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THE FLORIDA BAR / News & Events / Daily News
Daily News Summary An electronic digest of media coverage of interest to members of The Florida Bar compiled each workday by the Public Information and Bar Services Department. Electronic links are only active in today's edition. For information on previous articles, please contact the publishing newspaper directly.
NOVEMBER 15, 2016 Civil Justice Issues FLORIDABARNEWS.TV: FLORIDA SUPREME COURT ESTABLISHES GUARDIANSHIP WORKGROUP The Florida Bar News | Article | November 15, 2016 FloridaBarNews.TV reports on a new Florida Supreme Court workgroup that will focus on ways to better protect vulnerable people, such as children, adults with developmental and mental disabilities, and the elderly. Chief Justice Jorge Labarga created the Guardianship Workgroup in October 2016 to study the system that assists Floridians who are judged by a court to be unable to make decisions for themselves. Judiciary PANEL TO INTERVIEW 11 FOR SPOT ON FLORIDA SUPREME COURT Sarasota Herald-Tribune | Article | November 14, 2016 The Florida Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission will interview all 11 applicants vying to replace Justice James E.C. Perry, whose retirement is giving Gov. Rick Scott the opportunity to make an imprint on the state's high court. The nine-member nominating commission unanimously decided Monday [Nov. 14] to interview all the applicants for the post on Nov. 28. The panel plans to provide Scott a short list of six names. Perry's resignation goes into effect Dec. 30. Also in: PATH TO FLORIDA SUPREME COURT GOES THROUGH ORLANDO Orlando Sentinel | Article | November 14, 2016 APPLICANTS FOR FLORIDA SUPREME COURT HAVE LOCAL TIES St. Augustine Record | Article | November 15, 2016 SCOTT’S FIRST PICK FOR FLORIDA SUPREME COURT NEEDS TO BE INDEPENDENT Orlando Sentinel | Editorial | November 15, 2016 Judiciary WOMEN SWEEP 5 BROWARD JUDICIAL RACES South Florida Sun-Sentinel | Article | November 10, 2016 Women swept all five judicial races in Broward County last week. Election night gave Broward its first judge of Haitian descent, Florence Taylor Barner, who defeated Rhoda Sokoloff in the race to replace retiring County Judge Peter Skolnik. Recently appointed County Judge Nina Weatherly Di Pietro squeaked into office for a full term, defeating former Judge Ian Richards. In other races, Kim Theresa Mollica defeated Bradford Peterson for a County Court seat; Andrea Ruth Gundersen won her race against Lea Krauss; and Barbara Duffy defeated Abbe Rifkin. The five judicial races were all runoffs. Judiciary GOVERNOR APPOINTS FEIN AND FRINK TO BROWARD JUDICIAL POSTS South Florida Sun-Sentinel | Article | November 14, 2016 Keathan B. Frink, an attorney representing defendants in civil insurance claims, and Martin Fein, a former prosecutor turned defense lawyer, have been appointed to fill two judicial vacancies in Broward County. Frink was appointed to fill the seat vacated by the retiring Broward Circuit Court Judge Dale Ross, Gov. Rick Scott's office announced on Monday [Nov. 14]. Fein fills a seat that opened when Broward County Court Judge Renee Goldenberg resigned. Legal Profession PRO BONO SPOTLIGHT: VOLUNTEER ATTORNEY HELPS NAVY VETERAN AND HER TWO CHILDREN Jacksonville Daily Record | Column | November 14, 2016 Pro bono spotlight featuring Jacksonville attorney Mark Green, a volunteer with the Veterans Legal Collaborative, a project of several local organizations that serve Jacksonville's veteran population. A Navy veteran and mother of two young children came to one of the monthly counsel and advice sessions at the VA clinic seeking assistance with a divorce. Her goal was to establish a framework for time-sharing and child support. After two mediation sessions, the group assisted the mother in settling child support and time sharing issues. Green notes: "The client was greatly relieved and very satisfied with the result. . . . Providing pro bono services is very rewarding. It reminds us how lucky we are and how important it is to give back." Judiciary TRAILBLAZER JANET RENO LEFT LEGACY IN LEGAL CIRCLES Jacksonville Daily Record | Article | November 14, 2016 Janet Reno, 78, died last week due to complications from Parkinson's disease. Harry Shorstein and Hank Coxe were two Northeast Florida attorneys who got to know Reno over the years. They remember her as an intelligent, brutally honest and ethical attorney. Shorstein was the Fourth Judicial Circuit's new state attorney in 1991 when he first sat across the table from her. By that time, Reno had been the 11th