Experience ● Commitment ● Integrity

Case Stories From Past Editions Of Firm Newsletter

WORKING FOR EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT (Summer 2010)

Jake Schickel

Jake Schickel has long been a strong advocate for workforce development in the community. He has served two terms as the Chairman of WorkSource and as the Chairman for the Center for WorkForce Leadership. This January he was sworn in to a new position designed to further that cause. Jake is currently serving as the Education and Workforce Development Chair for the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce.

Jake's focus in this new assignment is on bettering the educational opportunities for area children in kindergarten through high school and helping get college dropouts back to school to finish their degrees. “Our work is meant to bless the lives of individuals in our community and our community as a whole with a strengthened workforce. As seen in other parts of the country, this focus results in increased job and earning opportunity, less crime and more economic growth – a goal certainly worth pursuing,” said Jake.

TAKING ON A SUPREMELY IMPORTANT TASK (Summer 2009)

In the summer of 2008, Governor Charlie Crist appointed Howard Coker to a nine-member Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC). Howard was recommended to the governor by The Florida Bar and selected out of twenty possible candidates.

Howard Coker Reviews Candidates

Due to the numerous Supreme Court Judicial vacancies, the commission has been very active. Howard and his fellow commissioners reviewed and interviewed over 70 judicial candidates, deliberated and then submitted between three and five names to the governor on four occasions. Out of these nominations, Governor Crist appointed four new Florida Supreme Court Justices: Charles Canady, Ricky Polston, Jorge Labarga and James Perry. “Having this many positions open on the state’s highest court in such a compressed period of time was highly unusual. With four new appointees, the face of the court has been changed. The experience of serving on the JNC was personally rewarding and I met people of high integrity who respect the process and wanted to give the governor choices for the state’s Supreme Court that are the best of the best,” comments Howard Coker.

PARTNER LEADS FLORIDA SUPREME COURT HISTORICAL SOCIETY (Summer 2005)

Howard Coker

Howard Coker was elected to a one-year term as President of The Florida Supreme Court Historical Society on June 23 at the Annual Meeting of the Florida Bar. “I think Florida’s Supreme Court has a vital place in history that should be preserved for future generations. I am honored and delighted to take the post of President of this organization and look forward to continuing this mission and the fine programs the Society has established,” said Howard Coker.

The Florida Supreme Court Historical Society’s primary function is to collect and preserve materials relevant to the Florida Supreme Court’s lengthy history. The Society has gathered artifacts dating back to the early 1900s. It publishes a monthly newsletter and has recently brought out a book entitled, The Supreme Court of Florida. The Society also coordinates historical displays and presents oral history programs throughout Florida.