Florida Bar News articles from October 2005

Florida Bar News archives from October 2005

Court acts to aid attorneys displaced by Katrina's fury; Florida's legal community musters storm relief efforts.
October 1, 2005... With half of the practicing lawyers in Louisiana uprooted by Hurricane Katrina, and still more along the Mississippi coast, many found refuge in Florida and want to continue working. To help those evacuated attorneys, The Florida Bar...

Rules panel asks court to remove DNA deadlines.
October 1, 2005... The Florida Supreme Court is being asked to remove the deadline for convicted inmates to request DNA testing in an effort to prove their innocence. Meeting 22 days before that deadline was set to expire, the Criminal Procedure Rules...

Outreach panel to set obtainable goals.
October 1, 2005... Created to draw a broader cross-section of Florida lawyers into Bar activities, the Membership Outreach Committee now plans to narrow its focus. Specifically: To work to encourage more racially and ethnically diverse lawyers to become involved...

Paralegal study panel discusses regulatory issues; a public hearing on regulating paralegals is slated for Tampa.
October 1, 2005... If paralegals are to be regulated, the entity to do it should be The Florida Bar under the auspices of the Supreme Court. That was the general consensus of the Bar's Special Committee to Study Paralegal Regulation when it met face to face...

Posting CLE credits online is catching on.
October 1, 2005... Florida Bar members are now being strongly encouraged to post their CLE credits online by logging on to floridabar.org. Course scan cards are in the process of being phased-out. The new CLE credit posting feature came online in April, just...

Supreme Court celebrates Constitution Day.('A Republic, If You Can Keep It')
October 1, 2005... A jazzy gospel rendition of "America" from golden-voiced Fred Lee bounced off the walls the courtroom, bringing chills and tears to Chief Justice Barbara Pariente. Ben Franklin--a.k.a. Lloyd Wheeler of History Alive Productions--just...

Want to help pick Florida judges? Panel seeks minority lawyers interested in JNC appointments.
October 1, 2005... Panel seeks minority lawyers interested in JNC appointments The Membership Outreach Committee is seeking minority attorneys who want a shot at serving on one of the state's 26 judicial nominating commissions. While the Board of Governors...

Kids in adult prison.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2005... It was good for the News to recognize the good work of the Children's Advocacy Center of Florida State University College of Law. But aren't we missing something here? It is an outrage to have children as young as 13 in an adult prison....

Representing 'the People'.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2005... As a prosecutor, I was outraged by the shallow generalizations and biased conclusions made by Sandy D'Alemberte, as reported in the August 15 News article "Lawyers Must Retain Their Link to the People." According to D'Alemberte, only...

The name game.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2005... The August 15, News column about practicing law under one's "official Bar name" had me scrambling to discover whether I was in compliance with the rule. I must confess I have never practiced in 26 years using my full middle name, merely the...

Hurricane Katrina.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2005... While there is plenty of blame to go around for what has gone wrong with Hurricane Katrina, it is not a particular person or a particular agency that fell down. Our very notion of government failed us. Listening to the heart-wrenching...

Board to make appointments in December.(Notice)
October 1, 2005... The Board of Governors is seeking applicants for the following vacancies to be filled during its December 16 meeting: Florida Rural Legal Services, Inc., Board of Directors: One attorney to serve a three-year term on its 19-member board of...

Art. V Tech Board sets plans for permanent court computer panel; to deal with security, access, and compliance issues.
October 1, 2005... The Florida Bar should have a voice on the 11-member governance board of the permanent statewide group charged to oversee an integrated court computer system, and the Florida Supreme Court chief justice should appoint its chair. Those were...

The Asian Pacific American Bar Association.
October 1, 2005... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: THE ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION of South Florida recently held a gathering in Coral Gables that featured invited judges. The members of APABASF had the opportunity to interact with the judiciary...

Florida Bar's investments have a strong third quarter.
October 1, 2005... The Florida Bar has had excellent returns on its investments in the third quarter of the year. Investment Committee Chair Ian Comisky reported to the Bar Board of Governors recently that from the end of June through August 16, the Bar's...

Applications being accepted for U.S. Attorney for the Southern District.
October 1, 2005... Applications are now being accepted to fill the position of United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. Applications are available from Michael J. Grindstaff, commission chair, P.O. Box 4956, Orlando 328024956, telephone...