Circuit state attorney for more than a decade, after being the first woman to hold such a position in Florida. The two shared state attorney roles for just two years before Reno continued her trailblazing path by being appointed the first female U.S. attorney general in 1993. Hank Coxe met Reno in the 1970s. "There was nothing artificial about her," said Coxe, " She was so honest, so direct." Civil Justice Issues WORKERS' COMP CHANGES: WHAT CAN EMPLOYERS DO? Sarasota Herald-Tribune | Article | November 14, 2016 Column by Josh Helmuth, a risk adviser in the Sarasota office of Lykes Insurance, a Florida-based commercial insurance firm. Helmuth writes: "Big workers' compensation changes are coming to all Florida employers. These are a result of recent Florida Supreme Court decisions, which led to the approval by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation to increase the overall statewide workers' compensation rate by 14.5 percent on Dec. 1. . . . Effective claims advocacy, management and communication, along with robust risk management and work safety programs, will enable employers to be ready for the upcoming changes and continue to operate their businesses profitably." Criminal Justice Issues DISBARRED LONGWOOD ATTORNEY: I PLEAD THE FIFTH AMENDMENT Orlando Sentinel | Article | November 14, 2016 Disbarred Longwood attorney Julie Kronhaus, whose clients accuse her of stealing more than $2 million, on Monday [Nov. 14] took the Fifth Amendment at a court hearing when a lawyer pressed her to explain what happened to the $90,000 a widow and her teenage son were supposed to get. Kronhaus had been subpoenaed to appear with records to show what happened to the money. Instead, she pleaded the Fifth Amendment, saying that on Sept. 28 an Orlando federal grand jury indicted her. Kronhaus faces 18 federal wire fraud and bank fraud counts in federal court. She is free while awaiting trial. In September she was jailed for three days for failing to produce records in another civil lawsuit. Criminal Justice Issues PROMINENT TAMPA ATTORNEY SENTENCED TO 10 MONTHS IN PRISON FOR DRUG MONEY SCHEME Tampa Bay Times | Article | November 14, 2016 Joe M. Gonzalez, a longtime Tampa lawyer, was sentenced Monday [Nov. 14] to 10 months in federal prison for his role in a scheme to hide proceeds from illegal drug sales. The sentence fell at the low end of federal guidelines, but still came as a surprise to some in court, as prosecutors had asked for a lighter punishment. Gonzalez admitted to the federal financial crime earlier this year and accepted a plea agreement. He ended his law practice and was suspended by The Florida Bar. Assistant U.S. Attorney Josephine Thomas, while noting the seriousness of Gonzalez's crime, did not discount the good he had done for the community -- Gonzalez is well known in Tampa for his civic activism. She asked the judge for community service and probation. But Chief U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday, while acknowledging his own temptation to grant the government's wishes, spoke of the need to deter others from committing similar crimes. Also in: TAMPA LAWYER CAUGHT IN STING IS SENTENCED Tampa Bay Business Journal | Article | November 14, 2016 The Florida Bar MENTAL HEALTH AT ISSUE IN FLORIDA BAR ADMISSION Leesburg Daily Commercial | Article | November 15, 2016 The Florida Board of Bar Examiners is asking a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed by an attorney who alleges he has faced unfair scrutiny because he is a recovering alcoholic who suffers from depression. The attorney, identified in court documents as John Doe, is licensed to practice in Arizona and Wisconsin and submitted an application last year to be admitted to The Florida Bar. But in the lawsuit filed last month in federal court in Tallahassee, the attorney contends that the board has violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by asking questions related to mental-health conditions and requiring additional evaluation before deciding whether to sign off on his application. The board argued it was justified in a requiring an additional evaluation as part of what is known as a "character and fitness investigation." U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle is scheduled to hold a hearing in the case Friday [Nov. 18]. Other LEARN HOW TO SET UP A FACEBOOK GROUP The Florida Bar | Tech Tip | November 15, 2016 Are you looking to have more interaction with your followers? Try Facebook Groups. For more information on this tip and others, visit the Tech Tips page.
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