My name is James (Jim) Powers, and I am honored to be the 2023 President of the Central Florida Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates (CFLABOTA). We all know that CFLABOTA is committed to preserving civility and professionalism in the practice of law, and there can be no pause in that pursuit. CFLABOTA has an abundance of talent, and that talent has been tapped, but by no means exhausted. One of my objectives for 2023 is to reach out to the membership, and I am doing that right now: participate in one of our great Programs (Civility Matters, 7th Amendment Symposium, Children’s Book Program) or, at the least, attend Chapter Meetings.
While attending an ABOTA Leadership Program in 2022, the national organization informed the attendees of a change to its Mission Statement to add “the rule of law”: “We support a diverse, inclusive civil justice system through initiatives on education, promoting the right to jury trial, judicial independence, and the rule of law.” ABOTA felt the need to state the obvious with this addition to the Mission Statement because of its view that the rule of law is being eroded. Years ago, ABOTA started a program known as the James Otis Lecture Series, which stems from the belief that teachers are the primary guardians of democracy, and the rule of law.
I share the concern embodied in ABOTA’s Mission Statement, i.e., the respect for the rule of law is eroding, and I would like CFLABOTA to start our own James Otis Lecture Series. I will be seeking volunteers to formulate a justice system lesson plan to take into local schools, initially on a small classroom scale, but with the objective of ultimately growing it over time into a larger multiple lecturer format at a larger scale assembly. To improve knowledge and respect for the rule of law, our organization can play a greater role in the education of high school students in our community through a James Otis Lecture Series of our own. Please contact me if you are willing to serve
Become involved! This organization, your profession, and your community needs your talent to improve this organization, your profession and your community!
President
Central Florida Chapter
American Board of Trial Advocates