The George C. Young American Inn of Court is proud to announce it has again earned the Achieving Excellence “Platinum” designation – the highest level of recognition for the American Inns of Court “Achieving Excellence” program – a tiered achievement-based program that recognizes an Inn's progress toward mastering effective practices in each of the five core competencies of Inn management: Administration, Communications, Program Development, Mentoring and Outreach Activities. The George C. Young American Inn of Court has achieved this status every year since the 2011-2012 Inn year.

About Judge George C. Young 

Thomas Jefferson believed that "judges should always be men of learning and experience in the laws, of exemplary morals, great patience, calmness, coolness and attention; their minds should not be distracted with jarring interests; they should not be dependent upon any man or body of men."

 
In honor of such a judge, the First Central Florida American Inn of Court, chartered in September, 1990, renamed itself to be known as The George C. Young First Central Florida American Inn of Court.  Most recently, the Inn is now named The George C. Young American Inn of Court.

Judge Young's long and steadfast commitment to the ideals of the American Inns of Court, professionalism, civility and excellence in the practice of law, began in 1941.  After obtaining his Bachelor of Arts and Law Degrees from the University of Florida, he entered private practice in Winter Haven, Florida.  From 1942 to 1946 he served honorably as a United States Navy lieutenant during World War II.  Judge Young then re-entered private practice in Miami until 1948 when United States Senator George Smathers tapped his talents as his administrative assistant until 1951.

Thereafter, Judge Young again worked in private practice in Jacksonville until 1961 at which time President John F. Kennedy nominated him for appointment to the Northern and Southern Districts of Florida. In 1966 Judge Young became the only judge to serve on all three of Florida's Federal District Courts after President Lyndon B. Johnson selected him to serve in the newly created Middle District of Florida.  He served as chief judge from 1973 to 1981 when he took senior status.  On October 23, 1992, in recognition of his stellar service as a jurist, President George H.W. Bush signed legislation naming the Courthouse the George C. Young United States Courthouse and Federal Building.  Never one to rest, Judge Young continued to maintain a docket until December, 2004, although he still assisted fellow judges concerning administrative decisions affecting the court.  Judge Young stayed vitally interested in our Inn's accomplishments and programs until his death in 2015.

Message From The President

Welcome to the George C. Young American Inn of Court. Our Inn has achieved the highest rating by the American Inn of Court, Platinum Status, and has held that status for the past fourteen (14) years. This accomplishment is a result of the hard work and dedication of our members and our very involved volunteer board members.

Our Inn was founded in 1990 and has flourished since then. Our success today has much to do because of the hard work and foresight our founding members and especially to The Honorable George C. Young, our Inn’s namesake had. Today, our members come from all areas of practice and include some of the best and most respected lawyers and judges in the state.

The primary purpose of our Inn is to provide opportunities for young (and more tenured) lawyers to learn from judges and experienced lawyers in a social setting. We also provide these same opportunities for law students from our two local law schools (Barry University and FAMU).  We create these opportunities in three major ways.  The first is through our monthly general membership meetings.

At the start of each year, our members are divided into pupillage groups, with each group consisting of members with different levels of experience. Each pupillage group is responsible for conducting an educational program at one of the monthly meetings. The topics of the programs vary, but they always focus on ethical considerations, civility, professionalism, and excellence in practice. This year each presentation will focus on Artificial Intelligence, and how to manage such use to avoid the ethical and professional pitfalls that might arise by using AI. CLE credits are given to the members who attend the dinner meetings.  One of our meetings will also be jointly attended by our friends at the Brevard County Inn, and our end of Year dinner includes awards for our law school writing contest, our three awards for service to the Inn, and an award for service to the legal profession overall by a non-lawyer.  Each of these dinner meetings provide multiple opportunities for networking and connecting with one another in social settings.

The second way we provide opportunities is through community-based projects. Over the years, our community-based projects have focused on a variety of topics, including domestic violence and elder law. This year our Inn will again present an Elder Law seminar for the community, we will put together a Podcast dealing with elder law issues, we will conduct our annual food sorting at a local foodbank in Central Florida, and through a partnership with Legal Aid, we hope to assist local veterans with various estate planning matters.

The third way we provide interactive opportunities for our members is through Social Activities. In the past our members of the Inn and their families have attended Orlando City Soccer matches, Orlando Shakes Theater performances, a day at a local park with cook out, canoeing, and swimming, a backyard barbeque, and Painting with a Twist.  This year we hope to expand our social activities to include a Bowling Bash and possibly a group bioluminescent kayaking adventure.

I am honored to serve as President of the Inn, and I look forward to another great year with the most amazing people!

Best Regards,

Mary Ann Etzler

President, 2025-2027