SOUTH COUNTY
President ’ s
COLUMN
South County Happenings & Love Your Lawyer Day
On September 3 , 2021 , Judge Hunter Carroll swore in the members of the Sarasota County Bar Association South County Division . The Board includes Patrick Reilly , President , Erin Itts , President-Elect , AJ Stickley , Treasurer , Jacqulyn Mack-Majka , Secretary , Tony Mowry , Immediate Past President , Lance C . Ball , Dawn Marie Bates-Buchanan , Mark Creech , Kayla Tipple , and new Directors , Robert Klingbeil and Madeline Ross . Although our Kickoff Dinner was scheduled to take place on October 14 , 2021 at Plantation Golf and Country Club , Covid-19 has once again , unfortunately , forced us to postpone it , hopefully to some time next year .
We do have two upcoming events in South County . On October 13 , 2021 , from 12:00-1:00 pm , Judge Carroll and his judicial assistant , Olivia Tarantino , will discuss their requirements , expectations , and scheduling practices . Attorneys and staff are encouraged to submit any questions they may have to Erin Itts at erin @ ittslaw . net in advance of the meeting .
Secondly , on November 10 , 2021 , from 12:00-1:00 pm , Judge Carroll will present a behind the scenes look at the new South County Courthouse and answer any questions you may have about the facility . We are anxiously awaiting its opening in 2022 .
The Board voted and approved to support Venice Challenger Baseball . It is a program for children and adults who are unable to play baseball in the usual manner . We will provide assistance to the players during a game in the Spring of 2022 . Additionally , Evelyn Moya of Cenacle Legal Services will make a presentation to the Board at our November meeting .
Friday , November 5 , is “ Love Your Lawyer Day .” Who knew ? I thought that was every day of the year ! The day of celebration was created in 2001 , but surprisingly not by Hallmark . The inspiration came from attorney Nader Anise when ALPIA ( American Lawyers Public Image Association ) had started a campaign of “ No Lawyer Bashing or Jokes for a Day .” I ’ ll be on the edge of my seat waiting for all the Hallmark cards from my staff on that day . I ’ m sure they won ’ t disappoint me .
It is uncertain when lawyer bashing started , but around 1597 , in William Shakespeare ’ s Henry VI , Part 2 , Act IV , Scene 2 , “ Dick the Butcher ” uttered the famous words , “ The first thing we do , let ’ s kill all the lawyers .” Despite its usage today , Shakespeare was paying great and deserved homage to our venerable profession as the front-line defenders of democracy . I would suggest that if a litigator has not heard that phrase directed against him / her by an opposing party at least once , then the litigator is not representing the client vigorously enough .
But today is not “ Love Your Lawyer Day ,” so perhaps a lighthearted , humorous look at our profession is appropriate . What we do day in and day out for our clients is serious , but in small
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