Oct
31
Diaz Reus opens Bogata office
Filed Under On the move, Miami-Dade | 2 Comments
Miami-based firm Diaz Reus Rolff & Targ is opening an office in Bogata, Colombia, according to a story in the Daily Business Review.
The firm hopes to serve a niche by focusing on anti-money laundering compliance, partner Alexander Reus told the Daily Business Review.
However, international expansion is a risky venture for law firms. Reporter Alana Roberts mentions some firms that tried to tap into foreign markets and failed.
And though it has nothing to do with the firm’s Colombian expansion, here’s a photo we found of Reus and Elizabeth Dos-Santos from the opening night of the Miami International Film Festival at the Gusman Center back in March.
Oct
31
RIP: Jesse J. McCrary Jr.
Filed Under Obits, Miami-Dade | Leave a Comment
Jesse J. McCrary Jr., a former secretary of state who returned to private practice in Miami, died Monday of lung cancer. He was 70.
McCrary (above left with Gov. Reubin Askew) was a civil rights trailblazer and a member of Askew’s cabinet, according to a story in the Miami Herald.
“Jesse helped me get elected…We were close friends for a long time and I will miss him,” said Askew, who teaches public administration at Florida State University. “He was a great public servant that a lot of public servants can emulate.”
Oct
31
JAABlog will return without Gelin
Filed Under Broward | Leave a Comment
JAABlog will return Friday, according to a post on the blog. However, it doesn’t appear that attorney Bill Gelin, a popular author on the blog, will return. More on the JAABlog saga at the Broward-Palm Beach New Times.
Oct
31
Edwards Angell to merge with London firm
Filed Under On the move, Palm Beach, Broward | Leave a Comment
Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge, which has offices in West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale, is merging with Kendall Freeman of London, according to a press release on PRnewswire.
Both firms are known for the international work in the insurance and re-insurance industry. The merger will take effect Jan. 1.
Oct
31
There’s a twisted tale out of Boca Raton where a parishoner is suing St. Jude Catholic church, saying the pastor reneged on a deal to pay him a commission on a $7 million donation he had procured, according to a story in The Palm Beach Post.
John F. Boyer says the St. Jude pastor agreed to pay him a 15 percent commission. The only problem is that family members of the elderly woman who made the donation had her declared mentally incompetent, voiding the gift.
Oct
30
Whither JAA Blog?
Filed Under Broward | Leave a Comment
Bob Norman’s Daily Pulp column at the Broward-Palm Beach New Times ponders what’s going on with the popular Broward Courthouse blog, JAA Blog, which has been silent following a snit between blog author Bill Gelin and the blog moderators, who changed Gelin’s last post.
The post dealt with an exchange between Assistant Public Defender Brian Reidy and Judge Jeffrey Levenson about a teenage boy who had sex with an adult male. Both Reidy and Levenson apologized in a Sun-Sentinel story about the incident.
According to a transcript:
Levenson asked what position the boy played.
The prosecutor, Adriana Alcalde, said he was a linebacker.
But Reidy replied: “Tight end.”
And then Levenson weighed in: “Wide receiver?”
Alcalde expressed her dismay: “Judge, you know, I don’t think that that joke is even remotely funny.”
Levenson immediately apologized: “I take it back, it was politically incorrect, and I really apologize for that.”
Though the changes in Gelin’s post weren’t dramatic, the editing changed the tone of his post and seriously pissed him off. He hasn’t posted since.
More on JAA Blog at the Justice Building Blog.
Oct
30
Judge to decide canker suit
Filed Under Class-action, Palm Beach | Leave a Comment
The Palm Beach County class-action canker suit is now with Judge Robin Rosenberg, who will decide the value of the citrus trees destroyed during the state’s 11-year eradication program, which ended in January 2006, according to a story in The Palm Beach Post.
If Rosenberg decides the state is liable to pay homeowners beyond the $100 Wal-Mart voucher received for the first tree and the $55 for each additional tree, a jury will decide the amount in March.
Robert Gilbert, the attorney representing the lead clients, has argued that the state should pay the 41,000 Palm Beach County residents who are part of the suit, about $400 a tree.
Oct
30
Miami Beach attorney board certified
Filed Under Real Estate, Miami-Dade | 1 Comment
Miami Real Estate Attorney Christian N. Folland has received his board certification from the Florida Bar as a real estate specialist, according to a release on eMediaWire.
Oct
30
Networking aims for mid-size firms
Filed Under Networking | 2 Comments
Florida Trend has a story by Art Levy about The Florida Association of Managing Partners, a support group formed for mid-size law firms by Coral Gables attorney Joseph H. Serota (left), managing partner of Weiss Serota Helfman et al.
The group allows members to network and share information on common issues, such as training, salaries, recruitment and technology. On the issue of salaries, Serota said:
We don’t need to compete at the highest salary with the larger firms, but what we do find is, once you’re into one of our firms for several years, you’re going to be at the market. But you’re going to be at the market based upon merit, not necessarily just because you came in with a very high salary and then your compensation gets flattened out.
Oct
29
Nova law dean stepping down
Filed Under On the move, NSU Law School | Leave a Comment
Joseph D. Harbaugh (left), dean of the Shepard Broad Law Center at Nova Southeastern University, is stepping down next summer, according to the Florida Bar News.
Harbaugh has served as dean since 1995. He will remain as a member of Nova’s faculty after a year-long sabbatical.
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