Erin Smith Aebel, partner at Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP, has been appointed to the Board of Directors of the St. Petersburg Museum of Fine Arts. The purpose of the Museum of Fine Arts is to increase knowledge and appreciation of art, to collect and preserve objects of artistic interest and merit, to protect works of art, to provide facilities for research, and to offer instruction and opportunities for aesthetic enjoyment of art. Aebel focuses her practice on health care and data breach.
Alexander Caballero, partner at Mason Black & Caballero P.A., has been named a fellow in the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers ― one of only 1,600 lawyers in the U.S. to hold this credential. Membership in the organization indicates the highest degree of professionalism and excellence in the practice of family law.
Michael G. Cooke, an attorney at Greenberg Traurig, P.A., has been selected as a member of Law360’s 2015 Environmental Editorial Advisory Board. Cooke is one of 16 environmental lawyers across the country named to the 2015 board. Cooke concentrates his practice in administrative law, including environmental, utility, and land use law.
Kacy Donlon and Dionne Fajardo of Wiand Guerra King P.L. presented an anti-money-laundering webinar to Financial Services Institute members on January 15, titled “A Penny for Your Thoughts: Recent AML Enforcement Cases.” Donlon concentrates her practice on the defense of businesses and individuals involved in the securities and financial services industries. Fajardo’s practice includes representation of broker-dealers, investment advisors, and their associated persons, as well as regulatory matters.
Michelle Drab, Web Melton, and Josh Welsh have been named shareholders of Bush Ross, P.A. Drab's practice focuses on general civil litigation, primarily in the areas of contract disputes, professional liability, and residential and commercial mortgage foreclosures. Melton’s practice focuses on assisting association officers, directors, and property managers with corporate operations, including litigation, arbitration, mediation, and transactions. Welsh's practice focuses on motion practice, litigation support, and appeals.
Thomas Newcomb Hyde has been appointed by Gov. Rick Scott to the Judicial Nominating Commission for the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit for a term that began September 10, 2014, and ends July 1, 2018.
Peter B. King, a founding member of Wiand Guerra King, was recently inducted as president of the Tampa Bay Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, the largest voluntary bar organization in the U.S. devoted to the federal courts and federal court practitioners. King practices commercial and complex litigation.
Kevin P. McCoy of Carlton Fields Jorden Burt has been elected to shareholder at the firm’s Tampa office. McCoy practices complex commercial and civil litigation with an emphasis on efficient dispute resolution.
Carol Moody, Senior Advocacy Unit team leader at Bay Area Legal Services, was awarded the 2014 Jane Kennedy Excellence in Aging Award by the Southeastern Association of Area Agencies on Aging (SE4A) for her outstanding contributions in promoting the safety, welfare, and well-being of older people in the Southeast.
Andrew M. O’Malley, an attorney for Carey, O’Malley, Whitaker & Mueller, P.A., and Kevin McCoy, an attorney shareholder at Carlton Fields Jorden Burt, have been selected to serve as the 2015 chair and chair-elect for the Board of Directors of Bay Area Legal Services Inc.
Andrew J. Patch has been elevated to Of Counsel at the Tampa office of Greenberg Traurig, P.A. Patch is a member of the Litigation Practice Group and concentrates his law practice on International Trade Commission's Section 337 litigation matters.
Scott P. Pence of Carlton Fields Jorden Burt has been elected to shareholder at the firm’s Tampa office. Pence’s practice focuses primarily on representing developers, owners, architects, and contractors in the preparation, negotiation, and administration of contracts and forms.
Shannon M. Sheppard has been appointed as a managing shareholder at Smolker, Bartlett, Loeb, Hinds & Sheppard, P.A. Sheppard will oversee all aspects of firm management, including strategic and long-range planning, business development, and client relations. She focuses her practice on commercial real estate transactions and professional and business licensing.
Murray B. Silverstein has been elevated to shareholder at the Tampa office of Greenberg Traurig, P.A. Silverstein, a member of the Litigation Practice Group, focuses his practice on business, commercial, and real property litigation.
