Phil Freidin Featured in The Florida Bar Journal Article Regarding Justice Perry’s Retirement

Recently, The Florida Bar Journal released an article, “James E.C. Perry Justice Of The Florida Supreme Court,” announcing that Justice Perry will complete his judicial career in December due to “constitutional senility,” which mandates that judges must retire during the term they reach 70 years of age. Justice Perry served as an 18th Circuit judge for nine years followed by an additional eight years as a judge for the Florida Supreme Court.

While he will no longer work as a Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Perry has no plans to bring his influence and effectiveness within the legal realm to a complete halt. When asked about what he will accomplish next, Justice Perry responded, “I will rest a little while, but I won’t stop […] You see, my whole life has never been planned. Opportunities will present themselves, and I’m flexible enough to be attuned to those opportunities. As long as it’s positive, as long as it’s helping other people, as long as I’m happy, I’ll do it.”

Our very own Lawyer Phil Freidin was invited to speak about Justice Perry during the production of the article. Undoubtedly, Lawyer Freidin accepted the invitation with the highest degree of honor and began his statement with the first time he was introduced to Justice Perry. Lawyer Freidin explained, “I met Jim Perry around the time he was thinking about applying for the Florida Supreme Court. He was about the most open, warm, humble, and straightforward person I ever met. He was also so very wise in the ways of the world we live in. Because of all that, I did all I could— as did many others who felt the same— to help him get appointed.”

When asked about his thoughts in regards to Justice Perry’s retirement, Lawyer Freidin explained, “I knew he would be good for the court and our state, but as it turned out, he was downright amazing. Jim Perry is a unique person who has been an historic member of the court. He will be sorely missed.”

To read The Florida State Bar’s full article featuring Lawyer Freidin, view this page.