This morning, I write to celebrate Judge Eduardo Almeyda. Next week in New Orleans, the College of Workers' Compensation Lawyers will recognize him by inducting him as a fellow of the College. It is a proud day indeed, for Judge Almeyda and for this Office in which he serves. He joins the ranks of Judges John Lazzara (ret.), Neal Pitts, and Richard Thompson (ret.), along with a great many long-time workers' compensation community attorneys, and legends, like Richard Sicking, Ramon Malca, Dawn Traverso, and more.
Back in the day, the labelling of superlatives was a normal part of the ritual surrounding high school graduation. There were the obvious "most likely to succeed," "friendliest," "class clown," and more. Back in 2011, the National Public Radio published an article criticizing the superlative practice - suggesting that such accolades may put too much pressure on people. I struggle with anyone that says compliments put too much pressure on a person. Compliments and recognitions are a celebration of the human spirit.
At the risk of similarly creating pressure, today I write about Judge Eduardo Almeyda, who has served in the Miami District Office for fifteen years. He started there as a state mediator, and served for six years. In 2013, he was appointed judge of compensation claims. In candor, Judge Almeyda is at times, the "friendliest," or even "the class clown." He brings humor and long experience in the workers' compensation community to the job daily, and does so with an indefatigable spirit and a twinkle in his eye. I have no doubt he will not be burdened by the pressure of his acceptance of this honor.
His history in this space is indeed extensive. He was a claims adjuster in workers' compensation when he decided to go to law school. He was admitted to the Bar in 1973, and is just shy of earning his 50 year member recognition. Throughout that time, he has focused in the workers' compensation area, while straying at times into other areas such as corporate, aviation, and civil defense work. Over the many years, he has engaged this community, including various lectures on substantive legal topics in workers' compensation and the mediation process. He authored an extensive textbook, THE ADJUSTER’S MANUAL FOR WORKER’S COMPENSATION, which he intended as a roadmap for the difficult and challenging role of a claims professional. I am proud that the College has seen fit to recognize so many of the lawyers who practice workers' compensation in Florida. It is humbling to see so many of them as fellows of this collegial group.
Though I have thus known Judge Almeyda for several years, he is better known to others. In fact, in the course of his practice, he has been directly connected to other luminaries in this community. He practiced law with Judge Charles Hill (ret.), Judge Medina-Shore (MIA), and Judge Iiana Forte (FTL). Over the years, he has been a friend and mentor to many. I asked Judges Forte and Medina-Shore to share some thoughts on Judge Almeyda as we mark his induction.
Judge Forte wrote:
Judge Almeyda was my mentor and a long-time personal friend. Practicing with him was anything but boring. I recall being a young lawyer, going with him to a pretrial hearing (at that time pretrial hearings were live), and him telling me to write down the defense as the “Tuesday” defense. When I asked him what the Tuesday defense was, he replied - well since we don’t have a defense, and the case was denied on Tuesday, that’s the defense. He was especially proud of a button he wore around the office that said “Kiss me I’m Cuban.” He loved boating, but the boat spent more time at the mechanic’s shop than in the water. Above all - he has a huge heart and loves his work. Congratulations Eddie on your induction to the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers – you’ve made us all very PROUD!
Judge Medina-Shore wrote:
Prior to joining the law firm of Almeyda & Hill in 1991, I did not have any knowledge or experience in workers’ compensation. My law school did not offer a course in it and my experience was limited to insolvencies.I had two interviews for the Associate position: the first one with Chick (Charles Hill) and the second one with Ed Almeyda and Iliana Forte. I vividly remember them although many years have passed. The interview with Chick was calm and instructive as to workers’ compensation law. My second interview was at lunch with Ed and Iliana which I felt was a whirlwind. Their thinking and discussion was at warp speed in a language (IMEs, Vocs, etc.) which I did not understand. In between their discussion, Ed would ask me general questions about medicine and the law. I left the interview in a daze and questioning whether I could withstand the training by Ed.As a new Associate, I looked to Ed for quick answers. After all, I knew he was board certified and he authored a book for proper adjusting of workers compensation cases. On every occasion, Ed would kindly respond that he did not know the answer and suggested I research it. At first I was perplexed how a legal authority like Ed did not know the answers to my simple questions. After a while, I caught on and researched the issues prior to discussing any pending questions with Ed. Ed always had time to discuss the law with me (which I enjoyed) and pushed me to grow as a lawyer.He introduced me to the workers’ compensation community and taught me that every person has a valuable role to play. He expected all the lawyers in his firm to be professional and have compassion toward other people. On one occasion, Ed and I were taking several depositions in a case going to trial within 2 days. Ed received a phone call that one of our colleague (a claimant’s attorney) was hospitalized due to a heart attack. At a break, we drove straight to the hospital. We couldn’t stay for long but our brief visit lightened our colleague’s day. At that moment, I learned from Ed that while earning a living and being successful at your profession is important, visiting a friend/colleague in need was way more important.Ed was great in dealing with mistakes. On one occasion, we were going to a doctor’s deposition in downtown Miami. We were walking and I was leading the way. I did not know where I was going and we became very lost. Ed laughed and said that I was walking with such confidence that he had confidence in me!Lastly, while we worked long hours, like many other firms, Ed fostered a family environment in our firm. We worked together and had fun together. We celebrated our successes as well as shared our disappointments. Without even knowing it (perhaps), Ed helped instill in all of us (Chick, Iliana, Millie Powell-Rodriguez-circuit court judge and I) the love for the workers' compensation law and encouraged attributes so very sought after for the position of a Judge.
Judge Almeyda is indeed fortunate to count such jurists as friends.
I am proud to be in New Orleans next week to celebrate the induction of Judge Eduardo Almeyda. He is a force in the Florida workers' compensation community and has been for over 50 years. His persistence in this practice and his influencing and mentoring of others are inspirational and worthy. Many a practitioner could view his experience and aspire to one day look back on such a career and achievement. It is difficult to comprehend that he is only now joining the fellows of the College, but it is a welcome achievement nonetheless. Congratulations Judge!
