As professionals learn to navigate the post-pandemic workplace, The Sarasota County Bar Association's new president hopes to foster renewed in-person engagement and connections within the legal community.
Amanda Kison, 43, grew up in Portland, Ore., but graduated college and law school and made several post-graduate stops along the east coast before settling in Florida in 2009.
She said setting up a legal career in Sarasota as a newcomer was initially a challenge, but she quickly found her way into the community’s legal and business fabric.
Kison rose to the level of partner in the Orange Avenue firm of Bentley Goodrich Kison and has served the Sarasota community in a variety of roles, including chair of the 12th Judicial Circuit Grievance Committee; executive council member of the Real Property, Probate & Trust Law Section of the Florida Bar; co-chair of the Real Property Litigation Committee; board member of the Realtor Attorney Joint Committee of the Realtor Association of Sarasota and Manatee; and she is the immediate past board chair for the Southwest Florida Chapter of the American Red Cross.
Most recently, Kison took office as the 76th president of the Sarasota County Bar Association.
One of the key aspects of her position is serving as an ambassador between the legal community and the rest of the city.
“(This change) has contributed to this big disconnect between people and the legal community. I feel we’re not as involved with one another. We’re seeing a generation coming up of new lawyers who are kind of used to not networking and not relying on that — the importance of having a really strong interpersonal relationship with the people you practice with, and being involved in the community.”Amanda Kison
Kison hopes to “get people reinvigorated, re-engaged, and remind people why what we do in a voluntary bar association is so important.”
Since stepping into her role, Kison has made several observations on the changes within the legal community following the pandemic, such as becoming accustomed to performing virtual work including litigation and court proceedings or continuing legal education.
“There’s been a real shift since COVID, in terms of people’s presence and involvement,” Kison said. “We’ve all gotten used to the idea of appearing on Zoom, or doing remote work, whether that be remote proceedings or remote meetings or continuing legal education … The expectation is ‘I don’t have to get up out of my chair, leave my office and get up from behind my computer.’ ”
Though Kison said she sees the benefits to productivity and time management, there are increasingly serious consequences within legal interactions.
“(This change) has contributed to this big disconnect between people and the legal community. I feel we’re not as involved with one another,” she said. “We’re seeing a generation coming up of new lawyers who are kind of used to not networking and not relying on that — the importance of having a really strong interpersonal relationship with the people you practice with, and being involved in the community.”
One key advantage that attorneys experience practicing in Sarasota, Kison says, is the feature of a small community and people who know each other, resulting in a much more pleasant and professional interaction than in large cities.
“We have a responsibility to continue to build that and make sure that everybody coming in behind us gets to experience that. My hope is that (the Sarasota County Bar Association) can get back and reconnect with people over the next year,” Kison said.
Lawyers both maintain a responsibility to their communities and reap significant benefits by fostering that relationship, according to Kison.
“Volunteering your time as a pro bono attorney, or reading a contract and analyzing something for potential liability, are skill sets that no other person can provide other than a lawyer,” Kison said.
“Extending that involvement to the community at large… benefits us and benefits the organizations that we give our time to.
