Certification should be the capstone for a lawyer's professionalism goals.
~Justice Harry Lee Anstead, April 2003
September/October 2009, Issue 29
Capstone contains news and resource links for board certified lawyers. You receive this newsletter as a special benefit of your certification; we applaud your achievement and strive to provide timely information to further your practice. We welcome your comments; please feel free to respond to BLSE consultant Lisa M. Tipton at (850) 561 5769 or ltipton@flabar.org.
News
More Than 150 Lawyers Earn Board Certification in 2009; One-Third are YLD Members
Please welcome the 157 lawyers in 18 specialty areas of legal practice who earned Florida Bar board certification during the first and second cycles of 2009. An impressive 31 percent are Young Lawyers Division members. Florida Bar President Jesse H. Diner said, "The Florida Bar's board certification program sets high standards for lawyers who aspire to further their professionalism credentials. Attorneys who earn Florida Bar board certification have demonstrated their expertise and commitment to excellence in the practice of law." We congratulate all certified lawyers for their outstanding accomplishments and dedication to professional excellence.
October 31 is Application Deadline for 12 Certification Areas
Florida Bar members interested in board certification must submit applications by Oct. 31 for 12 of Florida's 22 legal specialization areas. Applications are available at FloridaBar.org/certification for the following specialties: antitrust & trade regulation; business litigation; city, county & local government; construction law; criminal appellate; criminal trial; health law; intellectual property; real estate; state and federal government and administrative practice; wills, trusts & estates; and workers' compensation. For more information, please contact The Florida Bar's Legal Specialization & Education Department at (850) 561-5842.
Board Certification On The Rise!
Applications for first-cycle certification areas – those for which paperwork was due Aug. 31 – increased over last year by 27 percent. If one of your colleagues is among this year's applicants, please congratulate him or her on the decision to seek board certification, and make time if possible to offer moral support and assistance in exam preparation. We are proud of the strides Florida's certification program continues to make, and we thank all of you who have encouraged others to apply.
Carry the Certification Flag
If you're heading to an interesting destination and would like to help promote board certification, please carry our flag! Board certified intellectual property lawyer Mark P. Terry of Terry & Company in Miami climbed the North Ridge route of Wyoming's Grand Teton in July with a specially designed Florida Bar board certification flag and was featured on the front page of The Florida Bar News. The flag is available to any certified lawyer who will carry it proudly and send us photos. Terry serves on the Intellectual Property Law Certification Committee and hopes to use his post to encourage new applicants. While we can't promise front-page coverage, we would love to post your photos and hear your reasons for seeking and promoting board certification to others. Please contact BLSE consultant Lisa Tipton for more information.
Certification LinkedIn.
Join Florida's board certification program on LinkedIn as we build a new group that hopefully will become a resource for all Florida board certified lawyers. Current members of LinkedIn can search for the "Florida Board Certified Lawyers" group; we thank those certified lawyers who already have joined. We welcome your news, articles of interest and discussions. Not a member of LinkedIn? It's easy – and free – to join.
More Than 200 Serve on BLSE and Board Certification Committees
Please thank the attorneys who volunteered to serve on the Board of Legal Specialization & Education and The Florida Bar's 24 certification committees. The BLSE is a 16-member board that oversees the Bar's board certification program and continuing legal education accreditation and compliance, governs rules and policies for each of Florida's certification areas and oversees the committees that implement each area's standards. Each nine-member certification committee reviews applicant credentials; helps develop policy to implement standards approved by the Florida Supreme Court; and creates, administers and grades examinations. To be considered for a committee appointment or reappointment in 2010-11, complete a preference form on the Bar's Web site between Dec. 1, 2009, and Jan. 15, 2010.
Florida Bar News
Board of Governors seeks applicants
The Board of Governors is seeking applicants to fill vacancies on the Eleventh Circuit Judicial Conference; the Florida Realtor-Attorney Joint Committee; and the Florida Rural Legal Services board. Completed applications are due by Nov. 6. Appointments will be made at the Board of Governors' Dec. 11 meeting. For details, see the news release.
