Making Waves

>>We've all heard them, maybe even repeated those sometimes tasteless jokes about the ethical fitness of attorneys. Well, whoever makes them up apparently never met this Gulfshore lawyer.

Jason Korn, 41, moved to Naples in 1995 from New York City.

"Coming to Collier County was a change. New York was a more aggressive, competitive bar," he says. "Here there was a sense of collegiality that I really liked and wanted to see continue."

As director and managing partner of Cohen & Grigsby, Korn specializes in business and commercial litigation, but he takes special interest in professionalism and ethics.

"I remembered witnessing some things in court in New York, and I wanted to make sure this area wasn't going to take a turn for overzealous tactics," he says. So in 1999 he became a member of the Professional Committee of the 20th Judicial Circuit. Korn helped draft the Standards of Professional Courtesy and Conduct and established a peer-review program to oversee the conduct of lawyers.

"Part of my philosophy is that the practice of law is a privilege, not a right," he says. "I want lawyers to work together to enhance communication, respect and courtesy among members of the bar."

Korn continues that commitment as liaison to the Florida Supreme Court's Commission on Professionalism. In 2006, he was appointed by Gov. Jeb Bush to serve on the Judicial Nominating Committee, a group that screens applicants for vacancies on the bench.

In addition to his professional responsibilities, Korn also volunteers his time on the Collier County Board of Directors for the Edison College Foundation and the United Way. He's a 2005 graduate of Leadership Collier.

"I really enjoy the time I spend volunteering," says Korn, a Boston native and diehard Red Sox fan. "It may sound contrived, but I feel like I'm making a difference in the lives of people in our community."

-Lauren Bernaldo