COUNSEL TO COUNSEL TOPS 600 PARTICIPANTS, CREATES GARY LESSER MENTORING AWARD

Supreme Court Chief Justice Carlos Muñiz joined volunteer participants and staff to celebrate the growth of the Bar’s Counsel to Counsel mentorship program at the group’s graduation reception during the 2026 Florida Bar Convention on June 18.

Counsel to Counsel has grown steadily since its inception in 2023 under the leadership of then-Bar President Gary Lesser. Mentoring New Lawyers Standing Committee Chair Jason Berger provided the numbers: 188 participants in 2023-24, 465 in 2024-25 and 602 in 2025-26. For 2026-27, the goal is to top 800, said Chair-elect Stanford-Greene, who urged all the participants to tell others about the program.

“I remember how passionate Gary was about this when he was getting ramped up to become Bar president,” said Chief Justice Muñiz.  “I'm so happy and delighted to see that it's thriving the way it is.”

During the Mentoring New Lawyers Standing Committee meeting earlier that day, the committee voted to create a new annual mentoring award named in honor of Lesser in light of his continuing commitment to mentorship.

“It's four years later, and Gary is still emailing us, giving us ideas, giving his time and his money to this program. We could not be here tonight without Gary,” said Berger.

“One of the best things in life in general is a relationship,” said Lesser acknowledging his current mentee among the attendees. “The opportunity to work with Chief Justice Carlos Muñiz, to get his support, his input, with this program made an enormous difference for me professionally and personally,” he said, inviting the chief justice to offer remarks.

“I wanted to be here to support the program and to thank everybody who participates in it. Whether you're a mentor or mentee, the best thing about that relationship is that it's so enriching and rewarding to both sides,” Chief Justice Muñiz said.

“Everybody I know, regardless of where we are professionally, we've all depended on other people to succeed, to get where we are,” said Muñiz. “When you surround yourself with new people, when you open yourself up to work with and promote people, when you open yourself up to the giving of your of your time and advice and whatever kind of help you have to offer people – there are all kinds of unexpected blessings that come from that.”

According to Stanford-Greene, during the past year program participants have logged for over 2,679 volunteer hours in MentorcliQ, the program’s online platform. Participants can receive up to eight CLE credits, two professional credits, and two ethics credits for completion of the program.

“I'm looking forward to being here next year and hearing about the 800-plus [participants],” said the chief justice. “Thank you to all of you who participate in this and support it, and especially to Gary for starting it.”

For more information, visit the Counsel to Counsel webpage.