CLASS NOTES
1955-2007
1955
Robert Beckham, an attorney
with Holland & Knight of Jacksonville,
was selected as this year's
recipient of The Equal Justice
Award, the highest honor given by
Jacksonville Area Legal Aid (JALA).
The award recognizes an attorney
or organization who has most
assisted JALA staff in accomplishing
their mission of serving lowincome
people on the First Coast.
1956
In 2007, Clifton R. "Pete" McDonald, Jr., gifted five works of artist Charles Bragg to the University of Florida. The art will be placed on display within the Levin College of Law. Clifton resides in Williamsburg, VA.
1960
Senior Circuit Judge Thomas M. Gallen was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Manatee County Bar Association.
Bay Area Legal Services announced the dedication of the "L. David Shear Law Center." The law center is named in honor of Shear for his record of service to the community and provision of legal services to the poor.
1965
Gordon H. "Stumpy" Harris
has been elected as presidentelect
of the Gator Boosters
organization for the University
of Florida.
Leroy Moe is now the senior circuit court judge in the state. Judge Moe was appointed judge of the Broward County Court by Governor Askew in 1971, elected circuit court judge in 1972, and has been re-elected five times thereafter.
1966
William B. Barnett has been named as one of the "Best of The Bar," as published in the Orlando Business Journal.
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1967
Eric Smith has retired as assistant dean for external affairs at Florida Coastal School of Law. He has joined the Tallahassee and statewide Maddox Horne law firm and opened a Jacksonville, Fla. office for the firm. Smith is also the producer and host of the television program, "People and Politics," which airs each Friday evening at 9:30 on Comcast Cable Channel 29.
1968
Florida Governor Charlie Crist has
appointed attorney Kirk N. Kirkconnell
of Winter Park, Fla. to serve
a four-year term on the Judicial
Nominating Commission (JNC) for
the Fifth District Court of Appeals.
Attorney General Bill McCollum gave the recent commencement address to 200 graduates of St. Thomas University in MiamiGardens, including 25 who received their Juris Doctorates.
1971
Howard Coker acted as leader in a U.S./Russia Joint Conference on the Rule of the Law in St. Petersburg, Russia. The conference was co-sponsored by People to People Ambassador Programs and the law faculty at Russia's St. Petersburg State University.
Kids Incorporated of the Big Bend honored Steve Uhlfelder with the 2007 Budd Bell Award at the 17th Annual Night of Champions Nov. 12, 2007, for his lifetime achievement as an advocate for children.
1973
Martha Barnett was awarded
the 2008 Robert F. Drinan Award
for Distinguished Service for her
commitment to the American Bar
Association Section of Individual
Rights and Responsibilities and its
mission of providing leadership to
the legal profession.
Gerald A. Rosenthal was named to
2008 Florida Super Lawyers for a
second consecutive year.
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1974
Robert McAliley has been promoted
to partner of Rumberger, Kirk &
Caldwell in Orlando, Fla.
1976
Mark P. Buell has been recognized as a leading trial lawyer in Florida Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers in America and the Legal Elite for 2008. Buell, of the firm Buell & Elligett, is board certified as a civil trial lawyer and a business litigation lawyer by The Florida Bar.
Leonard J. Cooperman has been appointed a United States administrative law judge in Springfield, Mass., within the Social Security Administration.
1977
Linda A. Conahan, shareholder and a member of Gunster Yoakley's litigation department, was named a top litigation and real estate lawyer by South Florida Legal Guide 2008.
Gov. Charlie Crist appointed Hans Tanzler III (LLMT) as one of nine members to serve on the St. Johns River Water Management District board. Tanzler is a certified public accountant and Florida Bar member who will represent the Lower St. Johns River Basin.
Dennis J. Wall has been selected
by the editorial board of Insurance
Coverage for Catastrophe Claims
being published by Thomson West
Publishing as a national leader in
insurance law. He is also one of six
coverage attorneys featured as a
chapter author in Catastrophe Insurance
Claims Coverage: Leading
Lawyers on Evaluating a Catastrophe
Claim's Scope Investigating Claims
and Developing Strategies for Prosecution
and Defense. Wall served as
a guest speaker on A.M. Best Company
podcast about "Web Logs and
Insurance Law." Lastly, his Web log,
"Insurance Claims and Issues," is
the most popular and highest-ranked
insurance Web log by the American
Bar Association.