Pro Bono Service Awards Nominations Due By November 6
The Florida Supreme Court and The Florida Bar annually give special recognition to lawyers, groups and a member of the judiciary who have freely given their time and expertise to make legal services available to the poor. Nominations currently are being accepted for The Florida Bar President's Pro Bono Service Award, The Chief Justice's Law Firm Commendation, The Voluntary Bar Association Pro Bono Service Award, The Florida Bar's Young Lawyers Division Pro Bono Service Award and The Distinguished Judicial Service Award. Awards presentations take place at the Florida Supreme Court on Jan. 28, 2010. Read more about each award or contact coordinator Dorohn A. Frazier at dfrazier@flabar.org or (850) 561-5764.
Certified Lawyer News
Aronfeld Speaks at Trial Advocacy Institute
Board certified civil trial lawyer Spencer Aronfeld spoke in August on How to Conduct the Cross Examination of a Lay Witness at the Florida Justice Association's A.J. Cone Trial Advocacy Institute. Aronfeld also conducted a workshop at the institute, which was held at Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in Orlando.
Broad and Cassel Firm News
Firm Receives Top Honors in 2010 Best Lawyers. Twenty-two of the firm’s attorneys – including eight who are board certified – are named in the 2010 edition of Best Lawyers®. In addition, the firm received or tied for top honors in the following practice areas: Appellate Law (Fort Lauderdale), Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law (Tallahassee), Health Care Law (Fort Lauderdale), Real Estate Law (Boca Raton), Securities Law (Orlando) and Technology Law (Tampa). The following are the firm's board-certified honorees and their respective categories: Gabriel L. Imperato in Health Care Law and Criminal Defense: White-Collar, Lester Perling in Health Care Law, Beverly A. Pohl in Appellate Law, Michael A. Dribin in Trusts and Estates, Robert Alfert Jr. in Eminent Domain, Michael K. Wilson in Commercial Litigation and Construction Law, Cathy M. Sellers in Administrative Law, Environmental Law and Land Use and Zoning Law and Patricia Lebow in Bet the-Company Litigation and Commercial Litigation.
Buchman Receives Buchman Award for Outstanding Municipal Attorney
Plant City attorney Kenneth W. Buchman won the Paul S. Buchman Award in July, recognizing him as the outstanding municipal attorney of the year for 2008-09. The Florida Municipal Attorneys Association presented the award to Buchman, who served as the association's 2005-06 president. The award is named for Paul S. Buchman, Kenneth Buchman's late father and longtime Plant City attorney. Buchman began serving as assistant city attorney for Plant City in 1982 and became full-time city attorney in 1991. He is Florida Bar board certified as a specialist in city, county and local government law.
Cotney Wins 2009 FRSA President's Award
Trenton H. Cotney, a shareholder in the construction law practice group at Glenn Rasmussen Fogarty & Hooker P.A. in Tampa, won the Florida Roofing, Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors Association's 2009 President's Award for his extraordinary assistance to 2008-09 FRSA President Keith Swope. The award was presented during the FRSA 87th Annual Convention in Orlando in July. Florida Bar board certified construction law, Cotney also recently received the Byron Curry Award, given by the West Coast Roofing Contractors' Association, and is among Florida Trend magazine's Legal Elite "Up & Coming."
Decker Joins Trenam Kemker's St. Petersburg Office
Trenam Kemker is pleased to announce that Robert C. "Bob" Decker has joined the firm's St. Petersburg office as senior counsel in the Real Estate and Lending Transactions Practice Group. Decker is a board certified real estate attorney who currently serves as a commissioner for the Sixth Judicial Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission. Prior to joining the firm, Decker was a founding partner at Decker Beeler P.A. in St. Petersburg. He is a past president of the St. Petersburg Bar Association and has held numerous community and volunteer positions. Decker received the prestigious Heroes Among Us Award in 2008 from the St. Petersburg Bar Foundation for his dedication and service to the community.
Dickinson Named Firm Shareholder
Jones, Foster, Johnston & Stubbs P.A. recently named Tasha K. Dickinson a shareholder. Dickinson is board certified in wills, trusts and estates and is the 2009-10 state president of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers. She serves on The Florida Bar's Probate Rules Committee and is active in the Bar's sections on Taxation and Real Property, and Probate and Trust Law. Dickinson is on the board of directors for Junior League of the Palm Beaches, is active in the Executive Women of the Palm Beaches, and is a Trustee for the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill Alston-Pleasants Post-Graduate Scholars Fund.
Egerton Is ABA Tax Section Leader
Charles H. Egerton, a board certified tax lawyer and shareholder with the Orlando office of the Dean Mead law firm, has been named chair-elect of the American Bar Association's Section of Taxation, the nation's largest organization of tax lawyers. Egerton is Florida Bar board certified in tax law.
