Written by Section Administrator.
Stewart L. Colling was born in Winter Park, Florida, December 30, 1959. By the time he attended Winter Park High School, he had developed a love of basketball, and his natural talent and competitive spirit won him a full scholarship to Rollins College. At Rollins, he was a top basketball player. He received his Bachelor of the Arts degree in 1982. He then attended Stetson College receiving his Juris Doctorate in 1985. At Stetson, he received membership in the Delta Theta Phi Law Fraternity and received recognition for his participation in the Freshman Moot Court Competition. He was admitted to the bar in Florida and the U.S. District Court in 1986. He was admitted to the bar in Texas in 1993 and Colorado in 1995.
Since being admitted to the bar, Stewart Colling had demonstrated his leadership in a number of legal organizations. A member of the Orange County Bar Association since 1986, he was chair of the Association’s Personal Injury Section 2005-2006. A member of the Florida Justice Association (formerly the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers) since 1991, he served on the Board of Directors and as Chairman of the Workers’ Compensation section 2004-2005. He was a member of the Florida Workers’ Advocates since 1990 and served on the Board of Directors since 1997. He also served as the organization’s President (2002) and Vice-president (2001). While serving as president of the Florida Workers’ Advocates, he was appointed by Governor Bush to the Governor’s Commission on Workers’ Compensation Reform. He was a member of the Executive Council of the Workers’ Compensation Section of the Florida Bar from 2006-2008.
Since 1986, Stewart Colling worked exclusively in the areas of personal injury and workers’ compensation. During that time he helped nearly 15,000 victims of personal injury, including about 10,000 workers injured on the job. He was a frequent lecturer at legal seminars. His lectures inspired law students and junior colleagues, helped workers and injury victims understand their rights and guided employers to meet the needs of their employees, reducing the need for antagonistic court proceedings while preserving the rights of injured workers. He was also active in politics, contributing time and money to the campaigns of local, state, and national candidates he supported, and helping to write and campaign for legislation to improve the workers’ compensation process.
A former partner in the Morgan Colling and Gilbert law firm, he was a founding partner of Colling Gilbert Wright, PA. For his work, he has been recognized and praised by his peers, receiving Martindale-Hubbell’s coveted AV rating.
A dedicated husband and father of three, he was active and well-known in his community. He was known by friends as being generous with his time, which he dedicated to the Rotary Club, the YMCA, and other local organizations.
On April 28, 2009, Stewart L. Colling unexpectedly passed away. His passing was a sudden and unexpected tragedy. His leadership, support and commitment is greatly missed. His memory has been memorialized by way of the Workers’ Compensation Section’s Frierson/Colling Award. Mr. Colling dedicated himself to protecting, pursuing and expanding the rights of injured people, especially injured workers. His dedication to workers’ compensation was an inspiration to us all.
Written by Section Administrator.
BIOGRAPHY OF ALBERT M. FRIERSON
After graduating from Duke University Law School in 1962, Al Frierson
began the practice of law with the firm of Henderson, Franklin, Starnes &
Holt in Fort Myers. That is one of the oldest firms in the State of Florida
having celebrated its 100th Anniversary in October 2024. In his first year, he
became a civil trial attorney trying many jury trials on the defense side of the
practice. Over the years, the firm grew to more than 70 attorneys and Al
became the manager of the Workers’ Compensation Department which, at
one time, had twelve attorneys. He also served as managing Attorney of the
entire firm on several occasions during those years. Over the years, he
represented more than 50 insurance companies and numerous employers.
There is no telling how many litigated cases he handled over those years. He
retired from the firm at the end of 2003 after more than 40 years of service.
In January of 2004, he opened his own professional association to handle
workers’ compensation mediations having been certified as a mediator by
the Supreme Court of Florida in 2003. For 18 years, he worked fulltime as a
private mediator. His area of practice took in all of southwest Florida from
the Tampa Bay area to Naples. He also handled cases in Lakeland, Orlando,
Jacksonville, Daytona Beach, West Palm Beach as well as Fort Lauderdale,
Hollywood and Miami.
