{"id":241727,"date":"2026-04-22T12:02:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T12:02:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/241727\/"},"modified":"2026-04-22T12:02:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T12:02:09","slug":"bar-examiners-honor-staffs-persistence-precision-at-annual-luncheon-the-florida-bar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/241727\/","title":{"rendered":"Bar Examiners honor staff\u2019s persistence, precision at annual luncheon \u2013 The Florida Bar"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>                Bar Examiners honor staff\u2019s persistence, precision at annual luncheon<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-558243\" class=\"wp-image-558243 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Florida-Board-of-Bar-Examiners-award-recepients-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Florida Board of Bar Examiners award recipients\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1290\"  \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-558243\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Award recipients, including Brandi Cawthon Alvarado Award honoree Beau Luttrell, far left, gather during the Florida Board of Bar Examiners\u2019 March 21 staff appreciation luncheon in Tallahassee.<\/p>\n<p>With a playful nod to goats \u2014 known for their persistence and selectivity \u2014 the Florida Board of Bar Examiners used its annual staff appreciation luncheon to highlight the traits it says define its own workforce: thorough, relentless, and committed to getting things right.<\/p>\n<p>Board Chair Cristina Groschel thanked staff for the critical role they play in upholding the Bar\u2019s standards of competence and integrity during the March 21 event in Tallahassee.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe feel very strongly about our mission, and we know you do, too,\u201d Groschel said. \u201cBefore it even gets to us, it\u2019s gone through your hands, and you really allow it to be so efficient and organized for us so we can do what we do. So, on behalf of the entire board, thank you for all your service to the public.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Executive Director Michele Gavagni echoed that praise, describing the staff\u2019s work as \u201cthorough, relentless, precise, and deeply committed to getting things right.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As part of the program, staff member Beau Luttrell received the Brandi Cawthon Alvarado Award, which honors the employee, as selected by colleagues, who best exemplifies the board\u2019s ideals and high standards.<\/p>\n<p>The award is named for Brandi Cawthon Alvarado, a 24-year-old analyst IV who conducted background investigations of Bar applicants. Alvarado, who was promoted four times in just over two years, was tragically murdered in 1999 in an act of domestic violence.<\/p>\n<p>Bar Examiners staff receiving merit awards included:<\/p>\n<p>Angelica \u201cDemi\u201d Ortiz<\/p>\n<p>Theasamantha \u201cSammy\u201d Figueras<\/p>\n<p>Staff members recognized for years of service, including:<\/p>\n<p>Two years: William Pafford and Beau Luttrell<\/p>\n<p>Five years: Amanda Smith and Betty Lashley<\/p>\n<p>15 years: Tasha Grondzik and Rebecca Cross<\/p>\n<p>Gavagni leaned into a lighthearted \u201cgoat\u201d theme to underscore the nature of the work.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey are selective, they are persistent, and they don\u2019t stop until they get to the root of something,\u201d Gavagni noted of goats, drawing a comparison to staff members\u2019 approach to investigations and exam preparation. \u201cWe are selective and persistent and looking for the truth\u2026. We have a knack for tracking things down to the final fact, the final detail \u2014 and yes, the exact number of pages in a report. Because around here, \u2018countless\u2019 is never actually countless.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gavagni also noted that results from the February 2026 bar examination were recently released, with 496 candidates recommended to the Florida Supreme Court for admission.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe keep track of every little step \u2014 every step those applicants go through,\u201d she said. \u201cThe bottom line is that at the end of the day, they have been recommended to the court and are taking the Oath of Attorney.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Bar Examiners honor staff\u2019s persistence, precision at annual luncheon \u00a0 Award recipients, including Brandi Cawthon Alvarado Award honoree&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":241728,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[28,30,29],"class_list":["post-241727","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-florida","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241727","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=241727"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241727\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/241728"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=241727"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=241727"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=241727"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}