Florida Bar News articles from August 2003

Florida Bar News archives from August 2003

Panel reviews Bar discipline mechanisms.
August 1, 2003... Most of the members have been selected for the Special Commission on Lawyer Regulation, and its first meeting has been set for next month. The commission was created by Bar President Miles McGrane, who told the Board of Governors recently...

Lawmakers ask about Bar lawyer regulation system.
August 1, 2003... After a day debunking many of the claims made about medical malpractice, a Florida Senate committee questioned Florida Bar President Miles McGrane about Bar prosecutions for frivolous lawsuits and the Bar grievance process generally. ...

Lawyers go to bat for kids; two programs strive to let kids be kids.(Florida lawyers: protecting rights, pursuing justice, promoting professionalism)
August 1, 2003... For Eddie Mulock, who once served on The Florida Bar's Board of Governors, the idea sprang to mind while stretched out in a hospital bed preparing for a heart transplant. After he'd been given one day to live, Mulock learned precious...

Kimberly Rothenburg, was recently presented the Lion of Justice Trophy for winning The Florida Bar Standing Committee on Professionalism's annual Law Student Professionalism Essay contest.
August 1, 2003... KIMBERLY ROTHENBURG, center, was recently presented the Lion of Justice Trophy for winning The Florida Bar Standing Committee on Professionalism's annual Law Student Professionalism Essay contest. Florida Supreme Court Justice Raoul Cantero,...

Legendary Bar leader Smith passes away.
August 1, 2003... Often called "the conscience of the legal profession," Chesterfield Smith, a major force in law and politics who served as president of The Florida Bar and the American Bar Association, died July 16. Smith died from cardiopulmonary...

Guardians of freedom.(Letters)
August 1, 2003... During 45 years of law practice I have harbored the assumption that it is our profession that acts as guardian of personal freedom. We stood silent when we should have protested in the 1940s and when we abandoned our duty to speak as the...

Attorney-client privilege.(Letters)
August 1, 2003... I opened my June 15th Florida Bar News to find that The Florida Bar Board of Governors voted to oppose the new ABA ethics rule change (suspending the attorney-client privilege when a lawyer discovers her client is using or has used her services...

Errata.(Letters)
August 1, 2003... A July 1 News and Notes column submission regarding Harvey Sepler was incorrect. It should have said Sepler, of the Law Offices of the Public Defender, 11th Judicial Circuit, was elected to the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers. Also,...

Lawyer lost.(Letters)
August 1, 2003... The Florida Bar lost a former employee and dear, dear friend recently. Just recently, our office received the tragic news that Gregg Wenzel died in a car accident in Africa. Gregg worked in the Miami Branch Office of Lawyer Regulation as Bar...

Free speech.(Letters)
August 1, 2003... From what I read in the papers, a Panhandle lawyer called a judge he disagreed with a lunatic. "I believe the inmates have taken over the asylum" were the words reported. The lawyer says it's a free speech issue. If the report is true, The...

Governor seeks DOAH chief judge applicants.(Letters)
August 1, 2003... The governor and Cabinet, sitting as the Administration Commission, are accepting applications for the position of executive director and chief judge of the Division of Administrative Hearings. The division includes two primary program...

U.S. 11th Circuit to amend rules.(Letters)
August 1, 2003... Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. 2071(b), notice and opportunity for comment is hereby given of proposed amendments to the Rules of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, and of proposed amendments to Addendum Three, Rules of the Judicial Council...

CLE on your laptop? Perhaps.
August 1, 2003... Imagine sitting at your desk and with a couple cricks of a computer mouse button taking part, rive, in a CLE seminar. The Practice Management and Development Section is hoping to make that a reality soon, along with other plans to help...

Judges appointed to state boards.
August 1, 2003... Chief Justice Harry Lee Anstead has named five judges to two state boards created by the 2003 Florida Legislature. The chief justice's appointees to the Article V Indigent Services Advisory Board are Judge Joseph Farina of the 11th Circuit,...

