Selig Goldin Award | Criminal Law Section of The Florida Bar

Selig I. Goldin
(1939–1980)

“As an attorney, Selig was always tops. Dedication and zeal were his trademarks. He accepted many cases and many clients others turned down, because he felt those cases had to be defended and he believed in the person and the cause.”

Those few words, spoken at Selig Goldin’s funeral by his brother, Philip, capture what members of the criminal defense bar knew of this young Gainesville lawyer who died of cancer before his time — that he was a man of great ability and great compassion. His career was cut short, yet he left his mark not only with those he defended, but with those judges before whom he practiced and those lawyers who were his adversaries in the courtroom and his friends when the trials were over.

To honor the memory of this young man, who none doubt would have reached the top of his profession, the Criminal Law Section each year distinguishes one member of The Florida Bar for displaying the talents and compassion possessed by Selig I. Goldin.

His path is not an easy one to follow. He graduated high school at 16, college at 20, and law school at 23. His list of honors is remarkable for one so young. By age 24, he was well-regarded within the Gainesville legal community as a man who would not turn down a case because the client could not afford to pay nor because the client’s cause was unpopular.

As a member of the Executive Council of the Criminal Law Section, he displayed the same zeal and dedication to justice that was his trademark in the courtroom. He was, as many have said, a lawyer’s lawyer, a man who possessed the best attributes of the profession — competence, service, compassion.

Philip remembers: As Selig began working on his goals, he touched many lives. From judges and attorneys to moonshiners, from clergy to ex-convicts, from athletes and coaches to doctors and nurses, from architects to plain, simple folk, he touched their lives in his own special way. Selig accomplished his goals and always did it his way.

A plaque commemorating the Selig I. Goldin Memorial Award winners is located at the University of Florida Levin College of Law in Gainesville.

2024 Selig I. Goldin Memorial Award Recipient—Stanford Blake

Stanford Blake was a judge in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit for 22 years and served in divisions including Civil and Family Court matters, where he presided over many complex cases. Now, as a mediator, Blake brings his expertise and unique people skills to dispute resolution and facilitates settlements of often highly emotionally charged matters.

Stan Blake has been honored by the Family Bar with the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers “Jurist of the Year” and by the Civil Bar with the Judge Steve Levine Award for Fairness, Integrity and Professionalism. He received many other awards while on the Bench including, but not limited to, The Judge William Hoeveler Lifetime Achievement Award, The Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Award for Judicial Excellence, The Conference of Circuit Judges Chair’s Award, The Justice Gerald Kogan Judicial Distinction Award, The Alan Schwartz Judicial Excellence Award, the League of Prosecutors Justice Award and the University of Miami Law Alumni Achievement Award. He was also honored to receive the highest bar approval rating ever of the Dade County Bar Association of almost 99% exceptionally qualified/ qualified in 2012.

Stan has always been involved with teaching. He has been an adjunct professor at the University of Miami School of Law teaching Litigation Skills for nearly 20 years and teaches at the New Judge’s mandatory program yearly. Stan has also been a regular instructor for the Circuit Court Conference and Advanced Judicial Studies during his tenure on the Bench. He was a presenter for the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts 48th Annual Conference and a lecturer for the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. for a national symposium on indigent defense in the United States.

Stanford Blake has also served our community for many years. He was the President of the Board of Directors of the Haven School for the Developmentally Disadvantaged President of the Kiwanis Club of Biscayne Bay as well as a Board Member of Lauren’s Kids. Having donated a kidney to his brother in 1996, Stan became active in the Transplant Foundation.

Stan Blake brings his Florida Supreme Court Certified Mediation to this community to help find a path to common ground and a road to resolution.