The Florida Bar's Young Lawyers Division (YLD) has selected Judge Rene Goldenberg of the 17th Judicial Circuit in Ft. Lauderdale as the Outstanding Jurist of 2001.

Judge Goldenberg is the recipient of one of five awards presented by the Bar's Young Lawyers Division. Each year, the YLD selects the year's Outstanding Jurist, Most Productive Young Lawyer and Most Significant Single Project. Two new awards have been added for 2001, a Diversity Award and a Quality of Life Award. The winners are recognized at the General Assembly, to be held Friday, June 22, during the Bar's Annual Meeting at the Orlando World Center Marriott .

Judge Goldenberg was nominated by Hilary A. Creary, an attorney from Fort Lauderdale, as Outstanding Jurist . Goldenberg is a graduate of Nova Southeastern Law Center and is a circuit judge in Broward County's Family Division. She is Board Certified in Marital and Family Law, a member of The Florida Bar, vice chair of the Supreme Court's Family Court Rules Committee and a past chair of the Family Law Section .

"My father was one of the last 13 men who survived Treblinka. My mother survived Sobobor," said Goldenberg in a recent interview. "My father was so happy to reach this country that he would cry when he said the pledge of allegiance. I truly feel that my service as a judge was a sort of 'thank you' to the country for allowing our family the opportunities of freedom." Thorough in her preparation for trial, her courtroom is a model of efficiency and she reiterates that attorneys should be prepared and able to advocate their client's position.

Tallahassee attorney Kelly O'Keefe, will receive the Most Productive Young Lawyer of 2001 . O'Keefe is a member of Broad and Cassel and was nominated for her commitment to her work, profession and community. In addition to many bar related activities, she has been the Lincoln High School Mock Trial Team coach since 1996. She and her husband, a teacher, initiated the program in which students learn a great deal about the legal profession and trial preparation. She also participates in various pro bono programs with Legal Services of North Florida and the Second Circuit Guardian Ad Litem program. She is active in the Florida Association for Women Lawyers and the Tallahassee Bar Association .

The Palm Beach County Bar Association 's Michelle Project was selected as the Most Significant Single Project for 2001 . The program raises funds for the purchase of computers and provides Internet access for children in "independent living" foster care. The program is named after a young foster child who asked the Foster Parent Program for a computer. The independent living program allows children ages 16 or 17, who will most likely not be adopted, to live on their own in a supervised manner that requires the child to pay a subsidized rent, maintain a steady job and stay in school.

The first YLD Diversity Award goes to the Miami law firm of Kozyak Tropin & Throckmorton, P.A. The award recognizes law firms that demonstrate the highest morality and respect for all persons and for efforts and allegiance to creating diversity and promoting a diverse workplace. Diversity is defined as encouraging more gender, racial, ethnic, religious and other minority participation. Senior partner John W. Kozyak will receive the award on behalf of the law firm.

The Quality of Life Award is presented to an entity, which through humanitarian respect advances balance and fulfillment in lawyers' lives by redefining current work habits and schedules to provide more flexibility and a more meaningful existence. Quality of Life is defined as finding equilibrium between work and family and community involvement. Keane, Reese and Vesley, P.A., a law firm in St. Petersburg, is the award recipient.

"We are pleased to have a chance to recognize those members of the profession who are trying to make a difference, lawyers who know and understand the importance of their roles in society," said YLD President Stuart Ratzan, of Miami.

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[Updated: 07-01-2005 ]