History

The Dade County Bar Association (DCBA) is a local voluntary bar association with approximately 4,500 members. The association was founded in the early 1900's and incorporated as a non-profit organization in 1920.

In addition to services provided for members, the DCBA provides services that benefit the general public.

We operate on a fiscal year, beginning July 1 and ending June 30.

Browse through the links below to learn more about the DCBA.

History: A Time Line

1916: First hard evidence of Dade County Bar Association although the association probably was established earlier

1920: Incorporated DCBA as non-profit corporation in Circuit Court of Dade County

1928: Printed first Pictorial Roster

1939: Organized Legal Aid program

1940: Minutes reflect that Executive Committee was asked to recommend lawyers for judicial vacancies by the Circuit Court Commission.

1941: Appointed first DCBA member to Advisory Committee of the Florida State Bar Association

Authorized a Judicial Poll of the members of DCBA as to fitness for retention in office of Florida Supreme Court Justices

Honored Charles W. Zaring on 50th anniversary of admittance to the bar and commemorated the fact that he had been admitted to the bar before any other member of DCBA Adopted resolution urging Circuit Judges to hear all divorces in open court

1942: First woman elected to the Board of Directors of DCBA but the Annual Installation Banquet was still "stag" Set up special non-dues paying category for members on active duty in the armed services

1943: Established first "Lawyers Reference Plan" and referral program for military personnel and general public

1946: There was no action on a recommendation that a "Junior Bar" section be authorized

1947: Approved publication of a bar journal. The journal concept was abandoned when the University of Miami School of Law began publishing the Miami Law Quarterly in late 1947.

A portion of DCBA member dues was paid to print and mail copies of the Quarterly to members.

Changed By-Laws to require a special General Membership Elections Meeting to elect all officers

1949: Junior Bar Section was in existence in June of 1949 but no specific date can be established

Legal Aid Society of the Dade County Bar Association was chartered

1950: Florida Bar asked DCBA to terminate its Grievance Committee

1952: Transferred Unauthorized Practice of Law obligations to The Florida Bar

Approved establishment of a Legal Aid Society at UM School of Law and coordinating it with DCBA's Legal Aid

1953: Approved establishment of Lawyer Referral Service in office of DCBA

1954: Opened Executive Office, hired Mrs. Johnnie M. Ridgely, Executive Director and hired full-time Lawyer Referral Service secretary

1957: Earned seat in American Bar Association House of Delegates

1959: Hired full-time Lawyer Referral Secretary

1960: Formed Relief Fund for Cuban lawyers

Established Judicial Trust Fund to provide filing fees and campaign funds for Circuit and County Court judicial candidates were rated at least 70% qualified on the DCBA Judicial Polls. (Fund was later terminated when it was found by the Secretary of State's office to violate election laws by co-mingling funds).

1965: Hosted American Bar Association Annual Meeting

Began fund raising campaign to build headquarters building, leased land and began construction

1966: Completed construction of four story office building in downtown Miami which now houses DCBA, Legal Aid, "Put Something Back" and various other pro bono projects

Won American Bar Association "Award of Excellence" for the most outstanding bar association in the United States for our "Valley Forge" project

1975: Purchased land on which our building is situated

1976: Established Appellate Filing Box in Dade County Courthouse

1978: Approved concept of DCBA Public Interest Law Bank, now Volunteer Lawyers and "Put Something Back"

1981: Established first formal pro bono program

1986: Established Judicial Campaign Practices Commission to hear complaints about judicial candidate misconduct.