1978
Maurice Baskin has been named to the Best Lawyers in America annual legal rankings guide, published by Woodward/White, Inc. Gov. Charlie Crist announced the appointment of Jay P. Cohen of Orlando, Fla. to the Fifth District Court of Appeals.
1979
John J. "Jeff" Scroggin (LLMT) has been appointed chairman of the Community Foundation for North Fulton in Georgia. Scroggin was quoted on the front page of the personal finance section of The Wall Street Journal on Oct. 19, 2007, and was profiled as an estate planning professional in Wealth Management Business in January. He's made presentations to the Million Dollar Round Table, at the Financial Planning Association's national meeting, the Georgia Society of CPAs annual estate planning meeting, and many others.
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1980
Charles A. Buford has joined the law
firm of Johnson Pope Bokor Ruppel &
Burns as a shareholder. Buford was
formerly a partner with Harper Kynes
Geller & Buford and is a boardcertified civil trial attorney, business
litigator and court-certified mediator.
1981
PEN USA presented its 2007 Award of Honor to several media attorneys, including Thomas R. Julin of Hunton & Williams. The award recognizes those who have done pro bono work at reduced fees to defend journalists against the vastly increasing numbers of federal subpoenas and other actions.
McDonough Holland & Allen shareholder
James L. Leet (LLMT) was
recently honored by the State Bar
of California for his 20 years of
service as a certified specialist in
taxation law.
1982
The law firm of Zimmerman Kiser
& Sutcliffe announced Stephen B.
Hatcher (LLMT) as its new president.
Hatcher has been with the firm since
1984 and focuses his practice in
the areas of real estate transactions,
business transactions and planning
for taxable estates.
U.S. Preventive Medicine®
announced the appointment of
Paul E. Risner as executive vice
president, general counsel. In his
position Risner will be responsible for
the company's legal issues related
to its national and international
operations, including acquisitions,
licensing agreements and investor
relations. He will be based in the
company's new operations center in
Jacksonville, Fla.
1984
David J. Akins, a shareholder in the
Orlando, Fla. office of Dean Mead,
was recently re-elected to the board
of directors and elected first vice
president of the Central Florida
Estate Planning Council for
2008-2009.
Valenti Campbell Trohn Tamayo & Aranda in Lakeland, Fla., announced Henry B. Campbell has joined the firm as a partner. He is a civil trial lawyer who will continue to focus his practice in general civil litigation, commercial litigation, and personal injury defense law.
Brian D. Stokes has been designated a named partner in the Orlando, Fla. law firm of Unger Stokes Acree Gilbert Tressler & Tacktill, which specializes in the defense of medical malpractice, products liability, insurance claims and other complex litigation.
1985
Mark Klingensmith has been elected as a city commissioner for the town of Sewall's Point in Martin County, Fla.
Neil Paulson was interviewed by the New York Times on self-directed individual retirement accounts. The article, "Exotic i.R.A.'s: Leaving Stocks and Bonds Behind," was published Oct. 20, 2007.
Michael W. Smith has been named president of AIG Executive Liability. Smith was formerly president of AIG Financial Lines Claims and joined AIG in 1996 as division counsel in AIG Executive Liability's professional liability division. He subsequently served as executive vice president and chief underwriting officer before his promotion to president.
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1986
David Berg has been named executive
vice president for international
strategy & corporate development for
Best Buy.
Hal R. Bradford has joined the law offices of Moyle Flanigan Katz Breton White & Krasker as an associate. He practices in the areas of real estate, land use and development law.
Fisher & Phillips LLP, a national
labor and employment law firm,
announced that Jeffrey Mandel is among
five of Florida's most respected labor and
employment attorneys who have joined
the Firm's Orlando, Fla. office.
Hugh W. "Bill" Perry has been named
the new managing shareholder for Gunster
Yoakley.
Asifa Sheikh and her family have endowed a professorship in the University of Florida Department of Religion. The professorship, honoring the life of the family matriarch, Izzat Hassan Sheikh, intends to foster a greater understanding of Islam in the modern world.
David A. Wallace served as
a panelist at the Sarasota County
Bar Association's Appellate Practice
Section CLE seminar titled, "Inside
the Second District: A Presentation
for Trial and Appellate Lawyers,"
held at the University of South Florida's
Sarasota Campus on May 16.
1987
Carlton Fields MiamiShareholder
Gary M. Pappas recently served
as a presenter for a webinar titled
"Trouble From China" on behalf of
the Sporting Goods Manufacturers
Association. The webinar focused
on domestic products liability issues
arising from products or component
parts made in China.
