Florida Bar News articles from August 2006

Florida Bar News archives from August 2006

Metadata and other electronic realities facing lawyers today.
August 1, 2006... Metadata can be your friend during discovery in a lawsuit, your enemy if it reveals otherwise confidential client or work product information, and is certainly a sign that lawyers are going to have to be even more technologically savvy. "I...

The Florida Bar Foundation by the numbers.(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... 61: Legal aid attorneys receiving Foundation loan-repayment assistance in 2006. 15: Foundation funded civil legal clinics at Florida law schools. 45: Equal Justice Works Fellowships the Foundation and its partners have provided since...

Lewis: the time is now to make access a priority.(Fred Lewis)
August 1, 2006... Dealing with challenges faced by his 21-year-old daughter Lindsay's disability caused by a metabolic disorder, Chief Justice Fred Lewis said his family's motto is: "We do not want your pity. We do not need your pity. Just remove those...

Manatee sets up e-access to court records pilot program: court expresses concern about balancing access and privacy.
August 1, 2006... Manatee County Clerk of Circuit Court R.B. "Chips" Shore made an offer the Florida Supreme Court could not refuse. This pioneer in paperless courts will conduct a one-year pilot program for electronic access to court records, using...

55 new judges will be elected: petition to let governor fill the openings rejected.
August 1, 2006... The Florida Supreme Court has denied an unusual petition from the 11th Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission, which asked the court to halt the elections this fall for 55 new county and circuit judges and instead let Gov. Jeb Bush fill those...

Removing barriers to the legal profession for lawyers with disabilities: 'he assumed I could not be a lawyer because I was in a wheelchair'.
August 1, 2006... George Richards was sitting behind a podium in a courtroom when the judge admonished: "Stand up when you are addressing this court." Rolling his wheelchair out from behind the podium, Richards said, "Judge, I would love to." Richards...

Rock, paper, scissors.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
August 1, 2006... This letter is my only public comment on the "rock, paper, scissors" order. I speak for myself and my law firm, not my client. I write to correct several misstatements of facts in your July 1 article. The dispute was not that I "wanted to...

Errata.(Letters)(Correction notice)
August 1, 2006... Due to an editing error, Miami Heat basketball star Dwyane Wade's name was misspelled in a story in the July 15 News. In the same story, Bar President-elect Frank Ramon Angones' middle name was misspelled and he graduated from LaSalle High...

Lawyers' fees.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
August 1, 2006... Abraham Lincoln is reputed to have said: "A lawyer's time is his stock in trade." That statement is no longer true in Florida. In one area of law this year, and maybe many areas of law to come in the future, the prevailing lawyer will have...

Judicial discipline.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
August 1, 2006... I was more than surprised when I read in the June 15 News that one judge had been kicked out of the judiciary due to disseminating some misleading campaign literature and accepting what amounted to a possibly illegal campaign contribution from...

U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to amend operating procedures.(Public notice)
August 1, 2006... Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. [section] 2071 (b), notice and opportunity for comment is hereby given of proposed amendments to the Rules and Internal Operating Procedures of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, and of proposed amendments to...

Lawyers needed for new certification committees: the areas are State and Federal Government and Administrative Practice Certification and Intellectual Property Law Certification.(Notice)
August 1, 2006... Members interested in serving on the inaugural nine-member committees for State and Federal Government and Administrative Practice Certification or for Intellectual Property Law Certification should send a letter and resume to Bar President...

There is still time to renew U.S. Middle District membership.(Public notice)
August 1, 2006... While U.S. Middle District of Florida Bar renewals were due July 15, late forms and fees will be accepted without penalty if postmarked on or before August 31. Late renewal forms and fees will be accepted through the month of September as...

Court amends discipline rules.(Public notice)
August 1, 2006... Effective August 1, the Florida Supreme Court has amended Bar rules affecting the' suspension of lawyers convicted of felonies and when those charged with crimes must report that to the Bar. The amendments affect Rule 3-5.2 and Rule 3-7.2...

