Legal Briefs (Tampa edition)

Legal Briefs (Tampa edition)

Bar associations search

for U.S. Supreme Court lawyers

There'll be a special swearing-in ceremony May 17 at the U.S. Supreme Court for members of the Clearwater and Hillsborough bar associations.

Any lawyers interested in being admitted to practice at the Supreme Court should submit an application by April 5. Space is limited to 50 candidates. Check either bar's Web site, www.clwbar.org or www.hillsbar.com, for more information or call (727) 461-4869. A Supreme Court application can be obtained from www.supremecourtus.gov.

Nominating Commission

to interview 29 candidates

All of the 29 people, including four county judges, who have applied for the judgeship formerly held by Charles Cope will be interviewed by the 6th Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission on March 19.

County judges vying for the spot are Henry Andringa, Walt Fullerton, Sonny Im and Amy Williams. Some of the applicants have unsuccessfully ran for judge, including Byron A. Lorrier, Robert "Bo" Michael and M. Malinda Ottinger. Other candidates include Nathaniel B. Kidder, Randall J. Love, Joe D. Lovelace, Matthew H. Perry, Charles L. Pourciau Jr., Walter L. Schafer Jr., Sean Delarue Kamara Scott, Andy B. Steingold, John E. Tuthill and Keith Adam Warshofsky.

Fowler White hires

chief information officer

Daniel B. Rhinehart is the new chief information officer at Fowler White Boggs Banker PA, Tampa. Rinehart most recently worked as the national information technology operations manager for Holland & Knight LLP, Lakeland.

Legal services creates

central phone system

Bay Area Legal Services Inc. has created a five-county, central telephone screening and intake service.

The new program serves low-income residents in Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas, Manatee and Sarasota counties.

Instead of a typical four- to seven-day referral period, the nonprofit community service program now estimates it takes only 24 hours to refer a caller through the Legal Aid Line Call Center.

Once they assess the client's needs, staff advocates then refer the call to the appropriate regional provider - Gulfcoast Legal Services (Pinellas, Manatee and Sarasota counties), Legal Aid of Manasota (Manatee and Sarasota Counties) and the Community Law Program (south Pinellas County).

Holland & Knight elects

Gilbert as Orlando partner

Tampa native Suzanne E. Gilbert is a new partner at Holland & Knight LLP, Orlando.

A member of the firm's litigation section, Gilbert practices in the areas of commercial litigation, bankruptcy and creditors' rights.

Born in Tampa, Gilbert attended Berkeley Preparatory School. She earned a bachelor's degree from Duke University and a law degree in 1996 from the University of Florida College of Law.

St. Pete man ordered

to stop practicing law

The Florida Supreme Court has permanently enjoined Brian Pitts, St. Petersburg, from the unlicensed practice of law.

The court ruled that Pitts illegally represented himself as an attorney, filed pleadings and appeared in court as a client's counsel.

Pitts is one of 13 persons or corporations throughout the state the court recently charged with the unlicensed practice of law.

Stetson law's moot

teams place near top

The Bankruptcy Moot Court team at Stetson University College of Law recently placed third and received awards for the best brief and best oral advocate runner-up at the 12th Annual Judge Conrad B. Duberstein Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition in New York.

The team - Leslie Case, Sabine Neumann and Eric Page - competed at St. John's University College of Law in Queens. Page received the oral advocate honor.

In other news, Stetson's Civil Rights Moot Court team placed second in the National Civil Rights Moot Court Competition at the University of Minnesota Law School in Minneapolis. The team - Christine Jalbert and Koinonia Martin Givens - was defeated by a team from Brigham Young University. Thirty-nine teams participated.

Also, Stetson student Ashley Gay was elected governor of the 5th Circuit of the American Bar Association Law Student Division. Gay represents students in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and Puerto Rico. She replaces outgoing governor, Edwin Valen, also a student at Stetson.

Pension actuaries invite

Rovell as guest speaker

Roger Rovell of Ward Rovell & Van Eepoel PA, Tampa, recently spoke at the 401(k) Summit national conference in Orlando.

Members of the American Society of Pension Actuaries invited Rovell to speak on the subject of special 401(k) plan design issues.