P.B. County Bar launches Minority Initiative Program.
October 1, 2005... The Palm Beach County Bar Association recently established its first Minority Initiative Program for students from four regional law schools including Nova Southeastern University, St. Thomas University, the University of Miami, and Florida...

Board Certification program aimed at government lawyers is in the works.
October 1, 2005... The Government Lawyer Section, with consultation from the Administrative Law and the Environmental and Land Use Law sections, is pursuing the first certification program aimed at government attorneys. Section Chair Pamela Chichon told the...

YLD to meet with government lawyers to discuss basic skills course requirements; The Young Lawyers Division is also encouraging new lawyers' involvement in Bar activities.
October 1, 2005... The Young Lawyers Division is planning to meet with government lawyers who object to losing their deferment from taking Practicing With Professionalism courses and is working on a brochure to encourage law students to become involved in Bar...

Rivera to lead Puerto Rican Bar of Florida.
October 1, 2005... The Puerto Rican Bar Association of Florida will host its Third Annual Dinner and Installation Gala in celebration of the Discovery of Puerto Rico Day November 19 beginning at 7 p.m. at the Trump International Sonesta Beach Resort on Collins...

Certified legal assistant course set for November.
October 1, 2005... The Certified Florida Legal Assistant Review Course set for the University of Central Florida on November 19 will also be given at the same location on November 20. The CFLA exam is the Florida complement to the National Association of...

Basic Skills Course Requirement (BSCR) Notice.
October 1, 2005... Effective May 12, 2005, the Supreme Court of Florida amended Rule 6-12, Rules Regulating The Florida Bar. This rule governs the Basic Skills Course Requirement (BSCR) for new Bar members. See In Re: Amendments to the Rules Regulating The...

Bar pledges better services for its sections.
October 1, 2005... The Florida Bar cares about Bar sections and is committed to improving ties and providing better services. Bar President Alan Bookman and President-elect Hank Coxe brought that message to the Board of Governors' August 27 retreat in St....

Hopping receives Sadowski Award.
October 1, 2005... Wade L. Hopping was presented with the Bill Sadowski Memorial Outstanding Service Award by the Environmental and Land Use Law Section. The award recognizes outstanding service to ELULS and to the field of environmental/land use law. Hopping...

Changes to the Rules of Criminal Procedure.(Notice)
October 1, 2005... The Florida Supreme Court's Criminal Court Steering Committee has submitted to the Court a report proposing amendments to Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.851, Collateral Relief After Death Sentence Has Been Imposed and Affirmed on Direct...

Proposed juvenile procedure rules.(Notice)
October 1, 2005... The Juvenile Court Rules Committee invites comment on proposed two-year cycle amendments to the Florida Rules of Juvenile Procedure shown below. The proposed amendments will be filed with the court by February 1, 2006. The full text of the...

Commission on Capital Cases slates October 14-15 seminar.(Notice)
October 1, 2005... Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Barbara Pariente and Supreme Court Clerk Tom Hall will be among the speakers at the Sixth Annual Advanced Capital Cases Seminar, sponsored by the Florida Legislature's Commission on Capital Cases. The...

Proposed jury innovation amendments.(Notice)
October 1, 2005... In Administrative Order In re: Final Report of the Jury Innovations Committee, Fla. Admin. Order No. AOSC03-04 (Oct. 17, 2003), the Florida Supreme Court referred a number of the recommendations contained in the 2001 Report of the Jury...

Proposed Code and Rules of Evidence.(Notice)
October 1, 2005... The Code and Rules of Evidence Committee invites comment on the proposed two-year cycle amendments to the Florida Code and Rules of Evidence shown below. After reviewing comments received in response to this publication, the committee will make...

Board makes budget amendments.(Notice)
October 1, 2005... The Bar Board of Governors approved several changes to the Bar's 2005-06 budget at its August meeting, at the recommendation of the Budget Committee. Changes include: * A net increase in income of $245,625 from the $250 fee that will...

Senior judge pens Timucuan novel.
October 1, 2005... Senior Judge Fredric M. Hitt has written a historical novel, Wekiva Winter, detailing the struggles of the Timucua Indians of Florida and South Georgia to survive the European onslaught of the 1500s. "Too much spare time is a dangerous...