Kurt M. Spengler, a senior partner residing in the Orlando, Fla. office of Wicker Smith O'Hara McCoy & Ford, was named to the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). ABOTA is a national association of experienced trial lawyers and judges dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the civil jury trial right provided by the Seventh Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
1988
Timothy Campbell is the new chairman of the 2,100-member Lakeland Area Chamber of Commerce.
R. Scott Costantino of the Jacksonville, Fla. firm Liles Gavin Costantino & George has been elected to the American Board of Trial Advocates. ABOTA is a national organization devoted to the preservation of the right to trial by jury. He is a boardcertified civil trial lawyer and specializes in complex personal injury, wrongful death and medical negligence cases. Costantino resides in Ponte Vedra Beach with his wife and four children.
ValentiCampbell Trohn Tamayo & Aranda in Lakeland, Fla., announced James C. Valenti has joined the firm as a managing partner. Valentiis a civil trial lawyer who will continue to focus his practice in general civil litigation, commercial litigation, and personal injury law.
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1989
Stuart R. Morris, founding partner of
Morris Law Group in Boca Raton, Fla.,
has been named to Worth Magazine's
Top 100 Attorneys list for the second
year in a row.
1990
Joseph "Joe" L. Amos was appointed
by The Florida Bar to serve on its
Supreme Court Standard Jury Instructions
Committee for Civil Courts.
Joseph A. Osborne, a partner in the
plaintiffs' trial law firm Babbitt Johnson
Osborne & Le Clainche in West
Palm Beach, Fla., has been accepted
into the Multi-Million and Million-
Dollar Advocates Forums.
Valenti Campbell Trohn Tamayo & Aranda in Lakeland, Fla., announced Jonathan Trohn has joined the firm as a partner. Trohn is a civil trial lawyer, who will continue to focus his practice in general civil litigation, commercial litigation, and personal injury defense law.
Johnathan Short is now senior vice president and general counsel of Inter- Continental Exchange (ICE), a New York Stock Exchange company.
Kathleen Smith was appointed by Gov. Charlie Crist to serve as head of the office of the Public Defender in the Twentieth Judicial Circuit serving Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry and Lee counties. She had previously served as assistant deputy public defender for the agency, which represents criminal defendants unable to afford their own lawyers, replacing Robert Jacobs Ii, who died in December after suffering a stroke.
1991
William N. Halpern, real estate attorney
with the law firm of Shuffield-
Lowman, was recently named a firm
shareholder.
John V. Tucker was recently elected to
the board of trustees of the National
Multiple Sclerosis Society, Mid-Florida
Chapter. Tucker practices law with
Tucker & Ludin, P.A. in Clearwater,
Fla. where he is managing shareholder.
Tucker also was a feature speaker
at the Multiple Sclerosis Society Mid-
Florida Chapter Seminar titled "Financial
Planning for a +Life with MS,"
where he spoke on applying for and
receiving disability benefits.
1992
Morgan R. Bentley has been selected by The Florida Bar for its 2008 Florida Bar President's Pro Bono Service Award. He was one of 20 winners.
Jeffery M. Goodz has joined the law offices of Moyle Flanigan Katz Breton White & Krasker as an associate. He practices in the areas of employment and labor law.
1994
Roetzel & Andress announced Michael
McNatt is the first attorney in Orlando,
Fla. to become a U.S. Green Building
Council LEED Accredited Professional
(LEED AP). He was also recently
appointed to the Sustainable Development
National Forum of the National
Association of Industrial and office Properties
(NAIOP) and elected its chairman.
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1995
The law firm of Broad and Cassel
announced the addition of Thomas
G. Norsworthy, of counsel, who joins
the Firm's Orlando, Fla. office and
the Affordable Housing and Tax Credit
Practice Group.
1996
Gov. Charlie Christ appointed Holly Benson to serve as secretary for the Florida State Agency for Health Care Administration.
William T. Hennessey, a litigation
attorney and shareholder at Gunster
Yoakley & Stewart in West Palm
Beach, Fla., has been elected a fellow
of the American College of Trust and
Estate Counsel (ACTEC). He is one of
approximately 138 lawyers in Florida
and 2,700 nationwide to earn this
distinction. He was also named an
"Up & Comer" in trust and estate litigation
and estate planning by South
Florida Legal Guide 2008.
Christopher A. McMican (LLMT)
was promoted from senior counsel
to principal for the law firm of Miller
Canfield in Detroit, Mich. His practice
focuses on employee benefits law with
an emphasis on qualified retirement
plans, nonqualified deferred compensation,
health and welfare benefits,
and estate planning.
