Florida

BigLaw Firm Hired to Vet Company Gave It Thumbs-Up—Without Noting Suits It Had Filed Against CEO

Hired in 2010 by a Florida city to check out a private company, in connection with a potential film school project in collaboration with Florida State University, a BigLaw firm gave West Palm Beach a glowing report about Digital Domain Media Group. Later that year, the city deeded a parcel…

Oct 16, 2012 6:30 PM CDT

Some Question Whether Law Firms Should Represent Both Banks and Homeowner Associations

Once upon a time, before the mortgage meltdown, foreclosure cases were something of a rarity. But now some are wondering whether lawyers in one of the country’s hardest-hit real estate markets should represent both banks and homeowner associations, since their interests can conflict in the battle to gain possession of…

Oct 12, 2012 3:33 PM CDT

Expect Jail Time, Judge Tells Prospective Juror Who Googled Murder Defendant, Flouting Written Order

Earlier this year a Florida judge had to declare a mistrial in a high-profile murder case after multiple members of the jury pool gossiped with each other about the defendant during breaks in the selection process. So when he recently began a new first-degree murder trial involving a different defendant,…

Oct 11, 2012 6:28 PM CDT

South Florida Law Firm Calls Bomb Squad to Office to Deal with Deceased Client’s Hand Grenades

The bomb and arson squad of the Palm Beach County sheriff’s department was called out Wednesday morning to a Florida attorney’s office, where it “rendered safe” two hand grenades brought there this morning. John M. McDivitt had been cleaning out the home of a deceased client who was a veteran…

Oct 10, 2012 5:30 PM CDT

Claimed $40K Contract Hit Attempt on Fed’l Judge, Prosecutor Creates New Trouble for Jailed Con Man

Updated: A New York man who was serving time in federal prison in New York after selling overpriced coins in a $40 million telemarketing scheme on Long Island and in South Florida is now facing new trouble. Joseph Romano is accused of plotting from his prison cell to hire a…

Oct 9, 2012 9:01 PM CDT

Law School Email Draws Fire Amid Hotly Contested Retention Election for 3 Top Florida Judges

An unusual political battle over an upcoming retention election for three Florida Supreme Court justices has now embroiled one of the state’s law schools. As detailed recently by the Tampa Bay Times, the Republican Party of Florida, in an unprecedented move, announced last month that it would oppose the retention…

Oct 9, 2012 3:42 PM CDT

Florida Officials Ban ‘Gator Parties’ That Put Kids in Swimming Pool with Wild Reptiles

Their jaws are taped shut and they are less than 4 feet long. But nonetheless they are alligators, with sharp teeth and tails that can do a lot of damage if they start whipping them around. So officials at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission have put the kibosh…

Oct 5, 2012 5:00 PM CDT

Florida Trial Lawyer Willie Gary and His Law Firm Must Pay $12.5M to Litigation Funding Company

A Florida trial lawyer known both for the big verdicts he has won and his lavish lifestyle has been hit with a $12.5 million verdict in a case brought by a litigation funding company. Willie Gary, his law firm, Gary, Williams, Lewis & Watson, and another partner are the defendants…

Oct 4, 2012 3:48 PM CDT

Three Regional Law Firms Announce Mergers; Like Most This Year, They Involve Small Law Firms

Three well-known regional law firms have announced mergers this week. And, like most other law firm mergers this year, they involved the acquisitions of smaller shops, according to Reuters. Adams and Reese will add Tallahassee, Fla.-based Igler & Dougherty to its existing roster of 260 attorneys working in offices throughout…

Oct 3, 2012 6:54 PM CDT

Florida Supreme Court Hears Arguments in Case of Undocumented Immigrant Seeking Law License

The Florida Supreme Court on Tuesday heard oral arguments in a controversial case concerning an undocumented immigrant seeking a law license. In addition to other arguments he made earlier, Jose Manuel Godinez-Samperio is now contending he should be admitted to practice in the state because a new immigration policy adopted…

Oct 2, 2012 9:57 PM CDT

Feds Say Suspect in $100M Scam Is Fugitive Harvard Law Grad Charged in 1984 Client Funds Theft

Federal authorities say a Harvard Law School graduate who has been a fugitive for 25 years is in jail awaiting trial as a suspect in an unrelated case involving $100 million scam in which donations for U.S. Navy veterans were collected throughout the country. The suspect, who said his name…

Oct 1, 2012 9:20 PM CDT

Homeowners Who Spent $220K in Legal Fees to Fight $2K HOA Lawn Bill Win Court Case After 11 Years

Fighting a $2,212 bill for lawn resodding from their homeowner association seemed, to a Florida couple, like the thing to do. But that was more than a decade ago, and it remains to be seen whether Ed and Billye Simmons, who have prevailed in their court case after 11 years…

Oct 1, 2012 4:16 PM CDT

Burr & Forman Acquires 23-Attorney Tampa Law Firm, Establishing a Third Office in Florida

A growing Southeast regional firm with a history in Birmingham, Ala., that dates back a century is establishing a new office in Florida with the acquisition of a 23-attorney law firm there. Counting the lawyers from Williams Schifino Mangione & Steady, there will now be more than 275 attorneys on…

Sep 28, 2012 8:00 PM CDT

Disbarred Ex-Judge Who Survived 1994 Deposition Shooting Now Faces Money-Laundering Case

After surviving a 1994 shooting during a civil case deposition in which his client and another lawyer were shot to death by the pro se opposing party, a South Florida attorney subsequently told a local newspaper that every day is a blessing. Maurice J. Hall, 63, is now facing a…

Sep 26, 2012 3:25 PM CDT

Don’t Want Toll Booth Delay? Don’t Pay with Big Bills, Says 11th Circuit

A Florida policy which mandates that a car must wait while toll booth operators collect driver information when someone pays with large bills does not amount to improper detention, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled this week. To discourage drivers from paying tolls with large bills, when the…

Sep 21, 2012 4:35 PM CDT