HCBA Lawyer Magazine Vol. 28, No. 5 | Page 10

E X E C U T I V E D I R E C T O R ’ S M E S S A G E J o h n F. K y n e s - H i l l s b o r o u g h C o u n t y B a r A s s o c i a t i o n Local Legal trailblazers honored at Luncheon T “there are still many barriers to be broken, and hopefully this will help inspire the next generation of lawyers.” — u.s. magistrate Judge anthony porcelli ampa’s civic and That’s because — as was the business leaders often case in other cities in the tout the city’s rich segregated South — employment ethnic heritage and and economic opportunities for cultural diversity. minorities and women were non- They remind us about the existent, or were extremely limited. influx of Cuban, Spanish, and Tampa’s economic landscape — Italian immigrants in the late including the legal profession — 1800s who settled in the cigar- continued to reflect this dreadful centered neighborhood of Ybor reality into the 1960s. U.S. Magistrate Judge Julie Sneed and City and the major influence they In fact, it wasn’t until the U.S. Magistrate Judge Anthony Porcelli had in shaping Tampa’s future. civil rights and women’s rights And they note the city’s rapid economic growth as movements in the 1960s that real progress began to occur. Tampa moved into the 20th Century. Over the years, there have been a number of local Looking back, however, it’s abundantly clear that attorneys who have helped break down barriers and not everyone in the community shared in that Continued on page 9 newfound prosperity. Local legal trailblazers recognized at luncheon. 8 M AY - J U N E 2 0 1 8 | HCBA LAWYER