ewsletter of the martin county bar association in … · 2019-03-02 · 1 the side bar august 2007...

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THE SIDE BARAUGUST 2007

NEWSLETTER OF THE MARTIN COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENTSix years ago, I had the pleasure of chairing my first

executive session meeting as Chairman of the FloridaUnemployment Appeals Commission. At the time, I remarkedthat this was a very significant achievement for me, as I hadspent so many years sitting behind my bosses at Commission,Board and Assistant Secretary meetings. At last, I was able tosit at the grown-up table. Similarly, I have served on a numberof Boards since law school, including stints as vice president.For the first time since law school, I have the honor of sitting(figuratively of course) in the big chair for a volunteer group.Considering that it is as president of an organization that I love, with so manymembers who have befriended me in my decade in Martin County, I am especiallytouched and honored to serve as the 2007-08 President of the Martin CountyBar Association.

I recognize that among my predecessors in this position are a Speakerof the Florida House of Representatives (Evans Crary Sr.), Florida’s first SolicitorGeneral (former State Representative Tom Warner), as well as several judges,including the chief judge of the 19th Circuit Court (Bill Roby) and Judge BarbaraBronis. The one characteristic that I have recognized in the nine outstanding

IN THIS ISSUE

• President’s Message

• News and Updates

• Membership Information

THE SIDE BARNEWSLETTER

Published monthly by the MartinCounty Bar Association as a serviceto its membership.

If you have an article, opinion, news orother information for publication in theSideBar, please call Michelle Katzman at(772) 220-8018 or email information to:[email protected]

The due date for all advertisements,articles and announcements is the 20thof the month preceding publication.

Contact Us:

MARTIN COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATIONPO Box 2197

Stuart, FL 34995-2197

Voicemail Line:(772) 220-8018

E-Mail:[email protected]

Website:www.martincountybar.org

Continued On Next Page . . .

Executive Board; Scott Konopka, Treasurer; Portia B. Scott, Immediate Past President; Preethi Sekharan,Secretary; Honorable Alan Orantes Forst, President; Linda Weiksnar, Vice President (seated)

FROM THE MCBA’S ANNUAL BANQUET ON JUNE 16, 2007

(Photo compliments of Memories by Mark. Please go to the Photo Gallery at our website www.martincountybar.org forthe link to see other pictures taken at the June 16, 2007 Annual MCBA Banquet. (Link effective until August 20, 2007.)

THE SIDE BAR - AUGUST 2007

Systems Protection Board, where I served for over four yearsand got to draft a lot of dissenting opinions once my bossbecame the sole Republican on the Board. As my boss’term was drawing to a close, I started searching for a positionin Florida, as I had passed the Florida Bar exam followinggraduation and my parents had moved to Boca Raton.

Following 15 months in the Department ofCommerce’s Office of General Counsel (where I learned tolitigate), I received an offer to relocate to Stuart, Florida andjoin the law firm of Crary Buchanan. At the time, I had a lotof hesitation in accepting this offer. I had never heard ofStuart or “the Treasure Coast.” I had never worked in a lawfirm. I had worked under a Clarence, a Caridad and anAntonio, but never under a “Bud.” Yet, Bud Bovie, LarryBuchanan, Jim Bowdish and Jim Menendez of CraryBuchanan sold me on the firm and Martin County and did alot of hand holding during my initial couple of years in thearea. Plus, they let me have the office between Joe Negronand Bill Roby, so I wouldn’t want for Republican kinship.So, in October 1998, my family and I made the life-changingmove to Martin County. Shortly thereafter, I would attendmy first Martin County Bar Association meeting, which wasthen led by Bill Roby. And the rest is history. Nearly nineyears later, Bill and his successor as MCBA President,Barbara Bronis, have long-since exchanged the large MCBAPresident’s gavel for smaller but more powerful judicial gavels(I’m the chairman of a quasi-judicial agency, so I only get aquasi-gavel - ok, actually it’s a glass and a spoon, but sinceour sessions are closed to the public, it works).

In the coming Bar year, I look forward to workingwith our Immediate Past President, Portia Scott, VicePresident Linda Weiksnar, Treasurer Scott Konopka,Secretary Preethi Sekharan and our new Executive DirectorMichelle Katzman. We have spent a lot of time and braincells (and it’s not like any of us had much to spare of either)preparing for this Bar year. We are lining up a very impressiveroster of luncheon speakers and may have a special dinneror two during the year, if necessary, to accommodate aspecial speaker. Elsewhere in this newsletter you can readabout our August lunch program. We will also keep a listof confirmed programs on our website. In fact, please takethe opportunity to check out our revamped website,www.martincountybar.org.