1997
The managing shareholder of Asbell Ho
Klaus Goetz & Doupé, Nicole L. Goetz,
and associate attorney Stephanie
Sussman, made a presentation at the
Trusts and Estates Section meeting of
the Collier County Bar Association on
March 7. The title of the presentation
was "Can You Trust Your Trusts and Presume
Your Prenuptials Will Protect Your
Clients?: A Brief Overview of Family Law
for the Estate and Trust Practitioner."
Pardis Zomorodi was elected partner of Latham & Watkins in Los Angeles, Calif. She is a tax attorney with a focus on the federal income taxation of corporations, partnerships and real estate investment trusts, including planning and structuring mergers, acquisitions and financing transactions.
1998
Michael G. Archibald, of Marshall,
Dennehey, Warner, Coleman & Goggin
in Tampa, Fla., was named a shareholder
of the firm.
Rebecca C. Cavendish, a shareholder and member of Gunster Yoakley & Stewarts' litigation department, was named an "Up & Comer" in complex commercial litigation and employment by South Florida Legal Guide 2008.
Jason Gonzalez, general counsel to the Republican Party of Florida, is Gov. Charlie Crist's new full-time general counsel. He is a shareholder at Ausley & McMullen, an old-line Tallahassee firm, and is a member of the Florida Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission.
Miamiattorney Kenneth Dante Murena
has recently become of counsel to
the law firm of Damian & Valori. His
area of practice will continue to concentrate
on commercial, bankruptcy
and fraud litigation.
Harvey E. Oyer IIi, a fifth-generation native of Palm Beach County, has joined the statewide law firm Shutts & Bowen in West Palm Beach as a partner and will chair the office's land use practice group.
Broad and Cassel announced Stephen Grave de Peralta has been named a partner with the south Florida firm and is a member of the firm's corporate and securities and real estate practice groups. He has been with the firm since 2000.
Michelle Tomlinson Williams was invited to be the keynote speaker at the Caribbean Law Student's Association Banquet at the UF Levin College of Law. Ms. Tomlinson Williams is senior director & counsel at Hilton Grand Vacations, which develops, sells and operates timeshare resorts for Hilton Hotels Corporation and the Blackstone Group. She is lead counsel for the resort operations, international, information technology and association governance practice areas, and handles general corporate matters.
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1999
Kara K. Baxter, an associate with the law firm Greenberg Traurig, has been designated as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional (LEED AP) by the United States Green Building Council (USBGC).
The Law Firm of Shutts & Bowen
announced the election of Andrew J.
Fruit as a new partner of the Tampa
office at its recent annual meeting. He is
a member of the corporate department
and represents clients in mergers and
acquisitions matters, while focusing on
corporate law, contracts, securities and
corporate finance.
Candy Messersmith has been promoted to partner of Rumberger, Kirk & Caldwell in Orlando, Fla.
Stefan Rubin, a partner with Ruden McClosky's Orlando, Fla. office, was named among the "Best of the Bar" by the Orlando Business Journal.
2000
The Law Firm of Shutts & Bowen
announced the election of Roland
Gallor as a new partner of the
Miamioffice at its recent annual
meeting. He is a member of the
firm's real estate department and
focuses his practice on the transfer
of commercial property. This representation
includes acquisitions,
sales, leasing and lending. He works
with banks and other lending institutions,
as well as developers and
property owners.
The Orlando, Fla. firm of Lowndes,
Drosdick, Doster, Kantor & Reed
announced Jill Harmon has been elevated
to a partner/shareholder.
Advanced Disposal Services, Inc., a regional provider of integrated solid waste collection, transfer, and disposal services announced the hiring of Christian Mills to the newlycreated position of vice presidentgeneral counsel. Mills will work out of Advanced Disposal's corporate office in Jacksonville, Fla.
Brian and Beth Mulligan were blessed with the birth of their second child, Jake Donal Mulligan, born Sept. 22, 2007. Their first son, Quinn Michael Mulligan was born in July of 2006.
The law firm, Quarles & Brady, announced David Pash joined the firm's trusts & estates group in the Naples office.
The Orlando, Fla. law firm of Zimmerman,
Kiser & Sutcliffe, named Jeremy
S. Sloane as a new shareholder for
2008.