Al was one of the six founding members of the Workers’ Compensation
Section of the Florida Bar in 1974. He served on the Executive Council for
15 years and chaired the Section twice in 1978-79 and 1988-89, both
important legislative years in Workers’ Compensation. He frequently
chaired the Legislative Committee of the Section as well as the Education
Committee. He continues to serve as an Emeritus member of the Executive
Council. When the Section was founded, it became necessary to provide
educational seminars for all members. He served as the first Chair of the
Education Committee and was responsible for putting on seminars in every
major city in Florida.
Al helped implement the Board Certification program for the Section and
was on the original committee for Board Certification in this area of
practice. He became Board Certified in 1988 and continued until he retired
from the active practice of law in 2004 and became a mediator.
During the years of his practice, Al was appointed by three different Florida
Governors to serve on Legislative Task Forces or special legislative
committees on the Workers’ Compensation Law. (Governor Bob Graham in
1979; Governor Robert Martinez in 1988-89; Governor Lawton Chiles
during the 1993 Special Session on Workers’ Compensation.) The Blue
Ribbon Commission appointed by Gov. Grahan consisted of experts in the
field from multiple States, members of the judiciary, politicians from both
Florida and elsewhere and chaired by Dr. John Burton a national scholar
who was known as the Father of Wage Loss. It was an honor to be named to
that Commission. He was also appointed by Lee Moffitt, the Speaker of the
Florida House of Representatives, to be on a special legislative advisory
group in 1983 during which Al drafted legislation revising the 1979 law.
Those revisions became law. During those years, he drafted many pieces of
legislation that ultimately became law. As Section Chair in 1979 and 1989,
he went to Tallahassee on both occasions and attended all meetings of the
Senate and House Committees dealing with Workers’ Compensation
changes sometimes staying in Tallahassee a week at a time. He testified in
many of those committee meetings in both years and was asked by the Chair
of both the House and the Senate committees to work with their committee
staff of both the Senate and House to suggest and help draft legislative
changes as well as to argue that certain pre-filed bills should not be adopted
in any form. After the 1979 Session, Al was given the W.L. (Bud) Adams
Award who was a recognized member and Former Chair of the Section prior
to his death in 1982.
In addition, Al was appointed to the advisory committee to the three member
panel that developed and implemented the Florida Impairment Rating Guide
that ultimately became known as the 1996 Florida Uniform Permanent
Impairment Rating Schedule. In that respect, he was selected as the one to
represent the Special Committee in testifying in Tallahassee before the 3
member panel to have the Impairment Rating Schedule approved from a
legal standpoint which he did and it was approved.
Al is a co-author of the First Edition of Florida Workers’ Compensation
Practice Manual. He has given numerous speeches and seminars on this
field of the law to attorneys, adjusters, insurance carriers, risk managers, and
businessmen all over the country including the International Association of
Accident Boards and Commissions (IAIABC) in Louisville, KY, the
Southern Association of Workers’ Compensation Administrators (SAWCA)
in St. Petersburg, FL, the National Association of Self Insureds in New
Orleans, LA and The Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers in Orlando, FL. On
three occasions, he was invited to speak at the Annual Meeting of the
Workers’ Compensation Section of the California Bar in both California and
Nevada. He was a frequent speaker at the Annual Workers’ Compensation
Educational Conference beginning at Miami Beach and later in Orlando.
He has been recognized in two publications for his service in this field of the
law. See: Workers’ Compensation in Florida 1935-1995, The History,
People and Politics (1995) and The Circle Solution, How Florida’s Bold
Reform of Workers’ Compensation – Wage Loss – Came About (1982)
In 1986, Al was the Honoree of The Friends of 440 in Miami where a
banquet was held in his honor. In 2008, he was inducted into the College
of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers in New Orleans, LA, a national
organization
In 2008, the Workers’ Compensation Section of the Florida Bar created a
special Professionalism Award to be presented periodically to the individual
who most exemplified the qualities of professionalism. The award was first
named the Albert M. Frierson Professionalism Award and he was its first
recipient. (Later renamed the Frierson-Colling Award to include Stewart
Colling, a prominent Claimant’s attorney who had passed away at an early
age and whose family received his award posthumously). Since that time
there have been 15 others that have received the Award and it continues to
be awarded year to year.
In 2012, Al was inducted into the Florida Workers’ Compensation
Institute’s HALL OF FAME in the first year of its existence.