So, although it is early August and there are stilltwo weeks before the kids go back to school, I welcomeyou to the Martin County Bar Association’s 2007-08 year. Ilook forward to seeing you at our next Bar program. We arenow in the process of getting organized for the ConstitutionWeek activities. Our goal is to be the best “pound-for-pound” voluntary bar association in the State, if not thecountry, if not the world. With your help, we’ll get there(and even if we don’t, we can still say we did, because whois going to argue with us!).

Alan Forst is the Chairman of the FloridaUnemployment Appeals Commission and also servesas Chair-elect of the Labor and Employment LawSection of the Florida Bar.

lawyers (Judge Roby, Judge Bronis, Sheila Biehl,Debbie Beard, Jack Sobel, Darren Steele, Ted Mortell,Richard Levenstein and Portia Scott) who have served inthis position since I moved to Martin County in 1998 is thatthey are all wonderful people and attorneys andrepresentatives of the bar association and general MartinCounty community.

(WARNING: The following material is my “Ted Baxter”moment, where I get to blabber on about mybackground. Read at your own risk!).

During the year, you may very well ask, where theheck did we find this guy? Whether intended as acompliment or, perhaps, as an insult, I will acknowledgethat it was I who found you, about nine years ago. Followinginternships with U.S. Senators S.I. Hayakawa and RichardStone, I graduated from Georgetown University (shout outto fellow School of Foreign Service alumni Bill Clinton,Solicitor General Paul Clement, Linda Weiksnar, andStuart’s own George W. Bush, Jr.). Following work on theReagan campaign and 1981 Presidential InauguralCommittee, I commenced a career of mostly public service,including stops as a Reagan lower level appointee at theU.S. Commission on Civil Rights, the Department of Justiceand the Legal Service Commission before graduating fromCatholic University’s Columbus School of Law. In my finalyear of law school, I founded and served as first presidentof the school’s Federalist Society Chapter and also servedas chair/coordinator of the Federalist Society’s FourthAnnual National Student Symposium, which featuredspeakers such as then-judges Scalia, Bork, and Ginsburgand our keynote speaker (who I got to introduce!) SenatorOrin Hatch. The professional highlight of these years (1981-1985) was representing the Attorney General at CabinetCounsel committee meetings. Other agencies sent lowerlevel officials to these meetings, though most were seniorto me. I actually attended one of the meetings whereketchup as a vegetable for school lunches was discussed.I also remember reporting on one meeting to the AttorneyGeneral’s counsel, Kenneth Starr. Stains on blue dressesand cigars were not discussed at this meeting.

After short stints at a conservative legal think tankand the Department of Education, I was hired by ClarenceThomas to serve as one of his two legal special assistantsat the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 1987.I loved working for then-Chairman Thomas and I think sohighly of him that my son’s middle name is Tomas.Following Justice Thomas’ nomination to serve on the D.C.Circuit Court of Appeals, I secured a political “Schedule C”appointment as special assistant to the Director of the Officeof Federal Contract Compliance at the U.S. Department ofLabor. While at OFCCP, I got to represent the Departmentwith respect to the drafting of the ADA regulations. Beforethe end of the George H.W. Bush administration, I movedto the Wage and Hour Administration. In the final days ofthe first Bush administration, I secured another politicalappointment as counsel to the Vice Chairman of the Merit

Continued From Previous Page . . .

THE SIDE BAR- AUGUST 2007

With much appreciation to our generous sponsors:

Cantina Dos Amigos

Burgk Trading, LLC

YOUNG LAWYERS DIVISION OF THE

MARTIN COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION

PAGE, MRACHEK,FITZGERALD & ROSE, P.A.Attorneys at Law

Go to the Photo Gallery on our website to view more banquetpictures taken by Memories by Mark (link active until August20, 2007).

The Annual Banquet washeld on June 16, 2007 at the MartinDowns Country Club. The “HotSalsa Nights” theme provided awonderful backdrop for the more than 125attendees.

A special thanks to PreethiSekharan and the Social Committee fora wonderful event! Much appreciationis also given to our generous sponsors.

