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As The Florida Bar marks its 75th year, the News is revisiting pivotal moments and people who helped shape the profession Florida lawyers know today.<\/p>\nAt 75, The Florida Bar reflects on Henry Latimer\u2019s lasting influence<\/p>\n
‘When engaged in the battle, Lat treated opposing counsel and parties with great civility and respect. He did not allow the moment, or his passions or the personalities tarnish his professionalism’<\/p>\n
As The Florida Bar marks its 75th year, the News is revisiting pivotal moments and people who helped shape the profession Florida lawyers know today.<\/p>\n
This week, we look to a more recent chapter when past Bar President Michael J. Higer in 2021 reflected on the life and legacy of Judge Henry Latimer in a column published in The Professional, the journal of the Henry Latimer Center for Professionalism.<\/p>\n
Thirty years ago in 1996, amid concerns about civility, ethics, and public trust, the Florida Supreme Court and The Florida Bar created a Center for Professionalism dedicated to promoting character, competence, civility, and commitment within the practice of law.<\/p>\n
In 2005, the Board of Governors renamed the center in honor of Judge Henry Latimer, a respected jurist, mentor, and longtime Bar leader whose career embodied those very ideals. Latimer spent more than 30 years as a lawyer and jurist, earning a reputation for excellence and integrity. Latimer died in a car accident in 2005.<\/p>\n
Latimer mentored generations of lawyers, instilling in them a commitment to professionalism, respect, and service \u2014 values that continue to guide the Bar and the legal community.<\/p>\n
In the column that follows, Higer, who served as Bar president in 2017-18, offers a personal remembrance of \u201cLat,\u201d not just as a lawyer and judge, but as a teacher, advocate, and example of what professionalism looks like in practice.<\/p>\n
\u00a0A Giant of a Man Named Lat<\/p>\n
By Michael J. Higer<\/p>\n
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Michael Higer<\/p>\n
Some days, it seems like it was just yesterday while on other days it seems much longer since I first heard the news that Henry Latimer much too soon had suddenly and without warning left the physical world. Still, on all days, his words play in the background of my script as I do my best to emulate his teachings. How do I begin to capture in words the giant of a man that was Henry Latimer, who I simply knew as Lat?<\/p>\n
Judge Henry Latimer, for whom The Florida Bar’s Center for Professionalism is named.<\/p>\n
My first job as a law clerk and then as a lawyer out of law school was with the Fine Jacobson law firm where somehow through charmed fate I bumped into Lat, who eagerly teased me to the effect \u2014 are you ready to work? I was. And we did \u2014 trying cases together, which started from the moment a client walked in the door until a verdict was rendered and all points in between. That moment when I first met Lat defined my path as a lawyer. I am forever thankful and blessed for that moment.<\/p>\n
Writing this piece for the Center of Professionalism that now bears his name, the expectation might be to paint a picture of Lat as a saintly lawyer. Certainly, his clients saw his angelic aura. In truth, he was not so one dimensional. He was a brilliant warrior who fought for his clients. And when I say he fought, I mean he did so zealously and passionately. Despite the challenges he like many of us face to be civil while working within an adversarial system, Lat always exuded professionalism with the public, counsel, and the court. At all times, he conducted himself with fairness, integrity, and civility.<\/p>\n
‘I make other people’s problems my problems’<\/p>\n
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Judge Henry Latimer<\/p>\n
The battle for Lat did not start in the courtroom but with him marshalling all the information that formed his understanding of the obvious, as well as the nuances of his client\u2019s case. Time stopped as he first patiently listened as his client shared intimate details both relevant and not so much. He did not hurry. His mind was in the moment. He was completely focused on the client and the details of the story as it unraveled. And when he spoke, he was compassionate, warm, and confident \u2014 all of which eased the client and let them know everything was going to be all right.<\/p>\n
He understood this was the client\u2019s case. This was the client\u2019s pain. This was the client\u2019s day in court. Lat fully embraced his clients and their cases. To this day, when people ask me what I do or what is my specialty, I say I make other people\u2019s problems my problems. That is a nod to Lat.<\/p>\n
From that first moment until the final resolution, client communication was paramount. Lat urged not only communication with the client when there was something noteworthy but also when there was nothing of note. The client was the center of everything we did. It was our responsibility to maintain and sustain the client\u2019s centricity. We are there for the client.<\/p>\n
Not just as advocates with counsel and the courts but also with the client. Lat often preached we are there to counsel and advise the client not just with what the client wants to hear but sometimes it was our responsibility to gently, but firmly, guide the client in the right direction.<\/p>\n
Lat\u2019s empathy could not be faked \u2014 it was real<\/p>\n
When engaged in the battle, Lat treated opposing counsel and parties with great civility and respect. He did not allow the moment, or his passions or the personalities tarnish his professionalism. It would have been easy and understandable if he did so. He certainly dealt with his share of difficult lawyers, witnesses, facts, and circumstances. We had plenty of high-profile cases. We did not win every skirmish. We had setbacks. But Lat always was calm and composed. He was reflective and not reactive. When all else failed, Lat smiled broadly and warmly. And in return, the most tense moments melted away. The most difficult people may have chafed but were disarmed by Lat\u2019s easy way.<\/p>\n
In court, he shined brightest. When he spoke, he knew the facts. He knew the law. He weaved both with self-assurance and without pause resonating truth with his words. The court knew it could rely on him to be accurate and candid while making his argument for his client. He did not raise his voice. He did not need to. He made his points simply and clearly based on long preparations. And when he spoke to a jury, he made them feel like he too was one of them. And it was for good reason because Lat\u2019s empathy could not be faked \u2014 it was real. Juries knew they could trust his words. Lat built trust from the first moment you met him.<\/p>\n
I suppose I could have written about all the accolades Lat accumulated. He was first this, he had plenty of thats and had dozens of distinctions all of which looked nice on a wall. But the essence of Lat was much more. Whenever you were around him and whenever you think of him you were drawn to his warm, easy manner, which always tempered the roar of the lion just below the surface imbued with the call of justice for all who sought his counsel. May the name Henry Latimer and his memory always be for a blessing.<\/p>\n
Michael J. Higer is a past president of The Florida Bar. He is a partner with Berger Singerman in Miami.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"At 75, The Florida Bar reflects on Henry Latimer\u2019s lasting influence ‘When engaged in the battle, Lat treated…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":137467,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[28,30,29],"class_list":["post-257972","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\/257972","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=257972"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/257972\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/137467"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=257972"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=257972"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=257972"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}