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Two Florida Bar leaders are wrapping up historic terms, and they say the work they've done to expand access and opportunity for lawyers across the state is just the beginning.
Sia Baker-Barnes, president of the Florida Bar, and Arti Hirani, president of the Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division, reflected on their tenures and the challenges facing the legal profession, including the rise of artificial intelligence in the courtroom.
Baker-Barnes said her focus throughout her term was making sure every lawyer felt included.
"As president, I'm most proud of sort of carrying out my mission for the year, which was to provide seats at the table for all lawyers. We included a new corporate counsel committee. We had a statewide listening tour where we listened to real concerns from our lawyers and membership, and I think delivered on expanding our opportunities and making sure that each lawyer feels like they're an important part of the bar," Baker-Barnes said.
Hirani said the Young Lawyers Division leaned into collaboration and career development under the theme "Open for Opportunity."
"We have one of the largest affiliate outreach conferences, which is a chance for all the young voluntary bar leaders to come together and learn new things. We had the first joint job fair, so the board of the bar and the Young Lawyers Division partnered up in almost every single aspect that we possibly could," Hirani said.
The results were tangible. Hirani said the event drew standing-room-only crowds and real outcomes for attendees.
"We had resume review headshots. We had people get jobs on site. We had lawyers come from Florida, Georgia, California, and they all left with a better network and actually an opportunity that they could use," Hirani said.
On the question of AI in the courtroom, Baker-Barnes said the concern she hears most often comes down to the unknown.
"I think like anything else, there's an apprehension about things that maybe you don't know or you're not as familiar with. My experience in the legal field is it's more about, I don't understand exactly what this is and how it's going to impact me as a lawyer," Baker-Barnes said.
But Baker-Barnes said she views AI as a tool, not a threat.
"AI is a tool that has to be used carefully but can enhance our abilities as lawyers. At the end of the day, what we provide as lawyers is counsel, is guidance, is support, solutions for our clients," Baker-Barnes said. "I don't think that we will ever lose the human element of being a lawyer because that's what we do. We speak on their behalf. We are their voice. So I don't think that part's going away. I think AI is just a tool to help us provide better support for our clients."
More information about AI guidance and recommendations for lawyers is available at the Florida Bar's website.
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