Erin Smith Aebel, a partner at Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP, spoke at the invitation of Nextech at a national seminar for health care providers on February 27 at the Disney Swann Resort. Erin discussed “Patient Privacy Check Up: How to Keep Your Practice Out of HIPAA Hot Water.” Aebel also spoke to the Tampa Chamber of the Professional Association of Physician Office Managers on March 18 about physician contract negotiations and health law compliance. Aebel focuses her practice on health care and data breach.
Mustafa Ameen, of the Law Office of Ameen & Shafii, joined the teaching ranks at Western Michigan University (WMU) Thomas M. Cooley Law School’s Tampa Bay campus in May. Ameen serves as an adjunct faculty member and teaches Florida Drunk Driving Practice.
Eric N. Appleton, a shareholder at Bush Ross, was recently certified by the Florida Supreme Court as an Appellate Mediator. Appleton has been certified by the Supreme Court of Florida as a Circuit Court Mediator since 2011. Appleton's law practice focuses on assisting commercial and residential community association officers, directors, and property managers, as well as developers and real estate owners, with litigation, arbitration, mediation, and corporate matters.
Steven M. Berman and J. Todd Timmerman, partners at Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP, were guest lecturers at the University of Florida College of Law Advanced Bankruptcy Seminar on March 20. Berman and Timmerman spoke about intellectual property claims in bankruptcy. Berman focuses his practice as a business bankruptcy litigator, and Timmerman focuses his practice on intellectual property, litigation, and appellate law.
Claire Bailey Carraway has rejoined Stearns Weaver Miller Weissler Alhadeff & Sitterson, P.A., as a shareholder in the Tampa office. Carraway’s practice areas include commercial real estate, environmental law, and land development and zoning.
Joseph P. Covelli, a shareholder at GrayRobinson, has been awarded an "AV Preeminent" rating by Martindale-Hubbell, signifying the highest accolade an attorney can receive for legal ability and adherence to professional standards of conduct, ethics, reliability, and diligence. Covelli is a real estate attorney at the firm.
Maria del Carmen Ramos, a partner in the Tampa office of the law firm of Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP, has been appointed to a three-year term on The Florida Bar’s Judicial Administration and Evaluations Committee, which is concerned with obtaining and retaining qualified judicial officers, as well as making judicial offices more attractive to qualified attorneys. Ramos, who devotes a substantial portion of her practice to counseling clients on immigration and employment issues, was also invited by Rep. Kathy Castor to attend the Family Defender Orientation, which was a discussion to better educate state partners on the new guidelines of President Obama’s executive actions on immigration accountability and the resources available in the Tampa Bay area. Ramos was also invited by the International Visitor Leadership Program to speak to a delegation of distinguished visitors from Russia as part of the Labor Migration and Migrant Adaptation Program. In addition, Ramos was selected to be part of Class III of The Florida Bar Wm. Reece Smith, Jr. Leadership Academy as an Academy Fellow. The academy’s mission is to identify, nurture, and inspire effective leadership within The Florida Bar and the legal community.
Christian Givens, a partner at Givens Givens Sparks, PLLC, has been named to the 2015 list of the Nation’s Top One Percent by the National Association of Distinguished Counsel. NADC is an organization dedicated to promoting the highest standards of legal excellence. Givens focuses his practice on family law.
Jeffrey P. Greenberg has become of counsel to the firm Barnett Bolt Kirkwood Long & Koche Attorneys at Law. Greenberg has more than 25 years’ experience in health care and corporate transactional and regulatory matters, including acquisitions and divestitures, federal and state licensure, and compliance.
Lawrence Ingram, a partner at Phelps Dunbar LLP, provided a
seminar to the staff and management of Northeast Underwriters, a St.
Petersburg independent insurance agency. The subject of the seminar was
Florida law regarding insurance agents and was based on Ingram’s almost
25 years of representing Florida’s independent insurance agents.
Andrew Jenkins, a shareholder at Bush Ross, P.A., was recently elected to serve a three-year term on the firm’s board of directors. His practice focuses primarily on commercial finance, secured lending, mergers and acquisitions, and general corporate law.
Leonard H. Johnson has joined the firm Barnett Bolt Kirkwood Long & Koche Attorneys at Law as a partner. Johnson has more than three decades of experience serving clients with complex issues related to buying and selling real estate and businesses, banking law, construction matters, land use and development, and estate planning.
Rhea L. Law of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney received the 2015 “Most Powerful and Influential Women of Florida” award, a recognition that highlights high-ranking female executives in various industries who exhibit the tenacity it takes to excel in their field. Law was honored April 30 at the Sixth Annual Florida Diversity and Leadership Conference in North Miami. Law serves as chair of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney’s Florida offices and is a member of the board of directors. She focuses her practices in the areas of government, environmental law, and land use.
Sheada Madani has joined the firm Barnett Bolt Kirkwood Long & Koche Attorneys at Law as an associate attorney. Madani practices transactional real estate, banking, and corporate law.
Jamie Moore Marcario has joined Greenburg Traurig P.A. as an associate with the firm. Marcario focuses her practice on labor and employment law, with an emphasis on defending employment discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, retaliation, and civil rights cases in state and federal courts.
Suzette M. Marteny, a partner in the Tampa office of Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP, hosted and was a panelist at World IP Day Detroit on April 23. The seminar focused on music and other areas, such as inventions, processes, and trade names. Marteny is a registered patent attorney and assists companies and individuals in obtaining, leveraging, and litigating patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets.
Victoria McCloskey, a shareholder at Bush Ross, was recently elected president of the Hillsborough Association of Women Lawyers. McCloskey’s practice focuses on health care defense litigation and general civil trial matters.
