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Kicking Off the Conference| Chief Judge Diana Moreland moderated an expert panel on how AI is reshaping the legal profession. Panelists: Chief Justice-Elect John Couriel, Justice Jamie Grosshans, Judge Anne-Leigh Gaylord-Moe (U.S. District Court, Middle), Judge Raag Singhal (U.S. District Court, Southern), and Chief Judge Matthew Lucas, 2nd District Court of Appeal
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Q&A: Insights from the 12th Judicial Cicuit & County Bench| Moderated by Judge Frederick Mercurio. Panelists: Judge Maria Ruhl, Judge Matt Whyte, Judge Renee Inman, and Judge Shannon Hankin
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Real Property in Motion: Current Issues and Emerging Trends in Florida Real Estate Law| Moderated by Judge Kevin Bruning. Panelists: Attorney Manny Farach and Attorney Lisa Moore
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From Tallahassee to the Courthouse: Key Legislative and Judicial Developments| Moderated by Judge Danielle Brewer. Panelists: Chief Justice-Elect John Couriel, Representative Will Robinson, Representative James Buchanan, and Chief Judge Moreland
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Litigation Foundations: The New Era of Proportionality and ESI, Trial Strategy, Motions and Privilege Logs| Moderated by Judge Charles Sniffen. Panelists: Attorney Morgan Bentley and Attorney llyas Saveg
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Navigating Change: Federal Insights on the New Florida Rules of Civil Procedure| Moderated by Judge Andrea McHugh. Panelists: Judge Raag Singhal and Judge Anne-Leigh Gaylord-Moe
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Conflict and Legacy: Navigating Complexities in Estate and Trust Litigation| Moderated by Judge Charles Williams. Panelists: Attorney Rich Caskey and Attorney Kim Bald
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Cybersecurity and Technology in Legal Practice: Pitfalls to Avoid in the Age of AI| Moderated by Attorney Doug Cherry. Panelists: Attorney Jade Davis, Judge Kennedy Legler and cyber-security specialist Serge Jorgensen
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Judicial Roundtable on Ethics, Professionalism, and Sanctions: Section 57.105| Moderated by Justice Jamie Grosshans. Panelists: Judge Hunter Carroll, Judge Melissa Gould, Judge Maryann Uzabel and Judge Edward LaRose (Second DCA)
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Experts: Case Management Report, Selection, Deposition, and Disqualification| Moderated by Judge Stephen Walker. Panelists: Attorney Martin Garcia and Attorney Fred Moore
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When Family and Business Collide: Untangling Overlapping Legal and Financial Issues| Hosted by Judge Teri Dees. Presenters: Attorney Brian Goodrich and Attorney Phillip Schipani
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Exploitation of the Elderly in a Digital World| Hosted by Judge D. Ryan Felix. Presenters: Assistant State Attorney Andrew Van Sickle and Attorney Kate Fall

Bench-Bar Conference 2026

Changing Tides

How AI and the new rules are reshaping the legal profession

As you approached the hall you could hear the din from the dozens of attorneys that had gathered near the grand ballroom at the St. Regis on Longboat Key. Some were hunting for their name badge at the registration table, some were sipping coffee with members of the young lawyers’ divisions, and some were posing for updated professional portraits. All were there to network, share their stories, and learn from their colleagues on the bench.

People are talking, eating pastries and drinking coffee in a lobby with rope-style lighting hanging from the ceiling.

The occasion was the 12th Circuit’s Bench-Bar Conference, aptly titled Changing Tides, held on May 8, and jointly sponsored by the Sarasota County Bar Association and the Manatee County Bar Association. This year’s theme addressed how AI is reshaping the legal profession.

Joining the local judiciary as moderators, presenters, and panelists were judges from the United States District Court, Judge Anne-Leigh Gaylord Moe (Middle) and Judge Raag Singhal (Southern), the Florida Supreme Court, Chief Justice-elect John Couriel and Justice Jamie Grosshans, and from the Second District Court of Appeal, Chief Judge Matthew Lucas, Judge Suzanne Labrit, Judge Edward LaRose, and Judge Susan Rothstein-Youakim, giving a microcosm-to-macrocosm introspection of the legal jurisdictions in which cases filed in our circuit travel.

Judges Renee Inman and Hunter Carroll sat on the Bench-Bar Conference planning committee. Judge Carroll, who also served as the committee’s co-chair, explained that the “theme and topics were selected primarily by the attorney members of the planning committee, with some input by judges.”

“There was a lot of interaction at this conference with various experiences – experiences that we, as judges, have with [artificial intelligence] are not always the same types of experiences that attorneys have,” Judge Inman said.

Benefits the Profession

Professional events positively benefits lawyers and judges. They “allow for direct discussions concerning matters each is currently seeing,” Judge Carroll said. By meeting in an informal, relaxed atmosphere (as opposed to an adversarial courtroom), be it a conference, voluntary bar “luncheon and ‘breaking bread’ with those that appear in front of us, allows them to see that we are just regular people, too,” Judge Inman said.

“These exchanges allow for constructive input and improve the quality of justice in our area,” Judge Carroll said.

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