As has been done in the past several years, the Bar’s elections for Board of Directors will be conducted online. This year there are five (5) members running for four (4) Board seats. Each PBCBA member in good standing will receive an email with information on how to vote (please be sure to set your spam filters to pre-approve anything from ballotboxonline.com) beginning on April 12th and voting will end at 5 p.m. on April 21. The winners will be announced via email and will also be posted on the Bar’s website. To assist you in making your selection, please take the time to read the information about the candidates below. Successful candidates will be sworn in at the Bar’s annual installation banquet at The Breakers Hotel on June 17.
Name: Lindsay Demmery
Firm/Employer: Prestige Land & Law, PLLC
Law School: Nova Southeastern University
Year admitted to practice: 2006
Year joined PBCBA: 2006
What do you feel you can contribute to the Association as a Board member?
I look forward to the opportunity to serve on the Palm Beach County Bar Association Board, so that I can give back to the legal community that I have grown up in. I was born and raised in Palm Beach County, and throughout my youth I met many local practicing attorneys through my father, a local attorney. All of them had one thing in common, they loved practicing law and loved doing it in Palm Beach County. I want to continue this tradition and expand upon it. The best way I know how to do that is by continuing my service to this Bar by now running for the board. I have been on various committees from Membership, to circuit civil committee, to the transactional committee. I have held every board position on the Young Lawyers Section (YLS), have been on most, if not all the YLS’s committees, and was President of the YLS (2014-2015). Also, I have been on multiple committees and was the president of PBC FAWL (2015-2016). Now, I feel the best way I can contribute is to use all the knowledge I have gained from being on all the various committees and boards, and to put it to use to be a resource to help improve the programs we have as well as create new ones. The better the benefits, events, and CLEs the Bar offers to members the easier and more pleasant it is to practice in this County. Ultimately, it is my hope that given the opportunity to serve on the Board of Directors I can help improve and innovate the programs offered at the Bar in such a way that it makes daily practice even just the slightest bit more enjoyable.
Name: Jean Marie Middleton
Firm/Employer: Palm Beach County School District
Law School: Howard University – Washington D.C.
Year admitted to practice: 1986
Year joined PBCBA: 2000
What do you feel you can contribute to the Association as a Board member?
There’s no better way to continue serving the Palm Beach County Legal Community and the Association than to become a member of the Board of Directors!
Being fully committed to achieving the Association’s objectives, I have been privileged to actively serve on several of its committees. For the past five (5) years, I have served as Chair and Co-Chair of the Diversity Internship Program (DIP) subcommittee. I have enjoyed a first-hand opportunity to work with attorneys, law firms and governmental agencies to identify diverse law students and to attract them to Palm Beach County for summer internships and, ultimately, for the practice of law. I am proud to say that our efforts have been successful! Several of our DIP interns have been hired as young lawyers by the firms for which they interned or by other participating law firms. Seeing some of our former DIP interns participate in the Association’s initiatives as active members is thoroughly rewarding!
Currently, I serve on the Judicial Relations Committee and have had the pleasure of serving on the Judicial Luncheon sub-committee. In this capacity, I work to identify issues of concern to the bar members; and to coordinate and host a judicial luncheon CLE.
As past President of the F. Malcolm Cunningham Sr. Bar Association, I have experience in all aspects of leading a voluntary bar association with energy and enthusiasm, while fostering team collaboration.
I welcome the opportunity to lend my energy and commitment in service to the Board of Directors.
Name: Grasford Smith *
Firm/Employer: Jones Foster
Law School: New York University
Year admitted to practice: 2005
Year joined PBCBA: 2008
What do you feel you can contribute to the Association as a Board member?
The Palm Beach County Bar Association faces short-term challenges caused by the recent fire damage to its building and displacement of its staff. The Bar faces long-term challenges to ensure that it remains relevant by responding to the evolutionary changes in our profession, including advancements in technology. As a current PBCBA Board Member, I have been involved in the Bar’s key decisions to address these challenges and to ensure that we have a viable and responsive Bar for many years to come.
I bring energy and enthusiasm to my current role on the PBCBA Board and draw on the experience I gained in various leadership positions at the PBCBA, The Florida Bar and various community organizations. My first significant leadership role in Palm Beach County was as President of the Cunningham Bar Association where I regularly coordinated events with the PBCBA. I later served as Chair of PBCBA’s Transaction Law Committee for which I coordinated networking activities and monthly CLEs for the benefit of the membership. I also gained significant experience in the regulation of our profession when I was appointed by two Florida Bar Presidents to serve on the Commission for Review of the Bar’s Discipline System and the Civil Procedure Rules Committee. My leadership in the community includes serving as General Counsel for the Urban League and as a Board Member of the Legal Aid Society.
I am honored that five former Presidents of the Florida Bar have endorsed my candidacy for reelection. I would appreciate your vote!
Name: Scott B. Smith *
Firm/Employer: Lytal, Reiter, Smith, Ivey & Fronrath
Law School: Florida State College of Law
Year admitted to practice: 1998
Year joined PBCBA: 1999
What do you feel you can contribute to the Association as a Board member?
It has been an honor and a privilege to serve you and the entire PBCBA as a Board member the last two years. Thank you greatly for the opportunity and I remain just as excited and motivated to continue to serve.
Your current Board has worked hard in keeping our members as informed as possible about changes in the practice of law influenced primarily by advancements in technology. One of our most important objectives in serving our members will be to continue to keep all as aware as possible about the changes that technology and other external forces may bring us.
Internally we also saw a big change with the retirement of our longtime Executive Director, Patience Burns. I respectfully offer that the Board and search committee did an exemplary job in our nationwide search for a worthy replacement. As a result of such efforts, we are now very fortunate to have Carla Tharp Brown as our new Executive Director.
I would be remiss to also not reference the unfortunate luck we recently experienced with the fire at our PBCBA office. Most thankfully no one was injured, but the building and its contents suffered significant damage. Despite such loss, it has been awesome to witness all the support and help the PBCBA has received from our membership.
In closing, you have my word that I will continue to assist to keep all of our members informed about our evolving profession, continue to support and assist Carla every way possible and provide all help that is necessary as we rebuild our office building – the Patience Burns Legal Center! Thank you again for allowing me to have served you and I respectfully ask for your vote so that I continue to do the same.
Name: Dean T. Xenick *
Firm/Employer: Zele Huber Trial Attorneys
Law School: University of Florida
Year admitted to practice: 2001
Year joined PBCBA: 2001
What do you feel you can contribute to the Association as a Board member?
First, I would like to thank everyone who has supported me over the past four years as PBCBA Director. I am honored and humbled to have been elected twice to this position. Having served two terms on the Board, I have proven that I have the dedication and commitment to be a successful and contributing member of the Board. Therefore, I again ask for your vote to continue to serve you and all PBCBA members.
As a Board we have faced tough challenges, including Reciprocity, attacks on judges, threats to the judiciary, and our most recent fire at the Bar office. These obstacles require dedication and experience to be properly dealt with. I am assisting President John Whittles in handling the Bar office insurance claim and I promise to do everything in my power to ensure that our outstanding Bar building is rebuilt as good or better than before.
I am also on the Florida Bar Code and Rules of Evidence Committee, which informs me of statewide changes to our profession, so they can be implemented locally without delay. I am also a member of FAWL, PBC Justice Association, Florida Justice Association, Craig S. Barnard Inns of Court (Emeritus) and the Young Lawyers and North County Sections of the PBCBA. These diverse and active organizations allow me to meet and work with lawyers in every practice area and with different perspectives.
I am extremely thankful for your prior support and I hope to continue serving you for another two years.
*Incumbent
