August 1, 2013 News and Notes
News and Notes
Howard Kay of Lilly, O’Toole & Brown in Lake Wales was awarded the 2013 Citizen of the Year award by the Lake Wales Chamber of Commerce.
Patrick B. Calcutt of Calcutt & Calcutt in Americus, GA, and St. Petersburg was elected president of the Southwestern GA Judicial Circuit Bar Association and also was appointed solicitor for the City of Americus to serve the municipal court.
Kathleen McDonough of Segal McCambridge Singer & Mahoney in Chicago received the 2012 Professional Achievement Award from the IIT-Chicago Kent College of Law.
Jason Z. Jones of Bilzin Sumberg Baena Price & Axelrod in Miami was honored as “Pro Bono Bankruptcy Attorney of the Year” by the Dade County Bar Association and Dade Legal Aid’s “Put Something Back” pro bono program.
Brian Kopelowitz of Kopelowitz Ostrow in Ft. Lauderdale and Terry Frank, director of Strategic Projects at BBX Capital, have been named committee co-chairs of the Broward County Arts Teachers of the Year Event.
James B. Davis of Gunster in Ft. Lauderdale was appointed to the Professional Advisors Council of the Community Foundation of Broward. Davis was also appointed to the board of directors for the Planned Giving Council of Broward.
Mark Osherow of Buckingham Doolittle & Burroughs addressed the Sixth Annual Ethics Seminar presented by the Boca Raton chapter of the Paralegal Association of Florida.
Miami-Dade Public Defender Carlos J. Martinez was honored by the Minority Chamber of Commerce with its “Citizen of the Year Award.”
Ruben N. Gotlieb of Gotlieb & Associates in Miami gave a presentation to Total Bank bankers on “International Tax & Estate Planning for Non-Resident Aliens.”
Roman Hammes of Wolff, Hill, McFarlin & Herron in Orlando participated in the third annual NCBJ Next Generation Program, intended to attract lawyers with five to 10 years of experience who will become the leaders of the next generation of bankruptcy practitioners.
Gigi Rollini of Holland & Knight in Tallahassee has been named Florida delegate to the National Association of Women Lawyers by the Florida Association for Women Lawyers.
Timothy M. Ravich of Ravich Law Firm, P.A., in Hallandale was the featured speaker in a podcast by George Mason University’s Mercatus Center. The program discussed privacy and regulatory issues related to unmanned aerial vehicles and drones.
Vanessa Goodwin of Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick in Tampa has been appointed to the board of directors of Are You Safe, Inc., which is dedicated to providing domestic violence victims with legal services.
Brett D. Lieberman of Messana, P.A., in Ft. Lauderdale moderated a panel presenting a “Practical Evidence” seminar, co-sponsored by the Bankruptcy Bar Association of the Southern District of Florida and the Bankruptcy/UCC Committee of the Business Law Section.
David Pratt of Proskauer in Boca Raton spoke at the FICPA Mega Conference in Orlando on “Zero-Exemption Planning.”
Michelle Diffenderfer of Lewis, Longman & Walker in West Palm Beach has been selected to serve as a member of the Southeast Florida Coral Reef Initiative.
Philippe Jeck of Jeck, Harris, Raynor & Jones in Juno Beach received the “Above and Beyond Special Recognition” award from the Northern Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce.
George D. Karibjanian of Proskauer Rose in Boca Raton lectured at the Ft. Lauderdale Trust & Estates Roundtable on representing a client facing competency and undue influence issues. He also spoke to the ABA Real Property, Trust & Estate Law’s Symposium in Washington, D.C., on the current status of the DOMA Supreme Court cases and on a panel discussion concerning the ramifications of 2012 gifting plans in 2013.
Nicole Hessen of Wender, Hedler & Hessen in West Palm Beach has become president-elect of the Palm Beach County Chapter of FAWL.
Marissa Hoffman of Rigell & Associates in West Palm Beach was selected as co-chair of the Working Parents Committee of the Palm Beach County Chapter of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers.
Brian C. Willis of Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick in Tampa spoke on “ Transportation Technology to Connect Tampa Bay” at Ignite Tampa Bay.
Curtis Mase of Mase Lara Eversole in Miami spoke to the Maritime Law Association Cruise Lines & Passenger Ships Committee in New York about the legal issues arising from the fire aboard the Carnival Triumph.
Leslie Goller of Terrell Hogan in Jacksonville was chosen Woman Lawyer of the Year by the Jacksonville Women Lawyers Association.
Rachel D. Gebaide of Lowndes, Drosdick, Doster, Kantor & Reed in Orlando presented “The Affordable Care Act – What Employers Need to Know” to human resources professionals as part of a seminar series offered by the Central Florida Hotel & Lodging Association and the Hotel Human Resources Association.
