Young sworn in as Bar president: the Bar's no. 1 priority continues to be ensuring adequate funding for the courts.

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Scanning the crowd at the Bar Convention General Assembly, Gwynne Young locked gazes with her longtime mentor, Wm. Reece Smith, Jr., chair emeritus at Carlton Fields.

"Reece Smith, it is very special to me that I am being sworn in today, 40 years to the day after you were installed as president of The Florida Bar," Young said to applause, moments after taking the oath of office on June 22.

"There is no better role model to service to our profession than you."

Earlier, Smith had shared with Young the speech he'd given four decades ago. Back then, the pressing issues facing the Bar were the need for adequate court funding, the need for increased funding for legal services to the poor, and the concern that there were too many lawyers, even though there were only 13,500 lawyers in 1972, compared to more than 93,000 today.

On that long-ago day he was sworn in as Bar president, Smith lauded the passage of the new legislation that created judicial nominating commissions and institutionalized the merit selection of justices and judges, now a hot topic because three justices and 15 appellate judges will be up for merit retention on the November 6 ballot.

"The more things change, the more they stay the same," said Young, a 62-year-old business litigator and trial lawyer who honed her courtroom skills as Hillsborough County's first female prosecutor.

Yet, Young could not resist mentioning that while history repeats itself, once again, she is part of making history. She named the Bar's new leaders: Young Lawyers Division President Paige Greenlee, YLD President-elect Melanie Griffin, and Bar President-elect Gene Pettis, the first African American to lead the Bar.

"I think it's pretty remarkable! The whole leadership team does not include a white male!" Young said to laughter and applause. "And that may be a first in the history of The Florida Bar."

She was quick to include everyone--even white males--when she said, "You know, we have plenty of excellent team members."

Carlton Fields CEO Gary Sasso made it clear he is happy to have Young on his team in Tampa, where she's practiced for 35 years.

"Gwynne has handled some of our most serious cases for some of our largest clients. When we need someone who is smart and resourceful, we often air-drop Gwynne into the case," Sasso said, in introducing Young.

"I've never seen Gwynne equivocate about doing the right thing. This is what makes her effective as an advocate, as a leader, as a...