The Marbut Report: YLS tops chili cook-off fundraising goal

After the votes were counted and the awards presented Saturday afternoon, the big winner at the 10th annual Jacksonville Bar Association Charity Chili Cook-Off was the Jacksonville office of the nonprofit Best Buddies of Florida.

The Spohrer Dodd team was the “Crowd Favorite” award winner. From left, Sarah Shedlarski; Keith Maynard; Jay Howanitz and his son, Dutch; Nancy O’Grady; Steve Browning; and Helen Westbrook.

With more than $15,000 donated by the law firms and voluntary Bar associations that entered the cooking competition and contributions from event sponsors and the public, Best Buddies will be able to establish programs at two schools to serve people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The contest was judged by a panel of county, federal and state judges – and the “Crowd Favorite” selected by popular vote of the public.

Chili cook-off winners

BEST OVERALL

1. Moseley Prichard Parrish Knight & Jones

2. Gunster

3. Jacksonville Women Lawyers Association

CROWD FAVORITE

Spohrer Dodd

MOST SPIRITED

1. Kubicki Draper

2. Pozo-Diaz & Pozo P.A.

3. Lewis, Longman & Walker (tie)

3. McGlinchey Stafford (tie)

BEST CORNBREAD

1. Law Offices of Ron Sholes

2. Moseley Prichard Parrish Knight & Jones

3. Bedell Firm

BEST FIXINS’

1. Coker Law

2. Gunster

3. Public Defender’s Office (tie)

3. Taylor Day (tie)

MOST ORIGINAL

1. Jacksonville Asian American Bar Association

2. Coker Law

3. Pozo-Diaz & Pozo (tie)

3. Spohrer Dodd (tie)

MEATIEST

1. Jacksonville Women Lawyers Association

2. Adams & Reese

3. Jacksonville Asian American Bar Association

SPICIEST

1. Fisher Tousey Leas & Ball

2. Rogers Towers

3. Taylor Day

Fletcher High wins 4th Circuit mock trial competition

A team of future lawyers from Fletcher High School won the 4th Circuit Florida High School Mock Trial Competition on Feb. 8 at the Bryan Simpson U.S. Courthouse.

The team from Fletcher competed against teams from The Bolles School, Clay County Forensics Home School League, Mandarin High School and Stanton College Preparatory School.

The Fletcher High School Mock Trial Team, from left, Jay Howell, Toni Wortherly, Emma Hamilton, Cory Gann, Amy Kurtz, Reid Manabat, Susana McIntosh, Ryan Laubach and Amber Rumancik.

The competition was judged by the district and magistrate judges of the U.S. District Court and argued to a jury of Jacksonville Division law clerks and attorneys from the Jacksonville Chapter of the Federal Bar Association.

The Fletcher team will represent the 4th Circuit at the state competition March 14-16 at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando.

The competition is a program of the Florida Law Related Education Association.

Gunster adds two associate attorneys

Gunster added two associate attorneys, Pierce Giboney and Anne Coxe Mesrobian, who will be in the business litigation practice in the Jacksonville office.

Before law school, Giboney was a manager for CSX Transportation. He received his J.D. from the University of Florida and his bachelor’s in civil engineering technology from Georgia Southern University.

Mesrobian will focus her practice on litigation and construction-related matters.

She previously was an associate for Cleary Gottlieb in New York where she practiced litigation and international arbitration, with a focus on government investigations and enforcement actions.

Mesrobian received her J.D. from Columbia Law School and her undergraduate degree from Davidson College.