Miami-Dade Administrative Circuit Judge Jennifer Bailey, who is slated to resign after servitude spanning three decades, identified an impending problem that lawyers may face in the years ahead. In a recent interview, she stated, “Lawyers are less confident in their jury-trial experience because people just don’t try as many cases as they used to.” This declining trend, noted over the years, she labels as the “silvering of the experienced trial bar.”
According to an article on Law.com, Bailey further elaborated that this situation has created a conundrum that the Florida Bar will have to untangle.
Being able to create, manage, and even manipulate jury trials is an integral part of an attorney’s job description, and this lineup of skills essential to their role is steadily ebbing away due to the decreasing number of cases. As more senior and experienced practitioners continue to step down, new attorneys who lack this trial experience owing to fewer case situations might face challenges.
Legal professionals worldwide, and in particular, in the Florida Bar, are encouraged to take note of this trend and perhaps find innovative ways to bridge this growing gap.