Miami attorney Francisco R. Angones becomes The Florida Bar's 59th president when he takes the oath of office on Friday, June 29 during the Bar's 2007 Annual Convention at the Orlando World Center Marriott Resort & Convention Center. He will become the first Cuban-born president of The Florida Bar. John G. White, III, a West Palm Beach attorney who practices commercial and complex business litigation, will be sworn in as president-elect during the same ceremony.

Angones' focus during his presidency will be on the significance and the importance of the preservation of human rights. He said that he believes that The Florida Bar and its members must remain at the forefront in the defense of these rights. His focus will be on the importance of an independent, fair, impartial, diverse and inclusive judicial system; adequate funding for the courts; initiatives to teach civics in Florida's schools; mentorship programs for law students and newly licensed lawyers; and the significance of pro bono work.

"The Bar's agenda for 2007-2008 will reflect the professionalism and the commitment to ethics that we, as lawyers, strive for in recognition of the responsibilities and privileges granted to us by our oath as members of The Florida Bar," he said.

Angones, 56, is a civil trial attorney practicing personal injury defense, commercial torts and insurance defense litigation at the Miami firm Angones McClure & Garcia, P.A. He has been a member of The Florida Bar Board of Governors since 2000 and has served on its Executive Committee. He is a past president of the Dade County Bar Association and the Cuban American Bar Association, a former member of the House of Delegates of the American Bar Association and The Florida Bar Foundation, and has served on the Federal Judicial Nominating Commission for the Southern District.

Forty-six years ago, Angones arrived in the United States from Cuba without his parents via Operation Peter Pan, which brought thousands of Cuban youths to this country. Growing up in Miami, Angones graduated from LaSalle High School before attending the University of Miami. There he received his bachelor's degree magna cum laude in 1972 and his Juris Doctor from the School of Law in 1976.

Angones and his wife, Georgina, an assistant dean of the University of Miami School of Law, live in Coral Gables. They have one son, Frank R. Angones Jr., a graduate student in screenwriting and directing at Columbia University.