Amendments would deal with convicted lawyers: the proposed changes would speed the Bar's disciplinary process.
October 1, 2005... Rule amendments clarifying regulations affecting lawyers who have been convicted of misdemeanors or felonies have been approved by the Board of Governors. However, the board, following advice from the Disciplinary Procedure Committee,...

Judicial Independence Committee to look in new directions.
October 1, 2005... The Bar's Judicial Independence Committee heard more conflicting testimony about whether there are problems with the judicial nominating commission process and has decided, for the moment, to put the issue on the back burner. Members,...

Disciplinary actions.
October 1, 2005... The Florida Supreme Court in recent court orders suspended four, reprimanded two, and accepted the resignation of one attorney. The following lawyers are disciplined: Nell Eisenstein, 8580 NW 36th St., Apt. 303, Sunrise, suspended from...

Lawyer Referral Service picks up two counties.
October 1, 2005... The Florida Bar's Lawyer Referral Service will be taking over the referral operations for Okaloosa and Walton counties after the Escambia/Santa Rosa County Bar Association decided it would no longer provide service for those counties. The...

Faehner, Jacobson win appointments.
October 1, 2005... The Bar Board of Governors made an appointment to The Florida Bar Foundation Board of Directors and to the Statewide Nominating Commission for Judges of Compensation Claims at its August meeting. The board appointed immediate past Young...

Lawyer trades his practice for a prison ministry; the former high finance lawyer has accompanied three inmates to their executions.
October 1, 2005... Dale Recinella was a second-year law student the first time he ventured into a jail as an eager law clerk. The incarcerated client grabbed his tie through the cell bars and banged him into the steel rods. His wife commented on the precise...

Proposed Board of Governors' actions.(Notice)
October 1, 2005... 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 October 21, 2005 meeting on the following items. These matters are additionally...

The number of poor in Florida continues to rise.
October 1, 2005... Florida's population is growing, and its number of poor people is also on the rise, which will mean The Florida Bar Foundation will face some unique challenges in the future. "We found out through the Bureau of the Census that the number...

Clients' Security Fund issues reviewed.
October 1, 2005... Whether $25 of the new $250 fee for pro hac vice appearances and appearances in arbitration proceedings in Florida should be earmarked for The Florida Bar's Clients' Security Fund has been debated by the Board of Governors and referred to two...

DWKM&R recognized for pro bono work.(Legal Roundup)
October 1, 2005... DWKM&R Recognized for Pro Bono Work: Dellecker, Wilson, King, McKenna & Ruffler received the 2005 Law Firm Award of Merit from the Legal Aid Society of the Orange County Bar Association. The award is presented annually to a firm whose members...

CASA awards scholarships.(Legal Roundup)
October 1, 2005... CASA Awards Scholarships: The Colombian American Service Association recently awarded three South Florida students with $1,000 scholarships. Miami attorney Julio Jaramillo, chair of CASA, recently presented the three students with The Simon...

$30,000 raised for Children's First.(Legal Roundup)
October 1, 2005... $30,000 Raised for Children's First: "One Night Under the Sea," a networking event produced by the Association of Corporate Counsel-South Florida Chapter, raised a total of $30,000 for Florida's Children First, which advocates for the fights of...

Latimer remembered.(Legal Roundup)
October 1, 2005... Latimer Remembered: Henry Latimer, a former member of The Florida Bar Board of Governors, was remembered by friends and colleagues in Orlando recently when the Florida Dispute Resolution Center of the Supreme Court of Florida bestowed its...

Shooster to lead Florida NELA.(Legal Roundup)
October 1, 2005... Shooster to Lead Florida NELA: At its annual Labor Day Conference, the Florida Chapter of the National Employment Lawyers Association elected Frank M. Shooster as its president. Other officers include President-elect Erika D. Rothart,...

Steven J. Brodie.(News and Notes)
October 1, 2005... Steven J. Brodie of Carlton Fields was elected for a one-year term as secretary of the University of Miami Citizens Board. Additionally, Brodie was appointed chair of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation's Jewish Community Relations Council.

Hillsborough County Bar Association.(News and Notes)
October 1, 2005... Thomas R. Bopp of Fowler White Boggs Banker in Tampa was re-elected to the board of directors of the Hillsborough County Bar Association.

Hogson Russ.(News and Notes)
October 1, 2005... Hodgson Russ in Boca Raton received the Carol S. Know Family-Friendly Employer Award from the Capital District Women's Bar Association.