Cox seeks Bar reinstatement.(Notice)
August 1, 2006... Pursuant to Bar Rule 3-7.10, Kevin Poston Cox has petitioned the Supreme Court of Florida for Bar reinstatement. Pursuant to a court order, Cox was suspended from practice of law for one year effective June 1, 2005 for misconduct involving...

Kassier seeks reinstatement.(Public notice)
August 1, 2006... Pursuant to Rule 3-7.10, Andrew Michael Kassier has petitioned the Florida Supreme Court for Bar reinstatement. On November 25, 1998, Kassier was suspended for one year due to trust account violations. Any persons having knowledge...

Arcia seeks Bar reinstatement.(Notice)
August 1, 2006... Pursuant to Rule 3-7.10, Omar Javier Arcia, has petitioned the Florida Supreme Court for Bar reinstatement from a rehabilitative suspension. This suspension was effective July 31, .2003, and was for a period of three years as a result of...

Mason seeks Bar reinstatement.(Notice)
August 1, 2006... Pursuant to Rule 3-7.10, Lavenia Dianne Mason has petitioned the Florida Supreme Court for Bar reinstatement. On August 29, 2002, Mason was suspended for two years, nunc pro tunc to April 13, 2002, due to trust account violations. Any...

Court approves two new certification areas: certification offered in intellectual property law and state and federal government and administrative practice.(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... The Florida Supreme Court recently established intellectual property law and state and federal government and administrative practice as the 21st and 22nd substantive areas of law now available to attorneys for board certification. ...

Goodlette praised for public service.
August 1, 2006... At The Florida Bar Annual Convention in Boca Raton, Rep. Dudley Goodlette, R-Naples, was recognized by outgoing President Alan Bookman "for outstanding contributions in fostering the delivery of justice to the people of Florida throughout his...

Bar mails merit retention poll.(The Florida Bar)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Supreme Court Chief Justice Fred Lewis, Justice Barbara Pariente, and Justice Peggy Quince lead the list of 20 appellate judges who will be on the merit retention ballot this fall. Voters will be asked whether the justices and the DCA...

Wells pushes professionalism.(Charlie Wells )
August 1, 2006... When Justice Charlie Wells began his career ill 350-1awyer Orlando in the mid '60s there wasn't a lot of need for professionalism efforts to keep the small community of lawyers in line--because most everyone knew each other. But now with...

Court interpreter certification rules.(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... The Florida Supreme Court has adopted new rules for the certification and regulation of court interpreters, and has given time for those interested to comment on the rules. The court noted that the Supreme Court Interpreter's Committee...

Labor & Employment Law Section reaches out to future lawyers.(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... The Labor and Employment Law Section is doing a lot of outreach these days --to law students, lawyers, and judges. "We've got a number of outreaches," section Chair Damon Kitchen said as the section Executive Council met at the June Bar...

Committee considers specific rules for electronic discovery.
August 1, 2006... Should Florida's Rules of Civil Procedure be amended to differentiate between traditional discovery and electronic discovery in light of the huge amount of e-data being generated today? That's the question the Civil Procedure Rules...

St. Thomas University School.(honors Alan Bookman at The Florida Bar's annual meeting )(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... ST. THOMAS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL of Law honored outgoing Bar President Alan Bookman at a reception held during The Florida Bar's Annual Meeting in Boca Raton. "It is an honor to recognize Alan Bookman for his stellar accomplishments in the legal...

Judge Ralph Artigliere.
August 1, 2006... JUDGE RALPH ARTIGLIERE, right, received The Florida Bar Standing Committee on Professionalism's William M. Hoeveler Judicial Award from Justice Raoul G. Cantero at the Annual Convention in Boca Raton. In nominating Artigliere, fellow 10th...