Federal JNC seeks Southern District judge applications.
August 1, 2003... Applications are now being accepted to fill the position of United States District Court Judge for the Southern District of Florida (Northern Division). Applications are available from the Commission Chair Roberto Martinez, 255 Aragon...

Agulnick petitions for reinstatement.
August 1, 2003... Pursuant to Rule 3-7.10, Barry W. Agulnick of New York City has petitioned the Florida Supreme Court for Bar reinstatement. Agulnick was suspended for 30 months as a result of a felony conviction. The suspension was effective October 30, 1997,...

Gogel petitions for reinstatement.
August 1, 2003... Pursuant to Rule 3-7.10, William A. Gogel of New York City has petitioned the Supreme Court for Florida Bar reinstatement. Gogel was suspended for 30 months as a result of a felony conviction. The suspension was effective October 16, 1997,...

The Florida Association for Women Lawyers.
August 1, 2003... THE FLORIDA ASSOCIATION FOR WOMEN LAWYERS recently presented Bar President-elect Kelly Overstreet Johnson, center, its 2003 Rosemary Barkett Outstanding Achievement Award during FAWL's annual meeting in Orlando. The award recognizes outstanding...

Gov. Bush makes JNC appointments.
August 1, 2003... Gov. Jeb Bush has made 24 appointments to the state's judicial nominating commissions, based on a list of nominees forwarded by the Bar Board of Governors. He has also made two direct appointments to most of the state's 26 JNCs. Under a...

Bar fees are now payable.
August 1, 2003... Florida Bar members should have received their 2003-2004 annual fee statements--reflecting no increase in fees. The statements were mailed in late May. The fees were payable July 1 and are late after August 15. Members will receive one...

Free report shows lawyers how to get more clients.
August 1, 2003... CA. -- Why do some lawyers get rich while others struggle to pay their bills? The answer, according to California lawyer David M. Ward, has nothing to do with talent, education, hard work, or even luck. "The lawyers who make the big...

Gievers extols 'the power of one'.
August 1, 2003... To control behavior, children are given mind-altering drugs that at least one drug manufacturer now admits makes kids more depressed and suicidal. Foster children over the age of 18 were dumped on the streets July 1, thanks to the Florida...

PILS is the 'conscience of our profession'.
August 1, 2003... Former Bar President Terry Russell confessed to those gathered at the Public Interest Law Section luncheon that he does not share one-tenth of the knowledge of the people who served on the Bar's Commission on the Legal Needs of Children. ...

Glynn to lead Children First.
August 1, 2003... Gerry Glynn, past president of the Bar's Public Interest Law Section, has been named the first executive director of Florida's Children First!, a statewide nonprofit organization to advance the legal rights of at-risk children, especially those...

PEC deals with referral fees from financial advisors; along with lawyers leaving firms and third-party interest in held funds.
August 1, 2003... A proposed ethics opinion on what a law firm and a former firm member can tell clients about each other has been tabled, but another opinion saying a lawyer cannot take a referral fee from a financial advisor has been approved and published for...

Ervin, Graessle receive Foundation Medals of Honor.
August 1, 2003... Robert M. Ervin, a former president of The Florida Bar, recently received The Florida Bar Foundation 2003 Medal of Honor for a lawyer for his dedication to improving the administration of justice and as a leader in fostering programs and...

Appellate Practice Section to upgrade its Web presence.
August 1, 2003... There's nothing like a retreat to recharge the batteries and brainstorm for the future. About 30 members of the Bar's Appellate Practice Section who attended a retreat in St. Petersburg in May came to the Bar's Annual Meeting in June full...

Lawyer professionalism: it's no laughing matter.
August 1, 2003... A lawyer charged a man $500 for legal services. The man paid him with crisp new $100 bills. After the client left, the lawyer discovered that two bills had stuck together--he'd been overpaid by $100. The ethical dilemma for the...

Criminal Law Section to gain an international perspective.
August 1, 2003... Members of the Bar Criminal Law Section will soon be getting an international perspective on their practices as part of an upcoming seminar and program at The Hague, Netherlands. Section Chair Melanie Hines, at the section Executive Council...

