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Class Notes
Alumni can learn about classmates' whereabouts and activities through Class Notes in every issue of UF Law alumni magazine.
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Archives: Summer 2006, Winter 2006, Summer 2005, Spring 2005, Winter 2005
Summer 2005 Class Notes
1955
David Bowman, a partner at Bowman George Scheb
Toale Robinson in Sarasota, was honored by the Florida
Bar Association for 50 years of service. He practices
estates planning law and wills and trusts.
1965
Gordon H. “Stumpy” Harris, founding
partner of the firm Harris, Harris, Bauerle & Sharma,
received the Knight Commander’s Accolade for his
lifetime service to Kappa Alpha.
1969
Charles H. Egerton, a founding member of Dean
Mead was re-elected as vice chair of the American Bar
Association’s tax section and specializes in legal
and tax oriented business advice.
1972
John Richard Smoak has been nominated as U.S.
District Court Judge for the Northern District of Florida.
1973
Jeffrey R. Garvin of Garvin & Tripp, P.A.
in Ft. Meyers, was elected president of the Southeastern
Florida Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates
and was selected for inclusion in Woodward & White’s
2005-06 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. jgarvin@garvinandtripp.com
1979
Jeff J. Scroggin was interviewed about the Terry
Schaivo case by the Atlanta Constitutional Journal and
appeared on CNN Headline News discussing medical directives.
He has also authored an article on Medical Directives
in Georgia State Bar Journal.
1981
David C. Banker has joined Bush Ross Gardner
Warren & Rudy in Tampa as a shareholder and focuses
on product liability, medical malpractice and employment
discrimination.
1982
Mark J. Wolfson, partner in the litigation department
at Foley & Lardner in Tampa, was elected chair of
the business law section of the Florida Bar and began
his term in June. As chair he leads the executive council
in coordinating and administering all of the section’s
activities and is active in the section’s continuing
legal education program and state and federal legislative
initiatives.
Paul Mandelkern, of Lowndes Drosdick Doster Kantor & Reed, was elected board secretary of the Kinneret Council on Aging, Inc., a not-for-profit organization that operates two facilities in downtown Orlando for low-income senior citizens.
Julia Fey of Lowndes Drosdick Doster Kantor & Reed recently presented “Fashion and Finance” in the firm’s conference center and will present two estate planning programs at the fifth annual Speaking of Women’s Health Conference.
Karen Meyer Buesing of Zinober & McCrea is the recipient of the 2005 Chairman’s Award from Leadership Florida, a Florida Chamber of Commerce organization of business and community leaders. Buesing was selected by Deanne Roberts, the 2005 Chair of Leadership of Florida, for her efforts in launching the Prosperity Campaign of Hillsborough & Pinellas Counties. The Prosperity Campaign helped bring $10.8 million in tax refunds to low- and moderate-income families in Hillsborough and Pinellas.
1983
Michael A. Abbott, partner at Gardere Wynne Sewell
in Houston, was named one of Houston’s top lawyers
by H Texas magazine in their 2005 publication survey.
He practices in the areas of employee benefits, including
ESOP’s and executive compensation, general tax
and estate planning, is a member of the National Center
for Employee Ownership and the Employee Stock Ownership
Plan Association and frequently writes about employee
compensation issues.
Robert H. Dellecker of Dellecker, Wilson, King, McKenna & Ruffier has been elected to the Central Florida Gator Club board of directors.
Paul Steven Singerman and Thomas O. Wells (JD 92), of BergerSingerman in Miami, were featured speakers at the Northern Trust Annual Bankers’ Sales Conference on “Asset Planning for Physicians and the Defensive Rabbi Trust Loan.”
1984
Brian D. Stokes, a partner at The Unger Law Group
in Orlando, obtained board certification by The Florida
Bar in the field of civil trial law.
1985
Neil G. Paulson, Sr., president of Franklin Financial
Corporation, is director of investments for Equity Trust
Company and recently opened another office in Medellin,
Columbia to invest in taxi cabs and apartments.
1986
William E. Ruffier of Dellecker, Wilson, King,
McKenna & Ruffier was admitted to the Million Dollar
Advocates Forum for attorneys who have earned million
and multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements for
their clients. While on the Central Florida Gator Club
board of directors he spearheaded the Central Florida
Faculty Support Fund, which is awarded to faculty who
provide teaching and research directed toward issues
specific to Central Florida.
1987
Louis Nostro, partner in the Miami office of
Shutts & Bowman LLP has been elected to the American
College of Trust and Estate Council and is chair of
the firm’s Trusts and Estates Practice Group.
Joanne Fanizza received The Florida Bar President’s Pro Bono Service Award for the 17th Judicial Circuit in a ceremony hosted by the Florida Supreme Court. jfanizza@bellsouth.net
Robert W. Murphy practices consumer law in Ft. Lauderdale with an emphasis on consumer finance class actions. He was reappointed to chair of the Consumer Protection Committee of The Florida Bar.
