August 1, 2003 News and Notes August 1, 2003 Regular News Summer L. McDonald, of Hackley and Serrone, Weston, has been appointed as the Liaison for the American Immigration Lawyer Association’s (AILA) South Florida Young Lawyer Division Chapter. Jonathan T. Levy, of Rosenthal and Weissman, P.A., served as committee chair for Seagull Industries, for the Disabled Silver Cup Golf Tournament, held in West Palm Beach. Thomas O. Katz, of Ruden, McClosky, Smith, Schuster & Russell, P.A., addressed the Planned Giving Committee of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Southern Florida. He spoke on the topic of Strategic Charitable Planning–Charitable Lead Trusts: The Lower the Rates, The Greater the Benefits. Dennis McClelland, of Holland & Knight, has been installed as president of the Young Lawyer Division of the Hillsborough County Bar Association . Clemente Vazquez-Bello, of Gunster Yoakley, Miami, has been re-appointed as general counsel for the Florida International Bankers Association. G. Thomas Smith, of Smith, Sauer & DeMaria, has been elected to a three-year term as trustee for the Attorneys’ Title Insurance Fund, representing the First Judicial Circuit. He has also been elected to serve on the board of directors of the same company. Dennis M. Stotts, of Katz, Barron, Squitero, Faust & Boyd, P.A., Miami, helped teach a course titled Environmental Permitting and Enforcement Update, at the Florida Chamber’s Environmental Permitting Summer School, in Marco Island. Gary Resnick, of Weiss Serota Helfman Pastoriza Guedes Cole & Boniske, P.A., spoke recently in Baltimore at a seminar sponsored by Law Seminars International on the topic of Municipal Broadband. Mark F. Grant, of Ruden, McClosky, Smith, Schuster & Russell, P.A., was awarded the Jack and Lilyan Mandel Human Resource Development Award by the United Jewish Community of Broward County. Lori T. Milvain, a partner of Gronek & Latham, LLP, Orlando, was sworn in as the 2003-04 president of the Central Florida Association for Women Lawyers. Stuart N. Ratzan, of Ratzan & Alters, has been elected to the board of directors of the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers. Michael Cohen made a presentation titled The Role of Judges in Addressing the Issue of Impairment in the Legal Profession, to the Circuit Court Judges’ Conference in Orlando. He also made a presentation on Overcoming Obstacles to Implementing Drug & Alcohol Policies at Law Schools and Encouraging Lawyer Assistance Programs at the ABA, New York State Lawyer Assistance Trust, and the Bar of the City of New York sponsored conference on Meeting Our Responsibilities: Substance Abuse and Law Schools. Neil Rambana and Elizabeth Ricci of Rambana & Ricci, P.A., were appointed co-chairs of the Tallahassee Bar Association’s Membership Committee. Rambana also was elected for a three-year term to the board of The 21st Century Council, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life in Tallahassee and Leon County. Lucinda A. Hofmann, of Holland & Knight LLP, Miami, has been elected to serve a two-year term on the board of directors of the University of Miami’s Law Alumni Association. David A. Gast, of Malloy and Malloy P.A., lectured on the topic of Protection of Intellectual Property Rights in the U.S., to foreign dignitaries invited by the U.S. Embassies as part of the International Visitor Program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. Mary Li Creasy, of Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLC, has been invited to join the American Arbitration Association’s (AAA) panel of neutrals. Nathaniel L. Doliner, of Carlton Fields, Tampa, was a speaker at, and a member of the planning committee for, an international institute on mergers and acquisitions in Paris. Eric L. Lundt, of Heinrich Gordon Hargrove Weihe & James, P.A., Ft. Lauderdale, has been elected to the University of Miami School of Law Alumni Association board of directors. Eric K. Gabrielle, of Akerman Senterfitt, Ft. Lauderdale, has been appointed chair of the Employment Law Section of the Broward County Bar Association. David J. Abbey, of Abbey, Adams, Byelick, Kiernan, Mueller & Lancaster, LLP, has been installed as president of the St. Petersburg Bar Association. Mark Kamp, of Edwards & Angell, LLP, spoke on the topic of Pitfalls in Software Licensing–Make Sure Your License Gets You What You Need, at the Licensing Executives Society, Florida Chapter, in Delray Beach. Bruce A. Weihe, of Heinrich Gordon Hargrove Weihe & James, P.A., Ft. Lauderdale, has received the Davidson College Alumni Service Award. Steven E. Eisenberg presented a Florida Bar continuing legal education seminar titled Where Have We Been and Where Are We Going, an entertainment case law update, at the Entertainment and Sports Law Section’s Annual Meeting in Naples. He also received the New Theatre’s 2003 Dianne Joyce Award for his outstanding corporate and personal support. J. David Pena, of Ruden, McClosky, Smith, Schuster & Russell, P.A., has been appointed to a two-year term on the board of governors of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce. Renaldy J. Gutierrez, of Gutierrez & Associates, Miami, was elected secretary of the executive committee of the Inter-American Bar Association, at the AIBA’s Annual Conference held this year in New Orleans, Louisiana. Joel Levine has written an article titled Winning at Arbitration, published in the June 2003 issue of The Advocate, issued by the Trial Lawyers Section of the Florida Bar. Dinita L. James, of Ford & Harrison, LLP, Tampa, has been elected president of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers for 2003-04. Lynn M. Gollin, of Tew Cardenas Rebak Kellogg Lehman DeMaria