Rep. Leslie Waters, St. Petersburg, was recently presented an award by Bar President Miles McGrane for her work this year in helping to secure $1.5 million for the Civil Legal Assistance Act.
August 1, 2003... REP. LESLIE WATERS, R-St. Petersburg, was recently presented an award by Bar President Miles McGrane for her work this year in helping to secure $1.5 million for the Civil Legal Assistance Act, which helps fund unmet legal needs of poor...

Family Law Section to retool its operations.
August 1, 2003... With major projects in the offing, including perhaps creating alimony guidelines and proposing a presumption in divorces that the children should spend equal time with each parent, the Family Law Section is looking at revamping how it operates....

Nova Southeastern University's undergraduate and law centers recently developed a joint law degree program.
August 1, 2003... NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY'S undergraduate and law centers recently developed a joint law degree program. Pictured from the left are Joseph Harbaugh, dean of Nova's Shepard Broad Law Center; NSU President Ray Ferrero, Jr.; and Norma Goonen,...

Where have all the mentors gone? A trial lawyer's thoughts on ethics and civility.(In Practice)
August 1, 2003... Several years ago when my University of Florida classmate, John DeVault, was running for president-elect of The Florida Bar, he asked me to arrange for him to meet the lawyers in the state attorney's office here in Tallahassee. Our State...

Guttmann to lead RPPTL Section.(In Practice)
August 1, 2003... Louis B. Guttmann III was recently sworn in as chair of the Bar's Real Property, Probate & Trust Law Section at its recent annual convention and general membership meeting in St. Petersburg. The convention coordinator was George Meyer, and...

A tradition is born.(In Practice)
August 1, 2003... When the Bar presidency was recently passed from Tod Aronovitz, right, to Miles McGrane, Aronovitz also passed on an 18k gold lapel pin, graced with the Bar's seal and the words "The Florida Bar President." Aronovitz said the pin was a gift...

Proposed Board of Governors actions.(Notice)
August 1, 2003... Pursuant to Standing Board Policy 1.60, the Board of Governors of The Florida Bar hereby publishes this notice of intent to consider or take final action at its August 20-22, 2003, meeting on the following items. These matters are additionally...

Black Lawyers Association renamed for U.S. Judge Wilkie D. Ferguson, Jr.(Notice)
August 1, 2003... The Black Lawyers Association has voted to rename the organization after U.S. District Judge Wilkie D. Ferguson, Jr., who died of leukemia June 9 in Miami. The Black Lawyers Association will now be known as the Wilkie D. Ferguson, Jr., Bar...

Justices reveal personalities, philosophies.
August 1, 2003... "Discussion with the Court," a q-and-a session sponsored by the Appellate Practice Section at the Bar's Annual Meeting, brought an informal peek into the personalities and philosophies of the two new Supreme Court justices. Justice Charles...

Feldman Gale & Weber, P.A.(On the Move)
August 1, 2003... Henry Kaplan has joined Feldman Gale & Weber, P.A., with offices at the Miami Center, 19th Fl., 201 S. Biscayne Blvd., Miami 33131, telephone (305) 358-5001. He practices in intellectual property matters.

Kluger, Peretz, Kaplan & Berlin P.L.(On the Move)
August 1, 2003... M. Keith Lipscomb and Mirit D. Steiger have joined Kluger, Peretz, Kaplan & Berlin P.L., with offices at the Miami Center, 17th Fl., 201 S. Biscayne Blvd., Miami 33131, telephone (305) 379-9000. They both join the firm's intellectual property...

Holland & Knight LLP.(On the Move)
August 1, 2003... Jeffrey M. Schumm, former assistant attorney general and judicial law clerk for the Honorable Justice Major B. Harding, has joined Holland & Knight LLP, with offices located at 315 S. Calhoun Street, Ste. 600, Tallahassee, 32301, telephone...