Court panel continues work on eliminating biases.
August 1, 2006... Survey data shows that 55 percent of Florida lawyers say the courts do not treat the wealthy and poor alike, and 45 percent of Hispanic lawyers and 56 percent of black lawyers disagreed with the statement "courts treat whites and minorities...

Disciplinary actions.
August 1, 2006... The Florida Supreme Court in recent court orders reprimanded three, disbarred nine, and suspended 13 attorneys. The following lawyers are disciplined: Thomas Marvin Alford, 511 Courthouse Ln., Augusta, Ga., suspended from practicing...

Court reprimands Downey: accepts stipulation that ends his judicial career in January.(Brandt C. Downey III)
August 1, 2006... The Florida Supreme Court has ordered the public reprimand of Sixth Circuit Judge Brandt C. Downey III and accepted his stipulation that he will not run for reelection or seek judicial office again when his current term expires in January. ...

Find good people, then train them.(Practice Tips)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... The scarcest commodity in the law practice today is not clients, technology sophistication, or even capital resources. It's good people. With a shortage of available skilled talent, it is more important than ever to "hire for...

Lack of independence is the hallmark of totalitarianism: 'unless lawyers are free to advance arguments that circumscribe the powers of government, there is no freedom'.
August 1, 2006... With the independence of lawyers and judges coming under attack in democracies, it's worth remembering that the lack of that freedom is one of the hallmarks of totalitarian and repressive governments around the globe. Canadian barrister...

Negron says taking care of the judiciary was a priority.(Joe Negron)
August 1, 2006... Saying he is not from the "trash the judiciary wing of the Republican party," Rep. Joe Negron told those gathered at the Business Law Section luncheon at the Bar Annual Convention that he did everything in his power as chair of the House...

Environmental and land use law treatise posted.(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... The Environmental and Land Use Law Section has completed a major program that it hopes will both be useful to Bar members and boost section membership. "Our big project this year was putting our Environmental Treatise on environmental law...

Visually impaired lawyers gather in Jacksonville.(American Association of Visually Impaired Attorneys)
August 1, 2006... Long before The Florida Bar launched its initiative for lawyers with disabilities, there was the American Association of Visually Impaired Attorneys, formerly known as the American Blind Lawyers Association, formed in 1969. James Kracht,...

S. Court sets out plan to determine when more DCA judges are needed.(District Court of Appeal )(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... The Supreme Court has approved a new rule of Judicial Administration setting out a case-weighted procedure for determining when new judges are needed on district courts of appeal. The court, in a July 6 opinion, said the changes follow the...

Proposed court interpreters rules.(Notice)
August 1, 2006... The Florida Supreme Court recently adopted the Florida Rules for Certification and Regulation of Court Interpreters and new Florida Rule of Judicial Administration 2.073, Appointment of Interpreters for Non-English-Speaking Persons, in response...

Amendments to the rules of admission.(Notice)
August 1, 2006... The Florida Board of Bar Examiners has filed a petition with the Florida Supreme Court proposing amendments to the Rules of the Supreme Court Relating to Admissions to The Florida Bar. According to the petition, the proposed amendments are...

Proposed appellate procedure rule.(Notice)
August 1, 2006... The Florida Supreme Court seeks comments on proposed new Florida Rule of Appellate Procedure 9.510, Advisory Opinions to Attorney General, which the Court is proposing sua sponte. The Court invites all interested persons to comment on the...

Genovese Joblove & Battista.(News and Notes)
August 1, 2006... Nina Greene Kersh of Genovese Joblove & Battista in Miami was appointed chair of the South Florida Chapter of the Women's Franchise Network.

Roetzel & Andress: Robert D. Pritt.(News and Notes)
August 1, 2006... Robert D. Pritt of Roetzel & Andress was elected president of the Florida Council of Bar Association Presidents.

