Jacksonville, the Legal Hub of Florida, has a long history of Florida Bar Presidents and is proud to add Michael Fox Orr, managing partner of Orr | Cook to the list. Orr was sworn in as the president-elect at the 2025 Florida Bar Convention in June in Boca Raton. He was introduced by his partner, Kevin Cook.
Past Presidents of the Florida Bar from Jacksonville:
1955 Donald K. Carroll
1963 Delbridge L. Gibbs
1969 Mark Hulsey, Jr.,
1973 Earl B. Hadlow
1982 James C. Rinaman, Jr. Practiced over 50 years and distinguished himself as an advocate, community leader, military officer, and servant of the bar.
1988 Rutledge R. Liles
“Serving as president of The Florida Bar is a full-time commitment. As spokesperson for its members, the president’s focus must be on improving the administration of justice in an ever-changing world, preserving the independence of the judiciary and assuring that our courts are open to all.”
Rutledge Liles has been a member of the Bar for over 59 years and has served the local Bar (president, 1976-1977), state Bar (president 1988-1989), and many other organizations including the Judicial Qualifications Commission (8 years), the Florida Supreme Court Historical Society (president), International Society of Barristers (president), American College of Trial Lawyers Jacksonville Chapter, American Board of Trial Advocates Florida Chapter, American Board of Trial Advocates, Jacksonville Bar Professionalism Committee, and the City Ethics Commission. He was recognized as the Trial Lawyer of the Year by ABOTA Florida in 2014 and ABOTA in 2013. He received the Jacksonville Bar Association Professionalism Award in 2024. He has been board certified by The Florida Bar in civil trial since the certification’s inaugural year in 1983 and is now a certified mediator.
1995 John DeVault
“Among the many responsibilities of the president of the Florida Bar include being a spokesperson for the more than 100,000 lawyers of Florida; proposing programs and initiatives for the president’s year to improve the administration of justice; and defending the independence of the Bar and the judiciary.”
John DeVault served as law clerk to a federal judge then joined the Bedell Firm. Initially handling criminal cases, including Tanner v. United States in the Supreme Court; antitrust; securities; and constitutional cases. Toward the end of his practice, he concentrated on complex commercial cases and the defense of legal malpractice cases. He retired from active practice in 2018 and currently does arbitrations for AAA. He was president of the Florida Bar in 1995-1996; founding master of the Chester Bedell Inn of Court; and board certified in civil trial and business litigation. He has also been named fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, the International Society of Barristers and the American Board of Trial Advocates – which named him Jacksonville Trial Lawyer of the Year in 2015.
1998 Howard C. Coker
“Leadership of The Florida Bar is important. The job is difficult because your decisions affect all the lawyers in the state.”
Howard Coker is the president and founding partner of Coker Law, a Jacksonville-based trial law firm representing clients who have been seriously injured or suffered significant loss since 1976. He has tried over 350 cases to jury verdict. He is a Florida Bar certified civil trial attorney, an International Academy of Trial Lawyers fellow, and AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell. He is also a past president of the Florida Bar, Florida Justice Association and FLABOTA. Coker has been named a Florida Trend Legal Elite and a 16-time Florida Super Lawyer. He’s been honored as the statewide Trial Lawyer of the Year by both the American Board of Trial Advocacy and FLABOTA. His accolades include multiple lifetime achievement awards like the ABA TIPS Award for the Lifetime Pursuit of Justice, the Florida Justice Association’s Perry Nichols Award, the Al J. Cone Lifetime Achievement Award and the Jacksonville Business Journal’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
2006 Hank Coxe
“The Bar president is the face of the profession – every day. Therefore, no matter how difficult or critical the battle on behalf of our profession, the president must be constantly sensitive to this scrutiny while protecting our membership and judiciary.”
Hank Coxe received his undergraduate degree from the University of the South (Sewanee) and law degree from Washington and Lee University. Board certified by The Florida Bar, he specializes in serious federal and state criminal matters. Coxe has served as president of The Florida Bar, the Jacksonville Bar, and on the Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission, the Florida Supreme Court Innocence Commission, and the Constitution Revision Commission. He has been recognized with the highest awards of the criminal law section of The Florida Bar, the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Florida Bar Foundation (Medal of Honor), Jacksonville Area Legal Aid, and the prestigious Professionalism Award from the American Inns of Court/United States Eleventh Circuit. He is listed in Florida Super Lawyers (top 10 and top 100), Florida Trend Magazine’s Legal Hall of Fame and Best Lawyers in America. He is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.
2021 Mike Tanner
“Michael [Orr] has the experience and good judgment to lead the profession in Florida in increasingly complex times.”
Mike Tanner received his Bachelor of Arts in economics from Davidson College and his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida College of Law. Tanner is a shareholder in the Jacksonville and Tallahassee offices of Gunster, and his primary areas of practice are complex litigation, appellate and election law. He is board certified in both civil trial law and business litigation by The Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization and Education and he is rated AV-Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell Inc. Tanner is listed in Best Lawyers in America for bet-the-company litigation, commercial litigation and appellate law and he has been recognized for many years within Florida Trend Magazine’s Legal Elite, The Hall of Fame, and in Super Lawyers Magazine. He is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, a past president of the Jacksonville Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates and a past president of the First District Appellate American Inn of Court. He has been involved in bar service for over 30 years and most recently represented the Fourth Judicial Circuit on The Florida Bar Board of Governors from 2011 until 2020. In his leisure time, he enjoys working on his farm where he and his wife, Dawna, raise grass-fed beef.
2026 Michael Fox Orr
Michael Fox Orr graduated from Florida Coastal School of Law and joined the Florida Bar in 2005. He is a board certified and AV-rated lawyer who focuses his practice on complex commercial and civil matters regularly involving high stakes or high-profile litigation and appeals.
Orr has been trusted to lead several significant committees for the board of governors. Orr presently serves as chair of The Florida Bar’s budget committee, which oversees the fiscal and budgetary policies of the Bar. Beginning in 2024, he served as chair of The Florida Bar’s program evaluation committee, which provides the board of governors with guidelines and standards by which bar programs are reviewed or evaluated. He has served as co-chair of the disciplinary review committee, which oversees the prosecution and appeals for disciplinary violations by Florida lawyers and recommends policy on lawyer regulation and disciplinary matters. Finally, Orr has served as chair of the board review committee on professional ethics (twice) which reviews advisory ethics opinions issued to Florida lawyers and appealed to the board of governors.
“Orr was mentored by Carl Dawson, the firm’s retired founding partner, now 99, and a North Florida legend,” Orr | Cook Managing Partner Kevin Cook told the Florida Bar News. “Carl Dawson was the epitome of professionalism, integrity, and preparedness, and that’s who trained Michael Orr. The Bar is in strong and capable hands.”
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