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
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
29
Peace, love and labor law
Filed Under Broward | Leave a Comment
The Miami Herald has a Q&A with Fort Lauderdale labor attorney Stuart Rosenfeldt. He tells the Herald he takes a “holistic” approach to lawyering and was influenced to become a labor lawyer by his father who ran a trucking business in Philadelphia. He also once had a conversation with a grandson of Ghandi about reconciling his desire to lead a peaceful life with being an attorney. [Hat tip to South Florida Lawyers]
Oct
29
Lawyer criticizes Public Defender
Filed Under Broward | Leave a Comment
Ronald L. Book, a Miami lobbyist and pro bono counsel for the Florida Council Against Sexual Violence, wrote an opinion piece in the Sun-Sentinel criticizing Broward Public Defender Howard Finklestein for his handling of an intern who had a criminal history involving sex with a minor.
Finkelstein had placed the intern, Bryan Docobo in the department’s juvenile division. Docobo was 23 when he had sex with a 15-year-old girl he met off of MySpace.
That Mr. Finkelstein does not understand the seriousness of placing a newly hired graduate intern, with the particular background of Bryan Docobo, in a courtroom with juveniles, is shocking. It demonstrates a lack of understanding by the public defender of the impact that predators, offenders, and pedophiles have on our society and, more particularly, victims and their families.
Oct
25
Judge misled voters, JQC says
Filed Under Broward | Leave a Comment
Broward Judge Terri-Ann Miller (left) faces misconduct charges filed against her by the Judicial Qualifications Commission.
The JQC says Miller misled voters to believe she was an incumbent judge, when she was not. Her campaign literature included a picture of her in judicial robes and implied that she was the incumbent, according to a story in the Sun-Sentinel.
If found guilty of the charges, Miller could face anything from a reprimand to removal from the bench.
Oct
25
While judges and Broward business leaders push for a new courthouse in downtown Fort Lauderdale, the Broward New Times says it’s a campaign based on lies and misinformation. Bob Norman’s piece question’s the need for a new courthouse, despite complaints that it is crowded, rat infested and wouldn’t stand up to a Category 2 hurricane.
Oct
24
Condo buyers sue developer
Filed Under Real Estate, Broward | Leave a Comment
Is it a case of buyers’ remorse or another example of a developer trying to dupe investors? The courts will decide after a group of condo buyers at the Veranda at Plantation filed suit in Broward Circuit Court to get their deposits back, according to a story in the Sun-Sentinel.
Fort Lauderdale attorney Gary Poliakoff (left), whose firm represents Veranda, said buyers are trying to get out of contracts because they realized they wouldn’t make the profits they had expected by flipping their units.
The suit accuses the developer of breach of contract and negligent misrepresentation, along with other issues.
Oct
18
Family of dead teen settles suit
Filed Under Settlements, Broward | Leave a Comment
When 15-year-old Edwin Gordon collapsed during a youth football game, none of the league officials there had any medical training to deal with the emergency.
On Thursday, the family of the teen announced a settlement with the South Florida Youth Football League. Jamie Finizio, the family’s attorney, told CBS4 that she hopes the case will lead to changes in the way the league handles future emergencies.
Oct
16
Anna Nicole Smith probate bill: $200K
Filed Under Broward, Probate | Leave a Comment
Richard Milstein, the lawyer who helped plan Anna Nicole Smith’s funeral and represented her infant daughter in court, wants $200,000 for his services.
Milstein (left) is asking the court to pay the money from the irrevocable trust set up for Smith’s daughter, Dannielynn Hope.
So how much should Milstein, Dannielynn’s former court-appointed guardian and member of Akerman Senterfitt, get? Less than what he’s asking, said Nancy Hass, the Hallandale lawyer who represents the girl’s father, Larry Birkhead.
According to the Miami Herald, Broward Circuit Chief Judge Dale Ross will hear the issue Nov. 8.
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