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44 Fla. B. News 1 (2017)

handle is hein.barjournals/flabn0044 and id is 1 raw text is: 4 Board of Governors csSet -P The Florida Bar Volume 44, Number 1 floridabar.org January 1, 2017 Scriven, Suskauer vie for Bar president-elect Two members of The Florida Bar Board of Governors have qualified to run for president-elect in the March Bar elections. Lansing Lanse Scriven, a commercial litigator and appellate lawyer at Trenam Law, a 100-plus member law firm in Tampa, and Michelle Suskauer, a criminal defense attorney in a two-lawyer office in West Palm Beach, filed qualifying papers by the December 15 deadline. I've always had a strong commitment to service and, in particular, the legal profession. I care deeply about the profession and the important role lawyers play in society, and the public's perception of the profession, said 54-year-old Scriven, a 13th Circuit board member, who is married to Judge Mary Scriven, of the U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida. We're going through some very difficult times as a profession, and I think we need leadership that is thoughtful, unflappable, and strong. I think I am that person. Calling herself passionate about bar service since she was a young assistant public defender, and a tireless advocate for the legal profession, 50-year- old Suskauer describes her desire to run for Bar president as a natural progression in her career. I am a trial attorney. I have a small practice. I am a mother of two. My husband sits on the bench. Having run a small practice for as many years as I have, I understand what it is like to have those daily pressures of generating business, competing in the marketplace, balancing family while you participate in the legal community, and knowing how to make See Election, page 7 ABA's Free Legal Answers provide information to low-income consumers Still time to apply for Bar committees The annual committee preference forms for Bar members seeking appointments for the term of President-elect Michael Higer are available at floridabar.org. As president-elect, Higer will make 500 or so committee appointments, and he wants to make sure he has a diverse group of lawyers from which to choose. It isea privilege to practice law in this state, and with that privilege comes a responsibility, Higer said. We need the active engagement of our membership to work together to address the many challenges facing See Committees, page 9 By Gary Blankenship Senior Editor The Florida Bar is exploring joining a nationwide ABA program to provide online legal answers to low-income consumers. At its recent Clearwater meeting, the Board of Governors unanimously voted to accept the recommendation of its Program Evaluation Committee to negotiate with the ABA to join its Free Legal Answers program. This is an online platform where low-income individuals can contact lawyers and receive limited answers to a series of questions, said PEC Chair Michael Tanner in explaining the program, which is a bit like an online version of help booths voluntary bars set up at local malls to assist the public. PEC voted unanimously to proceed with this, at least to negotiate a license agreement with the ABA. The ABA effort is based on a pilot program in Tennessee that provided help to 12,500 people over the past five years. It now has been adopted in five other states and is being considered in most other states. This is not a lawyer referral service. It is entirely online, and eligible individuals are limited to three unique legal questions per year that can be posed by the client to the lawyer online. It is consistent with all of the efforts we have heard about on legal access, TANNER Tanner said. He said the approval will allow the Bar to work with the ABA to utilize the ABA platform in Florida to provide the same service. The implementation phase, he said after the meeting, will likely take two or three months, and then the service could begin in Florida See Answers, page 8 Check out your Member Benefits Thousands of dollars in savings are available From sending packages to sending flowers, from booking hotels to searching case law, from refinancing student loans to buying car insurance, The Florida Bar Member Benefits Program is ready to save you money. Tap into more than 60 free or discounted choices more than offered by any other state bar by visiting www.floridabar.org/memberbenefits. A new hyperlinked member benefit brochure was recently released, and the goal of the Member Benefits Committee is to transition the member benefits page of The Florida Bar website to replicate the new brochure. We are hopeful that the updated page on the Bar website will become available in the spring of 2017, said Terry Hill, division director of programs at the Bar. Not only will it be more aesthetically pleasing, but much easier to navigate through the numerous offerings. The committee works diligently to identify potential discounted member benefits to Bar members that they will find useful in their professional and personal lives, said Duke Fagan, chair of the Member Benefits Committee. The committee reviewed about 30 proposals in the last 18 months, vetting each proposal through the committee before making any recommendation to the See Benefits, page 11 a C) oQ 0 0 Cu 0 a, 0 a) I- w J co (a Cul J--1 0. m LL ~ 0 o N R a) H H

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