The purpose of this summary provided by the Communications Department of The Florida Bar is to present media coverage that may be of interest to members. Opinions expressed in the articles are attributable solely to the authors. The Florida Bar does not adopt or endorse any opinions expressed below. For information on previous articles, please contact the publishing newspaper directly.
August 01, 2024
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The Florida Bar
129 FLORIDA LAWYERS EARN BOARD CERTIFICATION
The Florida Bar | Article | August 01, 2024
The Board of Legal Specialization and Education congratulates the 129 lawyers who recently earned Florida Bar board certification, which recognizes attorneys’ special knowledge, skills, and proficiency in various areas of law and professionalism and ethics in practice. Board certified lawyers are “Evaluated for Professionalism and Tested for Expertise.” Florida’s legal ranks currently feature over 5,000 board-certified attorneys, offering expertise in 27 areas of law. With just one in 20 Florida Bar members able to call themselves “board certified,” it clearly is a crucial component in the career of any attorney looking to emerge from the crowd. As the legal landscape grows increasingly competitive, board-certified lawyers are able to use their status to set themselves apart from peers. And a growing number of Bar members are exploring board certification to help stand out in what they see as a crowded landscape.
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Legal Discipline
THIRTEEN ATTORNEYS DISCIPLINED BY FLORIDA SUPREME COURT
Daily Business Review | Article | July 31, 2024
The Florida Supreme Court disciplined 13 attorneys in July, including six in South Florida. These include former Miami-Dade County Judge Miguel Fernando Mirabal, whom the state high court disbarred. The court found that Mirabal repeatedly certified campaign finance reports he knew were false, made material misrepresentations and omissions in his application to fill a judicial vacancy with the judicial nominating commission, and committed misconduct during his disciplinary proceedings. Attorneys Frank T. Noska of Palm Beach and John Jenkins, of Fort Lauderdale, were also disbarred in recent orders. Other South Florida attorneys disciplined last month include Todd J. Herman, of Fort Lauderdale, and Debbie Campbell, of Coral Gables, who were suspended for 91 days and until further notice, respectively. North Miami Beach attorney Brooks Richard Siegel was publicly reprimanded in a reciprocal discipline matter that arose out of a disciplinary proceeding in Arizona.
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Legal Discipline
SARASOTA PUBLIC DEFENDER LIED UNDER OATH, DESTROYED SEXUAL HARASSMENT COMPLAINT
Sarasota Herald-Tribune | Article | August 01, 2024
While his office was entangled in allegations of workplace discrimination and misconduct, Sarasota Public Defender Larry Eger lied under oath and destroyed a sexual harassment complaint against a former subordinate. Eger faced a turbulent period of more than a year when accusations in his office of harassment and improper conduct toward women by an IT administrator spiraled into a federal lawsuit, two federal investigations into workplace discrimination and cash settlements of more than half a million dollars. While questioned under oath for a lawsuit in which he was accused of mishandling an allegation of sexual harassment, Eger told the plaintiff’s attorney he had never seen a written harassment complaint shown to him. He later relayed through his attorney that he had been dishonest under questioning and afterward testified he had lied under oath. On Feb 14, 2023, Eger received the complaint, acted on it, and destroyed it, he said in his deposition and told the Herald-Tribune, actions that were a potential violation of Florida public records laws.
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Criminal Justice
BURIED EVIDENCE LEADS TO TOSSED LIFE SENTENCE FOR MIAMI MAN IN GIRL’S MURDER
Miami Herald | Article | July 31, 2024
Taji Pearson, who is currently serving four life sentences for his role in a shooting that killed a teenage girl, will walk free next year after Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Marisa Tinkler Mendez threw out his conviction Wednesday [July 31], citing missteps by prosecutors who relied on a longtime jail informant to make their case. Pearson’s new sentence followed the discovery of evidence withheld for years from the defense. The buried information was uncovered only after two prosecutors were replaced in the aftermath of a misconduct scandal involving the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office. Judge Tinkler Mendez said she struggled with the decision to reduce Pearson’s sentence in a case where an innocent eighth grader died in a botched episode of gang warfare. But state prosecutors told the judge Wednesday that key evidence had never been turned over to defense attorneys in the 11 years since Pearson’s arrest. The violation of fair trial principles was so egregious, it warranted overturning a jury verdict, convictions and sentences, the judge found.
