CARISE A. MORGAN: “Lawyers should be the conduit of progress,” she said. PHOTO COURTESY OF BPRW

Miami (Black PR Wire) – Charise A. Morgan was sworn in as the first Black woman president of the Miami-Dade County Bar Association at the organization’s annual gala held at The Mana Wynwood Convention Center on Saturday, June 15.

“Shirley Chisholm once said, ‘Service is the rent we pay for the privilege of living on this earth,’ and it certainly is a privilege to live and work in the Miami legal community,” said Morgan. “However, it’s obviously not perfect. We who labor here owe that service and giving back should be our commitment to making this city, this Bar, and this practice better.”

“The Miami-Dade County Bar has a rich history of providing assistance to greater community,” Morgan added, “but there are more areas and industries where our lawyers are needed. Lawyers should be the conduit of progress. I want to facilitate that via the Bar.”

Morgan, a graduate of Mercer University School of Law, brings a wealth of knowledge and dedication to her new role. An accomplished trial attorney, she currently serves as staff legal counsel for Zurich North America and previously served as an administrative law judge for the Georgia Department of Labor.

Her roles as liaison on the Florida Bar Board of Governors, vice chair of the Florida Bar Rules of Civil Procedure Committee, and vice chair of the Florida Bar Standing Committee on Professionalism highlight her commitment to legal ethics and professionalism.

Morgan’s accolades include the Miami-Dade Bar Circle of Excellence for Insurance Litigation, Miami-Dade Bar Top 40 Under 40 Award, Broward County Women Lawyers Community "Trial-Blazers" Award, and the Black Professionals Network Women of Excellence Award. Her leadership was recognized with the 2022 President’s Award from the Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division.

Beyond her legal practice, Morgan is deeply involved in community initiatives. She serves as an Ambassador for Black Art at the Perez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) and is a member of the Association of Corporate Counsel. In 2018, she became the president of the Caribbean Bar Association.

“Charise Morgan embodies the spirit of resilience and integrity,” said Bret Berlin, Miami-Dade County Bar Association executive director. “Her presidency marks a new era of innovation, advocacy, and progress for the MiamiDade Bar and the broader legal community.”

Founded in the early 1900s, the MiamiDade Bar is one of the largest lawyer networks in Florida, serving more than 19,000 attorneys in the county, and continues its mission to support and inform the county’s lawyers and the community at large.