Feld Firm News
Alice Reiter Feld, board certified elder law attorney by The Florida Bar and the National Elder Law Foundation recently was the featured speaker at the Long Term Care Advisory Council meeting for Vitas Hospice Care in Ft. Lauderdale, where she spoke on "Elder Abuse in the Long Term Care Setting." She also served as a featured speaker at the Hospice by the Sea Ethics, Elder Law and Hospice legal education seminar in Boca Raton on "Beyond Wills and Trusts: Elder Law for the Estate Planning Attorney." In addition, Feld was the featured speaker for AARP members in Coconut Creek on the topic of "Five Crucial Mistakes Families Are Making About Medicaid, Veterans Benefits and Long Term Care and What You Can Do to Avoid Them." Finally, in August, she was the featured speaker for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Support Group at Memorial Hospital West in Pembroke Pines on "Advance Directives and End of Life Issues." Feld has offices in Tamarac and Delray Beach and is past President of The Academy of Florida Elder Law Attorneys.
GrayRobinson Intellectual Property Team Wins Mucinex® Jury Trial
After a five-day jury trial and an hour and a half deliberation, GrayRobinson intellectual property attorneys Stefan V. "Steve" Stein and Debra Deardourff Faulk with attorneys from Siebman, Reynolds, Burg, Phillips & Smith LLP won a jury verdict on behalf of their national client, Reckitt Benckiser Inc., the manufacturer of Mucinex Mini Melts cough and cold medicine. "The jury verdict in this case is a great victory for Reckitt and a long anticipated victory for our team," said Stein, who is Florida Bar board certified in business litigation, civil trial and intellectual property law. "GrayRobinson is a firm that prides itself on being 'extremely Floridian,' however, this win proves our ability to successfully manage out of state cases with extensive national and international trademark portfolios seamlessly." Stein and Faulk have been defending the federal lawsuit on behalf of Reckitt since 2007.
Kaplan Publishes Irretrievable-Medical-Records Article
Harold E. Kaplan, M.H.A., J.D., a board certified health law attorney in Coral Springs, recently published an article titled, "Providers' Inability to Produce Irretrievable Medical Records May Not Be Fatal to Medicare Overpayment Appeal." Kaplan, who has 22 years of private practice in Florida, is a member of the New York and Florida bars and is the former chair of The Florida Bar's Health Law Section.
Karpf Chairs ABA Family Law Section
Young, Berman, Karpf & Gonzalez P.A. is pleased to announce that Mitchell K. Karpf of North Miami Beach has been appointed chair of the American Bar Association Section of Family Law. Karpf has been practicing divorce and family law for almost 25 years. He is board certified in marital and family law, and is a Fellow in the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.
Keller Firm News
Keller Law Office P.A. announces a move to 126 E. Olympia Ave., Suite 200, Punta Gorda, Fla., 33950. The office number of (941) 505-2555 and facsimile number (941) 505-4355 remain the same. Firm principle Pamela D. Keller is Florida Bar board certified in civil trial.
Paradies Selected for Leadership Tampa Bay Class of 2010
Christopher Paradies Ph.D., a shareholder with Fowler White Boggs, recently was selected as a member of Leadership Tampa Bay Class of 2010, a non-profit organization that brings together a diverse group of professionals to delve into issues facing the Tampa Bay area and explore ways to bridge the differences. Paradies leads the firm's Intellectual Property Practice Group, is Florida Bar board certified in intellectual property law and is a registered patent attorney with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.
Richman is JNC Vice Chair
Gerald F. Richman has been elected vice chair of the 4th District Court of Appeal Judicial Nominating Commission. Richman is president and a shareholder of Richman Greer P.A. in West Palm Beach and is double board certified in business litigation and civil trial. Richman has extensive experience in real estate litigation, including mortgage foreclosures, condominiums, zoning and land use, brokerage disputes and governmental matters and in 2000 as lead counsel conducted the trial of one of the three presidential election vote cases.
Riegel Elected to Stetson University College of Law Board of Overseers
Robert G. Riegel Jr. of Jacksonville, a shareholder in Fowler White's employment practice group, has been elected to the Stetson University College of Law Board of Overseers and will serve a three-year term that began July 1, 2009. Reigel is a graduate of Stetson University and Stetson University College of Law and has served in the past as president of the Stetson Lawyers' Association and on the Deland Campus Alumni Board. He was selected in 1992 for the Stetson Lawyers' Association's Outstanding Alumni Representative Award. He is board certified in labor and employment law by The Florida Bar and is listed in Best Lawyers in America.
