Richard R. Garland

Richard R. Garland, of Sarasota, Florida died Monday March 7, 2011, after a short battle against cancer. Born in LaSalle, Illinois, August 20, 1958, to Roger and Irene Garland, Richard resided in Sarasota County since 1960. Always an excellent student, Richard was the valedictorian of the class of 1976 from Venice High School. Richard completed his undergraduate degree from the University of South Florida summa cum laude in 1979 and received his Juris Doctor with honors from the University of Florida in 1982. While in law school, Richard was an instructor and supervisor of the appellate advocacy program, and after passing the Florida Bar exam with a high score, was a reader for the Florida Board of Bar Examiners for several years. He was a partner at Dickinson & Gibbons, P.A., law firm, having joined the firm in 1982, where he remained his entire legal career of 29 years. Richard was a Florida Bar Board Certified Appellate Lawyer, and maintained an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell. Richard was admitted to practice in all Florida courts, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh and Federal Circuits, and the U.S. Supreme Court. He was a member of the Florida Bar, the American Bar Association, Super Lawyers, Leading American Attorneys, and listed in several Who’s Who directories, including Who’s Who in American Law. He was a past president of the Sarasota County Bar Association, and was still active in its appellate practice section, diversity committee and bylaws committee. He was a master and past president of the Judge John M. Scheb American Inn of Court, where he served on the Inn’s executive committee as Historian. Richard received both the Sarasota County Bar Association’s C.L. McKaig Award for distinguished service to the association and the Judge John M. Scheb Professionalism Award for his dedication to the highest standards of the legal profession and the rule of law. He was author of various legal articles, including Fault Based Allocation of Tort Damages in the Florida Bar’s Civil Practice Damages Manual, and Motion Practice in the Florida Bar’s Appellate Practice Manual. He has also written humorous articles for local publications like the SCBA Docket and Sarasota Magazine. He was a frequent lecturer on legal topics to local organizations such as the Sarasota County Medical Society and has led seminars on appellate practice and ethics at Stetson University College of Law. He has served on the Sarasota County Library Advisory Board, as an officer and director of the Sarasota County Gator Club, on the parish council of his church, and as a coach for youth soccer. He loved astronomy, books, movies, music and had a life-long love of learning. Richard also loved to laugh and to make people laugh and this is what many of his friends will remember most about him. Richard wrote jokes for roasts of public and private officials and colleagues. He wrote grand and personalized parodies of Christmas stories as skits, which were side-achingly funny, for the Dickinson and Gibbons holiday parties and firm retreats. He was the architect and lead member of the Covert Cuisine Club, which humorously skewered and praised local eating establishments for the Sarasota County Bar Association. Richard was also a charming conversationalist who could light up a room with conviviality and laughter with his observations and banter. Richard leaves behind his mother Irene Garland of Venice Florida; his brother Christopher Garland of North Port Florida; sister Janet Wright of Fort Myers, Florida, brother Roger Garland of Tiskilwa, Illinois, and sister Patricia Drennan of Prophetstown, Illinois and also several nieces and nephews. He leaves behind the partners, associates and staff at Dickinson & Gibbons, P.A., who will always remember their brightest shining legal star and treasure the good times shared over the past three decades. Richard also leaves behind many friends and colleagues in the Sarasota Bar and the Florida Bar, who wish to acknowledge his extraordinary public service contributions to these organizations and to the legal profession. A vigil will be held at Farley Funeral Home in North Port from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, March 18th, 2011. A Requiem Mass will be held at 10 a.m., Saturday, March 19th, 2011 at San Pedro Catholic Church in North Port. Richard has been a long standing member of the Sarasota County Bar Association Diversity Committee since 2006 and was instrumental in creating the agreement with the Community Foundation for the Diversity Scholarship Fund which has raised $40,000 since the program started. Therefore, in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to: Sarasota County Bar Diversity Scholarship Fund c/o Community Foundation of Sarasota County, Inc., P.O. Box 49587, Sarasota, Florida 34230. Farley Funeral Home in North Port is handling the arrangements.