The Florida Bar News Updates http://www.flabar.org 06/01/2013 www.floridabar.org Sat, 1 Jun 2013 -0400Clerks budget removed from direct legislative oversightBy Gary BlankenshipSenior Editor Florida’s county clerks of courts will no longer be under direct legislative budget oversight, if Gov. Rick Scott signs a bill approved by the Legislature. SB 1512, passed in a package of appropriations-related legislation, ends the practice begun in 2009 of having the clerks’ court-related budgets reviewed as part of the broader budget for the state court system. Sarasota Clerk of Court Karen Rushing, president of Flori. . . ...http://www.flabar.org/DIVCOM/JN/JNNews01.nsf/RSSFeed/5F3E1226072C0A9B85257B710046A052Sat, 1 Jun 2013 -0400Med mal bill awaits governor’s signature A bill limiting the pool of expert witnesses in medical malpractice cases and giving defendants earlier access to the plaintiff’s health care providers has cleared the Legislature. SB 1792 passed the Senate on April 11 by a 27-12 vote and passed the House on May 1 — two days before the end of the session — 77-38. One section of the bill amends the expert witness portion of F.S. 766.102. That section specifies that a medical expert witness must be in the same or simi. . . ...http://www.flabar.org/DIVCOM/JN/JNNews01.nsf/RSSFeed/CB4A55F641736DF885257B710046D419Sat, 1 Jun 2013 -0400THE LEE COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION, with Florida Rural Legal Services and Lee County Legal Aid Society, conducted its free annual “Law in the Mall” event April 27 inside the Edison Mall in Ft. Myers. Project Chair Gus Simmons said volunteer attorneys met with individuals to answer legal questions on topics including bankruptcy, civil, elder law, family law, landlord and tenant, criminal, real estate/condominium, and wills, probate, and estate planning. “We were happy to be able to serve our community in need wh. . . ...http://www.flabar.org/DIVCOM/JN/JNNews01.nsf/RSSFeed/A1E8685C21658C4685257B710046E56BSat, 1 Jun 2013 -0400THE FLORIDA BAR PRESIDENT-ELECT EUGENE PETTIS urged University of Florida Levin College of Law graduates at their commencement May 10 to build careers based upon service to others, to be courageous, and to make sacrifices for what they know to be right. “I hope that each of you will be defined by not where you come from, but by where you want to go, by what you want to achieve, and by the dreams that you want to fulfill,” said Pettis, a 1985 UF Law graduate. “To each of you, I pray that you will be the diff. . . ...http://www.flabar.org/DIVCOM/JN/JNNews01.nsf/RSSFeed/E5196AF31CC6B3C385257B7100470633Sat, 1 Jun 2013 -0400Plan in place to work foreclosure backlogBy Gary BlankenshipSenior Editor Florida courts will soon have more money and a new law to attack the state’s backlog of mortgage foreclosure cases, assuming Gov. Rick Scott signs the two measures passed by the Legislature. In the closing days of the session, lawmakers approved a bill designed to speed the handling of foreclosures, overriding the concerns of critics that it might shortchange homeowners with legitimate defenses and not address the real cause of langui. . . ...http://www.flabar.org/DIVCOM/JN/JNNews01.nsf/RSSFeed/F8C66EC2231CCC4A85257B710046495ASat, 1 Jun 2013 -0400Magistrates to help move foreclosures To help address the state backlog of more than 350,000 mortgage foreclosures, the Supreme Court approved an amendment to the Rules of Civil Procedure to allow general magistrates to hear those cases. The court said it was acting on the recommendation of the Foreclosure Initiative Workgroup of the Trial Court Budget Commission. The state has been relying on retired judges to help process the flood of foreclosures. But the workgroup found that supply was limited due to a . . . ...http://www.flabar.org/DIVCOM/JN/JNNews01.nsf/RSSFeed/66A48FC5B1DAA80D85257B7100467E45Sat, 1 Jun 2013 -0400LettersE-filing A few weeks ago, I e-filed my first circuit court civil case using the e-filing portal. Perhaps some fine tuning is necessary, but overall, I thought the portal was quite efficient, and the experts who put that system together should be proud of themselves. One of the best parts came at the end, when it was time to pay the filing fee and the summons fee. My client had funds for those fees on deposit in my trust account, and so a few clicks later, the fees (plus a $3 service charge) were pa. . . ...http://www.flabar.org/DIVCOM/JN/JNNews01.nsf/RSSFeed/424591B18E4A3ABC85257B7100471927Sat, 1 Jun 2013 -0400Technology seminars take center stage at Bar conventionBy Mark D. KillianManaging Editor Need to get up to speed on everything “E”? The Florida Bar’s Annual Convention June 26-29 at the Boca Raton Resort and Club has what you need, especially on June 26, when technology-centric seminars are featured throughout the day. “Our goal is to enrich the lives and practices of our membership by offering timely seminars as part of the convention registration fee at no additional charge,” said Michelle Suskauer, the co. . . ...http://www.flabar.org/DIVCOM/JN/JNNews01.nsf/RSSFeed/2792B563B0405A8B85257B710046B6DCSat, 1 Jun 2013 -0400Loranzo appointed to the Foundation Miami attorney Yara Loranzo has been appointed to fill an unexpired term on The Florida Bar Foundation. The Bar Board of Governors chose Lorenzo last month to fill a term that ends June 30, 2014. On other special appointments, the board reappointed Gary E. Frazier of St. Petersburg, and Jonathan T. Levy of West Palm Beach to four-year terms on the Statewide Nominating Commission for Judges of Compensation Claims. The board chose Dwight O. Slater of Tallahassee for a two-y. . . ...http://www.flabar.org/DIVCOM/JN/JNNews01.nsf/RSSFeed/0D472FC0A4A91B3D85257B710047808BSat, 1 Jun 2013 -0400Florida Supreme Court Historical Society seeks trustee applicants The Florida Supreme Court Historical Society is seeking applicants to serve on its board of trustees. Trustees will be elected by the members of the society at the Bar’s Annual Convention in Boca Raton from judges, lawyers, law teachers, or other qualified citizens. The board meets twice a year, including once at The Florida Bar Annual Convention. Its members are invited to participate each year in the society’s “centerpiece event,” the ann. . . ...http://www.flabar.org/DIVCOM/JN/JNNews01.nsf/RSSFeed/FF5D5D3F875C09B085257B7100475BFB