Tague Raymond & Levine, P.A., Miami, was named a member of the 2003 Presidential Rank Award Review Board. Carlos G. Muniz, of GrayHarris, was appointed by Gov. Jeb Bush to the First Appellate District Judicial Nominating Commission. Edward H. Zebersky,of Zebersky & Payne, LLP, Hollywood, was elected secretary of the executive board of the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers at the Academy’s Annual Convention in St. Petersburg. He was also presented with the AFTL 2003 Gold Eagle Award and the Trial Lawyers PAC Award. Andrew Needle, of Needle Gallagher & Ellenberg, P.A., Miami, presented the Medical Malpractice Law Legislative Changes and Case Law Update to the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers at its annual convention in St. Petersburg. Michael Goldstein, of Akerman Senterfitt, Miami, gave a presentation to the South Florida Association of Environmental Professionals about the brownfields marketplace in South Florida and the related business opportunities and challenges for environmental engineers and consultants. The seminar was held at the Secret Wood Natures Center in Ft. Lauderdale. Lawrence H. Kolin, of Alvarez, Sambol, Winthrop & Madson, P.A., conducted a nursing home seminar for industry professionals regarding the perceived effects since changes in the statute pertaining to nursing home civil enforcement actions took effect. Elsa E. Waite, of Ryles & Waite, West Palm Beach, has been elected president of the F. Malcolm Cunningham, Sr. Bar Association for the 2003-04 term. Alison M. Yurko, of Thomas P. Callan, P.A., Orlando, was featured at the National Business Institute’s seminar in Orlando, titled Florida Land Use: Current Issues in Subdivision Annexation and Zoning Law. David Sampedro, of Panter, Panter & Sampedro, P.A., Miami, has been elected president of the Young Lawyers Section of the Dade County Bar Association. Daniel Marinberg, of Buchanan Ingersoll, Miami, has been named chair of the Dade County Bar Association International Law Committee. Jonathan Kilman, of GrayHarris, was featured in a New York Times Bestseller, Secrets of the Young and Successful, published by Simon & Schuster. Lynn E. Wagner, president of Litigation Alternatives, Inc., Winter Park, has been appointed to the arbitration and mediation panel of the American Health Lawyers Association. Mitchell J. Panter, of Panter, Panter & Sampedro, P.A., Miami, was installed as president of the South Miami Kendall Bar Association. Dennis McClelland, of Holland & Knight, LLP, has been elected president of the Young Lawyers Division of the Hillsborough County Bar Association. Frank M. Petosa, of Petosa & Fernandez, P.L., was a featured speaker on Nursing Home and Legislative Changes and Case Law Update at the 2003 Legislative and Case Law Update Seminar held in St. Petersburg, sponsored by the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers. He was also elected to the executive committee and board of directors of the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers. Edward M. Ricci, of Ricci Leopold, West Palm Beach, has been selected as a 2003 Crystal EAGLE Award recipient for his dedication to the success of the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers’ EAGLE program. J. Mason Williams III, of GrayHarris, was a recipient of the National Bronze Leadership Award, one of Junior Achievement’s highest forms of recognition for outstanding volunteer leadership. John Arrastia, Jr., a Shareholder of Adorno & Yoss, P.A., was appointed chair of the Banking and Corporate Litigation Committee of the Dade County Bar Association. Mark R. Eiglarsh, of Robbins, Tunkey, Ross, Amsel, Raben, Waxman & Eiglarsh, P.A., Miami, was re-elected to the board of directors of Big Brothers/Big Sisters. Tom Scarritt, of Scarritt Law Group, Tampa, delivered the keynote address of the Florida State University College of Law Mock Trial Team Annual Banquet in Tallahassee. Jason M. Wandner, of Jason M. Wandner, P.A., and Menashe R. Frank, of Hogan & Hartson, L.L.P., participated in a 10-day conference in Israel at the Israel Law Center. The conference included briefings with political, military, and legal officials regarding the present security situation in Israel, discussions focusing on the effect terrorism has had on the Israeli legal system, and workshops on using the concept of suing nations and organizations that support terrorists, on behalf of their victims, as a means of preventing terrorism in the future. Allan Geiger, of Rogers Towers, P.A., was elected to the board of directors of the American Heart Association, Florida/Puerto Rico affiliate, at the organization’s delegate assembly in Palm Harbor. Frank Gassler, of Fowler White Boggs Banker, presented a program titled Responding to Discovery in the 21st Century: Retrieval of Electronic Documents at the 7th Annual Florida Liability Claims Conference held in Maitland. Jonathan T. Levy, of Rosenthal & Weissman, P.A., has been elected chair of the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers Young Lawyers Section. Arthur J. Furia, of Gunster Yoakley, Miami, has been appointed to the board of governors class of 2005-06 of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce. Christopher M. Shulman, of Tampa, has been recruited to the American Arbitration Associations’ Panel of Neutrals to serve as a mediator for the organization. Barton S. Sacher, of Sacher, Zelman, Van Sant, Paul, Beiley, Hartman, Terzo, Rolnick & Waldman, P.A., Miami, spoke at the 2003 Annual Meeting of The Florida Bar, addressing the various issues regarding compliance and governance of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
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