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The Florida Bar News
Daryl ParksParks named NBA president-elect

The National Bar Association, the nation’s oldest and largest association of African American lawyers and judges, has elected Daryl Parks as its president-elect. Parks, who currently serves as managing partner of Parks & Crump in Tallahassee, was elected in August during the NBA’s Annual Convention & Exhibits in New Orleans.

Foreclosed House by Joe McFadden
Chief judges use one-time allocations to move cases
A one-time boost of $6 million to trial courts and $3.6 million to court clerks is buying desperately needed resources to dig courts out of Florida’s foreclosure backlog crisis. Beginning July 1, that total $9.6 million in nonrecurring dollars from the Legislature has been put to work in each of Florida’s 20 circuits.

Lawyers will be responsible for redacting confidential information in court filings
Quick now, do you know what the “Notice of Confidential Information within Court Filings” is? That form, part of Rule 2.420 of the Rules of Judicial Administration, must accompany any court filing as of October 1 that includes confidential information. The form lists 19 specific items that should be confidential in court records, from Social Security and bank account numbers to juvenile delinquency records and grand jury records.

Stacy SharpHe wrote the law he uses to prosecute domestic batterers
Attempted strangling, even when the victim blacks out, was no different than a poke in the chest. That flaw in the law bothered Stacy Sharp when he was a deputy for eight years with the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office, where he authored the agency’s domestic violence policy and field training program.

Paralegals ask to be Bar licensed and regulated
As part of the required three-year review of the Bar’s voluntary Florida Registered Paralegal program, the Bar is looking into the request by some paralegals that they be licensed and regulated by the Bar or the Supreme Court.


More News

Greg ColemanPanel looks to reduce CSF claims
Educating new lawyers about trust accounting is an option being considered by the Clients’ Security Fund Procedures Committee as a way to reduce claims on the fund. Committee Chair Greg Coleman told the Bar Board of Governors at its recent Sarasota meeting that the committee is tossing around “conceptual” ideas to reduce claims on the fund.

You’re a new associate at a major Florida law firm examining your Bar annual membership fee statement. Particularly the part on trust account compliance. The statement has three options: You can assert your firm’s account is in compliance, that it isn’t in compliance, or that you don’t have a trust account and hence the question doesn’t apply. The problem is, none of those statements really apply.

Immediate past Bar President Jesse Diner has been tapped to lead Bar efforts to head off possible legislative action to reduce judicial pensions. Bar President Mayanne Downs announced Diner’s appointment at the Board of Governors July 23 meeting as 12th Circuit Chief Judge Lee Haworth was asking the board for help on that issue in next year’s spring legislative session.

Travis SumterWhen asked how he spent his summer, law student Travis Sumter rattles off a list of invaluable experiences, including drafting portions of a U.S. court of appeals brief and working on immigration reform, homeless rights, and Americans with Disabilities Act cases. For 11 weeks this summer, Sumter, a second-year student at Florida Coastal School of Law, worked as a Florida Bar Foundation legal services summer fellow with Southern Legal Counsel. . .
When a former Marine went to his bank one morning, he learned his family’s account balance had increased by $47,000. As a result of pro bono work by Tampa lawyer John V. Garaffa, the veteran had received the money from the Veteran’s Administration for retroactive disability benefits.


Notices
Judicial Vacancies

September 1, 2010
Journal directory is now only available online

Cover of the 1954 directory
Its time has come and gone, but its spirit will live on in cyberspace from this point forward. For the first time since 1954, members of The Florida Bar will not be receiving a printed copy of The Florida Bar Journal’s annual directory edition this year.

Have you returned your merit retention poll?
The deadline for returning The Florida Bar’s merit retention poll is September 7 (postmark date for paper ballots; online by 11:59 p.m.).

Most Read News Stories
-Classifieds 9/1/10
-Lawyers will be responsible for redacting confidential information in court filings
-Paralegals ask to be Bar licensed and regulated
-Disciplinary Actions
-Rainy Day Dollars Used to Alleviate Foreclosure Backlogs
-Garaffa helps veterans navigate the VA system
-On the Move
-Foundation puts students to work this summer
-He wrote the law he uses to prosecute domestic batterers
-News and Notes
-Parks named president-elect of the NBA
-National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals meet in Orlando
-Mindfulness Studies gains traction at UM
-Letters
-The number of workers’ comp lawyers is down

Blackwell to lead FSCHS
Edith Osman and Bruce Blackwell
Bruce Blackwell of Orlando has become president of the Florida Supreme Court Historical Society for 2010-11, succeeding Edith Osman of Miami.

Disciplinary Actions

On the Move

News and Notes

Letters to the Editor

Errata

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    Click here for Bar CLE offerings

    Practicing with Professionalism (Fall 2010)
    Course Classification:Basic Level, 11 Locations: through December 14, Miami - Tampa - Orlando - West Palm Beach Tallahassee - Ft. Lauderdale - Jacksonville - Ft. Myers

    36th Annual Public Employment Labor Relations Forum
    Course Classification:Advanced Leve, Live Presentation: September 23-24, Hilton Orlando

    Where Do We Go From Here? Public Corruption and Honest Services Fraud Post-Skilling
    Course Classification:Intermediate, Telephonic Seminar: Tuesday, September 21, 2010 - 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. EST

    Masters Seminar on Ethics 2010
    Course Classification:Intermediate Level, Audio CD, Recorded: June 25, 2010 at The Florida Bar Annual Convention in Boca Raton

    2nd Annual FUNdamentals of Florida Healthcare Law
    Course Classification:Intermediate Level, Live Presentation and Webcast: Friday, September 17, Renaissance Orlando Hotel Airport

    Current LLC and Partnership Tax Strategies Traps and Tips
    Course Classification: Intermediate Level, Live & Webcast Presentations: Friday, October 1, Tampa Marriott Waterside.

    Forbidden Places: Tourism & Trade
    Course Classification:Intermediate Level, Live Presentation: September 24, J.W. Marriott Hotel Miami

    Labor and Employment Law in the Entertainment Arts and Sports Industries: An Overview
    Course Classification:Intermediate Level, Live Presentation: Friday, September 24, Hilton Orlando

    Maritime Law Update 2010
    Course Classification: Advanced Level, Live Presentation and Webcast: Friday, October 15, Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina

    Residential Foreclosure Cases: Litigation Issues Strategies and Skills
    Course Classification:Intermediate Level, Audio CD, Recorded: June 24 at The Florida Bar Annual Convention in Boca Raton

    Creating and Administrating a Prepaid Legal Plan: Legal Ethics Landlord Tenant and Mortgage Foreclosure Update
    Course Classification:Intermediate Level, Audio CD, Presented by the Prepaid Legal Services Committee, Recorded: June 23 at The Florida Bar Annual Convention.

    Revisions to Florida Realtors/Florida Bar Residential Contract 2010
    Course Classification:Intermediate Level, One Location: Tuesday, September 14, Florida Realtors Headquarters * 7025 Augusta National Dr. * Orlando

    Military Law and Legal Assistance Symposium 2010
    Course Classification:Intermediate Level, Audio CD Order Form, Developed by The Florida Bar Military Affairs Committee. Recorded: June 26 at The Florida Bar Annual Convention in Boca Raton, Florida.

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    Charles T. Canady — Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court

    The Florida Bar JournalA Wendy’s fast food restaurant seems like an unusual place for a philosophical debate, but Charles Canady rarely does anything conventionally. As a young associate at Holland & Knight, the mild-mannered Canady joined fellow attorneys for a lunch hour at the local fast food chain, laughing and bickering over the goings-on at the office. . .

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    [Revised: 09-01-2010 ]