INDUOS Chamber of Commerce.(News and Notes)
October 1, 2005... Ravi Seepersad of Fowler White Boggs Banker in St. Petersburg was appointed to the executive committee of the INDUOS Chamber of Commerce.

St. Lucie County Bar Association.(News and Notes)
October 1, 2005... Joel C. Zwemer and Brad Gould of Dean, Mead, Minton & Zwemer in Ft. Pierce assumed posts at the St. Lucie County Bar Association. Zwemer was installed as president and Gould was elected treasurer for 2005-2006.

Orange County Bar Association.(News and Notes)
October 1, 2005... Jamie Billotte Moses of Fisher, Rushmer, Werrenrath, Dickson, Talley & Dunlap in Orlando was elected secretary of the Orange County Bar Association.

David W. Henry.(News and Notes)
October 1, 2005... David W. Henry of Allen, Dyer, Doppelt, Milbrath & Gilchrist Was a featured speaker at the Florida Association of Independent Agents convention in Orlando. Henry presented "The Retail Agent's Guide to Successfully Using the Wholesale Market."...

Stanley M. Fisher.(News and Notes)
October 1, 2005... Stanley M. Fisher of Budish & Solomon was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Northern District of Ohio Chapter of the Federal Bar Association.

Andrew C. Greenberg.(News and Notes)
October 1, 2005... Andrew C. Greenberg of Carlton Fields spoke at a panel discussion of the implications of the Supreme Court decisions in MGM vs. Grokster, Interpreting Grokster: Protecting Copyright in the Age of Peer-to-Peer" at the U.S. Capitol Building.

Larry Kunin.(News and Notes)
October 1, 2005... Larry Kunin spoke on "Simplifying Complex IT Litigation with Triers of Fact" at the 2005 International IT Law Conference in Los Angeles.

Jose D. Sosa.(News and Notes)
October 1, 2005... Jose D. Sosa of Arnstein & Lehr in West Palm Beach was honored with a Leadership Spotlight by the Defense Research Institute's Young Lawyer Committee.

Rep. Jeffrey D. Kottkamp.(News and Notes)
October 1, 2005... Rep. Jeffrey D. Kottkamp, R-Cape Coral, of Morgan & Morgan in Ft. Myers was awarded an honorary gavel by the Florida Association of County Judges. Kottkamp also received the "Legislative Leadership Award" from the Academy of Florida Trial...

City of Ft. Lauderdale Community Services Board.(News and Notes)
October 1, 2005... Avery A. Dial of Ft. Lauderdale was appointed to the City of Ft. Lauderdale Community Services Board by the Ft. Lauderdale City Commission.

John W. Merting.(News and Notes)
October 1, 2005... John W. Merting of Pensacola, chair of the Southeastern Admiralty Law Institute, presided at the institute's three-day annum educational seminar in Atlanta. Merting also spoke to the Admiralty Law Section of the Association of Trial Lawyers of...

Gail Leverett Parenti.(News and Notes)
October 1, 2005... Gail Leverett Parenti of Parenti, Falk, Waas, Hernundez & Cortina had the article "Hospital Liability for Uninsured Physicians: Bad Dream or Reality?" published in the Trial Advocate Quarterly.

Association of Trial Lawyers of America.(News and Notes)
October 1, 2005... Mike Eidson of Colson Hicks Eidson in Coral Gables was elected president-elect of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America.

Carlton Fields.(News and Notes)
October 1, 2005... Carlton Fields received the "Friend of FAWL" award from the Miami-Dade Chapter of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers.

Brevard County Bar Association.(News and Notes)
October 1, 2005... Stephen G. Charpentier of Childress and Charpentier in Melbourne was sworn in as president of the Brevard County Bar Association.

D. David Keller.(News and Notes)
October 1, 2005... D. David Keller of Bunnell, Woulfe, Kirschbaum, Keller, McIntyre & Gregoire in Ft. Lauderdale spoke to the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel at its annual meeting in San Diego. Keller's topic was "Legal Malpractice: An Overview and...

C. Richard Nail.(News and Notes)
October 1, 2005... C. Richard Nail of GrayRobinson in Lakeland served as a faculty member for The Florida Bar's Matrimonial Trial Advocacy Seminar.