Robert A. Soriano, a shareholder in the Tampa office of Greenberg Traurig, P.A., spoke at the 39th Annual Alexander L. Paskay Memorial Bankruptcy Seminar in March. Soriano presented on the topic of health care issues during a business bankruptcy breakout session. At Greenberg Traurig, Soriano focuses his practice on bankruptcy litigation, business restructuring, and creditor rights representation.
Robert Stern, a shareholder at Trenam Kemker, has been appointed as a trustee for the University of Florida by Gov. Rick Scott. In this role, Stern will assist UF in its budgetary process, with the provision of important resources and by facilitating mentor programs. His practice focuses on commercial real estate, with an emphasis on transactional and financing matters.
Robert M. Stoler, John D. Russell, Robin P. Keener, and Catherine M. Verona have formed Stoler Russell Keener Verona P.A. in downtown Tampa. Greg A. Gidus and Joel R. Mohorter have joined the firm as associates.
Seth P. Traub has been named a partner at Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP. Traub is a member of the Bankruptcy and Creditors Rights and Litigation practice groups. His principal areas of practice include business litigation and appellate representation, with a focus on creditors, trustees, and business entities litigating disputes in bankruptcy court.
Luis Viera of Ogden & Sullivan was elected vice chairman of the City of Tampa Civil Service Board. Viera practices in the areas of automobile liability, personal injury, and transportation litigation.
Jeffrey W. Warren, president of Bush Ross, P.A., was a featured speaker at the 39th Annual Alexander L. Paskay Memorial Bankruptcy Seminar. The seminar is a CLE program honoring the lifetime achievements of the late Judge Alexander L. Paskay. The program featured prominent regional and national speakers, joined by bankruptcy judges, who discussed both commercial and consumer bankruptcy issues.
Susan Miles Whitaker, managing attorney for Bay Area Legal Services’ Legal Information Center, was presented with the Theodore Millison Professionalism Award plaque. Tampa’s Family Law Inn of Court’s Professionalism Award is the highest honor that the inn presents. Whitaker focuses her practice in family law.
Edmund S. Whitson III is joining the Tampa office of Arnstein & Lehr as a partner in its Litigation Practice Group. Whitson handles complex litigation matters in both district and bankruptcy courts, and he deals with sophisticated collection/garnishment and judgment recovery litigation.
Howard J. Williams has joined Golden Scaz Gagain, PLLC, as an associate in the firm’s general liability practice group. Howard will focus his practice on the defense of retail, premises, automobile, and trucking liability claims.
Brian C. Willis, an associate at Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP, has been elected vice-chair of the Citizen Advisory Committee for the Hillsborough County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). The MPO is responsible for establishing a continuing, cooperative, and comprehensive transportation planning process for Hillsborough County. Willis was also a panelist at Tampa Bay Startup Week, discussing “Fostering a Startup and Innovation Ecosystem.” He focuses his practice on contract and lease disputes, easements, and restrictive covenant violations.
Gregory C. Yadley, partner at Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP, was principal chair of the 33rd Annual Federal Securities Institute in Miami on February 5 and 6. The institute, a major advanced-level securities law symposium, featured leading practitioners, members of the judiciary, and officials of the Securities and Exchange Commission to discuss the cutting issues of securities regulation and litigation and mergers and acquisitions. Yadley practices corporate and securities law at the firm.
Grace H. Yang, a shareholder in GrayRobinson’s Tampa office, has begun a two-year term of service on the board of directors of the Westshore Alliance. Established in 1983, the Westshore Alliance is a business-based, membership-driven organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for employees and member companies in the Westshore Business District of Tampa. Yang’s areas of legal practice include food law, land use, and liquor licensing.
Stolberg & Townsend, P.A., has relocated to a new office at 3321 Henderson Blvd., Suite 201, Tampa FL 33609-2931. The building is also home to Tampa Title Company and Gibbons, Neuman, P.A. The firm practices in all areas of injury and disability law, including auto accidents, personal injury, medical malpractice, wrongful death, social security disability, workers’ compensation, and state disability retirement.
The Family Law Inn of Tampa is now officially the Stann W. Givens Family Law Inn of Tampa. Givens Givens Sparks founding partner Stann Givens began this Tampa chapter of The American Inns of Court 20 years ago and remained its leader for 19 years. Givens focuses his practice on family law.
