2004, the first voluntary bar association I joined was the Palm Beach County Bar Association (“PBCBA”). As someone who did not grow up in Palm Beach County, I was eager to get to know attorneys in the community and make new friends. My firm viewed the PBCBA as an organization all attorneys should join and encouraged me to do so. I haven’t regretted that advice or decision for a single moment over the last 16 years. Another decision I don’t regret is joining special purpose voluntary bar associations in addition to the PBCBA. Generally, special purpose voluntary bar associations focus on particular practice areas, geographic communities, or demographics such as age, gender, race, religion, or national heritage. In my experience, joining a voluntary bar association does not mean choosing between either the PBCBA or another voluntary bar, but joining both the PBCBA and other voluntary bars. Like me, many members of the PBCBA are also members and leaders of local, state and national special purpose voluntary bar associations. I found my best girlfriends through both the PBCBA’s Young Lawyers Through both the PBCBA’s Profes- sionalism Committee and Palm Beach County’s Craig S. Barnard American Inn of Court (“Inn”), I found like-minded attorneys eager to improve our profession by pro- moting ethics, professionalism and civility in the practice of law. The Inn’s mission is to “inspire the legal community to advance the rule of law by achieving the highest level of professionalism through example, education, and mentoring.” I found attorneys who value diversity and inclusion in both our legal profession and community at large through the PBCBA’s Committee for Diversity and Inclusion, FAWL, the F. Malcom Cunningham, Sr. Bar Association (“Cunningham Bar”), and the Palm Beach County Hispanic Bar Association (“HBA”). The Cunningham Bar’s mission is to “maintain the honor and dignity of Blacks within the legal profession” and “promote diversity within the Palm Beach County Judiciary.” The HBA’s mission is “to assist and support the Hispanic community in South Florida through volunteer programs, as well as to stand behind Hispanics seeking a position in the judiciary in Palm Beach County.” While it’s impossible to list all of the special purpose voluntary bar associations in Palm Beach County, the PBCBA organizes joint events with or has members in leadership PBCBA BAR BULLETIN 3 roles within the organizations mentioned above as well as the Federal Bar Association Palm Beach Chapter, Palm Beach County Justice Association, the Palm Beach Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Guild of Catholic Lawyers of the Diocese of Palm Beach, American Board of Trial Advocates, Palm Beach County Chapter, and the South Palm Beach County Bar Association. Because we are one legal community and the PBCBA membership often overlaps with other voluntary bar association membership, I’m very excited that the PBCBA organized a Family Picnic on Sunday, February 23, 2020 at Okeeheelee Park in West Palm Beach that will include multiple voluntary bar associations. Please join us for lunch to celebrate our outstanding legal community together, meet one another’s families and enjoy a friendly competition for best side dish among the voluntary bars participating that day! There will be plenty of activities that both kids and adults will appreciate, including a petting zoo, bungee trampoline, and face painting. You can register for the picnic on the PBCBA website. If you are a member of a voluntary bar association and your bar would like to participate, please contact Lynne Poirier at [email protected] for more information. Please reach out to me and the rest of the Board with any ideas, comments or concerns. We can be reached at [email protected]. PBCBA member highlight submissions for yourself or others should be sent to memberhighlights@palmbeachbar. org.