Legal Briefs (Tampa)

Legal Briefs (Tampa)

H&K names team leader

Holland & Knight LLP appointed Michael Newman team leader of its national alcohol beverage industry practice team following the previous loss of team members to GrayRobinson PA.

Newman, who works in San Francisco, "is a tremendous asset as he leads this talented team to the next level," Rich Gold, group leader of H&K's public policy and regulation practice, says in a written statement.

H&K lost team leader Richard M. Blau, a Tampa-based lawyer, in late June to GrayRobinson. Blau said GrayRobinson offered more opportunities because it was smaller and more entrepreneurial than H&K.

Attorney shares his opinion

Tampa patent lawyer Andrew C. Greenberg recently participated in a panel discussion at the U.S. Capitol in Washington to discuss the implications of MGM v. Grokster, which was recently decided by the Supreme Court.

Greenberg, a shareholder with Carlton Fields PA, had filed an amicus curiae brief on behalf of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers Inc.-USA in favor of MGM, the plaintiffs. The high court ruled unanimously June 27 in favor of MGM, sending the case against the file-sharing service Grokster back to the lower court for a trial.

The decision states Grokster could be found guilty of an "act of inducement" for encouraging its users to share copyright-protected songs and films.

Greenberg, chair of the IEE's Intellectual Property Committee, says the court's decision achieved a balance between protecting against copyright infringement and promoting technological innovation.

Lawyer gains board certification

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.

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.

Lawyer pegged for leadership program

Fowler White Boggs Bank PA shareholder John W. Robinson IV will participate in the Leadership Florida 2005-'06 program. Robinson, secretary/treasurer of the firm, is a member of the firm's employment law practice group and is board certified in civil trial, business litigation and labor law.

Make more money more efficiently

Attorneys can learn how to better manage their practice to maximize revenue at an Aug. 19 class sponsored by the Florida Bar and the bar associations of Hillsborough, St. Petersburg and Clearwater.

The class, which begins at 8 a.m. and continues through noon, presents guest speakers Camille Iurillo of Iurillo & Associates PA, Tampa, and Dustin A. Cole, president of the Attorneys Master Class, Longwood. It will be at the Tampa Law Center of Stetson University, 1700 N. Tampa St., Tampa. For more information, call (813) 228-6625 or register online at www.floridabar.org.

Circuit judge to teach family law series

Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge Michael F. Andrews will teach a family law class at St. Petersburg College for practicing lawyers and staff members. The 7 p.m. class begins Aug. 22 and will be held each Monday through Dec. 12 at the Caruth Health Education Center. For more information, call Susan Demers at (727) 791-2501 or e-mail [email protected].

Pinellas lawyers receive awards

The Barney Masterson Inn of Court recognized several lawyers and a circuit judge with its annual awards.

In what has become a long list of recent judicial awards, Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge George W. Greer, who oversaw the controversial Terri Schiavo case, received the group's William Castagna Award for Judicial Excellence.

Others recognized:

• Sabrina C. Beavens, an associate with Iurillo & Associates PA, received "The Rock," which is given to an attorney with less than five years legal experience who has provided exceptional community service.

• John W. Williams was given "The Barney" for his professionalism, ethics, civility and legal experience.

• Andrew B. Sasso, a member of the Florida Bar Board of Governors and partner in Sasso & Bodolay, Clearwater, received the "Richard T. Earle Jr. Professionalism Award."

'What every business litigator needs to know'

Carlton Fields shareholder Thomas A. Dye spoke about negotiation strategy at the Aug. 5 annual meeting of the American Bar Association in Chicago. Dye, a trial lawyer at the firm's West Palm Beach office, discussed 'What Every Business Litigator Needs to Know.'

Stetsons build accessible courtroom

Stetson University College of Law is building what it says is the country's "first high-tech, barrier-free courtroom" at its Gulfport campus. The courtroom, which is expected to be dedicated Sept. 16 in honor of professor emeritus William R. Eleazer, will serve as a national model to increase courtroom access for the elderly and disabled.

It uses flat-panel monitors to display evidence, hearing amplification devices to make speech more audible and a multi-lingual software speech synthesizer that will read aloud words displayed on a computer screen, translating them into multiple languages. It will even output words to Braille displays, if needed.

"This courtroom combines the technology of the 21st century with the recognition that it is still people who make our system function," Roberta Flowers, director of the center for excellence in advocacy, said in a written statement. "Our courtrooms must be accessible to all citizens."

- Janet Leiser