A diversity panel held Oct. 12 at UF Law featured national and local leaders who discussed how to minority lawyers can claim more of the jobs and governance of the legal profession. (Photo by Marcela Suter) 

By Francie Weinberg
Student writer

When The Florida Bar integrated – requiring all Florida lawyers to become members – in 1950 the white leadership was mindful that it would not allow blacks into its social gatherings.

That history lay in the background of “Leadership and Law: Diverse Perspectives on the Role of Race and Participation in Professional Legal Organizations,” presented Friday, Oct. 12. The program brought together leaders from national, state and local bar associations into the Martin H. Levin Advocacy Center Courtroom to discuss ways in which (voluntary) segregation still exists today in Florida’s legal profession – and whether there’s anything wrong with that. Panelists also discussed how minority lawyers can claim more of the jobs and governance of the legal profession.

From the local level all the way to the national level, legal bar associations are often divided by color lines, decades after becoming officially integrated. The event focused on ways to foster a dialogue on avenues for leadership and joint initiatives that transcend racial and other divides.

More than 70 people of many races came together to listen to five noted panelists. The panel included Daryl Parks, Arnell Bryant-Willis, Carl Schwait, AuBroncee Martin and Dawn Vallejos-Nichol, and was moderated by UF Law Professor Kenneth B. Nunn. It was sponsored by the 8th Judicial Circuit Bar Association, the Josiah T. Walls Bar Association, UF Law Center for the Study of Race and Race Relations and The Florida Bar. The program was the brainchild of Rob Birrenkott, director of UF Law’s Center for Career Development.

Panelists discussed why it is necessary to have minority bar associations in addition to general bar associations, and how it helps give black lawyers useful connections and a push in the right direction.

“It’s not necessarily what is printed in the law books or the cases,” said Martin, the felony division head for the public defender’s office for the 8th Judicial Circuit and president-elect of the Josiah T. Walls Bar Association. “It’s about how you relate to one another that really drives the legal system. In the legal profession, bar associations are good opportunities for you to put yourself in a position for good things to happen to you.”

Inspired by the 50^th anniversary of the graduation of W. George Allen (JD 62), who helped pave the way for generations of students in Florida by becoming the first African-American to graduate from the University of Florida and UF Law, the discussion also focused on how to diversify the law profession.

“The challenges for African-American lawyers just tend to be a little bit different than other lawyers,” said Parks, immediate past president of The National Bar Association, a legal group for African-Americans. “The NBA is able to really go to bat for diversity. When it comes to these crucial issues, we have to argue that we deserve better.”

Nunn asked why a separate bar association for African Americans is necessary. He also brought up why it is important to work toward bringing The National Bar Association together with other bar associations like The Florida Bar.

“We live in a multi-cultural, multi-diverse world,” said Bryant-Willis, a member of The Florida Bar Board of Governors and The Florida Bar’s Inaugural Diversity Initiatives Manager. “What the bar is trying to do is develop programs so that we can help minorities reach out and become a part of minority organizations if they so desire.”

Nunn’s final concern was how to move the various bar association toward a more diverse and united front and what the future holds.

“They’re just groups that recognize that different lawyers have different life perspectives,” Martin said. “Each of these organizations is akin to an instrument and when you play them together you make beautiful music.”

On the general bar exam, UF Law’s pass percentage was 91.2 percent (259 passing out of 284 takers) compared to an overall pass rate of 80.2 percent (2,433 passing out of 3,034 takers). This was the largest spread between the UF Law pass rate and the overall pass rate on a July bar exam since 2000.

Dean Robert Jerry noted that these are the first July bar results for UF Law’s smaller graduating classes (approximately 300 students vs. approximately 400 students), as the first of the college’s smaller classes graduated in May 2012.

For the calendar year (which combines the July results with the results of the February exam, which has a small number of test takers), UF Law’s pass rate was 89.5 percent (274 passing out of 306 takers). This pass rate placed UF Law first among Florida law schools for the year.

In the past, Jerry has cautioned against looking at the February results in isolation because of the small sample of test takers, which can produce results that are unrepresentative, much like what can happen when one calculates a Major League Baseball player’s batting average by looking at seven or eight games instead of the results over an entire 162-game season.

