The Bench & Bar Conference
returned to the Miami Beach Convention Center last Friday, and drew a packed
house of lawyers and judges. It offered a full day of programming and networking
opportunities, including panels analyzing recent Supreme Court decisions, free
speech on college campuses, and all manner of topics relevant to the practice
of law, ranging from discussion of local rules to the obligatory panel on artificial
intelligence. Fancy coffee, as displayed by the Chief Judge, was consumed.
Best-selling local novelist Brad
Meltzer gave the keynote speech during lunch, delivering a version of his viral Make Magic commencement address.
The event was hosted by the U.S. District Court for the
Southern District of Florida and the South Florida Chapter of the Federal Bar Association
with special recognition due to Judge Altman, Lindsey Lazopoulos Friedman, and
Stephanie Casey for organizing.