Kristin A. Norse, a shareholder at Kynes, Markman & Felman, P.A., was sworn in as president of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers at FAWL’s annual gala on June 24, in conjunction with the annual meeting of The Florida Bar. The mission of FAWL is to actively promote gender equality and the leadership roles of FAWL’s members in the legal profession, judiciary, and community at large. Norse has also been appointed vice chair of the Appellate Court Rules Committee of The Florida Bar. Norse concentrates her practice in the area of civil appeals and litigation support in state and federal courts.
Andrew E. Peluso, an associate at Hill Ward Henderson, was selected for the 2015 Emerge Tampa Bay Leadership Team, chairing the Public Policy Committee. The committee is in charge of cultivating awareness for Emerge Tampa Bay members and encouraging them to have a voice on issues and policies affecting Greater Tampa Bay. Peluso’s practice primarily focuses on general commercial litigation.
Paul Pizzo, Of Counsel with the firm of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, was recently installed as the president of the University Club of Tampa. Founded in 1946, the University Club is Tampa’s oldest business lunch club. Pizzo is a certified mediator by the Florida Supreme Court. He focuses his commercial litigation practice on contract claims, trusts and estates litigation, and health care, transportation, real estate, partnership, and shareholder disputes. Hala Sandridge, co-managing partner at the firm, will also be serving on the board of directors. Sandridge is board certified in Appellate Practice and chair of the firm's Appellate Practice Group. She focuses on all facets of civil appeals.
Patrick J. Poff, a shareholder at Trenam Kemker’s Tampa office, was one of four attorneys nationwide elected to the 12-person Governing Committee of the American Bar Association’s Forum on Construction Law at its April 16 national program in Boca Raton. Poff is the immediate past chair of the forum’s Division on Insurance, Surety and Liens and will serve a three-year term on the Governing Committee. Patrick is a Florida board-certified construction lawyer and chairs his firm’s Construction Law Industry Team.
Steven C. Pratico has joined the firm Barnett Bolt Kirkwood Long & Koche Attorneys at Law as a partner. Pratico handles all manner of commercial litigation, including contract and other commercial disputes, employment issues, and real estate disputes.
Laura Prather has joined Jackson Lewis P.C. as a managing shareholder at the Tampa office. Prather specializes in the representation of management in all facets of labor and employment law.
Matthew Ransdell has joined Jackson Lewis P.C. as an associate with the firm. Ransdell focuses his practice on labor and employment law.
Cynthia N. Sass of the Law Offices of Cynthia N. Sass, P.A., a Tampa labor and employment law firm, spoke at an event hosted by The College of Labor and Employment Lawyers on January 24 regarding settlement negotiation strategies and the recent legal challenges to confidentiality, cooperation, and non-disparagement provisions. Sass also participated in the live webinar “Advanced E-Discovery: Database Issues in Employment Cases,” sponsored by the American Bar Association on March 11, and at the 2015 Midwinter Meeting of the Employment Rights and Responsibilities Committee of the American Bar Association’s Labor and Employment Law Section's presentation, “To Catch a Thief: Prosecuting, Defending and Insuring Claims for Cyber Espionage,” on March 27.
Jason Stearns of Phelps Dunbar has been chosen by The Florida Bar to be a member of Class III of The Florida Bar Wm. Reece Smith, Jr. Leadership Academy for the 2015-2016 year. The leadership academy is a one-year training program designed to bolster the selected academy fellows’ professional development, leadership skills, knowledge, and experience. Stearns practices in the area of complex commercial litigation.
John V. Tucker, founding shareholder with Tucker & Ludin, P.A., presented a lecture at the National Organization of Veterans’ Advocates conference in San Francisco titled “Getting the VA to Accept Standard Vocational Principles.” Tucker focuses his practice on disability insurance, ERISA, and veterans’ service-connected disability benefits.
Katherine Earle Yanes, a shareholder with Kynes, Markman & Felman, P.A., received the Florida Association for Women Lawyers’ 2015 Leader in the Law Award at FAWL’s annual gala on June 24, in conjunction with the annual meeting of The Florida Bar. Yanes has also recently been appointed to The Florida Bar’s Federal Practice Committee. Yanes concentrates her practice in the area of criminal defense and appellate law in state and federal courts.
Hill Ward Henderson and Tampa Bay WaVE have announced their partnership through Hill Ward Henderson’s support of the FirstWaVE Accelerator Program. The firm will speak to startups during the “Legal Series” workshops that will help them move forward with their ideas, companies, and obtaining outside capital for continued growth.
GrayRobinson, P.A., has been named one of Tampa Bay’s 2015 “Top Workplaces” by the Tampa Bay Times. GrayRobinson employees nominated the firm and were surveyed about several topics, including practices and policies that make these companies the top places to work.
Greenberg Traurig has signed a 10-year lease for 20,000-plus square feet of “Class A” space, occupying the entire 19th floor of the Bank of America Plaza building. The deal is one of the largest in Tampa this year, based on square footage. Greenberg Traurig will occupy its newly designed and constructed offices this fall.
Kelley Kronenberg, a national, full-service law firm, is expanding its reach into the Florida market with the addition of a Bankruptcy Practice Group. The new group, which joined the firm’s Tampa office in April, is the result of Kelley Kronenberg acquiring Dennis LeVine & Associates, a bankruptcy law firm in Tampa, and its team of attorneys and administrative staff. The new Bankruptcy Practice Group includes Dennis J.
LeVine, David E. Hicks, and Alison V. Walters.
Western Michigan University Cooley Law School’s Tampa Bay campus held its first Florida graduation ceremony on April 19. Some 115 students who earned their juris doctor degrees were presented with diplomas during ceremonies at the University of South Florida’s Marshall Student Center. The campus began holding classes in May 2012.
