CAREER SPOTLIGHT ‘Be Prepared’ isn’t just a cliche

Josh Levenson, 35, a partner at the Fort Lauderdale law office of Holland & Knight LLP, was awarded the NESA Outstanding Eagle Scout Award, NOESA, at the South Florida Council Recognition Dinner, which took place at the Signature Grand in Davie, recently. The award is presented by the Boy Scouts of America to Eagle Scouts who have gone on to, among other things, perform distinguished service to their profession, avocation, community and beliefs at great sacrifice to themselves and their families. Levenson, who has been with Holland & Knight LLP since 2008, says his scouting experience helped him to be where he is today. When Levenson became an Eagle Scout, he took a pledge that he would make his training, rank and influence count towards better citizenship, he says. Now, says Levenson, he carries that charge with him as an attorney, too, in order to advance the profession. Earning the NOESA, he says, is a reminder that the work of an Eagle Scout is never done.

Community: Served as an executive board member of the Boy Scouts of America’s South Florida Council for more than 13 years; Vigil Honor Member of the Order of the Arrow; recipient of the Founder's, Centurion and Silver Beaver awards.

This honor recognizes how I have distinguished myself in my career: Commitment to pro bono representation has always been a cornerstone of my practice. I have logged over 600 pro bono hours in a wide variety of cases involving child

abduction, financial elder exploitation, representation of children with autism, and representation of military veterans. I have also been an advocate of community service at H&K. I was recently appointed as the chairman of Holland & Knight’s public and charitable services committee for the Fort Lauderdale office. In that role, I oversee the pro bono and community service outreach for the Fort Lauderdale office. I still rely on scouting lessons

learned: The program gave me a tremendous amount of confidence in myself and what I am capable of accomplishing. I learned that while you cannot win every competition — or trial — you can always be prepared. When things get tough in my profession, I always revert back to the Boy Scout motto: “Be prepared.” It’s a reminder to always focus on the process and not the results. And, as is often the case, by always being prepared, the results take care of themselves.

JOSH LEVENSON