Cooley Law School Student Organization Hosts Juneteenth Freedom Celebration

Cooley Law School’s Black Law Students Association hosted Juneteenth Freedom on June 13, featuring Hillsborough County Judge Daryl Manning as the honorary speaker. 

 

During the event, Manning spoke about becoming part of the Florida Bar Association and remaining a member.

 

“You need to begin your application to the Florida Bar now because it typically takes about six months for the initial review,” he told the law students. “If your application is incomplete or you have character and fitness issues, it will take longer.”
 

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Manning, a native of Queens, New York, has been a Hillsborough County judge in Tampa since 2015. He presides over a drug court division and a unified family court division. Previously, Manning was a practicing and supervising attorney in the Tampa Office of the Florida Attorney General for 16 years, where he appeared in state and federal trial and appellate courts. 

“Three of the most difficult bar examinations are given in Florida, California and New York,” Manning said during the evening. “You need to work hard if you intend to practice in any state, but especially these three.”

 

He added: “Good character and fitness are crucial for the practice of law. Don’t spend the time and money to become a lawyer and fail to maintain your license. Honesty and integrity are critical traits for lawyers to possess.”

 

Manning obtained a master of laws degree from the Army Judge Advocate Legal Center and School at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia; Juris Doctor from St. John’s University School of Law in Queens; and his bachelor of arts degree from the University of South Carolina, in Columbia, South Carolina. He was a Judge Advocate (JAG) in the U.S. Army and served several tours in support of the Global War on Terrorism in Iraq, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait before retiring as a lieutenant colonel in 2015 after 30 years on active duty and in the reserves.