Florida Solicitor General
Encyclopedia
The Solicitor General of Florida or Florida Solicitor General is the top appellate (appeals) solicitor
(lawyer) for the U.S. State of Florida. It is an appointed position in the Office of the Florida Attorney General
and the individual serves at the pleasure of the Attorney General. Many of the cases handled by the Solicitor are argued in the United States Supreme Court and the Supreme Court of Florida. However some cases within the Solicitor's responsibilities are under the jurisdiction
of the United States Court of Appeals
for the 11th Circuit and the state appellate courts. The Solicitor represents the Florida Attorney General before the Florida Supreme Court
and other appellate courts, as needed. He also decides whether the State of Florida has an interest in all cases filed in the Florida Supreme Court and if the state should file or join an amicus brief
.
and was first filled by Tom Warner
.
It is a similar position to Solicitors in many states and is modeled after the United States Solicitor General
. By 2003, twenty-nine states had Solicitors General, although only eight had them fifteen years earlier.
The Solicitor does not always argue constitutional law
. Most states' attorneys general offices have had separate divisions with chiefs specializing in state and federal appellate works. Organizing the department with a separate solicitor general is a model that states are using in attempt to promote the professionalism and quality of the work. This strategy generally gives the attorney general more of specialist who may be somewhat of a legal scholar on staff. Also, the solicitor is typically someone who was not involved in the attorney general's campaign and is thus someone who is more likely to offer a different perspective than other lawyers who are entrenched in the department.
. The individual holding the chair teaches advanced courses at the Florida State University
’s College of Law. As such, Florida State University pays half of the Solicitor’s salary, $165,000 as of 2010.
An Externship
program was established to allow a small number of law students the opportunity to work directly with the Solicitor on active cases and receive up to six hours of course credit while gaining practical experience in appellate procedures and constitutional law.
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
(lawyer) for the U.S. State of Florida. It is an appointed position in the Office of the Florida Attorney General
Florida Attorney General
The Florida Attorney General is an elected cabinet official in the U.S. state of Florida. The attorney general serves as the chief legal officer of the state....
and the individual serves at the pleasure of the Attorney General. Many of the cases handled by the Solicitor are argued in the United States Supreme Court and the Supreme Court of Florida. However some cases within the Solicitor's responsibilities are under the jurisdiction
Jurisdiction
Jurisdiction is the practical authority granted to a formally constituted legal body or to a political leader to deal with and make pronouncements on legal matters and, by implication, to administer justice within a defined area of responsibility...
of the United States Court of Appeals
United States court of appeals
The United States courts of appeals are the intermediate appellate courts of the United States federal court system...
for the 11th Circuit and the state appellate courts. The Solicitor represents the Florida Attorney General before the Florida Supreme Court
Florida Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the State of Florida is the highest court in the U.S. state of Florida. The Supreme Court consists of seven judges: the Chief Justice and six Justices who are appointed by the Governor to 6-year terms and remain in office if retained in a general election near the end of each...
and other appellate courts, as needed. He also decides whether the State of Florida has an interest in all cases filed in the Florida Supreme Court and if the state should file or join an amicus brief
Amicus curiae
An amicus curiae is someone, not a party to a case, who volunteers to offer information to assist a court in deciding a matter before it...
.
History
The position was created in July, 1999 at the request of Florida Attorney General Bob ButterworthBob Butterworth
Robert A. Butterworth is an American attorney and politician from the U.S. state of Florida.-Early life and career:Butterworth was born in Passaic, New Jersey, and moved to Florida with his family as a child. He received a degree in business administration from the University of Florida in 1965,...
and was first filled by Tom Warner
Tom Warner
Tom Warner in Rochester, New York.Warner previously served as a Representative in the House of Representatives of the U.S. state of Florida. He currently lives in Stuart, Florida with his family.-Education:...
.
It is a similar position to Solicitors in many states and is modeled after the United States Solicitor General
United States Solicitor General
The United States Solicitor General is the person appointed to represent the federal government of the United States before the Supreme Court of the United States. The current Solicitor General, Donald B. Verrilli, Jr. was confirmed by the United States Senate on June 6, 2011 and sworn in on June...
. By 2003, twenty-nine states had Solicitors General, although only eight had them fifteen years earlier.
The Solicitor does not always argue constitutional law
Constitutional law
Constitutional law is the body of law which defines the relationship of different entities within a state, namely, the executive, the legislature and the judiciary....
. Most states' attorneys general offices have had separate divisions with chiefs specializing in state and federal appellate works. Organizing the department with a separate solicitor general is a model that states are using in attempt to promote the professionalism and quality of the work. This strategy generally gives the attorney general more of specialist who may be somewhat of a legal scholar on staff. Also, the solicitor is typically someone who was not involved in the attorney general's campaign and is thus someone who is more likely to offer a different perspective than other lawyers who are entrenched in the department.
Teaching
The Florida Solicitor General holds the Richard W. Ervin Eminent Scholar Chair, named to honor former Attorney General and Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Richard ErvinRichard Ervin
Richard W. Ervin, Jr. was the Florida Attorney General from 1949 to 1964, and he also served as chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court from 1969 to 1971...
. The individual holding the chair teaches advanced courses at the Florida State University
Florida State University
The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
’s College of Law. As such, Florida State University pays half of the Solicitor’s salary, $165,000 as of 2010.
An Externship
Externship
Externships are experiential learning opportunities, similar to internships, offered by educational institutions to give students short practical experiences in their field of study. In medicine it may refer to a visiting physician who is not part of the regular staff...
program was established to allow a small number of law students the opportunity to work directly with the Solicitor on active cases and receive up to six hours of course credit while gaining practical experience in appellate procedures and constitutional law.
List of Solicitors
The following is a table of Florida State Solicitors.| Years | Florida Solicitor General | Florida Attorney General |
|---|---|---|
| 1999–2002 | Tom Warner Tom Warner Tom Warner in Rochester, New York.Warner previously served as a Representative in the House of Representatives of the U.S. state of Florida. He currently lives in Stuart, Florida with his family.-Education:... |
Bob Butterworth Bob Butterworth Robert A. Butterworth is an American attorney and politician from the U.S. state of Florida.-Early life and career:Butterworth was born in Passaic, New Jersey, and moved to Florida with his family as a child. He received a degree in business administration from the University of Florida in 1965,... |
| 2003–2006 | Chris Kise | Charlie Crist Charlie Crist Charles Joseph "Charlie" Crist, Jr. is an American politician who was the 44th Governor of Florida. Prior to his election as governor, Crist previously served as Florida State Senator, Education Commissioner, and Attorney General... |
| 2007–2010 | Scott Makar Scott Makar Scott Douglas Makar is an American lawyer and college professor who has been the Florida Solicitor General since 2007 and in that position, has argued five cases before the United States Supreme Court.-Early years:... |
Bill McCollum Bill McCollum Ira William "Bill" McCollum, Jr. is a former Florida Attorney General. A Republican, he was Florida's 36th attorney general, taking office in 2007... |
| 2011– | Pam Bondi Pam Bondi Pamela Jo Bondi is the current Attorney General of Florida.-Early life and education:Bondi's hometown is Temple Terrace, Florida. Her father, Joseph Bondi, was a City Councilman and then Mayor of Temple Terrace. She is a graduate of C. Leon King High School in Tampa, Florida... |
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