The William Castagna Award for Judicial Excellence

The William Castagna Award for Judicial Excellence is awarded annually to a sitting member of the Pinellas County judiciary who displays the highest standards of judicial excellence in knowledge of the law, ethics, civility, professionalism and demeanor.

A nominating committee comprised of all past recipients of the Barney, the Richard T. Earle, Jr. Award for Professionalism and the William Castagna Award for Judicial Excellence will provide a list of three nominees to the president no later than January 1st of each year. At the masters meeting held in May of each year, a secret ballot will be held to select the winner from the three nominees. The ballots are counted by the Executive Director and the co-presidents of the Inn. The person with the greatest number of votes is the winner.

The award is presented by the non-judicial president of the Inn or the highest ranking non-judicial officer of the Inn. Past recipients are:

  • 2000 Judge Susan F. Schaeffer 
  • 2001 Judge David A. Demers 
  • 2002 Judge Thomas E. Penick 
  • 2003 Judge Anthony Rondolino 
  • 2004 Judge Frank Quesada 
  • 2005 Judge George W. Greer 
  • 2006 Judge Nelly N. Khouzam 
  • 2007 Judge Henry Andringa
  • 2008 Judge Robert Morris


The Richard T. Earle, Jr. Professionalism Award

The Richard T. Earle, Jr. Professionalism Award is awarded annually to the lawyer who demonstrates the highest degree of professionalism in the practice of law.

A polling of the judiciary of Pinellas County is conducted annually and the lawyer receiving the highest number of votes is the winner. If a clear winner is not evident then a second polling is done. In the event of a tie, the award is given to both winners.

The winner is also announced at the End of the Year Banquet. This award can only be won once. Whenever possible, the Chief Judge shall present the award. Past recipients are:

  • 1999 Dennis de Vlaming, Esq.
  •   Wally Pope, Esq.
  • 2000 Martin Rice, Esq.
  • 2001 Susan H. Churuti, Esq.
  • 2002 Thomas Masterson, Esq.
  • 2003 Pamela A.M. Campbell, Esq.
  • 2004 Bruce Bartlett, Esq.
  • 2005 Andy Sasso, Esq.
  • 2006 Jack Hellinger, Esq.
  • 2007 Josh Magidson, Esq.
  • 2008 Ky Koch, Esq.


"The Barney"

The Barney is awarded annually to the lawyer who demonstrates the highest degree of professionalism, ethics, civility, and legal excellence in the practice of law.

A nominating committee comprised of all past recipients of the Barney, the Richard T. Earle, Jr. Award for Professionalism, and the William Castagna Award for Judicial Excellence will provide a list of at least three nominees to the president. At the masters meeting held in May of each year, a secret ballot will be held to select the winner from the three nominees. The ballots are counted by the Executive Director and the co-presidents of the Inn. The person with the greatest number of votes is the winner.

The winner will be announced at the end of the year banquet. The judicial president of the Inn will present the award. The recipient can only receive this award once. Past recipients are:

  • 1995 Joseph Donahey, Esq.
  • 1996 Glenn Woodworth, Esq.
  • 1997 Denis de Vlaming, Esq.
  • 1998 Thomas Masterson, Esq.
  • 1999 The Honorable Thomas Penick, Jr.
  • 2000 Joseph McDermott, Esq.
  • 2001 William F. Blews, Esq.
  • 2002 Michael Keane, Esq.
  • 2003 Jack Hellinger, Esq.
  • 2004 Aubrey Dicus, Esq.
  • 2005 John Williams, Esq.
  • 2006 William Walker, Esq.
  • 2007 Fletcher Belcher, Esq.
  • 2008 Kenneth Deacon, Jr., Esq.

"The Rock"

"The Rock" is an award which began in June 2004, which is presented annually by the Barney Masterson Inn of Court to a lawyer with less than five years in practice who has provided exceptional service to the community. The award is named in honor of Judge Thomas E. Penick, Jr., who was one of the four founders of the Barney Masterson Inn of Court and who believed strongly in a lawyer's duty to provide service to the community. Judge Penick practiced what he preached.

All nominations for "The Rock" award should be forwarded to the Executive Committee no later that April 1st of each year. In the event that more than three nominations are received, the Executive Committee will vote to reduce the number of nominees to three. Those three nominees will be given an invitation to attend the May meeting of the Inn where the names of all nominees will be announced, the three nominees up for the consideration for the award will be presented with their service to the community detailed, and a vote will be taken by all those Inn members who are present.

"The Rock" is considered a once in a lifetime award and symbolizes the idea that community service is the bedrock and basic foundation of a strong community. The award is sponsored by Judge Penick's friends in the P.I.G.S. (People Intensely Gobbling Sustenance)

  • 2004 Ya'Sheaka S. Campbell, Esq.
  • 2005 Sabrina Beavens, Esq.
  • 2006 Stephanie Bolton, Esq.
  • 2007 Cary Cash, Esq.
  • 2008 Zack Zuroweste, Esq.


Best Program Award

The Best Program Award is presented to the pupilage group that presents the best program of the year. A secret ballot of the entire Inn present at the final dinner meeting of the year is taken to determine the winner. The pupilage group with the highest vote total is the winner. The votes are counted by the Executive Director and the co-presidents of the Inn. The winner is announced at the end of the year banquet.