ANNUAL MCBA BANQUET


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MCBA TO AGAIN ORGANIZE AND SPONSOR CONSTITUTION WEEK ACTIVITIESAlan Orantes Forst

Building upon the MCBA’s efforts the past two years, we will once again beventuring forth to local schools during the week of September 17-21 to educate ouryouth regarding our beloved (and frequently misunderstood and unappreciated)Constitution. Last September, five Circuit Court judges and 27 local attorneys made48 presentations at three high schools, five middle schools and eight elementary schools,teaching thousands of Martin County students about the history of the Constitution andabout the rights protected by the document and its Bill of Rights. This year, in conjunctionwith the Justice Teaching program, we hope to involve even more of our members. Inrecognition of our efforts, the Florida Bar Foundation has provided us with a Two MillionDollar Grant for our Annual Constitution Week Project. Well, actually, we asked for$2,000,000, but we’re happy with the $2,000 that was approved.

This year, our efforts will be led by a steering committee featuring Chief Judge Bill Roby, JudgeBob Belanger, Linda Hake, Anika Hardmon, and Richard Levenstein. This steering committee will also beworking with the Justice Teaching volunteers (it appears that every school in Martin County has beenassigned a volunteer, putting us once again in the vanguard) during the year, though Constitution Week isa great time to commence this program. In addition to the individuals who have been assigned a schoolfor Justice Teaching, we need more volunteers, in order to reach as many students as possible duringConstitution Week. We will once again provide the volunteers with outlines and exercises for their use.The time commitment is not egregious, and you are encouraged to conduct the program with a colleague.We have learned from our volunteers that this is a very fun experience, you will be as much a beneficiaryas the students, and this is an excellent public service project for the Bar.

Knowledge of the history and substance of the Constitution is at a very low point among our youth(and some politicians!). Constitution Week is an excellent opportunity for our Bar Association to generateinterest in this incredible document and form ofgovernment. We will once again honor ourparticipants at a social hour during the week (lastyear’s sponsor was Bonefish Grill and it wasyummy) and by recognition in press releases sentto the Florida Bar News and our local newspapers.I hope that you can join in this effort.

Please, please contact me [email protected] or via the Bar Association’svoice mail (772-220-8018) to express your interestin participating in Constitution Week activities,providing me with your dates and times ofavailability during the week of September 17-22 andthe school(s) at which you prefer to teach.

WARNING: This article will appear again in the SeptemberSideBar and in e-mail messages sent to you. If that doesn’twork, we will send girl scouts and puppy dogs to youroffice pleading for your assistance. Don’t let it come tothat!! Please remember to volunteer now and place it onyour calendar. You will be grateful you did (and will spareus the expense of girl scouts and puppy dogs).

OFFICE SPACE

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A PROFILE OF REPRESENTATIVE BILL SNYDER:GUEST SPEAKER AT MCBA AUGUST LUNCHEON

On Friday, August 17, the MCBA is pleased to welcome Rep. William D.Snyder (R. Stuart) as our guest speaker at the first luncheon of the 2007-08 year.Rep. Snyder was elected to the Florida House seat previously occupied by JoeNegron in 2006. It was obviously an eventful first year for Rep. Snyder, as thelegislature took on insurance rate and property tax reform. We look forward tohaving Rep. Snyder give us the scoop on these hot issues, as well as otherlegislative issues of interest.

Rep. Snyder has a lengthy record of public service. He began his law enforcement careerwith the Miami-Dade Police Department. In 1993, then-Sergeant Snyder made the move north toMartin County, joining the Martin County Sheriff’s Office. Over the course of the next 13 years, Rep.Snyder served as Director of the Offices’ Criminal Investigations Division and as Major/Director ofLaw Enforcement, from which he supervised all aspects of law enforcement within Martin County.He has also been engaged in the community, as a coach of Pop Warner football, member of theUnited Way Board of Directors and Martin County Leadership, and honorary member of the ARCBoard of Directors and Big Brothers/Big Sisters. As State Representative, Rep. Snyder serves onseveral committees and is the Vice Chair of the Committee on Homeland Security and Public Safety.

We look forward to welcoming Rep. Will Snyder to the August 17th luncheon meeting of theMartin County Bar Association at Monarch Country Club. (Please Call 772-220-8018 to RSVP ifyou would like to attend).