Hunter Chamberlin of Chamberlin Crowe in Tampa addressed the New Tampa Republican Club on “The Constitution and Gun Control after Heller. ”
Leslie M. Kroeger of Palm Beach Gardens lectured to a statewide audience on Florida legislation enacted to protect children from bullying. The program was hosted during the Florida Justice Association Annual Convention in St. Petersburg.
Oren Tasini of Haile Shaw & Pfaffenberger in North Palm Beach was elected president of the National Association of Dealer Counsel Board of Directors.
Rhea F. Law of Fowler White Boggs in Tampa has been awarded an honorary doctor of medicine degree from the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine.
Elizabeth Andrews and D. Cassie Bermudez of Andrews & Manno in Tampa made a presentation called “An Adjuster’s Guide to Handling Uncooperative Insureds in Medical Provider Claims” at the annual FIFEC Conference in Orlando.
Karen Lapekas of Lapekas Law in Coconut Grove presented “Do’s and Don’ts of IRS Audit Representation” at the 20th Annual Miami-Dade County Accounting & Auditing Seminar. She has also been installed on the board of directors for the National Association of Women Business Owners (Miami Chapter).
Kellye A. Shoemaker of Shoemaker and Shoemaker was a recipient of the Seminole County Bar Association’s Legal Aid Society Pro Bono Service Award and has been selected to serve as secretary of Florida Workers’ Advocates.
Jeffrey Hearne of Legal Services of Greater Miami spoke on landlord/tenant issues at the West Kendall Regional Library.
A. Courtney Cox, of WellCare Health Plans, Inc., in Tampa spoke on “Rock’em Sock’em Experts: Strategies for Winning the Battle of Experts in Litigation” at the Streamlining Relationships with Outside Counsel Conference in Naples.
Heidi Isenhart of Shuffield, Lowman & Wilson in Orlando was recognized for her pro bono work by the Florida Pro Bono Coordinators Association.
Clifford R. Repperger, Jr., of GrayRobinson in Melbourne and Paul H. Chipok of the Orlando office spoke on the electronic communication in Florida law during the Florida Planning and Zoning Conference in Daytona Beach. “Slow: Social Media Curve Ahead” explored emerging issues impacting the public records and Sunshine Laws stemming from social media tools.
Paula P. Bentley of Gunster in Tampa is now licensed as a health care risk manager by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration
Patricia A. Leonard of Greenberg Traurig in West Palm Beach spoke on “Avoiding HR Nightmares with Employees and Staff” at the Medical Entrepreneur Symposium in Delray Beach.
Robert A. McNeely of Messer Caparello in Tallahassee spoke on “Right of Publicity Issues in O’Bannon v. NCAA ” in a presentation to the Big Bend Paralegal Association.
Jennifer Nicole of Gunster in Ft. Lauderdale was elected chair of the Broward County Housing Authority’s Board of Commissioners.
Jason Reed Struble of Ft. Lauderdale published an article through The American Law Institute Continuing Legal Education Group, titled “A Brief Guide to Comparative Advertising,” in 59 (3) The Practical Lawyer 41-48 (June 2013).
Michelle Otero Valdes of Chalos & Co., in Miami presented her paper “Trying to Reason With Hurricane Season (And Force Majeure)” to the Connecticut Maritime Association Shipping 2013.
Collett P. Small of The Law Offices of Collett P. Small in Pembroke Pines spoke on “Elder Legal Services” at the City of Miami Gardens Elder Affairs Workshop on Elder Financial Exploitation and was presented with a certificate of appreciation by Mayor Oliver Gilbert for the firm’s participation.
Hilary High of the mediation firm Hilary High P.A., in Tampa spoke at the Working Women of Tampa Bay’s summer meeting about “leaning in” to one’s career. “Leaning in,” popularized by Sheryl Sandberg’s book of the same name, conceptualizes information, attitudes, and practical steps for professional and personal advancement.
Laird A. Lile of Naples has been elected president of the School Advisory Council for Naples High School.
Fabienne Fahnestock of Gunster in Ft. Lauderdale office has been certified by the Florida Supreme Court as a civil circuit mediator.
Michael L. Smith of The Health Law Firm in Altamonte Springs lectured to Florida Hospital’s Family Medicine Department on medical staff credentialing, privileging, and peer review.
Brad Kimbro of Holland & Knight in Tampa has been elected president of the University Club of Tampa.
David R. Carlisle of Duane Morris in Miami and Bruce A. Blitman of Ft. Lauderdale co-wrote “Tips for Managing the ‘Mega-Mediation,’” published in the American Arbitration Association’s magazine The Dispute Resolution Journal, Volume 67, No. 4.
Jason D. Berger of the Law Office of Jason D. Berger, P.A., in Stuart provided the commencement address at the 2013 Keiser University commencement exercises in Port St. Lucie.
