Helping students in grades 6-12 develop leadership skills and academic success is what the Mentoring Tomorrow’s Leaders program is all about. It’s also why Judge Jackie Powell recently visited Lauderdale Lakes Middle School to induct the 2024-2025 board members of the Mentoring Tomorrow’s Leaders Club into office. That day, 46 students took an oath to pursue academic excellence under her watch. This peer-to-peer mentoring program focuses on student engagement and school completion. Goals include increasing graduation rates, reducing dropout rates, improving academic advancement and helping students progress. Thank you Judge Powell for making such a difference! Judge Powell was recently honored by the Caribbean Bar Assocation for community service. Read our press release here: http://www.17th.flcourts.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Judge-Jackie-Powell-Award.pdf

He’s done it dozens of times in his 28-year judicial career, but the traffic hearing officer class that Judge Louis H. Schiff taught this week stood out from all the rest: the class of 12 lawyers who gathered at the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building to prepare for a start date of February 2025 was to be the last class Judge Schiff would teach before he retires at the end of December 2024. An amazing legacy by any account. Enjoy your retirement Judge Schiff – well deserved!