Florida Historical Society Rembert Patrick Award Chesterfield Smith spearheaded the American Bar Association’s condemnation of Richard M. Nixon during the Watergate scandal. Smith’s damning statement “No man is above the law” turned him into a national figure. But his outsized accomplishments, and equally outsized personality, had already made the Florida attorney a legend in his home state. Mary Adkins’s biography follows the epic life of a person driven by the motto “do good.” A child of the rural South turned war hero, Smith put himself through law school and rose fast to lead the Florida Bar and mastermind the drafting of a new state constitution. At the same time, he grew his small firm into Holland & Knight, a legal leviathan he imbued with his own sense of public duty. His idealism further manifested in his hiring of women and people of color while his expansive professional network led to a close friendship with future Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Adkins also examines Smith’s mentoring of several outstanding legal figures and the community service organizations still influenced by his humane vision of the law. Fully realized and long overdue, Chesterfield Smith, America’s Lawyer illuminates the complexities of a defining Florida figure who became a legal giant.

Chesterfield Smith was one of the boldest lawyers of the twentieth century. A child of a poor, broken household but also a child of a politically connected family, Smith grew up aimless. His World War II combat experience changed him. He returned an ambitious and impatient man who had learned from the European theater what systemized hate and prejudice could do. Smith rose fast, building his small firm to a goliath, leading the Florida Bar, and masterminding the creation of a new state constitution. As president of the American Bar Association during Watergate, his was one of the earliest voices calling for Nixon to obey the law or resign. At home, Smith urged his lawyers to improve the practice of law, and the world around them, by 'doing good.' Smith's larger-than-life personality and drive to improve his surroundings irritated some and inspired many.

A riveting book about the life of "America's Lawyer," Chesterfield Smith of Florida, written by Michael L. Jamieson, his protégé, colleague, and good friend for 39 years. It should not be missed by lawyers, law students, professors, students of the profession and professional leadership, and those interested in the role of the leader of the nation's organized bar during the Watergate era.

A riveting book about the life of "America's Lawyer," Chesterfield Smith of Florida, written by Michael L. Jamieson, his protégé, colleague, and good friend for 39 years. It should not be missed by lawyers, law students, professors, students of the profession and professional leadership, and those interested in the role of the leader of the nation's organized bar during the Watergate era.

THE AMERICAN COLLEGE of Trial Lawyers (ACTL or the College) was established in 1950. Two years later, the first Florida lawyer was admitted to membership. It is a high honor to be invited to become a Fellow of the College. Only those lawyers who are actively engaged in trial practice as their principal activity and who have done so for at least fifteen years are eligible for an invitation. The total number is limited to no more than 1 percent of the lawyers licensed to practice in the state of Florida.1 At the present time there are 204 active and retired Florida Fellows. Every Fellow inducted through 2013 is listed in the Appendix. We have attempted to credit all the sources of the anecdotes and written materials used. One particular source deserves special mention. The Florida Bar has a center for professionalism named in the memory of Henry Latimer. Its work includes live video interviews of leading Florida lawyers in order to memorialize their views on civility, professionalism, and law school curriculum. The Latimer Center graciously provided us with copies of some of these videos, and an outstanding Jacksonville court reporter, Susanne DiBerardino, made transcripts for our use. She did a magnificent job, with her only compensation being our sincere thanks. References to these videos will be referred to as the Latimer interviews. It is our hope that this book will be interesting to the reader, help publicize the important work of the College, and become a tool for mentoring new lawyers.

The ABA Journal serves the legal profession. Qualified recipients are lawyers and judges, law students, law librarians and associate members of the American Bar Association.

"Adkins portrays a major turning point in the development of modern Florida and has done a great job of bringing to life so many of the people who achieved this massive rewrite of our constitution."--Talbot D'Alemberte, former president of the American Bar Association and author of The Florida State Constitution "Deftly captures the story of the politics and powerful personalities who created a more modern government structure for Florida."--Neil Skene, former editor and president of Congressional Quarterly, Inc. Mid-twentieth-century Florida was a state in flux. Changes exemplified by rapidly burgeoning cities and suburbs, the growth of the Kennedy Space Center during the space race, and the impending construction of Walt Disney World overwhelmed the outdated 1885 constitution. A small group of rural legislators known as the "Pork Chop Gang" controlled the state and thwarted several attempts to modernize the constitution. Through court-imposed redistribution of legislators and the hard work of state leaders, however, the executive branch was reorganized and the constitution was modernized. In Making Modern Florida, Mary Adkins goes behind the scenes to examine the history and impact of the 1966-68 revision of the Florida state constitution. With storytelling flair, Adkins uses interviews and detailed analysis of speeches and transcripts to vividly capture the moves, gambits, and backroom moments necessary to create and introduce a new state constitution. This carefully researched account brings to light the constitutional debates and political processes in the growth to maturity of what is now the nation's third largest state.