From: John Hager 4/9/24
Subject: (BACDL) Gulkin/Reidy Award
Members,
At our meeting today, the following attorneys were nominated for Gulkin and Reidy:
Gulkin Reidy:
Daniel Aaronson
Eric Schwartzreich
Mike Dutko
John Cotrone
Gabe Ermine
Reidy:
Eric Schwartzreich
Stephen Melnick
Andy Coffey
The Brian Reidy “Give Back” Award:
Brian G. Reidy was born in Ireland and adopted at a year old by a NYPD officer and detective, and a pediatric nurse. When his father retired, he moved his family to South Florida and became a bailiff at the Broward County Courthouse. That was when Brian first started wandering the halls of the courthouse and watching lawyers in action. In 1976, while attending Cardinal Gibbons High School, Brian became a “Public Defender for a day.” His father strongest wish was for his son to become an attorney. After Brian graduated law school, his father passed away, right before Brian began his career at the Broward County Courthouse in 1985. Brian spent his entire 35-year career in public service at the Public Defender’s office. He tried over 200 jury trials and trained hundreds of new attorneys in the art and skill of trial advocacy. His Voir Dire examples are still used by Judges and defense attorneys in the tri county area. He was respected by his peers, the judges he appeared before, and his adversaries at the State Attorney’s Office. His presence lit up the room. He was an honest, zealous advocate who fought for every client he ever represented.
This award is given in recognition of a lawyer who represents Brian’s spirit of hard work in the courtroom and his lifetime of “giving back” in service of the community.
In order to be eligible for the award the recipient must have an active bar license in Florida. The recipient can be a public defender or a private attorney that devotes a majority of their practice of law to public interest law.
