22 Legal Calender/ Briefs

legal briefs

Fowler White shareholders

picked for Leadership Tampa

Katherine Lake, a shareholder in the Tampa office of Fowler White Boggs Banker, will participate in the Leadership Tampa Class of 2004. Lake is a member of the firm's securities, financial and white collar practice group.

Shareholder William Flynn III also will participate in the class. Flynn heads the firm's international practice group.

Fowler White opens

Bonita Springs office

Fowler White Boggs Banker opened a Bonita Springs office, which marks the firm's eighth Florida office. Deborah Russell will manage the new office. Russell's practice includes estate planning, charitable gift planning, trust and estate settlement and taxation. She is board certified in wills, trusts and estates.

Local attorney/author

publishes new book

Tampa attorney Diane Vogt recently released "Six Bills," the most recent edition of the Judge Wilhemina Carson mystery series. The book, just as all the Carson mysteries, is set in the Tampa Bay area, and is available online at iUniverse.com's bookstore, at local bookstores and at Vogt's office at 800 S. Dakota Ave. in Tampa.

Florida Bar certifies

142 Florida attorneys

The Florida Bar recently certified 142 attorneys as specialists. Among the newly certified, two were certified in admiralty and maritime law; eight in appellate practice; one in aviation law; four in business litigation; 10 in city, county and local government law; 26 in civil trial; three in criminal appellate law; 17 in criminal trial; five in elder law; 20 in labor and employment law; six in health law; one in international law; nine in marital and family law; six in real estate law; five in tax law; six in wills, trusts and estates and 13 in workers' compensation.

From Clearwater: Barrie Sawyer Buenaventura and Julia Corbin in city, county and local government; and Thomas Robert Unice in civil trial law. From St. Petersburg: Robert Erich Biasotti, appellate practice; Mitchell R. Golde and Christopher Leo Petruccelli in workers' compensation; Daniel John Romanello, civil trial law; and April Denise Hill in elder law. From Tampa: Joseph Cameron Bodiford, criminal law; Kevin John Fitzsimmons, Burke George Lopez, Mark McLaughlin and Francis Anthony Miller in civil trial law; Adam John Gormly, city, county and government law; Robert D. Hall, labor and employment law; Ashley J. McCorvey Myers, marital and family law; Matthew John Valcourt, admiralty and family law; Ivan Dmitri Voronec, workers' compensation law and Kevin Britt Woods, business litigation.

Florida Bar seeks

pro bono nominees

The Florida Bar seeks nominations by Sept. 26 for pro bono awards. That includes the President's Pro Bono Service Award for an attorney in each of the judicial circuits; the Tobias Simon Pro Bono Service Award to be given to one attorney statewide; the Chief Justice's Law Firm Commendation; and the Voluntary Bar Association Pro Bono Service Award. Nomination forms are available online at www.flabar.org.

- Hali White

Legal Calender

Clearwater

Sept. 19 - The Clearwater Bar Association annual golf classic will begin at noon at Clearwater Country Club, 525 North Betty Lane. Prizes will be awarded for closest to the pin, longest drive, putting and hole-in-one. There will also be prizes for first and second place low gross, and first and second place low net. The $100 entry fee includes lunch, range balls, green fees, cart, a chance at the proximity contests, door prize raffle, drinks and a 19th hole party.

Oct. 10 - The Clearwater Bar Association will host its annual Bench & Bar conference, beginning at noon, at Stetson University College of Law, 1401 61st S., Gulfport. (727) 461-4869.

Nov. 13 - The Clearwater Bar Association will host its monthly membership luncheon at noon at the Harborview Center, 300 Cleveland St. (727) 461-4869.

St. Petersburg

Sept. 25 - St. Petersburg Bar Association swearing-in ceremony, 4 p.m., St. Petersburg Judicial Building, 545 1st Ave. N., Courtroom A, fourth floor, free to members.

Tampa

Oct. 29 - The Hillsborough County Bar Association will host its annual Bench & Bar conference from 1 to 5 p.m. at Tampa's downtown Hyatt, 211 N. Tampa St. (813) 221-7777.

Sarasota and Manatee

Sept. 16 - The Sarasota-Manatee Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators will hold a vendor reception and lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Waterside Room, 216 Sarasota Quay, Sarasota. The event is free for ALA member firms and is $15 for non-member firms. Call Cathy Harper at Kunkel Miller and Hament at (941) 365-6006.

Sept. 17 - The Southwest Florida Paralegal Association Inc. will hold a dinner meeting discussing construction lien law with Stuart Levine, Esq., from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the Sarasota Yacht Club, 1100 John Ringling Blvd., Sarasota. Call Kim Swartz at (941) 364-8787.

Sept. 24 - The Sarasota County Bar Association will hold an Estate Planning and Probate meeting at noon at the University Club. Call (941) 366-6703.

Sept. 26 - The Sarasota County Bar Association will hold a Solo Practice Section meeting at noon at the Terrace Building, 10th Floor. Call (941) 366-6703.

Sept. 30 - The Sarasota County Bar Association will hold its 2003-2004 installations and awards dinner at 6 p.m. at the Hyatt Sarasota, 1000 Blvd. of the Arts. Cost is $40 and is due by Sept. 25. Call (941) 366-6703.

Oct. 1 - The Sarasota County Bar Association will hold a Real Property Section meeting at noon at the University Club. Call (941) 366-6703.

Oct. 4 - The Southwest Florida Paralegal Association Inc. will hold its annual seminar with "An Overview of the U.S. Patriot Act, U.S. Patriot Act II and Homeland Security Act" from Grissim Hill Walker Jr., Esq. from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Lakewood Ranch Holiday Inn, 6231 Lake Osprey Drive, Sarasota. Call Susan Profant at (941) 741-4832 or visit www.swfloridaparalegals.com.

Nov. 14 - The Courts of the 12th Judicial Circuit, Legal Aid of Manasota and the Manatee, Sarasota and Venice-Englewood bar associations will hold a bench/bar conference from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota, 1111 Ritz-Carlton Drive. Cost is $85 payable in advance. Call (941) 366-0038.

Elsewhere

Oct. 10 - The Remsen Group will present "2003 Managing Partner Forum for Florida Law firms." 8 a.m to 4 p.m. Information: (954) 527-9111.

ABA president visits Tampa

American Bar President Dennis Archer was the guest speaker at the Sept. 5 luncheon meeting of the Hillsborough County Bar Association at Tampa's Marriott Waterside.

New Bar President Marian McCulloch opened the meeting by thanking Mike Hooker, immediate past president, for work during his presidency. Hooker, in turn, presented the James M. McEwen Award to Karen Guito for her work with the Community Law Fair.

Archer discussed the challenges of being ABA president in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on America.

"We must mobilize lawyers and judges to adapt the rule of law to the values of today," he said, adding that he will continue to focus on military personnel during his rule. He supported legislation that will allow military lawyers to represent service men and women in states in which they might not be licensed to practice. He is working on an initiative that would ask universities to grant in-state tuition to military families.

Archer closed by encouraging lawyers to revere their profession.