Ruden McClosky Firm News
Porter Elected Arts Council Chair
Ruden McClosky is pleased to announce that James J. Porter, a partner in the firm's Governmental and Land Use & Zoning practice groups, has been elected chair of the Arts Council of Hillsborough County. A Florida bar board certified expert in city, county and local government law, Porter works in the firm's Tampa office. Porter served from 1990-2004 in the Hillsborough County Attorney's office and was the Chief Assistant County Attorney for the Land Use Section. He is a member of the Hillsborough County Charter Review Board and is a past chair of the Hillsborough County Bar Association, Land Use and Environmental Law Section. He was also recently appointed for a three-year term to the Board of Directors of Leadership Tampa Alumni. Russell Appointed to Federal Courthouse Committee. Partner Terrence Russell of Ft. Lauderdale has been appointed to the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida Fort Lauderdale Federal Courthouse Committee for a three-year term. Russell is Florida Bar board certified in civil trial and business litigation. Partners Selected for Best Lawyers. Appellate and Litigation Practice Groups Partner John H. Pelzer of Ft. Lauderdale was selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2010 in the field of Appellate Law. Pelzer is a board certified appellate practice lawyer who serves on The Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization & Education. Also included are board certified real estate lawyer Mark F. Grant of Ft. Lauderdale, a partner in the firm's Real Estate Practice Group; board certified wills, trusts and estates specialist Barry F. Spivey of Sarasota, a partner in the firm's Trusts & Estates Practice Group, and board certified civil trial lawyer Marvin S. Rosen of West Palm Beach, a partner in the firm's Real Estate Practice Group. In addition, partners Bruce D. Lamb of Tampa, a board certified state and federal government and administrative practice lawyer, and board certified health lawyers Stephen H. Siegel of Miami and William F. Sutton Jr., of counsel to the firm's Orlando office, have been selected for inclusion in Best Lawyers.
Sketchley Firm News
Twyla Sketchley, a Florida Bar board certified elder law attorney with The Sketchley Law Firm in Tallahassee, presented "How an Emergency Temporary Guardian Can Help Law Enforcement in the Investigation of Crimes Against the Elderly" on Sept. 15 at the Attorney General's Florida Crime Prevention Training Institute's Elder Case Management—Investigation to Prosecution. Sketchley is a member of both The Florida Bar and the State Bar of Montana and is a circuit civil mediator.
Wiesner Appointed to Elder Law Panel
Board certified elder lawyer Ira Stewart Wiesner of Sarasota recently was appointed to the Law and Aging Committee of the American College of Trust & Estate Law. He is a fellow and former president of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys.
Wooten Kimbrough Shows "Wii Care"
Wooten, Kimbrough, Gibson, Doherty and Normand P.A. donated a Wii system to the Share the Care™ adult day care center in the Parramore district of downtown Orlando as part of an August effort by law firms from 25 states who donated more than 60 Nintendo Wii gaming systems to rehabilitation centers, nursing homes and hospitals all over America. The firms are members of a consumer-safety community called InjuryBoard. InjuryBoard member and firm partner Ed Normand, a board certified civil trial lawyer, said, "At our personal injury firm, we have the opportunity to help people from all walks of life. It is our hope that by encouraging and enabling our seniors to stay mentally and physically fit using the Wii it will subsequently improve their quality of life and help to pay them back for all the good they provided in their lives."
Resources for Certified Lawyers
The September 2009 issue of the ABA Law Practice Management Section's Law Practice Today is filled with ideas for how law firms can "go paperless." Among the articles are Going Paperless for the Law Office: A Practical Guide, "not just a guide, but also a thorough how-to for turning your practice paperless," and The Paperless Office as a Risk Management Enterprise, "… going paperless is good for the environment, but it also probably the only fool-proof disaster recovery plan. Also check out Some Thoughts on Becoming Paperless, "the road to a paperless office may contain challenges, so it's important to have a strategy in place before you begin your journey," and Less Paper Does Not Equal Less Training (at first!), "…make sure all employees are properly trained on any new technology so that your transition is a smooth one. Read more practice management tips and ABA News in this month's Law Practice Today.
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[Revised:
10-27-2009
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