CORAL GABLES, Fla. (June 18, 2010) – Attorney Joseph J. Kalbac, Jr., partner at the Coral Gables-based law firm Colson Hicks Eidson, has been elected Chairman of the Palmer Trinity School (PTS) Board of Trustees.
Kalbac, who has served as a trustee since 2005, will now serve as Chairman for the 2010-2011 academic year. An independent Episcopal school located in Palmetto Bay, Palmer Trinity serves students in grades 6-12. The school balances a rigorous college prep program with the development of the spiritual and moral life of students.
Supporting the Head of School, its students and faculty; Kalbac will oversee the 26-member board whose responsibility is to ensure that PTS is fulfilling its mission to become one of the finest Episcopal day schools in the nation, while remaining relevant and vital to the community it serves.
“It is an honor and a privilege to serve as Palmer Trinity’s next Board Chairman. I look forward to working with my fellow board members and Head of School Sean Murphy to continue to build upon the school’s tradition of academic excellence, social responsibility and civic leadership,” said Kalbac, father of recent PTS graduate Patrick.
A veteran trial lawyer with experience litigating more than 100 jury trials, Kalbac practices in the areas of serious personal injury, wrongful death, medical malpractice, products liability, construction and other professional liability claims at Colson Hicks Eidson. He is a member of numerous professional organizations including the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers, the Dade County Trial Lawyers Association; and is a diplomate of the American Board of Trial Advocates where he is also a member of the National Board of Directors.
In addition, Kalbac has held several leadership roles including serving as president of the Dade County Defense Bar Association, director of the Dade County Bar Association, vice-chair of the Florida Bar 11th Judicial Circuit Grievance Committee, as well as president of the Miami Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates. He was also a member of the Ad Hoc Trial Practices and Procedure Committee for Dade County Circuit Court. Kalbac also served as senior warden of St. Thomas Episcopal Parish and is a past member of St. Thomas Episcopal Parish School Board of Trustees.
Kalbac received his undergraduate degree from the University of Miami and his Juris Doctor degree from Cumberland School of Law where he was managing editor of the American Journal of Trial Advocacy.