1987: Consolidated Lawyer Referral Service with The Florida Bar statewide LRS

1989: Established "Criminal Justice Award" for most outstanding contributions to criminal justice

1991: Formed partnership with Chief Judge of Eleventh Circuit for "Put Something Back" program and consolidated all DCBA pro bono projects into "PSB"

1992: Co-Founded "Children First" pro bono program

Established legal information and assistance programs for victims of Hurricane Andrew

1995: Hosted American Bar Association Mid-Year Meeting activities

Established and funded "Children Whose Parents Have Died of Aids" program

1997: Established "David W. Dyer Professionalism Award"

Established joint funding program with the Dade Foundation to fund charitable activities of the association

Chaired fundraising committee for restoration of the historic lobby of the Dade County Courthouse and raised in excess of 350,000 in contributions from lawyers

Established "Teen Court" in cooperation with Dade School Board

1998: Co-sponsored activities for Miami meeting of national Legal Services Board of Directors

Supported revision of Article V of state constitution

Supported Miami-Dade County Ordinance to amend county code to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation

1999: After raising $400,000, participated in the dedication of the restoration of the lobby of the historic Dade County Courthouse

2000: Opposed Multi-Discipline & Ancillary Practice proposals which would allow non-lawyers to own law firms

Received The Florida Bar award for Most Outstanding Professionalism Committee in Florida

Changed eligibility for DCBA House of Delegates representative seat

2001: Participated in dedication of Thomas D. Barkdull Third District Court of Appeals Building

Instrumental in having new family court building located at 175 N. W. First Avenue, named Lawson E. Thomas Courthouse Center and sponsored dedication

Established DCBA Website

Opposed proposed changes in lawyer regulation requiring Supreme Court and District Court judges to stand for election and imposing term limits on the Florida judiciary

2002: Endorsed electronic filing in Probate Division of Circuit Court

Appointed special committee to train bar and public on new voting machines

Established World Trade Center Fund

Established Judge Steven Levine Children's Scholarship Fund

Appointed special committee to study public financing of judicial elections

Ceased DCBA participation in Self-Help program

Co-Sponsored reception on Freedom Schooner Amistad

Sponsored Diversity Training for DCBA members

2003: Endorsed raises for Federal Judges Co-sponsored reception for Justice Raoul Cantero, III investiture to the Florida Supreme Court

Sponsored Judicial Retirement Luncheon for Circuit and County Court Judges

Co-sponsored Cable Tap TV program on County Court matters

2004: Re-established monthly General Membership Luncheon meetings

2004: Established and endowed the Alan R. Schwartz Judicial Excellence Award, the Mario P. Goderich Legal Ethics Award and the Robert L. Shevin Public Service Award

2005: Restoration of the Dade County Courthouse ceremonial courtroom 6-1 begins as DCBA lawyers contribute over $300,000

2006: Mrs. Johnnie M. Ridgely, Executive Director from 1965-2006 passes away. Following the wishes of the family, the Board of Directors unamimously approve dedicating the DCBA boardroom in her honor.

For almost ninety years, the Association has been among bar association leaders in the country initiating new programs. We have opposed programs and legislation that were detrimental to lawyers, the bench and the public and fought hard for those things which were beneficial to the common good. At the same time, we have tried to broadly represent our varied membership and resist supporting one dimensional or single-issue groups and programs.

The Association has worked particularly hard to protect the independence of the judiciary and the legal profession and continue efforts to preserve the separation of powers of legislative bodies and our judicial system.

Two of our more worthwhile, ongoing accomplishments is the formation of the Legal Aid Society and establishment of a formal volunteer lawyer program for the poor which have become models of numerous associations in Florida and throughout the United States.

DCBA PAST PRESIDENTS

18/19       Mitchell D. Price 19, 20, 21 & 22 F. M. Hudson 22/23       ??? 23/24       ??? 24/25       Uly O. Thompson 25, 26 & 27             W. I. Evans 27/28       Fred Botts 28/29       E. Clyde Vining 29/30       James M. McClskill 30/31       James E. Calkins 31/32       Robert L. Shipp 32/33       M. Luther Mershon 33/34       Lewis Twyman 34/35       ??? 35/36       Walter O. Marshburn 36/37       Grady C. Harris 37/38       Richard H. Hunt 38/39       D. H. Redfearn ??             Frank Bryant 39/40       M. Vernon Hawthorne 40/41       W. L. Gray, Jr. 41/42       Stanley Milledge 42/43       Ben E. Hendricks, Sr. 43/44       Charles B. Cleveland 44/45       Leo S. Julian 45/46       Will M. Preston 46/47       William A. Lane 47/48       Melbourne L. Martin 48/49       Darrey A. Davis 49/50       John H. Wahl, Jr. 50/51       Lyle D. Holcomb 51/52       Roger E. Davis 52/53       Walter B. Humkey 53/54       C. Clyde Atkins 54/55       David W. Dyer 55/56       Perry Nickols 56/57       Reginald L. Williams 57            Mallory Horton 57/58       W. P. Simmons, Jr. 58/59       Joe Creel 59/58       William C. Martin 60/61       Samuel J. Powers 61/62       William C. Steel 62/63       Frank J. Kelly 63/64       Charles A. Kimbrell 64/65       Sam I. Silver