Roetzel & Andress: Thomas P. Wert.(News and Notes)
August 1, 2006... Thomas P. Wert of Roetzel & Andress was installed as president of the Orange County Bar Association in a ceremony in Orlando.

Fowler White Boggs Banker.(News and Notes)
August 1, 2006... Mitchell A. Cohen of Fowler White Boggs Banker was appointed chair of the Client Relations Practice Committee of the Palm Beach County Bar Association.

Betsy Ellwanger Gallagher.(News and Notes)
August 1, 2006... Betsy Ellwanger Gallagher of Kubicki Draper spoke at the 10th Annual Florida Liability Claims Conference on "Preserving the Record on Appeal or How to Keep Your Appellate Lawyer Employed." She also wrote a chapter in the Florida Defense Lawyers...

Edrick E. Barnes.(News and Notes)
August 1, 2006... Edrick E. Barnes of Liggio, Benrubi & Williams in West Palm Beach served as a panelist at the Palm Beach County Bar Association's 15th Annual Professionalism Seminar. Barnes spoke on the perspectives of minority attorneys. Healso was elected to...

Kimberly Kolback.(News and Notes)
August 1, 2006... Kimberly Kolback of Miami lectured on film facility and venue contracting at the Jacksonville Film Festival.

Allison Bernstein.(News and Notes)
August 1, 2006... Allison Bernstein of Cole, Scott & Kissane in West Palm Beach published "A Survey of Section 57.105, Florida Statutes: Effective Use of this Powerful Statute and How to Avoid Its Consequences," that will appear in the Summer 2006 edition of the...

Dennis J. Wall.(News and Notes)
August 1, 2006... Dennis J. Wall of Winter Springs wrote a 2006 supplement to his book Litigation and Prevention of Insurer Bad Faith, published by West Publishing Company and now in its second edition

Theodore C. Taub.(News and Notes)
August 1, 2006... Theodore C. Taub of Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick will deliver the Annual Richard F. Babcock Faculty Keynote Address at ALI ABA's 22nd Annual Land Use Institute in Chicago.

Lytal, Reiter, Clark, Fountain and Williams.(Scott B. Smith elected to the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers board of directors )(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Scott B. Smith of Lytal, Reiter, Clark, Fountain and Williams was elected to the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers Board of Directors at its annual convention in Hollywood.

Boca Raton.(News and Notes)
August 1, 2006... David P. Slater of Boca Raton has been selected by Lorman Business Services to participate in its CLE lecture on landlord and tenant law in West Palm Beach.

William W. Corry.(News and Notes)
August 1, 2006... William W. Corry of Tallahassee served as the moderator at the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers 2006 Member Appreciation Luncheon at the Governor's Club in Tallahassee.

Ft. Valley.(News and Notes)
August 1, 2006... Dr. Canter Brown, Jr., of Ft. Valley was named special assistant and counsel to the president and a professor of history at Fort Valley State University in Georgia, a historically black university.

Alice Reiter Feld.(News and Notes)
August 1, 2006... Alice Reiter Feld of Tamarac presented "Legal Issues Concerning Cancer Patients" at Holy Cross Hospital's Michael and Dianne Bienes Comprehensive Cancer Center in Ft. Lauderdale as part of a patient education program sponsored by The Leukemia &...

Markowitz, Davis, Ringel & Trusty.(News and Notes)
August 1, 2006... Ross R. Hartog of Markowitz, Davis, Ringel & Trusty was named president-elect of the Bankruptcy Bar Association for the Southern District of Florida.

Justice Peggy Quince and Judges Faye Allen, Alicia Latimer, Karla Wright, and Magistrate Odessia Y. Joyner were recently honored at the Paul C. Perkins Bar Association's Second Annual Judicial Reception in Orlando.(News and Notes)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Justice Peggy Quince and Judges Faye Allen, Alicia Latimer, Karla Wright, and Magistrate Odessia Y. Joyner were recently honored at the Paul C. Perkins Bar Association's Second Annual Judicial Reception in Orlando. Each jurist was either the...

