CORAL GABLES, Fla. (February 7, 2017) – Attorney Roberto Martínez, a partner at Coral Gables-based law firm Colson Hicks Eidson, was selected by Florida Chief Justice Jorge Labarga to serve on the Constitution Revision Commission (CRC).
The Florida Constitution dictates the creation of the Constitution Revision Commission every 20 years for the purpose of reviewing the state constitution and proposing changes for voter consideration. The Commission is one of five ways that Floridians can amend the state constitution.
Under the Florida Constitution, the chief justice selects three appointees for the 37-member commission. Martínez was selected along with Hank Coxe of Jacksonville and Arthenia Joyner of Tampa. The remaining members are selected by the Governor of Florida and the leaders of the state House and Senate with a seat reserved for the state attorney general.
According to a press release issued by the Florida Supreme Court of Florida, more than 70 people contacted the Court to request appointment to the CRC. Labarga noted that he made his appointments with the advice of the other six members of the Supreme Court and looked for people who were not only skilled in law, but “also for those who have a breadth of knowledge about all the functions of government and its impact upon the everyday lives of everyday people.”
“It is a tremendous honor to be appointed by the Chief Justice, after consultation with his fellow Justices, to serve on Florida’s Constitution Revision Commission,” said Martínez. “It is now my obligation to live up to the responsibilities of that appointment for the benefit of all Floridians.”
All appointees will be announced at the end of February. The commission will then spend a year holding public hearings to decide on proposed changes to the Florida Constitution that will make it to the ballot for a voter’s decision in 2018.
A former United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Martínez concentrates his practice on civil trials and white-collar criminal defense. An active community and civic leader, he currently serves as the Chair of the Miami-Dade County Public Schools 21st Century Bond Advisory Committee, and has served as the Chair of the District Board of Trustees of Miami-Dade College, Vice Chair of the Florida State Board of Education, Chair of the Florida Federal Judicial Nomination Commission, Chair of the Transition for Governor-elect Charlie Crist, Chair of the Transition for Attorney General-elect Charlie Crist, General Counsel to Governor Jeb Bush during the gubernatorial transition, a member of the Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission, and was as an adjunct professor at the University of Miami School of Law.
A Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and International Academy of Trial Lawyers, Martínez was recognized by the United States Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division with its Special Recognition Award; The Florida Bar’s Voluntary Bar Association with its Pro Bono Service Award, and the Miami Coalition of Christians and Jews (MCCJ) as a 2016 Silver Medallion Honoree for his humanitarian work advancing the understanding and respect among all cultures, religions and races.
He received his J.D. degree from the Georgetown University Law Center and also holds an M.S. in Accounting and a B.S. in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School of Business.
About Colson Hicks Eidson
The Law Firm of Colson Hicks Eidson is a trial firm with nearly 50 years of experience handling local, national and international litigation, and arbitration. Members of the firm have been involved in some of the country’s most high-profile and landmark cases resulting in impactful and precedential rulings. A mid-size firm with a diverse staff comprised of more than 50 percent women and minorities, Colson Hicks Eidson prides itself on a track record of developing future leaders within the legal profession and its civic and community involvement. Members of the firm have held notable positions serving on the boards of prominent institutions, such as the State University System of Florida and the Florida State Board of Education, and holding high-ranking offices, including President of the 60,000-member American Association for Justice; President of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers; President of the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers; President of the Dade County Bar Association; President of the Miami-Dade Florida Association of Women Lawyers; United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; and Chairman of the Florida Federal Judicial Nominating Commission.