65/66       Edward J. Atkins 66/67       Robert L. Floyd 67/68       M. Lewis Hall, Jr. 68/69       Joseph Gassen 69/70       Frank A. Howard 70/71       John R. Hoehl 71/72       James L. Armstrong  72/73       Robert A. White 73/74       Irwin J. Block 74/75       Ben E. Hendricks 75/76       Leland E. Stansell, Jr. 76/77       Gerald F. Richman 77/78       James F. Crowder 78/79       J. B. Spence 79/80       Robert E. Livingston 80/81       Robert L. Parks 81/82       Joe Unger 82/83       Richard P. Cole 83/84       Neal R. Sonnett 84/85       A. J. Barranco 85/86       William Hoppe 86/87       Henry H. Harnage 87/88       Judith M. Korchin 88/89       Richard C. Milstein 89/90       Charles H. Baumberger 90/91       Kendall B. Coffey 91/92       Dean C. Colson 92/93       Karen Gievers 93/94       Herman J. Russomanno 94/95       Francisco R. Angones             95/95       Robert F. Bouchard 96/97       Joseph H. Serota 97/98       David B. Rothman 98/99       Benjamin B. Kuehne               99/00       Dennis G. Kainen 00/01       Ervin A. Gonzalez 01/02       William Aaron 02/03       Tom Pennekamp, Jr. 03/04       John H. "Jack" Hickey 04/05       Robert J. Fiore 05/06       John W. Thornton, Jr. 06/07       Merrick L. “Rick” Gross 07/08       John P. Murray 08/09       Timothy M. Ravich 09/10       Steven P. Befera

 

DCBA YOUNG LAWYERS SECTION PAST PRESIDENTS

58/59 Fred Davant 59/60 Walter Beckham 60/61 Richard M. White 61/62 Frank A. Howard, Jr. 62/63 Robert J. Beckham 63/64 William H. Peeples 64/65 William M. Hicks 65/66 Richard Pettigrew 66/67 Sandy D'Alemberte (Talbot) 67/68 Tom Schulte 68/69 Aaron Podhurst 69/70 Robert Josefsberg 70/71 Robert L. Parks 71/72 James F. Crowder 72/73 Guy B. Bailey 73/74 Sam Holland 74/45 William T. Huggett 75/76 Stephen N. Zack 76/77 Douglas Lyons 77/78 Bruce Harper 78/79 Jay Durie 79/80 John Cosgrove 80/81 Henry H. Harnage 81/82 Byron Petersen 82/83 Celeste Hardee Muir 83/84 Herman Russomanno 84/85 Kendall Coffey

85/86 Sara Herald 86/87 William C. Crenshaw 87/88 Hilarie Bass 88/89 Jennifer Bailey 89/90 Gary Siplin 90/91 Valerie Jahn Grandin 91       Peter Reinert 91/92  Raquel Rodriguez 92/93  Kathy Adams Gibbs 93/94  Madeline Auerbach 94/95  Steven E. Eisenberg 95/96  Anthony N. Upshaw 96/97  Carroll J. Kelly 97/98  Roberta R. Loomar 98/99  Mark S. Shapiro 99/00  Andrea Stone Hartley 00/01  Barbara Perez 01/02  Sheri E. Nott    02/03  Jennifer Ator               03/04  David Sampedro         04/05  Russell Jacobs 05/06  Tiffani Lee 06/07  Garrett Biondo             07/08  Damian Thomas 08/09  Gisela Munoz 09/10  Joshua J. Hertz