Former Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Raymond Ehrlich received the 1993 Medal of Honor for a lawyer in recognition of his steadfast devotion to the highest ideals of the legal profession, “…to inculcate in its members the principles of duty and service to the public to improve the administration of justice and to advance the science of jurisprudence.
Throughout a long and distinguished career as a practicing lawyer, jurist, professor, and valued advisor, Ray Ehrlich has been a living example of the standards of ethics and professionalism required of lawyers if it is to preserve its vital role in society. Viewing that role as sacred, he lamented passage of the era in which the profession was venerated as the guardian of the public trust.
Not one to cling to the past, however, he pressed forward accepting the challenges of the future. More effective operation of the court system through automation, law clerks in the circuit courts, strengthened alternative dispute resolution, and rigorous defense of judicial independence are but a few of the achievements for which he will be remembered and admired.
Sometimes coaxing, often teasing, but with warmth and humor ever present, Ray Ehrlich has, through his judicial opinions, teachings, and the charm of his considerable wit, been a beacon toward which the legal profession could chart a truer and more worthy course.