Al continued the practice of law until May 16th of 2022 when he officially
retired from both the Florida and Alabama Bars and resigned his
certification as a Florida Mediator. He was 85 years old at that time.
Outside the field of Workers’ Compensation, Al served four years as Chair
of the Judicial Nominating Committee for the Twentieth Judicial Circuit
dealing with the appointment of County and Circuit Judges in the Twentieth
Judicial Circuit. He has been listed in
Who’s Who In American Law, Best Lawyers In America since 1995 as well
as Leading American Attorneys (1998). He was given an “AV” rating by
Martindale-Hubbell Lawyers Directory in 1978 and in 2017, Martindale-
Hubbell gave him the AV PREEMINENT AWARD, the highest possible
rating in both legal ability and ethical standards.
Since his complete retirement, Al spends his time now serving his church
and its members. He has personally conducted over ten funerals and has
done numerous Eulogies. Previously, he served for 15 years as Moderator of
the Fort Myers Community Prayer Breakfast held each year on the National
Day of Prayer. He has taught Sunday School at his church for over 50 years
and served as President of his church corporation, Attorney for the church
and an ordained Deacon.
Written by Section Administrator.
It was the day of the final hearing in a heavily litigated case and one of the lawyers was drunk. As the judge in the case, I didn’t know it, but the lawyer representing the other party had been talking to opposing counsel before I entered the hearing room and could tell. The sober lawyer said, “Your honor, I’d like to request a continuance.” The tipsy lawyer, mildly slurring his words, objected. “My client and I are ready to proceed,” he said. By this time, I realized there was a problem and granted the motion. Later, I found out that the unimpaired lawyer drove the impaired lawyer home and personally took responsibility for helping his colleague get help with his drinking problem.
The point is simple. Those of us working in the field of workers’ compensation litigation should not lose sight of the fact that our fellow lawyers and judges are real people who deserve our respect and even our compassion. The sober lawyer that day could have done any number of other things. He could have publicly accused his fellow lawyer of being intoxicated. He could have said nothing and sought to proceed with the hearing so he could win the case by exploiting the situation. Instead, he asked for a continuance without blaming his colleague for the problem. I will never forget it.
Written by Section Administrator.
In September of 1996, a deranged injured worker with a gun forced entry into Mr. Edwards’ law
office and took hostages. One attorney was shot in the arm and fortunately survived. Mr.
Edwards was tragically shot and killed while defending his staff and fellow attorneys.
Every year the Palm Beach County Bar Association hosts a seminar on workers’ compensation.
Several presentations and panels are presented by judges, lawyers, and physicians on various
workers’ compensation issues. The seminar culminates, however, with the presentation of the
Kennie Edwards award for professionalism. Each year the former winners of this prestigious
award vote as to who will be the next recipient of this honor. Candidates are nominated by the
past winners based upon their integrity, demeanor, and professionalism, both in and out of the
hearing room. All qualities exemplified by Kennie Edwards.
I never met Kennie Edwards, but I did have the opportunity to meet and talk with his son and
other individuals who knew him well. Mr. Edwards was everything a professional should be.
He was always fair and respectful in his dealings with clients, judges, and opposing attorneys.
Everything I have heard about him tells me that he exemplified all of the qualities of
professionalism. But even if I knew nothing about the man, the events of that dark day in
September of 1996 would tell me everything I would ever need to know about him. Mr.
Edwards died while trying to defend his employees and coworkers from the gunman. As I listen
to the recounting of what happened that fateful day, I am compelled to ask myself what kind of
person places himself in front of an angry armed gunman to defend others? The answer is
obvious; a hero. Mr. Edwards gave the ultimate sacrifice, his own life, to ensure the safety of his
employees and co-workers.
The Kennie Edwards award serves not as a memorial, but instead as an honor and tribute as to
how Mr. Edwards lived his life and conducted himself as an attorney. I have reviewed, in many
affidavits and verified petitions, proud recipients of this award in support of their claims for
attorney’s fees. It is an award that is given only to those select few who exhibit the qualities that
Mr. Edwards did during his time with us. We should all strive to live up to the legacy Mr.
Edwards left behind. As the award states, it is given to the attorney who best exemplifies
qualities of professionalism admired in Mr. Edwards; honesty, integrity, cordiality, good humor,
high ethical standards, and advocacy tempered with a sense of humility.