Gunster Yoakley.(On the Move)
August 1, 2003... Stella Suarez-Rita has become an associate with Gunster Yoakley, with offices at Phillips Point, 777 S. Flagler Dr., Ste. 500 E., West Palm Beach 33401, telephone (561) 655-1980. She concentrates in the area of general real estate transactions....

Greenberg Traurig, LLP.(On the Move)
August 1, 2003... Glenn A. Harris, former assistant chief litigation counsel for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, has joined Greenberg Traurig, LLP, with offices at 1221 Brickell Ave., Miami 33131, telephone (305) 579-0500. He joins the firm's...

Akerman Senterfitt.(On the Move)
August 1, 2003... Erik P. Kimball, former shareholder with Nabors, Giblin & Nickerson, P.A, has joined Akerman Senterfitt, with offices at the Citrus Center, 17th Fl., 255 S. Orange Ave., Orlando 32801, telephone (407) 843-7860. He practices in bankruptcy and...

Greenberg Traurig, LLP.(On the Move)
August 1, 2003... Leslie Jose Zigel has joined Greenberg Traurig, LLP, with offices at 1221 Brickell Ave., Miami 33131, telephone (305) 579-0500. He concentrates in entertainment law.

Florida Department of Juvenile Justice.(On the Move)
August 1, 2003... Frank P. Mayernick, Jr., has joined the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, with offices at 2737 Centerview Dr., Tallahassee 32399, telephone (850) 413-7313. He will serve as its director of legislative affairs.

Carsten & Ladan, P.A.(On the Move)
August 1, 2003... Amir A. Ladan and Keith A. Carsten of Carsten & Ladan, P.A. announce their relocation to new offices at 101 S. Wymore Road, Suite 440, Altamonte Springs 32714, telephone (407)657-1555. The firm concentrates in the areas of criminal defense,...

Heekin & Heekin, P.A.(On the Move)
August 1, 2003... M. Mark Heekin, former general counsel with Sleiman Enterprises, Inc., and David J. Heekin, announce the formation of their practice, Heekin & Heekin, P.A., with offices at 4540 Southside Blvd., Ste. 801, Jacksonville 32216, telephone (904)...

Ferraro & Associates, P.A.(On the Move)
August 1, 2003... Todd Falzone, Robert Ground, Peggy Fisher and Jeffrey Respler have joined Ferraro & Associates, P.A., with offices at 4000 Ponce De Leon Blvd., Ste. 700, Coral Gables, FL 33146, telephone (305) 375-0111. Falzone and Ground practice in asbestos...

GrayHarris.(On the Move)
August 1, 2003... David S. Hendrix, formerly with Cohn, Cohn & Hendrix, P.A., has joined GrayHarris, with offices at 201 N. Franklin St., Ste. 2200, P.O. Box 3324, Tampa 33602, telephone (813) 273-5000. He practices in the areas of banking and commercial...

Markowitz, Davis, Ringel & Trusty, P.A.(On the Move)
August 1, 2003... Michaelle Paulson has become an associate with Markowitz, Davis, Ringel & Trusty, P.A., Two Datran Center, Suite 1225, 9130 S. Dadeland Blvd., Miami, 33156, telephone (305) 670-5000.

Quarles & Brady, LLP.(On the Move)
August 1, 2003... Kevin R. Lottes, formerly with Porter Wright Morris & Arthur, LLP, has become a partner with Quarles & Brady, LLP, with offices at Tamiami Trail N., Ste. 300, Naples 34103, telephone (239) 262-5959. He concentrates in the areas of commercial...

De la Pena & Associates, P.A.(On the Move)
August 1, 2003... Roger Cabrera, formerly an assistant state attorney, has joined De la Pena & Associates, P.A. He joins the firm's litigation department.

Schell, Quillin, Mitchel & Cooley, L.L.P.(On the Move)
August 1, 2003... Scott M. Teich has joined Schell, Quillin, Mitchel & Cooley, L.L.P, with offices at 17130 Arvida Pkwy., Ste. 1, Weston, telephone (954) 659-8383. He practices in the areas of medical malpractice defense, dental malpractice defense, nursing home...

