PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Kevin C. Allen-Nash

In today’s climate, we as Black Attorneys are uniquely positioned to effectuate the much-needed change in our communities and throughout the state. It is with that we issue this call to ACTION.

Advocacy for our community, our people, and each other. We may have made progress, but we have so much more to do. We will be proactive in our advocacy to have a bench throughout this state that reflects our membership and the communities that we represent.  With that, we will continue to offer our Judicial GPS with pathways to the bench. We will make concerted efforts to support and further the work of our affiliates and members already doing amazing work towards throughout the state towards this common goal.

Commitment to providing training, resources and support to the membership who are looking for other opportunities to lead, whether in majority firms or in solo practice, government or the Board of Governors. We also commit to supporting our current solo and small firms who have been adversely impacted by the pandemic.

Together we are stronger, so we will strengthen our partnerships and work with our affiliates throughout the entire state as we look to best practices, strategic planning, civil rights, criminal justice reform, including a membership/affiliate directory that will provide members access via our website to attorneys, the locations and practice areas and specialties. We must continue to be our best referral sources, our best mentors and our best references, we must be our greatest promotors in this profession.

Impact, though our proactive engagement, we will empower our members. We will be deliberate in our endeavors to ensure quality and meaningful substantive programming and resources to our membership. Our fundraising committee will work to ensure we have the resources to support our members and our initiatives.

Ownership, we must change the narrative.   We must chart our path forward together in solidarity, with deliberate focus on the work before us today as well as preparing the leaders of tomorrow. We must Initiate & Implement policies and standards that will survive this administration and further the mission and vision of our organization to ensure we are living our Mission and that the impact is felt throughout the entire State.

Network, we must work together, as our forbearers did as they traveled the state fighting injustice and inequality. This is why we must remain connected in order to promote and support one another as we navigate this profession. Let us not forgot why there is an NBA or Virgil Hawkins Florida Chapter.