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Criminal Justice
SANITY QUESTION STALLS TRIAL OF SOUTH FLORIDA MOM CHARGED WITH KILLING HER THREE-YEAR-OLD
Miami Herald | Article | July 31, 2024
Nearly two years after the state first accused Jellisa Amoya Baxter of killing her daughter, Arya, her trial before Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Andrea Wolfson remains stalled, as questions about Baxter’s competency continue to take center stage. On Wednesday [July 31], Baxter answered questions from Judge Wolfson, clearly and without hesitation. But when Judge Wolfson asked Baxter if she believes Arya is still alive, Baxter said, “I know that she is,” a response that befuddled the judge and has delayed the case from going to trial. Baxter insists she’s competent. Still, her attorney Sasha Pernick has requested several psychological evaluations on her client. The results have been mixed. Before ordering yet another evaluation, Judge Wolfson said she’s having trouble digesting a competency ruling for a woman who can’t even accept the fact that her child is dead. Baxter’s next hearing is scheduled for Aug. 23.
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Civil Justice
FLORIDA, OTHER STATES SCRAMBLING AFTER JUDGE REJECTS TITLE IX ARGUMENT
News Service of Florida | Article | July 31, 2024
Hours after U.S. District Judge Annemarie Carney Axon ruled against them, Florida and three other states late Tuesday [July 30] asked the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to temporarily halt a new federal rule about sex-based discrimination in education programs. Attorneys for Florida, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and other plaintiffs scrambled after Judge Carney Axon rejected a request for a preliminary injunction against the rule, which deals with Title IX, a landmark 1972 law that bars discrimination in education programs based on sex. The court fight focuses heavily on a change that would extend Title IX regulations to apply to discrimination based on gender identity. The rule, finalized in April, is slated to take effect Thursday [Aug. 1].
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Judiciary
HOW CAN YOU GET OUT OF JURY DUTY IN MIAMI OR BROWARD? CAN YOU POSTPONE IT? WHAT TO KNOW
Miami Herald | Article | August 01, 2024
Jury duty is a crucial part of our democracy, but for many people, it can be a confusing and uncertain part as well. Who is eligible for jury duty? How are juries chosen? Can you postpone your civic duty? What happens if you don’t show up? In addition to providing the answers to these questions, this article, which focuses on jury duty in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, answers questions about juror compensation, how to tell if a jury summons is a scam and the rules regarding federal jury duty.
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Legal Profession
PRO BONO: HOT SUMMERS, COOL VOLUNTEERS
Jacksonville Daily Record | Article | August 01, 2024
Jacksonville Area Legal Aid’s Pro Bono Unit has been busy this summer with several new outreach projects. For starters, they have made it easier to get involved by creating a new website where users can view a list of all JALA’s pro bono opportunities and even sign up. On June 22, JALA hosted a busy Ask-A-Lawyer clinic at the Brentwood Branch Library. With the help of five volunteer attorneys and five CAB volunteers, this event served 40 clients. Although volunteer attorneys are not expected to accept a case for placement after consulting with a client, several accepted individual cases for representation. The next event will take place Sept. 28, and Aaron Irving, JALA’s Director of Pro Bono, is encouraging local attorneys to consider signing up, citing a pressing and ongoing need for pro bono legal services in the Jacksonville community. Those interested in getting involved with JALA’s Pro Bono Unit may visit www.jaxlegalaid.org/pro-bono or contact Aaron Irving at [email protected].