David Pratt and Associates, P.A.(On the Move)
August 1, 2003... Alyssa R. Feder has joined David Pratt and Associates, P.A., with offices in Boca Raton, Boynton Beach and West Palm Beach. She practices in the areas of estate planning, estate and gift taxation, and probate and trust administration.

Rafferty, Hart, Stolzenberg, Gelles & Tenenholtz, P.A.(On the Move)
August 1, 2003... Brian A. Hart and Brian S. Tenenholtz have become members of the newly named Rafferty, Hart, Stolzenberg, Gelles & Tenenholtz, P.A., with new offices located at 1401 Brickell Ave. Ste. 825, Miami, telephone (305) 373-0330. Hart concentrates in...

Fifth Circuit talks ethics.
August 1, 2003... Lawyers and judges in the Fifth Circuit recently took time out to discuss professionalism. Justice Raoul Cantero, Second Circuit Judge Terry Lewis, and Blah Teagle, director of The Florida Bar Center for Professionalism, taught another in...

Catholic Volunteers seek new law grads.
August 1, 2003... Catholic Volunteers in Florida is now seeking recent law graduates interested in attaining a one year placement, or fellowship, with a nonprofit legal organization. "During the year, these full-time volunteers receive a stipend while their...

Broward County YLS raises money for kids.
August 1, 2003... The Young Lawyers Section of the Broward County Bar Association recently held its first Bowl-A-Thon and raised more than $7,000 for the benefit of the Starlight Children's Foundation. The funds were presented to Jane Gutterman, Alison...

American Immigration Lawyer Association.(News and Notes)
August 1, 2003... Summer L. McDonald, of Hackley and Serrone, Weston, has been appointed as the Liaison for the American Immigration Lawyer Association's (AILA) South Florida Young Lawyer Division Chapter.

Jonathan T. Levy.(News and Notes)
August 1, 2003... Jonathan T. Levy, of Rosenthal and Weissman, P.A., served as committee chair for Seagull Industries, for the Disabled Silver Cup Golf Tournament, held in West Palm Beach.

Thomas O. Katz.(News and Notes)
August 1, 2003... Thomas O. Katz, of Ruden, McClosky, Smith, Schuster & Russell, P.A., addressed the Planned Giving Committee of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Southern Florida. He spoke on the topic of Strategic Charitable Planning-Charitable Lead Trusts: The...

Hillsborough County Bar Association.(News and Notes)
August 1, 2003... Dennis McClelland, of Holland & Knight, has been installed as president of the Young Lawyer Division of the Hillsborough County Bar Association.

Florida International Bankers Association.(News and Notes)
August 1, 2003... Clemente Vazquez-Bello, of Gunster Yoakley, Miami, has been re-appointed as general counsel for the Florida International Bankers Association.

Attorneys' Title Insurance Fund.(News and Notes)
August 1, 2003... G. Thomas Smith, of Smith, Sauer & DeMaria, has been elected to a three-year term as trustee for the Attorneys' Title Insurance Fund, representing the First Judicial Circuit. He has also been elected to serve on the board of directors of the...

Dennis M. Stotts.(News and Notes)
August 1, 2003... Dennis M. Stotts, of Katz, Barron, Squitero, Faust & Boyd, P.A., Miami, helped teach a course titled Environmental Permitting and Enforcement Update, at the Florida Chamber's Environmental Permitting Summer School, in Marco Island.

Gary Resnick.(News and Notes)
August 1, 2003... Gary Resnick, of Weiss Scrota Helfman Pastoriza Guedes Cole & Boniske, P.A., spoke recently in Baltimore at a seminar sponsored by Law Seminars International on the topic of Municipal Broadband.

Mark F. Grant.(News and Notes)
August 1, 2003... Mark F. Grant, of Ruden, McClosky, Smith, Schuster & Russell, P.A., was awarded the Jack and Lilyan Mandel Human Resource Development Award by the United Jewish Community of Broward County.

