YOUNG LAWYERS SUMMIT FOCUSES ON COMPETENCE, PROFESSIONALISM

'We wanted attendees to leave not only with new knowledge, but with a stronger connection to the profession and a clearer path for their own professional growth'

The Florida Bar’s inaugural Young Lawyers Summit brought together early-career attorneys and law students on September 17 at the Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld for a day of practical legal education and professional development.

Held in conjunction with The Florida Bar’s Fall Meeting, the summit featured a Judicial Fireside Chat with Florida Supreme Court Justice Jamie Grosshans and Sixth District Court of Appeal Judge Mary Alice Nardella.

Florida Bar President Michael Fox Orr moderated the luncheon discussion, which focused on legal competence, professionalism, and the responsibilities attorneys have to their clients, the courts, and the legal profession. Attendees then participated in practical CLE programming across three tracks, Criminal Law, Civil Litigation, and Transactional Practice. Judges, experienced practitioners, and Bar leaders from across the state presented and moderated the summit sessions.

“What made the summit special was the wide range of the legal profession represented in one room, judges, Florida Bar leadership, section leaders, and experienced practitioners all investing in the next generation of young lawyers and law students," Young Lawyers Division President Reno Pierre said. "We wanted attendees to leave not only with new knowledge, but with a stronger connection to the profession and a clearer path for their own professional growth.”

Orr opened the Fireside Chat discussion by asking Grosshans what it means to be a competent lawyer in Florida in 2026.

Grosshans talked about the importance of preparation, professionalism, and courtesy toward everyone lawyers encounter, including clients, opposing counsel, judges, and courthouse staff.

Nardella said competence requires more than intelligence or legal knowledge.

“When it comes to professionalism, I think the question is what makes us a profession,” she said. “Professionalism is more than being polite. Professionalism requires that you steward the law, not just achieve a case.”

Grosshans agreed that courtesy is only one element of professional conduct.

“Being polite is the smallest part of professionalism,” she said, adding that preparation and accuracy are equally important.

Lawyers have obligations to both their clients and the law, Grosshans said, and must balance those responsibilities.

“Clients come and go, but your reputation follows you for your whole career,” Justice Grosshans said.

Orr reminded attendees that Rule 4-1.1 of the Rules Regulating The Florida Bar addresses competence and that lawyers may face discipline for failing to meet their professional obligations.

He asked the jurists about common mistakes that cause them to question whether an attorney is adequately prepared or competent.

Grosshans identified failures to communicate with clients, along with poor organization and case management skills, as recurring concerns.

Nardella focused on appellate practice, where understanding the applicable standard of review is essential.

“At the DCA level, I frequently see attorneys who don’t understand the standards of review, and that is a killer for your case,” Nardella said. “It is a threshold competency issue.”

She said the standard of review serves as the filter by which appellate courts will examine your case.

“We are not going to reweigh the facts,” she said.

The discussion also addressed what distinguishes an effective brief or motion from one that is merely adequate.

Grosshans emphasized the importance of clarity and brevity, advice she said former Justice Charles Canady once gave her.

“Lucid brevity. That is probably the best advice I’d ever been given,” Grosshans said, adding lawyers should be clear and deliberate in their choice of words while remaining flexible enough to adjust when judges ask unexpected questions.

Grosshans also encouraged attorneys to maintain a conversational tone during oral argument rather than becoming antagonistic.

She also cautioned lawyers against misrepresenting case law or the record.

“Any misrepresentation of what a case says or the record says, there is nothing that will increase the ire of a judge more than that,” Grosshans said.

Grosshans also said lawyers should never disparage opposing counsel.

“There is absolutely never ever an excuse for that,” she said.

Nardella identified another common problem in legal writing and oral advocacy: focusing so heavily on crafting a clever argument that the lawyer fails to address the other side’s reasoning.

“My pet peeve is when it feels like a play,” she said, describing attorneys who spend their time developing the perfect line or sentence without engaging with opposing arguments.

“If you don’t take seriously serious arguments that are made by the other side . . . it is not helpful,” Judge Nardella said.

She encouraged lawyers to confront weaknesses in their own arguments and acknowledge the strengths of the opposing positions.

“Don’t be afraid to help the court come up with the right rule by actually engaging in what the deficiencies of your side are and what the strength of the other side is,” she said.

Nardella explained that appellate judges are tasked with developing legal rules that extend beyond the individual case before them. Lawyers should therefore consider the broader implications of the rules they ask courts to adopt.

“The most effective and best lawyers that make our lives so much easier are the ones who are able to remove themselves from the facts of their case, while still arguing for a win, but can understand the rule they are asking us to craft affects every Floridian,” Grosshans added, saying that is a very good skill set to have.

Orr asked whether lawyers must be technologically competent, including understanding the tools they use and the developing role of artificial intelligence.

Nardella said she does not believe the current standard of care requires lawyers to use AI, although that could change as the technology develops.

“You should use technology if you feel comfortable and competent in doing it, but you should never allow it to replace the human thinking,” she said.

Grosshans similarly cautioned against allowing AI to replace the judgment and personal service lawyers provide.

“The second we allow AI to replace what we uniquely give to our clients and our community then we are no longer a profession, we are just selling a commodity,” she said.

Grosshans also shared advice drawn from her experience as a solo practitioner, encouraging young lawyers to recognize when a case is not a good fit for their practice.

“There will be times when you have to walk away from what looks like a really good fee because you realize that’s not a case you can handle and you have to be willing to do that,” she said.

She also cautioned attorneys against accepting difficult clients.

“There will be no fee worth a difficult client, ever,” Grosshans said, reflecting on the stress and personal toll that problematic client relationships can create.

She encouraged lawyers to trust their judgment during an initial consultation and, when appropriate, refer prospective clients to another qualified attorney or a practice better suited to the matter.

Grosshans encouraged young lawyers to pursue excellence throughout their careers.

“Be excellent in everything you do. Be overly prepared. Go above and beyond and you can do it,” she said.

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.