Legacy Gala honors the trailblazing black lawyers of the '80s.

"Who are you, the defendant?"

That was the jarring question Supreme Court Justice Peggy Quince recalled being asked by a judge during one of the first cases she handled after being admitted to the Bar in 1978.

"I had to take a deep breath, present my Bar card to the judge, and proceed with my case," Justice Quince told those gathered at a Legacy Gala honoring the trailblazing black lawyers who were admitted to The Florida Bar in the 1980s. "But my mind was racing and asking. 'How is he going to treat my client?'"

Much has changed since then, Quince said, noting that moving into the 1980s the complexion of the court system began to more reflect the changes that Florida's first black lawyers had envisioned.

Nine years ago, The Virgil Hawkins Florida Chapter National Bar Association released a book, "Florida's First Black Lawyers (1869-1979)," as part of its continuing efforts to chronicle the rich history of Florida's first black attorneys. At its Legacy Gala in Orlando June 16, more than 500 packed a ballroom for the release of "Florida's First Black Lawyers--Volume 2--1980-1989," which features biographies and photos of those admitted to The Florida Bar during that time period.

The cover of Volume 2 includes powerful imagery of a black hand carrying a torch, representing the trailblazers "carrying forth the strong legacy, rich history, and experiences passed down from 'Florida's Firsts' featured in Volume I," said June C. McKinney, an administrative law judge from Tallahassee, who was also instrumental in the project.

"We acknowledge these individuals as trailblazers because of their pioneering contributions to Florida's legal landscape," McKinney said. "Their accomplishments have become the change that 'Florida's Firsts' sought." By 1989, The Florida Bar had approximately 44,000 attorney members, but fewer than 700 of them were black.

VHFCNBA President Ashlee Pouncy, an assistant county attorney in the Miami-Dade County Attorney's Office, said her generation proudly stands on the shoulders of the 395 trailblazers profiled in the book who were not afraid to craft legal careers that best suited them, despite often being rejected or the only minority on the board, in the law firm, in the courtroom, or on the bench.

In the Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek's ballroom, guests gathered for a celebratory dinner, dancing, and story-telling while two large screens flanking the stage displayed the pictures and stories of the honorees. Once the main...