The Law Firm of Shutts & Bowen
announced the election of Ricardo
J. Souto as a new partner of the
Miamioffice at its recent annual
meeting. He is a member of the
International and Tax Practice
Group, where he concentrates his
practice in taxation, estate planning
and business planning. He
advises foreign clients with respect
to investments in the United States
and related income tax and estate
planning matters.
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2001
Brandon Biederman was recognized by the South Florida Business Journal during the journal's 2007 Up & Comers Awards ceremony. "UP & Comers" awards recognize the outstanding young business leaders under the age of 40 who are making their mark in South Florida.
The law firm of Arnstein & Lehr announced Loren W. Fender has become a member of the firm. Fender's practice is concentrated on commercial and tort litigation with emphasis in complex product liability matters involving catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death.
Brad Gould, an associate with the
law firm of Dean Mead, has been
elected chairman of the board for
Big Brothers Big Sisters of St. Lucie,
Indian River and Okeechobee counties.
Gould has been on the board
since 2005 and has also served as
vice president.
The Orlando, Fla. law firm of Zimmerman,
Kiser & Sutcliffe, named
Katherine E. McKinley as a new
shareholder for 2008.
Roger H. Miller III was named
a shareholder with Farr, Farr,
Emerich, Hackett & Carr, of Punta
Gorda, Fla. Miller concentrates his
practice in the areas of real estate
and civil litigation. He is also serving
as president of the board of directors
for Charlotte County Habitat
for Humanity.
David M. Migut, assistant city attorney for the City of Fort Myers, has become board-certified by The Florida Bar in city, county and local government law.
The Florida business law firm
Berger Singerman announced
Marc S. Shuster has joined the
firm as an associate. He is a
member of the transaction team
based in the firm's Fort Lauderdale,
Fla. office.
Fisher & Phillips LLP, a national
labor and employment law firm,
announced David Young is among
five of Florida's most respected labor
and employment attorneys who have
joined the firm's Orlando, Fla. office.
2002
Reuben A. Doupe has become
a shareholder with the marital
and family law firm of Asbell Ho
Klaus Goetz & Douopé in Naples,
Fla. He will continue to practice
exclusively in marital and family
law.
The Sarasota, Fla. law firm of Williams Parker Harrison Dietz & Getzen announced Jennifer Lodge has joined the firm's litigation department.
2003
Laura Leslie-Schuemann has recently joined the Stuart office of Gunster Yoakley & Stewart. She is a private wealth services attorney who concentrates her practice in trusts and estates, tax preparation and estate planning.
Cristina Papanikos has recently joined the West Palm Beach, Fla. offices of Gunster Yoakley & Stewart. She is a litigation attorney and concentrates her practice in estate, trust and guardianship litigation, as well as employment litigation.
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2004
Chad M. Muney has joined the law offices of Moyle Flanigan Katz Breton White & Krasker as an associate. His practice focuses on business litigation, construction law, real property disputes, landlord and tenant, and first party insurance coverage.
Carlton Fields' associate, Karen L.
Persis, was appointed president-elect
of the Central Florida Gator
Club - the largest alumni chapter
of the University of Florida Alumni Association.
2005
After law school, Jennifer C. Finch worked as in-house counsel for Sunterra Corporation in Las Vegas, Nev. In September of 2007, she took an in-house position with Starwood specializing in registrations and government relations, working out of Orlando, Fla.
Fisher & Phillips LLP, a national
labor and employment law firm,
announced David Gobeo has joined
the firm's Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
office as an associate. He
will focus his practice on
employment litigation,
including discrimination,
harassment and wage and
hour claims.
McGlinchey Stafford announced that Robert D. Sheesley has joined the firm as an associate in New Orleans, La. Sheesley practices in the commercial litigation section of the firm and has considerable experience representing private employers in labor and employment litigation and compliance matters.
Mark W. Terrell (LLMT)
joined the Orlando, Fla.
office of Dean Mead as an
associate in the estate and
succession planning department.
2006
Amy Fletcher has joined the
National Veterans Legal Services
Program in Washington,
D.C. as a staff attorney.
Brian McAlhaney has joined Nelson
Mullins Riley & Scarborough in
Greenville, S.C., to practice in the
area of intellectual property law.
2007
James M. Bandoblu Jr. (LLMT) has
joined Hodgson Russ LLP's Federal/
International Tax Practice Group
in the firm's Buffalo, N.Y. office.
Daniel J. Cooper has joined the law firm of Armstrong Teasdale in St. Louis, Mo. and focuses his practice primarily in the areas of tax, employee benefits, trusts and estates, and public law and finance.