USPS Publication Number 16300
T h i s C om mu n it y Ne w s p a p e r i s a p u bl i c a t ion of E s c a m b i a-S a nt a Ro s a B a r A s s o c i a t ion
Se r v i ng t he Fi r st Jud icia l Ci rcu it Section A, Page 1
Vol. 21, No. 45
V isit T he S ummation W eekly O nline : SummationWeekly.com
November 10, 2021
1 Section, 10 Pages
THE C . ROGER VINSON AMERICAN INN OF COURT by Elizabeth M. Timothy, Chief United States Magistrate Judge Northern District of Florida
I
can say with certainty that one of the highlights of my career has been the honor of serving as President of the Pensacola American Inn of Court for the past two years.1 It was a tumultuous time during my tenure, when the world seemed to have turned upside down overnight.
Lawyers’ familiar routines, such as attending depositions and hearings, engaging in mediation, and trying cases in person, abruptly stopped. Seemingly without warning, state and federal courts around the country were faced with major problems in need of speedy resolution in order to ensure that justice continued to be served. At the same time, leaders of Inns around the country were faced with a daunting question: how to persevere, much less prosper, during a pandemic, knowing that the main benefit of Inn membership is in-person interaction, education, and socialization. Before explaining how the Pensacola Inn fared, I will provide a historical background of the larger American Inns of Court concept— and why 2021 was such a monumental year for the Pensacola Inn. The American Inns of Court (AIC) idea began in the late 1970s, spurred by then-Chief Justice Warren Burger’s vision of adapting the traditional English model of legal apprenticeship to the needs of the American legal system. Justice Burger’s vision ultimately led to the establishment of the first American Inn of Court in Utah just over forty years ago, in 1980. By 1983, additional American Inns formed in the District of Columbia and three other states. In 1983, as Inns were forming around the country, Chief Justice Burger created a committee of the United States’ Judicial Conference to explore whether the American Inn concept was of value to the administration of justice in the United States and, if so, whether a national organization should be founded. He envisioned that a national organization could promote, establish, and assist American Inns while promoting the Inns’ core goals—legal excellence, civility, professionalism, and ethics. The committee later reported an enthusiastic “yes” to the Judicial Conference and proposed the creation of the AIC Foundation. The Conference agreed and thus endorsed the American Inns concept and the formation of a national structure. The AIC Foundation was established in 1985. The AIC movement has grown faster than any other organization of legal professionals. Today, there are nearly 400 chartered American Inns in forty-eight states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Tokyo and nearly 30,000 active members nationwide. The essence of the AIC movement has been, and is, a recurring focus on honing the skills, civility, and professionalism that epitomize effective advocacy. To state it more formally: The Mission of the AIC, and its individual chapters such as ours here in Pensacola, is to advance
the rule of law by achieving the highest level of, and fostering excellence in, professionalism—through example, education, and mentoring. As is often said, the law is a noble profession, but that can remain true only if attorneys uphold their ethical obligations and advocate in a manner that befits their profession. This theme is common among all Inns. There are those who criticize Inns, claiming our professionalism efforts fail to reach the target audience. In other words, they say, we are “preaching to the choir.” However, as former Florida Bar President Hank Coxe once responded, “It is okay to preach to the choir … as long as our efforts result in expanding the size of the choir.” And I’m proud to say that we have accomplished this in Pensacola. The Pensacola American Inn of Court (PAIC) began thirty years ago, in 1991, when eight judges and sixteen attorneys met to formally organize an AIC Chapter in Pensacola. These “inaugural” judges and lawyers may fairly be described as the “who’s who” of the Pensacola legal community at the time.2 Since 1991, 600 local attorneys and judges have participated, and the PAIC’s current roster consists of about sixty-five active members. It could be larger, but it is limited to that size by design. Eight judges still participate each year, and each judge is assigned to lead a team. The teams, which are also referred to as “pupillage groups,” vary slightly in size, but each team is comprised of “Masters”—attorneys with more than fifteen years of experience, “Barristers”—attorneys with at least five years of experience, and “Juniors”—attorneys with less than five years of experience. The team designs are, in effect, an American adaptation of the pupillage system that is basic to the English Inns of Court. That is, they are designed to bridge the gap between formal law school education and legal practice by offering continuing education in the Common Law tradition, throughout all stages of an attorney’s career. The PAIC’s active year generally follows the school year, from about September to May. Its members meet once a month to hear a team’s educational presentation. Each team presents once over the course of the term, and the presentations are followed by a social and dinner. The PAIC also holds an end-of-year party in June. Our Inn was able to continue this tradition during the pandemic by offering a “hybrid” presentation format, providing members the option to attend each presentation in person at the federal courthouse, in a socially-distanced space, or remotely by Zoom. The post-presentation socials and end-
