FSU PC PRE-LAW CLUB TO HOST STATE BAR PRESIDENT-ELECT
The Pre-Law Club at Florida State University Panama City will host the president-elect of the Florida Bar, Sia Baker-Barnes, for a fireside chat in January.
Sia Baker-Barnes will be first African American woman to be
Florida Bar president
Baker-Barnes is the first Black woman to serve in this role in the Florida Bar’s history, which dates back to 1889. The Florida Bar is the organization of all lawyers licensed by the Florida Supreme Court to practice law in the state, comprising more than 113,000 members.
She will speak at the Holley Academic Center’s St. Joe Community Lecture Hall from 5-6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 13. The event is free and open to the public.
In a career spanning more than 20 years, Baker-Barnes has pursued justice for victims in personal injury, medical negligence and product liability cases. She frequently lectures throughout the U.S. on catastrophic injury cases. Among her numerous multi-million-dollar verdicts and settlements was a landmark $20 million compensatory and punitive damages verdict against tobacco giant RJ Reynolds Tobacco Co., which was affirmed by the Florida Supreme Court and reached the U.S. Supreme Court.
Baker-Barnes earned her law degree from the FSU College of Law, where she was awarded the prestigious Virgil Hawkins Fellowship, a full scholarship for academic achievement. As a first-year law student, she argued before the justices of the Florida Supreme Court. In recognition of her excellence in advocacy, she was inducted into the Order of the Barristers.
After graduation, Baker-Barnes served on the board of directors of the FSU College of Law Alumni Association. She currently serves as a charter board member of the FSU College of Law’s Black Alumni Network, where she chairs its Racial Justice Advocacy Committee. She is also the Florida Bar Board of Governors Liaison. She resides in West Palm Beach with her husband, attorney Edrick E. Barnes, and their three children.
The Pre-Law Club at FSU Panama City focuses on introducing students to opportunities in the legal profession. Club members include students from a variety of majors, interests and backgrounds curious to explore the field of law.