Abadin to lead the Bar.

In 1961, when Ramon "Ray" Abadin III was 2 years old, his father left his law practice and his mother said goodbye to her beloved home in Cuba. They packed a suitcase and the trio boarded a plane for the United States and never went back, leaving behind everything they knew.

Fifty-two years later, Abadin, a partner at Sedgwick LLP's Miami office, reflects on coming to America as a toddler, and carrying on a love for the rule of law instilled by his father, Ramon Abadin, Jr.

Some of his father's law school friends in Cuba were able to continue practicing law in Florida--such as Luis Figueroa, Osvaldo Soto, and Mario Goderich, and Abadin said, "Those are the lawyers upon whose shoulders my generation and I stand."

But Abadin's father ended up doing odd jobs and selling real estate and insurance instead of practicing law in their new homeland of two years in Atlanta, followed by a decade in New Orleans, and finally Miami.

"Living the immigrant experience" is a big part of Abadin's answer when asked why he wants to be president of The Florida Bar, a career milestone that will become a reality in June 2015. When no one ran against him, and the deadline passed December 16 for candidates in the election, Abadin officially became president-elect designate.

"I am really in awe of this country. I am an immigrant. I never forget that," said Abadin, who speaks perfect English as his second language, as well as his native tongue, Spanish, and Portuguese, which he minored in as an undergrad at Tulane University.

"My parents left Cuba under harsh circumstances. The government was changing. There was no rule of law. We had a choice of going to Spain, where my grandfather lived. My mother (Alicia) chose to come here," Abadin said.

"Through a lot of hard work and good fortune, I went to law school and now work in the third branch of government. I always felt a need or desire to foster or nurture the process and the peace of our government, which is the rule of law."

When it becomes his turn to lead Florida's more than 98,000 lawyers, Abadin said, a primary focus will be keeping the courts adequately funded.

"One of the wonderful things about this country is the rule of law, and everyone's ability to access the courts," he said.

His year as president in 2015-16, following President-elect Greg Coleman's term, will also coincide with the completion of the Vision 2016 commission, the in-depth study of the future practice of law launched this year by President...