Justice for Dexter
March 26, 2025
A Growing Legacy of Comfort: The Evolution of Animal Therapy in the Second Judicial Circuit
June 24, 2026
By Samantha Joles
Attending the 2025 Annual Florida Bar Meeting felt like a critical step in my legal career.
I flew solo while attending the Florida Bar conference and loved every moment of it. While
some may struggle with attending large-scale events alone, I thrived on it. I stopped and spoke to
as many lawyers as possible to make the most of the experience, and often found myself learning
about the lawyers’ personal experiences more than the law. Most conversations started with an
educational (albeit monotonous) introduction about a specific legal field, and then trailed off into
hearing about the likes and dislikes of each lawyers’ careers; what they loved and hated about
their first job and what they appreciate most now that they’ve practiced for x number of years.
The insight of each lawyers’ experience in their respective fields was invaluable as I step into my
final year of law school.
I managed to get into a handful of trainings regarding recent AI developments. The
trainings focused on AI in the legal field, and when discussing the training with lawyers after-
the-fact, some revealed how frequently they use AI in their practice to maximize their efficiency.
It is extremely interesting to hear about the Florida Bar’s overall stance on AI and compare it to
the opinions of lawyers who use it often. I also attended the Puppy Pit, which, as the owner of a
nonprofit animal rescue, was one of my favorite breaks between meetings. I was able to play
with adoptable puppies and continue meeting and getting to know lawyers who have the same
love for animals as me.
Perhaps the most exciting part of the Annual Florida Bar meeting was seeing my article
Horseracing: The Unbridled Truth, in print along with many well-known and respected lawyers. All the hard work that went into getting the article published paid off by getting to attend this
meeting and see the article in print.
I would like to express my gratitude to FSU Law, Dean Benavides, and the Animal Law
Section for allowing me to attend this meeting. I would also like to thank Professor Ralph
DeMeo for his guidance in all things animal law. Thank you!
Samantha Joles is a rising 3L at the FSU College of Law. She is the 2025 winner of the Animal Law Section’s Law Student Outstanding Achievement Award.