An Interview with
SCBA PAST PRESIDENTS
Gerald B . “ Jerry ” Keane by Ed Ford , Esq .
On July 2 , 2021 , I had the pleasure of interviewing my friend Gerald B . “ Jerry ” Keane . Jerry is one of the most unsung ( and most understated ) heroes of the Sarasota County Bar Association . Jerry was admitted to The Florida Bar on May 1 , 1973 , and he continues to maintain his membership . Jerry was Board Certified in Marital & Family Law for over thirty years . Jerry is AV rated by Martindale . He served as president of the SCBA during the 1989-1990 Bar year .
When asked to identify the major challenges that the SCBA faced during his term of office , he said there were two . First , the Venice constituency wanted to break away from the Sarasota County Bar Association and form their own voluntary Bar . Second , the focus on the sections became so well developed that the member gravitated toward section membership to the detriment of the larger Bar .
When asked what he is most proud to have accomplished during his term of office , Jerry recalled being the first Bar President to lead the Bar with a full time Executive Director . Jan Jung , his Executive Director , was instrumental in helping Jerry initiate the Bench-Bar Conferences that continue to this day . Additionally , he mentioned helping Judge Durand Adams create the first Family Law Section of the Bar . Additionally , Jerry believes he may have been the only three-time editor of The Docket and was the first to create The Docket on a computer .
Jerry identified a single benefit which he derived from his many years of membership in the SCBA . “ I always thought that lawyers were good and smart people , and despite so many opportunities to misuse their powers , they continue to choose to do the right thing .” I couldn ’ t agree more .
He readily identified the late Dick Lee , the late Jerry Surfus , and the late Morris Smith along with Jordan Wallach and Mike Sweeting as characters in the SCBA . For once , Charlie Bartlett wasn ’ t mentioned .
Jerry worked with many organizations in Sarasota over the years and was president / chairman of seven of them . Most notably , First Step of Sarasota , a 22-million-dollar non-profit organization . Jerry also authored legal books and time travel science fiction . Florida Law : A Layman ’ s Guide and Florida Divorce Handbook were two of Jerry ’ s early publications , and they remained in print for over thirty years . But he hasn ’ t stopped there . These days Jerry writes time travel novels in a series designated as the Will Barrett Time Travel Series . He is up to eight novels now on a variety of interesting subjects . They can be purchased on Amazon . com at reasonable prices and in a variety of formats . It ’ s only a matter of time before someone offers Jerry a contract to turn one of his novels into a Hollywood movie .
“ I always thought that lawyers were good and smart people , and despite so many opportunities to misuse their powers , they continue to choose to do the right thing .”
Jerry is the proud father of two children . His son , Shane , a Dartmouth graduate , is a member of the Virginia Bar and is married to a woman who is pursuing her PhD in micro-biology . His second child is his daughter , Dana , our current president , making them the first father-daughter members of the SCBA to serve in the capacity of president .
Jerry remains an avid golfer and will turn 76 in October .
Jerry is an example of a superb intellect who remains mentally active even in his retirement . We should all be proud to say that Jerry Keane is a former president of the SCBA . I know I am . �
22 | THE DOCKET - NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021