Michael A. Haggard.(News and Notes)
August 1, 2006... Michael A. Haggard of Haggard, Parks, Haggard & Lewis recently spoke about plaintiffs' opening statements at the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers' 2006 Civil Litigation for Paralegals and Legal Assistants Seminar.

Dean Mead.(News and Notes)
August 1, 2006... Dennis G. Corrick, of Dean Mead was elected chair of the United Way of St. Lucie County.

Stuart Altman.(News and Notes)
August 1, 2006... Stuart Altman of Fowler White Burnett chaired the 25th Annual Attorney Trust Officer Liaison Conference at the Ritz-Carlton in Naples.

Genovese Joblove & Battista opened a Ft. Lauderdale office for its white collar litigation and bankruptcy practice which will be led by new partners Marc Nurik, Thomas Messana, and Theresa Van Vliet.(On the Move)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Genovese Joblove & Battista opened a Ft. Lauderdale office for its white collar litigation and bankruptcy practice which will be led by new partners Marc Nurik, Thomas Messana, and Theresa Van Vliet. The new office is located at 200 East...

Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge.(elects Gregory E. Young as partner-in-charge )(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge has elected Gregory E. Young, partner-in-charge of the firm's Florida offices, to serve on its 15-member executive committee. Young will be responsible for directing the firm's strategic and long-range planning,...

Florida Commission on Ethics.(On the Move)
August 1, 2006... Tom Scarritt of Tampa was reappointed to the Florida Commission on Ethics by House Speaker Allan Bense.

Jonathan Ross Sacks joined McGuireWoods in Jacksonville as an associate in the corporate services department.(On the Move)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Jonathan Ross Sacks joined McGuireWoods in Jacksonville as an associate in the corporate services department, where he will focus his practice on finance and securities, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and private equity.

Cole, Scott & Kissane.(On the Move)
August 1, 2006... Robert E. O'Quinn, managing attorney for Cole, Scott & Kissane's Jacksonville office, was appointed to the Fourth Circiut Judicial Nominating Commission by Gov. Jeb Bush.

Donna B. DeVaney joined Merlin Law Group's Tampa office.(On the Move)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Donna B. DeVaney joined Merlin Law Group's Tampa office. DeVaney will represent insurance policyholders in the areas of insurance claim presentation and litigation, insurance claim disputes, and insurance bad faith litigation.

Richard B. Turnbow joined Avera & Avera.(On the Move)
August 1, 2006... Richard B. Turnbow joined Avera & Avera as an administrator.

Scott A. Haas opened Scott A. Haas, P.A. in Tampa.(On the Move)
August 1, 2006... Scott A. Haas opened Scott A. Haas, P.A. in Tampa. The firm will concentrate on commercial litigation and collections and construction/real estate litigation.

Albert J. Ferrera and Thomas J. Valdez joined Quintairos, Prieto, Wood & Boyer as partners in Tampa.(On the Move)
August 1, 2006... Albert J. Ferrera and Thomas J. Valdez joined Quintairos, Prieto, Wood & Boyer as partners in Tampa and Dorothy Venable DiFiore and Thomas W. Caufman joined as associates in Tampa.

Allan B. Kaiser formed Allan B. Kaiser, P.L.L.C., at 1401 Brickell Avenue, Ste. 1000, Miami 33131.(On the Move)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Allan B. Kaiser formed Allan B. Kaiser, P.L.L.C., at 1401 Brickell Avenue, Ste. 1000, Miami 33131. The phone number is (305) 858-5700 and the fax number is (305) 577-9712. The firm will focus on criminal defense in both state and federal...

Melissa VanSickle Hornsby joined The St. Joe Company in Tallahassee.(On the Move)
August 1, 2006... Melissa VanSickle Hornsby joined The St. Joe Company in Tallahassee as counsel for towns and resorts in Leon and Franklin counties.

