HistoryMiami’s Legal Legends
Award ceremony to be held at J.W. Marriott, Brickell
HistoryMiami has announced the recipients of the prestigious Legal Legends Awards bestowed on those legal professionals with 25 or more years’ commitment to South Florida’s legal system.
The 2011 honorees are:
FRANCISCO ANGONES
A partner with the law firm of Angones McClure & Garcia specializing in personal injury, medical malpractice, products liability and other insurance defense cases in addition to commercial litigation. Angones is past President of The Florida Bar and was also the youngest attorney to ever assume the presidency of the Cuban-American Bar Association and first Hispanic to be elected President of the Dade County Bar Association.
HON. PHILIP BLOOM
Currently of Counsel at Squire Sanders, Bloom previously served as trial court judge for 18 years advising clients in litigation matters in private practice, representing the state and federal governments in various roles, and as an adjunct professor at the University of Miami Law School.
HON. A. JAY CRISTOL
Chief Judge Emeritus of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Miami. Prior to his appointment to the federal bench, Judge Cristol was a lawyer practicing civil law. He also served as Special Assistant Attorney General of Florida.
HON. WILKIE FERGUSON, JR.
The First African-American judge to be appointed and serve on the Dade County Circuit Court and the Florida Third District Court of Appeal. Prior to this appointment, Ferguson made landmark decisions as a trial judge in the matter of discrimination in the court system. Judge Ferguson died in 2003. The new Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. United States Federal Courthouse in downtown Miami is named in his honor.
ELLEN FREIDIN
A Miami lawyer and champion of equality for women in the law. Freidin was the first woman lawyer to be appointed by the Florida Bar to the Eleventh Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission – and the first woman to chair that group. She served with distinction on Florida’s Constitutional Revision Commission, a body assembled every twenty years to review the Florida Constitution and formulate ballot proposals for change.
EDWARD MOSS
Founder of the firm Anderson & Moss and a trial lawyer, Moss has served on the Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission, the Civil Justice Advisory Commission for U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida and the Florida Supreme Court Committee on Standard Jury Instructions.
PERRY NICHOLS
An attorney and pioneer of personal injury law and the first attorney to win a $100,000 verdict in Florida. Nichols of Coral Gables, spearheaded the formation of the Negligence and Compensation Lawyers of Florida (NACLAF) to enhance communication, and provide educational opportunities and support to attorneys.
SOOKIE WILLIAMS
Vice President/Miami Legals for the Daily Business Review. Williams created the newspaper’s Court Pages, making sure up-to-date court directories, emergency judge contact information and bench and bar notices are published daily. She serves as a liaison with the state and federal judiciary and Miami-Dade’s state and federal clerks of court and county Bar associations.
The award recipients will be formally recognized at the 5th Annual Legal Legends Awards Dinner to be held at the J.W. Marriott Hotel in Brickell on Saturday, November 12, 2011.
Sponsorship and underwriting opportunities are available now. For more information about the Legal Legends Awards Dinner, call 305-375-1614 or email 11JCHS@historymiami.org.
About HistoryMiami
HistoryMiami is the premier cultural institution committed to gathering, organizing, preserving and celebrating Miami’s history as the unique crossroads of the Americas. We accomplish this through exhibitions, city tours, education, research, collections and publications, HistoryMiami advocates for helping everyone understand the importance of the past in shaping Miami‘s future.
