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Adams and Reese Counsel Jim Dickson is featured in the American Bar Association Member Spotlight as he discusses his close to 50-year legal career as a corporate defense attorney and also the importance of his ABA membership.
“I have been a member of the ABA since 1978. I have considered the ABA to represent the pinnacle of quality attorneys across the country and wanted to learn from the best,” said Dickson.
At Adams and Reese, the longtime Partner and current Counsel in the firm’s Tampa office focuses his practice on construction law, environmental law and related development issues and disputes. Dickson is board certified in Construction Law by the Florida Bar. He has had an AV ® Preeminent Rating by Martindale Hubbell since 1996, and he has been ranked by clients and peers in Super Lawyers® since 2006, as well as Best Lawyers® since 2009.
Dickson serves as an Adjunct Professor at Stetson Law School where he teaches a course in the Environmental Hazards of Real Property. In the community, he is a longtime officer and board member of the Community Law Program Inc., the local legal aid organization created by the Florida Bar. He is General Counsel to the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce Inc and a member of its Executive Committee and Board.
Below is Dickson’s Q&A interview:
ABA Member Spotlight: Jim Dickson
Tell us a little bit about your career.
“I went to Indiana University Law School with the goal of becoming a Juvenile Court Judge as a result of having worked as a juvenile probation officer after graduation from college. I didn’t pursue that career path but rather accepted a position with a large law firm that promised opportunities for pro bono services. It sounded like the best of both worlds, albeit I didn’t understand billable hour expectations. Ultimately, I became a Florida business lawyer focused on construction and environmental issues but with a deep belief in the role of attorneys as guardians of the Rule of Law and an inherent duty to provide community and pro bono service to those in need. Today, at 74, I continue to practice full-time as Of Counsel at Adams and Reese. I remain Board Certified in Construction Law by The Florida Bar and serve as an Adjunct Professor at Stetson University Law School, where I teach a course regarding environmental issues impacting real property. I have also had the fortune to be able to serve on many community boards and to provide a broad range of pro bono services to low-income families and to not for profit organizations over the decades. I was a founding member of our Community Law Program, a local legal aid organization, and have served as its President for many years. I also serve as pro-bono counsel and member of the executive committee for our local Chamber of Commerce and work with its Greenhouse programs for young entrepreneurs. Being a lawyer has provided the opportunity for great intellectual challenge with the satisfaction of community service. I am very thankful for my profession.”
What has been the highlight of your career?
“The ability to provide useful service to clients that they appreciate has always been a highlight. Recognition by fellow lawyers has been most appreciated. Receipt of a “Heroes Among Us Award” from the local Bar Association a few years ago was most moving.”
If you could go back to the beginning of your legal career, would you have done anything differently?
“I never expected to practice business law in a large firm when I entered law school. The joining of a large business-oriented Firm after law school and subsequent mergers of Firms have been serendipitous, but there is little I would likely have done differently.”
What advice would you give to someone considering law school today?
“Law school does not teach a student how to practice law, but it will teach a committed student how to identify legal issues and methods of analysis. Such a commitment requires the development of critical thinking skills without assumptions. It requires a focus on the ability to listen and observe. It requires dedication to the profession. As an attorney, one should seek opportunities that will be intellectually challenging and personally satisfying with the clear understanding that a lawyer must never get close to crossing any ethical lines under the Rules of Professional Responsibility. As a practicing attorney, one should not be intimidated by any other attorney but always operate on the assumption that your adversary knows more than you, so you need to work harder than your adversary to meet the challenge.”
What were the biggest changes you saw in the legal profession over the course of your career?
“Brief legal filings are now fiction. When I started practicing, multiple copies of a document were created using a typewriter with carbon paper. A complaint or legal memorandum inherently needed to be “concise or “brief” given the limitations of carbon paper. With today’s digital capabilities, the concept of “brief” seldom exists. As an example, I just finished reviewing a 1200-page Complaint. Such a document could not have been reasonably created when I started to practice. While documents have gotten longer, the time for response has dramatically shortened. Communication with clients and other attorneys was typically by correspondence that had more than a week’s turnaround. Today, emails and text messages expect instantaneous responses. With the expansion of AI, the future will change much more.”
When did you first become a member of the ABA, and why did you decide to join?
“I have been a member of the ABA since 1978. I have considered the ABA to represent the pinnacle of quality attorneys across the country and wanted to learn from the best.”
Are there any member benefits that SLD or the ABA provided to you that helped you decide to become a member of the ABA and/or SLD?
“I have been active in the Forum in Construction for many years and greatly appreciated the knowledge conveyed through its programs and publications. The Forum also served as a source of cross state referrals and facilitated the maintenance of necessary CLE credit needed for The Florida Bar Board Certification in Construction Law. I have also greatly appreciated the programs and publications of the ABA Environment Energy and Resources Section notwithstanding that The Florida Bar has no Board Certification for Environmental Law.”
What has been the highlight of your work with the ABA?
“Attending Forum on Construction programs for many years has always been a great experience. I also enjoyed opportunities to work as an editor and author of Forum publications. The opportunity for continuing interaction with attorneys across the country via ABA programs and as the liaison between the SLD and the Forum is also greatly appreciated.”
If you had not become a lawyer, what do you think you would have done?
“I had the opportunity to spend a summer participating in a college program in Japan, Hong Kong, and the Philippines. That experience generated an appreciation for the need for international cooperation. At that time, I seriously contemplated pursuing a career with the United Nations.”