Orange County Bar Association Announces 2022 Professionalism Award Recipients

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE          

ORANGE COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCES 2022 PROFESSIONALISM AWARD RECIPIENTS                                                          

ORLANDO, FL… The Orange County Bar Association (OCBA) is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2022 Professionalism Awards. The James G. Glazebrook Memorial Bar Service Award, the William Trickel, Jr. Professionalism Award, and the Lawrence G. Mathews, Jr. Young Lawyer Professionalism Award recipients, who are nominated by their peers, are attorneys and judges whose conduct and career stands as a model of success built on unquestioned professionalism.

The James G. Glazebrook Memorial Bar Service Award is presented to a state or federal jurist who best demonstrates service to and support of the legal profession and the Legal Aid Society of the OCBA, is dedicated to professionalism both in and out of the courtroom, and is a leader in promoting professionalism, including civility, integrity, and respect for the legal system. The 2022 recipient of the James G. Glazebrook Memorial Bar Service Award is The Honorable Reginald K. Whitehead, Circuit Judge, Ninth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida. Judge Whitehead was nominated by the Orange County Bar Association’s Criminal Law Committee and his judicial peers. 

Judge Whitehead is a graduate of the University of Florida Levin School of Law and has served as a judge in the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court since 1994. He served for a number of years as a judge for the Unified Problem Solving Courts, and served on The Florida Bar Foundation board for 10 years helping to secure grant funding that would build programs that offer legal services and assistance to the poor. Judge Whitehead has served as a mentor to numerous judges, local high school youth, and has taught law students at the FAMU College of Law for the past 14 years. Judge Whitehead has also served as president of 100 Black Men of Greater Orlando for the past five years

The William Trickel, Jr. Professionalism Award is presented to an attorney who has practiced law for 15 or more years. The 2022 recipient of the William Trickel, Jr. Professionalism Award is John Foster, Esq., of the Family Complex Litigation & Collaborative Group.

Mr. Foster has been practicing law for over 40 years, and currently practices exclusively on the resolution of complex divorce and family law cases. He is actively involved in the Family Law Section of The Florida Bar, and serves on the Family Law Section’s Executive Council and Legislation Committee. He has received numerous awards and honors including achieving the highest AV rating by Martindale Hubbell, is a member of the National Advocates “Top 100,” and serves on the Advisory Board of the American Academy of Certified Financial Litigators. Mr. Foster is a graduate of the University of Florida Levin College of Law.

The Lawrence G. Mathews, Jr. Young Lawyer Professionalism Award is presented to an attorney who has practiced law for less than 15 years. The 2022 recipient of the Lawrence G. Mathews, Jr. Young Lawyer Professionalism Award is Michael D. Barber, Esq., of The Law Office of Michael D. Barber.

Mr. Barber is a graduate of the University of Florida Levin College of Law and has been practicing law for over 10 years. He is a solo practitioner and currently practices in the areas of criminal defense, personal injury, home insurance disputes, and education law. In 2016, Mr. Barber was elected to serve on the Orange County Soil and Water Conservation District board, and served as chair from 2019-2022. Mr. Barber has been very active in the Orange County Bar Association including chairing the Criminal Law Committee from 2015-2017 and currently serving on both the Orange County Bar Association Executive Council and as the President of the Young Lawyers Section.

The Orange County Bar Association will hold its annual Professionalism Awards Ceremony on Thursday, March 24, 2022 from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Jury Assembly Room of the Orange County Courthouse. For more information or to RSVP visit the Orange County Bar Association’s website at https://www.orangecountybar.org/.

The Orange County Bar Association, established in 1933, is a voluntary association comprised of 3,000+ judges, attorneys, and other legal professionals whose mission is to serve the profession and the public with outstanding member and community programs. The association established and supports the work of the OCBA Foundation, Inc., and the Legal Aid Society of the Orange County Bar Association, Inc.