ESTEEMED LEGAL FAMILY: Retired 15th Circuit Judge Moses Baker, far left, administers the oath of office to his daughter, Rosalyn Sia Baker-Barnes, as she is sworn in as the 77th president of The Florida Bar during its annual convention June 27 in Boca Raton. She was joined by her husband, Edrick Barnes, and their children, Selia, Emri and Edan, as her mother, Rosalyn Baker, holds the same Bible used in Judge Baker’s 1994 swearing-in. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE FLORIDA BAR

By David L. Snelling

West Palm Beach, Fla. – Local attorney Rosalyn Sia Baker-Barnes has made history.

Baker-Barnes became the first Black female president of The Florida Bar in its 75-year history, a feat which she hopes encourages other African-American women to break racial and gender barriers.

Baker-Barnes was sworn in as the new president of The Florida Bar on June 27. The oath was administered by her father, retired 15th Circuit Court Judge Moses Baker. Her mother, Rosalyn Baker, held the same Bible used at the judge’s swearing-in in 1994.

It was an emotional ceremony for the family who witnessed history as Baker-Barnes begins a new chapter in her life.

“I’m incredibly honored to be the first but I want my legacy to be that I’m not the last,” said Baker-Barnes, a shareholder at the West Palm Beach firm of Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley.

“As I begin this role, I carry with me a spirit of gratitude, a deep sense of legacy, and a clear purpose. And now, it’s my turn, your turn, it’s our turn. Not just to preserve that legacy, but to build on it.”

Baker-Barnes said her father administering the oath and sharing the moment with her family was “very” special.

“If I had to pick one word it was really a special moment, where I got to share something, we worked for as a family for a long time,” said Baker Barnes whose husband also is an attorney.

“That’s something that doesn’t happen often. But it’s not only my achievement, it’s my family’s achievement, my law firm’s achievement for everyone to share. It’s a day I certainly will never forget.”

The Florida Bar oversees the professional and ethical standards of more than 112,000 licensed attorneys statewide.

Baker-Barnes hopes her achievement as Florida Bar president helps close the disparity for Black lawyers in America.

According to a 2024 report by the National Bar Association, Black attorneys are just 7 percent of all U.S. lawyers. Only 2 percent are Black women, despite Black Americans comprising over 13 percent of the population.

We’re not just opening doors,” she said. “We’re saving a seat at the table for all of us. A seat for the new lawyer unsure of where they belong.

A seat for the seasoned practitioner with ideas still to share. A seat for every attorney who wonders if their voice still matters. Because it does.”

She identified sectors including healthcare, technology, banking, construction, and transportation, and named organizations such as Brightline, the Miami Dolphins, Spirit Airlines and Citibank as now finding a place within the Bar’s growing outreach.

She noted that Florida is one of the fastest-growing states for corporations and said more than 100 corporate counsels were attending the Florida Bar convention for the first time because of the expanded engagement.

Baker-Barnes is also introducing a Sustainability Committee, chaired by GC Murray and President-Elect Mike Orr, to address the growing strain of burnout, isolation, and exhaustion across the profession.

The committee will explore the long-term health of the legal profession through tools and training in practice management, mentorship, mental health and support networks, and strategies for navigating the business of law, she said.

“We have too many lawyers quietly asking, ‘Can I really keep doing this?’ Not because they lack talent or commitment but because they are over-whelmed, isolated, and burning out,” she said.

“I noticed when I was president-elect, there were areas of the Florida Bar not reaching everyone to ensure they have a seat at the table and the ability to grow. For example, I have spoken to corporate lawyers representing billion dollar companies but felt the Florida Bar was not a place for them. Close to 100 corporate lawyers attended the seminar, and coming together and working together was powerful.”

Her vision is to build on the Bar’s legacy by “creating spaces where every lawyer sees themselves in the future of the profession, designing systems that not only protect our standards but also adapt to the evolving realities of legal work,” and enabling lawyers to thrive, not just survive, in the profession.

She herself previously won a $20 million verdict against a cigarette company that concealed the dangers of smoking after her client died of lung cancer, and served as president of the Palm Beach County Bar Association.

She said the case spanned more than 10 years, first as a class-action lawsuit against the tobacco companies and later representing a woman whose mother died from cancer after years of smoking addiction.

Baker-Barnes said there were periods when tobacco companies concealed the dangers of smoking and people didn’t know the health risks.

“My role as a lawyer is to put my clients in a better position when they come to me,” she said. “The woman’s opportunity for justice was our way of the justice system which acknowledges that something should not have happened by a jury of her peers.”

 

The Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart and Shipley law firm praised BakerBarnes as the new Florida Bar president.

“With a mission to save a seat at the table for every lawyer, Baker Barnes is launching key initiatives as part of her presidency,” the firm said in a state-

ment. “She’s focused on inclusion, mentorship, mental health and career longevity.”

Law was not Baker-Barnes’ first career choice.

After she graduated from Florida State University with a communications degree, she became a newspaper journalist and local TV sports reporter.

She said she initially chose journalism because she loved watching and talking about sports while growing up. “I fought against it every step of the way of becoming a lawyer,” she said.

But at some point during her sportscasting career, Baker-Barnes realized law was her true calling and decided to follow in her father’s footsteps.

“Sports wasn’t for me because something else was missing,” she said. “I started to think about going to law school, so I applied and was accepted and I absolutely loved it.”

She graduated from Florida State University Law School, where her team competed against some of the top law school students in moot court cases before Florida Supreme Court Justices.

“I knew at that moment, I was going to be a lawyer,” she said.

Baker-Barnes said her parents were her role models and without them she wouldn’t be where she is today. Her mother was a corrections officer for more than 20 years.

“My parents are amazing role models,” she said. “They taught us the importance of giving back and that’s why I’m excited to be in this new role as president of the Florida Bar.”