JACKSONVILLE — Two local attorneys, Michael Orr and Lawsikia Hodges, were recently appointed to the Florida Bar's Special Committee on the Sustainability Initiative for Attorneys.

The special committee will assess the current state of legal career sustainability in Florida, identify emerging trends and challenges legal professionals face, and recommend best practices to support sustainable careers.

The initiative was spearheaded by the newly elected Florida Bar President Rosalyn Sia Baker-Barnes.

With the addition of Orr and Hodges, there are now 23 committee members. 

Orr is a Florida Bar President-Elect and former Jacksonville Bar President. He will co-chair the Special Committee. Orr is the managing partner of Orr Cook and a Florida Bar board-certified specialist in civil trial. 

Hodges, who serves as the town attorney for the Town of Orange Park and has been practicing law for 23 years, leads the Jacksonville Governmental Affairs Practice at Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP and is a Florida Bar board-certified specialist in city, county and local government law.  Hodges is also a current member and former chair of the Florida Bar City, County and Local Government Board Certification Committee.

 Both Hodges and Orr are AV Preeminent Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rated attorneys.

Hodges said she is ready to focus on the task and mission at hand: improving the future of the Florida legal sector and contributing to its greater good. She said it especially hits home, as she has three children who have expressed interest in pursuing a career in the profession.

"I'm grateful to be a part of something bigger than myself where we are going to be focused on creating a better and sustainable legal profession for future generations of attorneys in Florida," she said. 

The committee will have its first meeting at the end of the month, where they will have "less than a year to develop recommendations for policies, programs and resources that address the challenges attorneys face," according to the Florida Bar News.

The committee will then bring the list to the Board of Governors next May. Hodges said that with her expertise in city, county, and local government law, she hopes to bring a different perspective to the board and collaborate with local attorneys to understand their specific needs. 

"Oftentimes, the public is looking to lawyers like me and trusting them with the public dollars and the public trust. So, I think this area of law, when we talk about sustainability, particularly in what could be seen as challenging times, I think that hopefully I can at least bring that perspective to this special committee."