1988
Richard M. Benrubi of Liggo, Benrubi & Williams
was elected treasurer of the 2005 Palm Beach County
Trial Lawyers Association.
1989
Web Brennan, shareholder at Wagner, Vaughan &
McLaughlin, was inducted president of the Academy of
Florida Trial Lawyers for 2005-06.
Mark Stein, partner in the law firm Lott & Friedland, and fellow partners Leslie Lott (JD 74) and David Friedland (JD 88), were named as three of the four best intellectual property lawyers in South Florida in the 2005-2006 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.
1990
Tracy Duda Chapman was appointed corporate vice
president and general counsel to A. Duda and Sons in
Oviedo.
A. Brian Phillips, of Ruden McClosky in Orlando, made a presentation at the annual Louisiana State Bar Association Retreat titled “The Rigors of Interdisciplinary Practice.”
1991
Alan Pickert, a partner at Terrell Hogan Ellis
Yegewe, is president of the Jacksonville Bar Association.
He has been on the Bar’s Board of Governors since
1996 and has been honored by the Bar for contributing
hundreds of hours to helping the poor.
Norma Stanley of Lowndes Drosdick Doster Kantor & Reed is on the board of directors for the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra and has been appointed chair of its marketing committee.
Bradley P. Blystone partner in the firm Mateer Harbert in Orlando was named
chair of the board of directors at the Make-A-Wish Foundation
of Central and Northern Florida for 2005-2006.
1992
Amanda Parks Schlechter of Nason, Yeager, Gerson,
White & Lioce in West Palm Beach was named a partner
in the firm, and practices commercial and real estate
law. She currently resides in Wellington with her husband
Tom and sons Max and John William.
1994
Robert Fellman accepted a position as manager
of government pricing with KV Pharmaceutical in St.
Louis and manages compliance processes related to drug
pricing and drug reporting to governmental agencies.
His wife Jalaine Fellman (JD 94) is expecting twin girls.
Lawrence B. Lambert has been named a partner with Lash & Goldberg and focuses his practice in the areas of commercial litigation, health care, franchise litigation and contract and employment disputes.
Kenneth McKenna was a judge in the 54th annual Miss Universe competition in Bangkok, Thailand.
Tom McAleavey, partner with Holland & Knight in its Orlando office, will head the firm’s Securities Group in Central and North Florida. He specializes in mergers and acquisitions, public and private offerings of securities, corporate governance matters and securities regulation compliance.
1996
Charles E. Hodges II was named chairman of the
Georgia Bar Association’s tax section for the
2005-06 term during the section’s annual meeting
this month.
John Ruffier of Lowndes Drosdick Doster Kantor and Reed presented “Buying and Leasing Real Property in Florida” at UCF’s 24th annual Accounting Conference.
Matt O’Kane of Lowndes Drosdick Doster Kantor & Reed presented a seminar on “Sales and Tax Use in Florida” in Orlando for business owners, CFO’s, controllers, tax managers and accountants.
1997
Michael J. Ivan Jr. and John P. Cole announce
the formation of Ivan & Cole in Jacksonville. The
firm focuses on estate and trust litigation, fiduciary
risk management and counseling, estate planning, business
succession planning and tax planning.
1998
Joshua Sutin of Cox Smith Matthews Incorporated,
a commercial law firm in south Texas, was named to Texas
Monthly’s 2005 Texas Rising Stars list.
Andrew Chapin of Lowndes Drosdick Doster Kantor & Reed was promoted to senior associate.
1999
Douglas A. Kelly of Holland and Knight was appointed
chair of the Bankruptcy Law Committee in the Young Lawyers’
Division of the American Bar Association and has been
a member of the ABA since admitted to practice in 1999.
He is also a member of Holland and Knight’s national
corporate restructuring, insolvency and creditors’
rights group.
Aubrey Harry Ducker was nominated for membership on the Board of Directors of Christian Ethics at Baylor University by Today, a monthly publication detailing ethical considerations particular to Christian study.
Jeffry T. Donner joined Gunster, Yoakley & Steward in Miami as an associate and concentrates in the areas of environmental and land use law and administrative law.
E. John Wagner, II, a shareholder in the law firm of Williams, Parker, Harrison, Deitz & Getzen, received his board certification in taxation by the Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization and Education.
2000
Lisa Smith of Lowndes Drosdick Doster Kantor
& Reed was promoted to senior associate.
2002
Robert J. Robbins joined Learch Coughlin Stoia
Geller Rudman & Robbins in Boca Raton as an associate
focusing on securities and consumer fraud litigation. rrobbins@learchlaw.com
Archives: Summer 2006, Winter 2006, Summer 2005, Spring 2005, Winter 2005