Fisher & Phillips.(News and Notes)
October 1, 2005... Fisher & Phillips in Ft. Lauderdale received an award of appreciation from the Daniel D. Cantor Senior Center in Tamarac for its pro bono work on behalf of the social service organization.

Dade County Bar Association.(News and Notes)
October 1, 2005... Steven F. Befera of Peterson Bernard in Miami-Dade County was elected treasurer of the Dade County Bar Association.

Commercial Law League of America.(News and Notes)
October 1, 2005... Brian S. Behar of Behar, Gutt & Glazer was elected to the board of governors of the Commercial Law League of America.

Gerald I. Kornreich.(News and Notes)
October 1, 2005... Gerald I. Kornreich of Kornreich & Terraferma was awarded the Richard Milstein Award of Excellence by the Dade County Bar Association Put Something Back Program.

Nathaniel L. Doliner.(News and Notes)
October 1, 2005... Nathaniel L. Doliner of Carlton Fields in Tampa participated as a panelist on a program titled "Cross Border Strategic Alliances" at the American Bar Association annual meeting in Chicago.

Beth J. Leahy.(News and Notes)
October 1, 2005... Beth J. Leahy of Walton, Lantaff, Schroeder & Carson was a featured speaker at the 2005 Florida Risk and Insurance Management Society Conference in Naples. Her topic was "Your Employees: Your Best Asset--Your Biggest Liability, or When is an...

Leadership Palm Beach County.(News and Notes)
October 1, 2005... Bradley G. Harper was appointed to the board of governors for Leadership Palm Beach County and will serve a two-year term.

2005 American Heart Association Palm Beach Heart Auction.(News and Notes)
October 1, 2005... Lee B. Gordon was elected co-chair of the 2005 American Heart Association Palm Beach Heart Auction.

Christine D. Hanley.(News and Notes)
October 1, 2005... Christine D. Hanley of West Palm Beach presented "Fair Pay, Fair Play: An Employer's Guide to Understanding the Fair Labor Standards Act" to the Human Resource Association of Broward County and the Greater Miami Society for Human Resource...

Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel.(News and Notes)
October 1, 2005... Lewis F. Collins, Jr., of Butler Pappas in Tampa will serve as president of the Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel.

Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers.(News and Notes)
October 1, 2005... Lincoln Connolly of Rossman, Baumberger, Reboso & Spier in Miami was elected as a director of the Young Lawyers' Section of the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers.

Lee County Association for Women Lawyers.(News and Notes)
October 1, 2005... Denise L. Wheeler of Fowler White Boggs Banker in Ft. Myers was elected vice president of the Lee County Association for Women Lawyers.

Middle District of Florida Historical Committee.(News and Notes)
October 1, 2005... Michael Elsberry of Lowndes, Drosdick, Doster, Kantor & Reed was appointed to the attorney advisory committee to the Middle District of Florida Historical Committee by Chief Judge Patricia Fawsett. Additionally, Leslie Armstrong and Lanren...

Joseph W. Hatchett of Akerman Senterfitt has been inducted.(News and Notes)
October 1, 2005... Joseph W. Hatchett of Akerman Senterfitt has been inducted into the National Bar Association Hall of Fame.

National Bar Association's Civil Rights Section.(News and Notes)
October 1, 2005... Reginald J. Mitchell was elected chair of the National Bar Association's Civil Rights Section at their 80th Annual Convention in Orlando.

Jacksonville Bankruptcy Bar Association.(News and Notes)
October 1, 2005... Nina M. LaFleur of Stutsman & Thames was elected president of the Jacksonville Bankruptcy Bar Association.

Jon Crowder.(News and Notes)
October 1, 2005... Jon Crowder of Peak Rhythms, Inc., presented a program titled "Group Empowerment Drumming Programs in the Corporate World" to the annual International Academy of Management Meeting in Hawaii.

United Arts.(News and Notes)
October 1, 2005... Hal Kantor of Lowndes, Drosdick, Doster, Kantor & Reed in Orlando was named vice chair of United Arts.

Joan Nelson Hook of New Port Richey was a co-presenter at the 18th annual Florida State Guardianship Association conference in Miami.(News and Notes)
October 1, 2005... Joan Nelson Hook of New Port Richey was a co-presenter at the 18th annual Florida State Guardianship Association conference in Miami. Hook and Richard Milstein presented a program high lighting recommendations for the organization's Wingspan...