2019 New Lawyer Training Program

Award-Winning New Lawyer Training Program Class of 2019

The gift that keeps on giving that will later give it back: The OCBA’s New Lawyer Training Program (“NLTP”). On August 16 and 17, the Orange County Bar Association held its 7th Annual NLTP and, as predicted, it was an exquisite event... the only disappointment would be for the not-so-new lawyers who wish this program had started 20 or more years ago. The OCBA does everything well, but teaching and mentoring are at the top of the member benefits list. Our high-caliber NLTP teaching faculty, comprised of local judges and practicing attorneys, respectively lectured attendees on 18 different topics. From a comprehensive tour of the Orange County Courthouse and its various functions, which began with an inspiring pep talk from OCBA president Tony Sos, followed by an hour-long welcome and instruction from Chief Judge Donald Myers, Jr., and Clerk of CourtsTiffany Moore Russell, to the dos and don’ts of everyday law practice, the attendees received multiple years’ worth of legal “wisdom” in just two days.

Some of us have had great lessons and teachers outside of academia, while some have had little to no mentoring at all; but for two consecutive days, the OCBA was able to facilitate connecting NLTP attendees with no less than 35 advisors. Several of these advisors were non-lawyers: Charlene Hotaling and Sydney Berube from Seacoast Bank, and judicial assistants Diane Iacone (Judge John Kest), Shenise Baker (Judge Chad Alvaro), and Lauren Burrows (Judge Luis Calderon), among others. Imagine if during your third year of law school or your first two years of practice you got to spend an hour with bankers advising you on money matters and business management, or an hour with three judicial assistants educating you on all the local rules and how to best keep a circuit court judge happy. Invaluable and, indeed, the gift that will keep on giving.

We look forward to these NLTP graduates giving it back, whether by representing their clients’ interests exponentially better, or by being part of the future cadre of NLTP lecturers.

Program moderators Barbara Leach and Fermin Lopez

A heartfelt thank you to the rest of our NLTP faculty: Judges Eric Dubois, Chad Alvaro, Margaret Schreiber, DeniseKim Beamer, Keith White, and Andrew Cameron; Orange County Courthouse staff/personnel Genie Williams, Sgt. Mark Garcia, Emily Vazquez, Roberta Walton, Lourdes Diaz, Diana Carvajal, and Jessica Labelle; and attorneys Courtney Richardson-Jones, Lisa Gong Guerrero, Tom Feiter, Camy Schwam-Wilcox, Andrew Roy, Stephanie Alcalde, Kimberlee Martin, Kristopher Kest, Keshara Davis Cowans, Liz McCausland, Daniel Whitehouse, Michael Kest, Lyzette San Germain, and the undersigned counsel and NLTP moderators, Barbara Leach and Fermin Lopez. A very special thanks to our brilliant and diligent OCBA staff for organizing and coordinating every aspect of the NLTP: Karen Fast, Ashley Ann Norris, Joan Giovanni, and executive director, Jenny Brown.

Barbara J. Leach, Esq., is the managing attorney of Barbara Leach Law, PL, a boutique family law firm. She has been a member of the OCBA since 2007.

Fermin Lopez, Esq., is a plaintiff’s trial lawyer with Colling, Gilbert, Wright & Carter specializing in serious injury and wrongful death cases.

Thank you to our sponsors: Seacoast Bank, Milestone Reporting, Florida Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company, Thompson Reuters/Westlaw, HealthMarkets Insurance Agency, Clio, U.S. Legal Support, and LawPay

With sincere appreciation to Seacoast Bank for supporting the 2019 New Lawyer Training Program as our top sponsor and for investing in the future careers of students from Florida A&M College of Law and Barry University School of Law by sponsoring student scholarships.