Leesfield & Partners Returns to Key West to Award Scholarship, Continue Popular Courtroom Series for Florida Bar Members

During a busy 48 hours, Leesfield & Partners’ Ira H. Leesfield and Justin B. Shapiro were warmly welcomed by Key West High School to honor the life and legacy of the late Dexter Butler at the school’s Class Night.

Joined by Anita Butler and her family, Mr. Leesfield presented the second annual college scholarship award to senior James Osborne. The Dexter Butler College Scholarship was created by The Leesfield Family Foundation and Leesfield & Partners to preserve the legacy of community, kindness, and mentorship exemplified by Mr. Butler throughout his life. In his application, James wrote movingly about the loss of a mentor and how that experience inspired him to embody the values Mr. Butler instilled in him by serving and uplifting others in his community.

“He saw something in me long before I ever saw it in myself,” James wrote. “He pushed me, protected me, challenged me, and—most importantly—he believed in me with a sincerity that changed my life.”

This is the second year that the firm has recognized an athlete and scholar from Key West High School. Last year, Dylan Martinez, now a rising sophomore at the University of Central Florida, was awarded the scholarship.

For him, the scholarship has allowed the financial freedom to fully focus on his studies and is indicative of the lessons he learned from Mr. Butler.

“It reflects what Coach Dex stood for: resilience, kindness, and lifting people up when they need it most,” he said. “It has helped me start college with confidence and the motivation to carry forward the same sense of service and perseverance that Coach Dex inspired in so many of us.”

‘Conch Pride’

The firm, which has maintained an office in the area since the 1980s, was warmly welcomed by Key West. In appreciation, Mr. Leesfield and Mr. Shapiro were each gifted t-shirts emblazoned with the high school’s “conch pride.”

The following evening at First Flight Island Restaurant & Brewery, the firm sponsored the fifth installment of the celebrated Courtroom Trial Advocacy Series, which Mr. Leesfield developed in collaboration with Supreme Court Justice Fred Lewis (Ret). The session featured presentations by guest speakers Chief Judge Edwin A. Scales III of the Third District Court of Appeal and former Chief Judge Richard Suarez of the Third District Court of Appeal. Mr. Leesfield, former president of the Florida Justice Association, was the moderator for the session, which discussed appellate pitfalls and advancing trial skills. Attendees received three CLE credits from the Florida Bar Association.

More than 200 Florida Bar members of all experience levels from across the state attended the Courtroom series during its 2025–26 season. The program is being offered entirely free to attendees and will begin again in October for its second season. The first several sessions may be viewed on the firm’s YouTube channel at @LeesfieldPartners.

Series VI is planned for Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, and is entitled “Lawyers Heading for Trouble.” Speakers from the Federal Bar, the Florida Bar, and the State Attorney’s Office will host the start of the second season. Additionally, this education program will be offered via ZOOM to students at the Florida State University’s College of Law.

To register early, please contact Carmen Marrero at Marrero@Leesfield.com, Sofia Sanchez at Sanchez@Leesfield.com, or call 305-854-4900.