Former Florida Supreme Court Justice James E. C. Perry to serve on Florida Bar Foundation board

Former Florida Supreme Court Justice James E. C. Perry of Longwood, Fla., has been appointed by The Florida Supreme Court to a three-year term on the board of The Florida Bar Foundation, a statewide charitable organization whose mission is to provide greater access to justice. His term begins July 1, 2018.

Perry received his bachelor’s from Saint Augustine’s University in North Carolina. After serving in the U.S. Army as a first lieutenant, he earned his juris doctorate from Columbia Law School in 1972. He was a senior partner of Perry & Hicks, P.A., where he specialized in civil and business law.

In 2000, Perry became the first African-American appointed to the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit.

He served as Chief Judge of the circuit in 2003 – 2005. He was appointed as the 85th Justice to the Florida Supreme Court in 2009, retiring in 2016.

Perry founded the Jackie Robinson Sports Association as a baseball league to serve at-risk children. In 2006, he was awarded the Williams-Johnson Outstanding Jurist of the Year Award from the Brevard and Seminole County Bar Associations. He is also the recipient of honorary Doctor of Law degrees from Stetson University College of Law and Nova Southeastern University College of Law.