Randall W. Lord of Jackson Lewis has joined the Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Central Florida.(On the Move)
August 1, 2006... Randall W. Lord of Jackson Lewis has joined the Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Central Florida's board of directors.

Unicorp National Developments, Inc.(On the Move)
August 1, 2006... Paul H. McLester has been named general counsel at Unicorp National Developments, Inc., which specializes in retail, residential, and resort developments.

Ashley N. Rosenthal, joined The Rosenthal Law Firm.(On the Move)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Ashley N. Rosenthal, joined The Rosenthal Law Firm, which has moved its offices to 212 Pasadena Place, Ste A in Orlando 32803. The phone number is (407) 488-1220 and the fax number is (407) 488-1221.

S. Grier Wells joined Gray Robinson's Jacksonville office as a shareholder and executive partner.(On the Move)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... S. Grier Wells joined Gray Robinson's Jacksonville office as a shareholder and executive partner. Wells concentrates his practice in the areas of alternative dispute resolution, construction litigation, employment litigation and insurance...

Robert A. Soriano and Eric Adams joined Shutts & Bowen.(On the Move)
August 1, 2006... Robert A. Soriano and Eric Adams joined Shutts & Bowen's Tampa office.

Joseph M. Grant, Ruben E. Socarras and Andrew A. Norden have joined Hodkin Kopelowitz Ostrow.(On the Move)
August 1, 2006... Joseph M. Grant, Ruben E. Socarras and Andrew A. Norden have joined Hodkin Kopelowitz Ostrow as associates.

Akerman Senterfitt.(On the Move)
August 1, 2006... Akerman Senterfitt has appointed litigation attorney Wesley A. Lauer to business manager in its West Palm Beach office. Lauer's duties include responsibility for all administrative, professional, operational, and business issues.

Michael A. Rodriguez joined Greenspoon Marder's West Palm Beach office as an associate.(On the Move)
August 1, 2006... Michael A. Rodriguez joined Greenspoon Marder's West Palm Beach office as an associate. Rodriguez's practice areas include land use/zoning, administrative and local government issues.

Samuel B. Dolcimascolo and Bryan D. Hull have joined Bush Ross in Tampa.(Bush Ross Gardner Warren and Rudy)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Samuel B. Dolcimascolo and Bryan D. Hull have joined Bush Ross in Tampa. Hull will practice in the commercial litigation and dispute resolution practice group as an associate, while Dolcimascolo will focus primarily on federal estate and gift...

McEwan, Martinez & Dukes.(Richard L. Barry, Ramon A. Castillo appointed)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Richard L. Barry was named a member of McEwan, Martinez & Dukes and will continue to practice professional and general liability defense. Ramon A. Castillo joined the firm as an associate.

Douglas McCarron joined Haggard, Parks, Haggard & Lewis in Coral Gables.(On the Move)
August 1, 2006... Douglas McCarron joined Haggard, Parks, Haggard & Lewis in Coral Gables. McCarron will handle cases involving negligent security, wrongful death, and other personal injury cases.

Mark P. Rankin and Robert E. Jaffe joined the Carlton Fields' Tampa office.(On the Move)
August 1, 2006... Mark P. Rankin and Robert E. Jaffe joined the Carlton Fields' Tampa office as members of its white collar crime and government investigations practice group.

Mark D. Greenberg and Leonor M. Lagomasino joined Carlton Fields' Miami office.(On the Move)
August 1, 2006... Mark D. Greenberg and Leonor M. Lagomasino joined Carlton Fields' Miami office as shareholders.

Kathleen S. McLeroy of Carlton Fields' Tampa office has been certified by the Supreme Court of Florida as a county and circuit civil mediator.(On the Move)
August 1, 2006... Kathleen S. McLeroy of Carlton Fields' Tampa office has been certified by the Supreme Court of Florida as a county and circuit civil mediator.