Legal Briefs (Tampa)

Legal Briefs (Tampa)

Hill Ward snags

former Eckerd lawyer

Thomas J. Goeglein, former director of real estate for the Eckerd Corp., has joined Hill, Ward & Henderson PA's real estate development and finance group.

Goeglein, a graduate of Indiana University, will focus on commercial leasing, land acquisition and development and institutional lending.

Zinober & McCrea

receives top ratings

Tampa employment law boutique Zinober & McCrea recently received top-tier ratings as a labor and employment firm in Florida by Chambers USA - America's Leading Lawyers for Business.

"We are honored and humbled by having received this top rating," Peter W. Zinober, the firm's managing partner, said in a press release.

The firm is "building on its unrivaled reputation," according to Chambers. It now has 16 attorneys who cover employment counseling, litigation and labor relations.

Fowler White shareholder

heads tax section

Mitchell I. Horowitz of Fowler White Boggs Banker was recently named chair of the Florida Bar's 2,000-member tax section. He is head of Fowler White's banker's tax practice and chair of the corporate group.

In other firm news, Scott A. Fisher was appointed to the executive council of the Florida Bar's labor and employment section. He's also co-chair of the labor and employment section of the Hillsborough County Bar Association. Fisher represents management in all types of employment matters.

Also, Thomas R. Bopp, a Fowler White shareholder, was re-elected to the board of directors of the Hillsborough bar. He practices in all areas of personal injury and first-party property damage litigation with an emphasis in defending fraudulent property damage claims.

Bavol Judge hires

new associate

Melissa D. Krepps, a 1996 graduate of Syracuse University College of Law, joined Bavol Judge PA as an associate. Krepps is a member of the Florida, Missouri and New York bar associations.

Allen Dell lawyer

to discuss mold

Allen Dell attorney J. Bert Grandoff discussed "mold defects by design" at the AIA Florida conference held July 28-30 in Marco Island.

Grandoff, founding fellow of the American College of Construction Lawyers and past president of the organization, is a civil mediator and arbitrator in U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida.

Allen Dell is one of Hillsborough County's oldest firms, established in 1925.

Carlton Fields lawyers

address groups

Carlton Fields shareholders Martha H. Chumbler and Michael P. Donaldson spoke at the June meeting of the American Bar Association section of state and local government law. They discussed ethical issues encountered by government lawyers.

In other firm news, shareholder Eric S. Adams was elected to the board of directors of Tampa Connection, a group that helps guide executives into key leadership roles while helping meet social, health and education needs. Adams specializes in insurance and tort litigation, products/premises liability defense, enforcement and defense of non-competition agreements, real estate litigation and guardianship litigation.

Also, Carlton Fields shareholder C. Douglas McDonald was named mentor of the year by Ferguson-White Inns of Court. He chairs the firm's intellectual property practice group.

And Tampa shareholder Joseph H. Lang Jr. was elected to the American Law Institute, which drafts and publishes restatements of the law, model codes and other proposals for legal reform. Members include judges, practicing lawyers and legal scholars.

Holland & Knight expands

West Coast practice

A group of lawyers known for their work in the area of land use recently joined Holland & Knight LLP in San Francisco and Los Angeles. They were formerly with Beveridge & Diamond PC.

"These lawyers are highly regarded for their wealth of experience and knowledge in all aspects of natural resource and environmental transactions, complex project permitting, compliance counseling and regulatory and legislative development," Amy Edwards, the firm's national environmental team leader, said in a press release.

The group is headed by partners Jennifer Hernandez and Elizabeth "Betsy" Lake, and includes David Friedman, of counsel, Alfred Fraijo Jr., Peter Landreth, Nicole Leonard, Amanda Monchamp, Tamsen Plume and Danielle Sveska.

Hernandez is known nationally for her work in brownfields redevelopment, wetlands and endangered species and complex development projects. She serves on the boards of the California Center for Land Recycling, the California League of Conservation Voters and Mid-Peninsular Housing Coalition. For her work on sustainable land use, the San Francisco mayor declared Oct. 9, 2002 "Jennifer Hernandez Day."

The addition is part of a strategic move for the firm's government section, which recently welcomed other high-profile arrivals, including defense procurement lawyer Mary Ann Gilleece; Kathryn Lehman, former chief of staff for the House Republican Congress; and Ben Nighthorse Campbell, a former Republican senator from Colorado.

Prominent lawyer joins

Lilly, O'Toole & Brown LLP

J. Ron Smith, a former president of the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers, joined Lilly, O'Toole & Brown LLP, a Lakeland law firm.

A Wauchula native, Smith is a 1967 graduate of Stetson University College of Law. He's a former 2nd District Court of Appeal clerk and prosecutor, as well as a past chairman of the Florida Bar's trial lawyers section.

"J. Ron brings to our firm nearly 40 years of experience and an exceptional reputation for client service and results," said Kent Lilly, the firm's managing partner.

Johns joins

Macfarlane Ferguson

Rebecca R. Johns, who specializes in eminent domain on behalf of governmental entities, joined Macfarlane Ferguson & McMullen as an associate in the firm's Tampa office.

Foley & Lardner

recognized for work

The life sciences practice at Foley & Lardner LLP was recently recognized as one of the best in the country by the Practical Law Co.'s 2004-05 Cross Border Life Sciences Handbook for the firm's work in the intellectual property, competition/antitrust and regulatory areas.

The publication also named Foley & Lardner's Stephen A. Bent, founder of the firm's life sciences industry team, a leading attorney in the intellectual property category.

The handbook is a guide to the law and leading lawyers in the industry.

Attorney becomes board certified

Luis A. "Tony" Cabassa of Thompson, Sizemore & Gonzalez PA has become board certified in labor and employment law by the Florida Bar. He is a shareholder at the Tampa firm that has represented management in labor and employment matters for more than two decades.