UF also placed first among Florida law schools in the number of successful takers of the August 2012 MPRE exam. The UF pass percentage on the MPRE was 92.9 percent (92 passing out of 99 takers) against an overall pass rate of 89.1 percent (1,090 passing out of 1,224 takers).

Pettis will be sworn in as president-elect in June 2012 when fellow UF Law alum Gwynne Young (JD 74) becomes The Florida Bar president. When Pettis takes over the office in 2013 he will make history as the first African-American president of the Florida Bar. Similarly, another UF Law grad — former ABA President Stephen N. Zack — made history by becoming the first Hispanic-American to lead The Florida Bar in 1989.

Pettis specializes in medical malpractice, personal injury, commercial litigation and employment law, and has been practicing since 1985. He is a founding partner at Haliczer, Pettis & Schwamm in Fort Lauderdale. During his tenure as president, Pettis said judicial funding will be high on his list of priorities.

“I will continue the advancement of identifying a long-term, predictable source of court funding so that every Floridian will be assured access to our courts,” he said. “We must also appreciate that an effective judicial system also includes well-funded court clerks, state attorneys’ offices and public defenders, which all contribute to our quality of life and democracy.”

Pettis also emphasized the importance of promoting diversity within the legal profession. He said there has been an ongoing dialogue of diversity over the past decade, but there have been questions of whether or it has translated into a “real measurable change.”

“I will work at every level of the bar, through sections, voluntary bars, standing committees and the governor’s office, on JNC and judicial appointments to achieve inclusion of all sectors of our profession,” Pettis said. “I truly believe the strength of the bar rests in the whole; together, there is benefit for us all.”

Finally, Pettis said the recent economic downturn has had a significant impact on legal aid organizations.

“We must recognize an obligation to strive for equal access to an availability of legal services for all Floridians in need. The Florida Bar, through its Florida Bar Foundation, must meet the call in the coming years.”

A member of the bar’s governing board since 2005, Pettis currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Board of Governors and is reviewing the bar’s disciplinary system as co-chair of the Hawkins Commission.

Pettis has also been an active alum and loyal donor at UF Law over the years.

Last year, Pettis and his wife Sheila established the Eugene Pettis Family BLSA Academic Support Endowment to help support Black Law School Association activities that can enrich the academic experience of BLSA members. He is also the chairman of UF’s Heritage of Leadership committee and a member of UF Law’s Board of Trustees.

As The Florida Bar president, Pettis will join a number of UF Law alumni who have led the bar in recent years including John G. White III (JD 83), immediate past President Mayanne Downs (JD 87), current President Scott Hawkins (JD 83) and president-elect, Gwynne Young.

“I have always held high my pride of being a Florida Gator and the Gator Nation,” Pettis said. “But never have I experienced the breadth of the Gator Nation than when I was campaigning across this state. The reach of UF Law covers every corner of this state. I look forward to continuing the tradition of leadership of UF Law within the bar. It speaks volumes of the quality of education UF Law provides when you note that I will be the fifth UF Law alum out of the past six to serve as president of The Florida Bar.”

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Financial aid for Florida Bar prep and exam

Are you making plans to take the Bar and wondering where you will come up with the financing necessary for these out-of-pocket expenses? There are private loan companies who will make Bar exam loans to students who are in their final year of law school. These loans can be used for a student’s living expenses while studying for the Bar, Bar prep classes and other Bar related expenses.

Sallie Mae
1-800-984-0190
www.salliemae.com

Wells Fargo
(To apply, student would need to have some type of account/loan with Wells Fargo)
1-800-378-5526
www.wellsfargo.com/student/

For more information contact Financial Aid Coordinator Carol Huber at 352-273-0620.

Build a stronger community with pro bono work

President Barack Obama has challenged all of us to do what we can to make our communities and our nation a better place. On Sept. 19, 2008, the president and his wife called on all citizens to find a way to serve their communities. In the wake of this historic inauguration and in the spirit of “Yes We Can” and “Change,” the Center for Children and Families and the Center for Career Services encourage you to take advantage of the many pro bono opportunities to help others. Consider becoming a guardian ad litem, volunteering with legal services or participating in any of the available opportunities found.