of-year party were held in outdoor spaces. Remarkably, the PAIC’s attendance numbers were the same, if not better, than in years prior, and the new venue for the socials turned out to be preferred over the former, indoor space. So, all in all, the year was a success, despite the pandemic. It would not have been possible, however, were it not for the assistance of federal court staff—including Shane Shao (IT) and law clerks Allison Hunnicutt and Shannon Morris. Likewise, the PAIC board was of invaluable assistance, and I am grateful to each of them (Jeremy Branning, Ron Johnson, Judge David Langham, and Dave McGee) for their support, encouragement, and tireless assistance. Turning now to the end-of-year party, held in June 2021. We gathered at the Hancock Whitney Club at the Blue Wahoos stadium, where we were treated to fantastic views and fabulous meals. The party was more formal than the usual PAIC end-ofyear party, but such was only fitting, as the party was held in honor of our Inn’s thirty-year anniversary. As I mentioned at the event, our Inn most definitely could not have survived and thrived for three decades were it not for the time and energy expended by so many dedicated and longstanding lawyer and judge members—each of whom has participated on a volunteer basis, often donating substantial time and even money without seeking any recognition whatsoever. Awards were presented to past-presidents and attorneys with fifteen or more years of membership.3 I then presented awards—replicas of the original PAIC Charter— to two of the inaugural members
in attendance, Ed Moore and Don Partington. I read the Charter’s introduction: Inasmuch as Roy M. Kinsey and H. Edward Moore and Donald H. Partington have made due and proper application to the American Inns of Court Foundation for a charter to organize, establish and carry on activities as a participating American Inn of the American Inns of Court Foundation... the American Inns of Court Foundation... does hereby grant American Inns of Court Foundation Charter No. 148 to the above-named applicants... [said chapter] to be known as the Pensacola American Inn of Court in Pensacola, Florida. As those recognitions drew to a close, some in the audience began to notice that the back of the venue was filling with young people, obviously including elementary-school-aged children and older. It was a standingroom only crowd. It was then that I turned my attention to the Honorable C. Roger Vinson, who was sitting just a few feet in front of me with his wife, Ellen. I announced that Judge Vinson, too, was a charter member and had served as the PAIC’s first President, and I presented a replica of the Charter to him as well. I then asked Judge Vinson to bear with me while I shared more information about our founding president’s impressive background. In summary, I noted the following: Judge Vinson graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1962 and then served for six years as a Naval Avia-
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tor. He obtained his law degree from Vanderbilt, where he served on the law review and was a Patrick Wilson Merit Scholar. He practiced law with Beggs & Lane in Pensacola for about twelve years, until he was appointed to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida by President Reagan in 1983. He has served continuously since that time, including seven years as Chief Judge. Judge Vinson also served on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, the United States Judicial Conference’s Advisory Committee on Civil Rules, the Judicial Conference’s Committee on Bankruptcy Administration, the Eleventh Circuit’s Pattern Jury Instruction Committee, and the Eleventh Circuit’s Judicial Council and its Executive Committee. He was President of the Eleventh Circuit District Judges Association and the Northwest Florida Federal Bar Association, among many other such positions. Next, I announced that, considering Judge Vinson’s amazing career— and his instrumental role in forming the PAIC, it was not surprising that the board and membership had voted, unanimously, to rename the Pensacola American Inn of Court to the C. Roger Vinson American Inn of Court. The moment we had all been waiting for—well, everyone except Judge Vinson—had finally arrived! Remarkably, Judge Vinson had no
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