- Attorney F. Scott Westheimer has been sworn in as the 75th president of the Florida Bar, succeeding Gary Lesser.
- His primary objectives as president include improving the discipline system, addressing legal technology trends, and fostering collaboration among bar associations in the state.
- Miami attorney Roland Sanchez-Medina, Jr. was also sworn in as president-elect. He will take over as the Bar’s next president following the conclusion of Westheimer’s one-year term.
Attorney F. Scott Westheimer was sworn in as the 75th president of the Florida Bar on Friday morning at the organization’s annual convention. Westheimer succeeds outgoing President Gary Lesser.
Westheimer has served on The Florida Bar Board of Governors since 2013 as the 12th Circuit Representative, and on the Young Lawyers Division Board of Governors from 2004 to 2013.
He additionally chaired both the Communications Committee and the Program Evaluation Committee and served on the Special Committee on Technologies Affecting the Practice of Law and Strategic Planning Committee.
Westheimer further served as president of the Sarasota County Bar Association from 2010 to 2011 and as a past president of the Sarasota County Bar Association Young Lawyers Division.
A partner with Syprett Meshad, P.A., where he began as an associate in 1996, Westheimer primarily represents plaintiffs in personal injury and commercial litigation, according to his Bar profile. He also serves as an adjunct professor with the University of Florida Levin College of Law.
“I am humbled and truly honored to be chosen to lead the Bar in these transformational times and for the trust you have placed in me. I am excited about the journey that lies ahead, and to be able to work with, and for you, next year.” said Westheimer at the convention this morning, adding in a separate comment that “This position of President is truly not about me, but rather all of us — The Florida Bar and its dedicated members.”
Per the organization, Westheimer’s primary objectives during his term include analyzing, enhancing, and improving the discipline system through the education of Bar members on compliance, improving communication about the system to both members and the public, and providing support and resources to the Bar’s 111,000 members.
He also plans to address emerging trends in legal technology, such as AI tools and cybersecurity while fostering collaboration between the Bar, its sections, divisions, and other voluntary bar associations across the state.
Westheimer was elected to serve as president-elect in March, defeating Lorna Brown-Burton with nearly 60 percent of the vote. Upon the announcement of his candidacy, Westheimer stated that his main goals are assisting members with their operations, upholding the Bar’s status as a self-regulatory body, preserving the independence of the judiciary, and enhancing connections with members.
Attorney Roland Sanchez-Medina, Jr. of Miami was concurrently sworn in as the Bar’s president-elect, lining up his succession to Westheimer next year. Sanchez-Medina, a long-time member of the Florida Bar Board of Governors and a former leader of the Cuban American Bar Association, will operate in a next-in-line role through June 2024, when he will begin his one-year tenure as Bar president.
“We’re only stewards for a year, so one of my priorities is going to be finishing up projects for President Lesser and President Westheimer,” Medina-Sanchez told the Florida Bar upon his election victory.
Sanchez-Medina’s platform for the election, “Promote Integrity, Justice, and Service,” included commitments to “Defend the mandatory and unified status of The Florida Bar as an agency of the Supreme Court” and to “Fortify the significance of civility and professionalism among members, in our service to the courts, and for the public.”
Sanchez-Medina’s campaign additionally called for the furthering of “real-world solutions that concentrate on fairness and merit to improve diversity and equality in Florida’s legal profession” and “a dedicated road to justice for individuals who lack access to and representation by attorneys,” the Bar reports on its profile of the new president-elect designate.
I don’t trust desantis and moody. They have shown they are the foxes in the henhouse, wolves in sheep’s clothing (Matthew 7:15-23). I do hope that Westheimer can buck the system and be a righteous person. I do not care about political party; I care about honesty, ethics, fairness and doing the right thing across the board.