Page 7 - Miami Vol 7 No 1

Whenever I lecture, I feel that I want most of the audience – even good, experienced lawyers – to walk away with at least three things that they had not thought of before.
AALM: When did you rst know you wanted to become an attorney? What drew you to this career?
Hickey: I had thoughts about being an at- torney since I was a child. Some of my fam- ily members – including my father and my aunt – were attorneys. But I did not com- mit to the law until I was a junior in college at Florida State University. It seemed like a natural t to some of my personality traits. Injustice – in a broad sense and at the in- dividual level – motivates me and gives me a certain sense of disgust and annoyance. I also have a certain attention to detail and am persistent to a fault in what I do. at helps.
AALM: Who are some of your legal he- roes? How do you seek to emulate them?
Hickey: My legal heroes include of course Atticus Finch, the main character in “To Kill a Mockingbird.” at movie has inspired many people to the calling of the law. On a more down to earth level, I was mentored by example by the partner I worked for at Smathers & ompson, the large rm where I clerked for one summer and where I started as a lawyer. I realized then that this was an opportunity to watch, listen and learn. And I learned from others in that rm and by watching and listening to lawyers at the court house when I went to argue my hearings. at is an invaluable experience which many lawyers may not fully appreciate.
AALM: What experiences have taught you the most?
Hickey: ere are three experiences which have taught me the most. First, practicing for the rst ve years of my career with a partner at my rst rm, Smathers & ompson, who was consid- ered the trial lawyer of the rm. We went to trial four times in my rst year alone. All of these cases were large, and they ranged from major personal injury cases to securi- ties violations. It was just dumb luck that I landed this job in which I gained a wealth of experience.
e second experience was being presi- dent of the Dade County Bar Association (DCBA). e DCBA is the largest volun- tary bar association in Florida. During
my year, I was running my law rm, try- ing cases, organizing luncheons and other events, dealing with the issues which arose in the bar and in society for that year, and writing the monthly columns for e Bul- letin, a publication of the DCBA. I worked a lot of seven-day weeks then. is taught me about discipline and the responsibili- ties of leadership.
The third experience has been lectur- ing and writing on trial techniques at bar associations, mostly at conventions of the American Association for Justice. This has made me a better lawyer. I have had to synthesize my thoughts and ob- servations on techniques. It forces me to get outside of myself and to mentor others. Whenever I lecture, I feel that I want most of the audience – even good, experienced lawyers – to walk away with at least three things that they had not thought of before.
AALM: Tell us the best compliment you’ve received or the funniest story from your career.
Hickey: e best compliments of course come from people we admire. I was always touched by the praise which Earl Waldin, the partner at Smathers & ompson, my rst rm, lavished on me even and espe- cially a er I le the rm. And the ultimate compliment came when that same partner years a er I had le the rm referred a case to me which he and I worked on together to a successful conclusion. And now when I go to trial with my wife, attorney Bjorg Eikeland, she actually praises me and says that I was born to go to trial.
AALM: What do you most hope to accom- plish in the future?
Hickey: In regard to the law, I want to get a verdict the size of which I cannot discuss in this interview. And I want to mentor young lawyers the same way I was men- tored.
AALM: Are there any upcoming changes you are excited about?
Hickey: I am excited about diversity in our profession and about the impact of technology on the law. We are seeing in Florida gender, cultural, racial, and prac- tice area (geographic and substantive) di-
versity in our lawyers and in our judges. It is exciting that a greater and greater percentage of our lawyers and judges are women. An article in Time magazine in November 2017 describes how when a section of the population becomes at least 20 percent of the whole, there is a critical mass and change really happens. is is a great thing for the profession. But we have more work to do especially in racial diver- sity.
AALM: us far in your career, what are you most proud of accomplishing?
Hickey: I felt pride – and fear – on the rst day of law school. I thought that this is what it is all about. I was going to get through this, I hoped, and become a law- yer. What a great calling.
I was also honored to have been presi- dent of the Dade County Bar Association. And am honored to be on e Florida Bar board of governors and the Florida Justice Association board of directors.
I am honored – and lucky – to have re- ceived awards from my peers, other law- yers and judges. ese are the people I have worked with, know, and admire, and I treasure any recognition or award from them. In 2017, I received both the Le- gal Luminaries Top Admiralty Attorney award by a vote of lawyers and the rst An- nual Ervin Gonzalez Memorial Award “for achieving excellence in the courtroom as a lawyer, in the classroom as a teacher, and in the bar as a leader.” e Ervin Gonzalez Memorial Award is especially meaningful because I knew Ervin and served in bar positions with him. And it is meaningful because a committee of judges and lawyers voted unanimously to name me as the rst ever recipient.
Hickey Law Firm P.A.
1401 Brickell Avenue, Suite 510 Miami, FL 33131 (305) 371-8000 www.hickeylaw rm.com
Top Lawyers 2018 Attorney at Law Magazine® South Florida | 7