Lori T. Milvain.(News and Notes)
August 1, 2003... Lori T. Milvain, a partner of Gronek & Latham, LLP, Orlando, was sworn in as the 2003-04 president of the Central Florida Association for Women Lawyers.

Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers.(News and Notes)
August 1, 2003... Stuart N. Ratzan, of Ratzan & Alters, has been elected to the board of directors of the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers.

Michael Cohen.(News and Notes)
August 1, 2003... Michael Cohen made a presentation titled The Role of Judges in Addressing the Issue of Impairment in the Legal Profession, to the Circuit Court Judges' Conference in Orlando. He also made a presentation on Overcoming Obstacles to Implementing...

Neil Rambana and Elizabeth Ricci of Rambana & Ricci, P.A., were appointed co-chairs of the Tallahassee Bar Association's Membership Committee.(News and Notes)
August 1, 2003... Neil Rambana and Elizabeth Ricci of Rambana & Ricci, P.A., were appointed co-chairs of the Tallahassee Bar Association's Membership Committee. Rambana also was elected for a three-year term to the board of The 21st Century Council, a non-profit...

University of Miami's Law Alumni Association.(News and Notes)
August 1, 2003... Lucinda A. Hofmann, of Holland & Knight LLP, Miami, has been elected to serve a two-year term on the board of directors of the University of Miami's Law Alumni Association.

David A. Gast.(News and Notes)
August 1, 2003... David A. Gast, of Malloy and Malloy P.A., lectured on the topic of Protection of Intellectual Property Rights in the U.S., to foreign dignitaries invited by the U.S. Embassies as part of the International Visitor Program sponsored by the U.S....

Mary Li Creasy.(News and Notes)
August 1, 2003... Mary Li Creasy, of Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLC, has been invited to join the American Arbitration Association's (AAA) panel of neutrals.

Nathaniel L. Doliner.(News and Notes)
August 1, 2003... Nathaniel L. Doliner, of Carlton Fields, Tampa, was a speaker at, and a member of the planning committee for, an international institute on mergers and acquisitions in Paris.

University of Miami School of Law Alumni Association.(News and Notes)
August 1, 2003... Eric L. Lundt, of Heinrich Gordon Hargrove Weihe & James, P.A., Ft. Lauderdale, has been elected to the University of Miami School of Law Alumni Association board of directors.

Broward County Bar Association.(News and Notes)
August 1, 2003... Eric K. Gabrielle, of Akerman Senterfitt, Ft. Lauderdale, has been appointed chair of the Employment Law Section of the Broward County Bar Association.

St. Petersburg Bar Association.(News and Notes)
August 1, 2003... David J. Abbey, of Abbey, Adams, Byelick, Kiernan, Mueller & Lancaster, LLP, has been installed as president of the St. Petersburg Bar Association.

Mark Kamp.(News and Notes)
August 1, 2003... Mark Kamp, of Edwards & Angell, LLP, spoke on the topic of Pitfalls in Software Licensing-Make Sure Your License Gets You What You Need, at the Licensing Executives Society, Florida Chapter, in Delray Beach.

Bruce A. Weihe.(News and Notes)
August 1, 2003... Bruce A. Weihe, of Heinrich Gordon Hargrove Weihe & James, P.A., Ft. Lauderdale, has received the Davidson College Alumni Service Award.

Steven E. Eisenberg.(News and Notes)
August 1, 2003... Steven E. Eisenberg presented a Florida Bar continuing legal education seminar titled Where Have We Been and Where Are We Going, an entertainment case law update, at the Entertainment and Sports Law Section's Annual Meeting in Naples. He also...

Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce.(News and Notes)
August 1, 2003... J. David Pena, of Ruden, McClosky, Smith, Schuster & Russell, P.A., has been appointed to a two-year term on the board of governors, of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce.

Inter-American Bar Association.(News and Notes)
August 1, 2003... Renaldy J. Gutierrez, of Gutierrez & Associates, Miami, was elected secretary of the executive committee of the Inter-American Bar Association, at the AIBA's Annual Conference held this year in New Orleans, Louisiana.