FOX WACKEEN LAW FIRM RECEIVES AWARDAT FLORIDA BAR ANNUAL CONVENTION

The Stuart law firm of Fox, Wackeen, Dungey, Beard, Sobel,Bush & McCluskey was honored at the Florida Bar’s AnnualConvention with the Board of Legal Specialization and Education’sAward for Excellence in the Promotion of Board Certification. Thefirm is the first recipient of this newly created award which, per theFlorida Bar News, “recognizes excellence and creativity by a FloridaBar board certified lawyer or Florida law firm in advancing the public’sknowledge of and appreciation for legal board certification.” The FBNarticle further notes that Fox Wackeen “won the award for consistentlypromoting board certification on the firm Web site, in newsletters,and in news releases.” Six firm partners are board certified: ManagingPartner Tom Wackeen and Jack Sobel are certified in civil trial law,Lanning Fox and Richard Dungey are certified in real estate law, Deborah Beard is certified in family andmarital law, and Fred van Vonno is certified in city, county and local government law. Wackeen, Sobel,Dungey and Beard are all former Presidents of the MCBA. Congratulations!

Chris Knopik, 2006-07 Chair, FloridaBar Board of Legal Specialization &Education, presents the Excellencein the Promotion of BoardCertification Award to George W.Bush of Fox, Wackeen, Dungey.


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LITIGATION COMMITTEEGregory S. Weiss

The Litigation Section of the MCBA willcontinue having its monthly luncheon meetings,on the first Thursday of each month, at the officeof Page, Mrachek, Fitzgerald and Rose, P.A.. We have received reprint approval from the ABAfor selected short excerpts from a series ofarticles Jim McElhaney authored for the ABALitigation Section Quarterly. The brief entertainingexcerpts discuss trial tactics, and moreimportantly, are uniformly less than two pages. The excerpts will be emailed to each memberon the Monday before the lunch. We will discussone excerpt at each lunch, allowing ample timefor everyone to relate their own “war stories.” Inaddition, we are seeking approval from the FloridaBar for CLE credit for the lunches. If you areinterested in attending please contact theLitigation Section Chair, Greg Weiss, by emailat: [email protected].

As a courtesy, the August SideBar is being sent to all current and future members by mail. Subsequent issues will be sent according topreferred method noted on the registration form (i.e. mail or email).

Any article appearing herein may be reproduced provided credit is given both to the SideBar and the author of the article.

Views and conclusions expressed in articles and ads herein are those of the authors or advertisers and not necessarily those of theofficers, directors, or staff of the Martin County Bar Association. Further, the Martin County Bar Association and staff do not endorse anyproduct or service advertised.

All advertising is subject to approval. We regret any errors or omissions and such, if applicable, will be noted in future issues.

FROM THE PROFESSIONALISM COMMITTEEChair George W. Bush, Jr.

I am currently the Florida Bar Standing Committee on Professionalism Liaison to the 19th Circuit. I hopeto work with the other voluntary bar groups in the circuit, as it has been years since there was a circuit-wide professionalism seminar. I would also like to conduct at least one luncheon on professionalism,and am in the process of trying to secure President elect of the Florida Bar, John White, for a luncheon/CLE seminar. In the past, this Committee has worked with the Judicial Relations Committee conductingthe luncheon with the Judges of Martin County discussing pending legal issues in the Bench-Bar format.Look for more details in up-coming issues of the SideBar.

GOALS OF THE CRIMINAL LAW COMMITTEE“To foster relationships among the criminal bar, provide opportunities to earn CLE credits, and serve thepublic at large.” For more information or to join this committee, please contact the chair, Adrienne J.Fleming, Assistant Public Defender, 19th Judicial Circuit. (772) 462-2048.


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MCBA OFFICERS AND EXECUTIVEDIRECTOR TO HANDLE MEMBERSHIP ANDDIRECTORY

The officers of the Martin County BarAssociation and the Association’s ExecutiveDirector will handle duties previously dealt withby the Membership and Directory Committees.Thus, inquiries will be dealt with directly by ourExecutive Director and she will do the extensive,grueling five minute background checks onprospective members. As for the directory, atthis time the officers are inclined to continueour relationship with Kathy Enloe and EsquireReporting. We intend to get the 2007-08 annualMCBA directory to our members no later thanJanuary. That’s January 2008. We also wouldlike to have member pictures in this directory(taken in conjunction with our courthouse photoproject) and advertisements from bothmembers and the public. Look for moreinformation coming soon.

SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE

MCBA Vice President Linda Weiksnar willcontinue to chair this committee. A total of$3000 will be awarded in equal shares to 12th

Grade students selected by Martin County HighSchool, South Fork High School, Jensen BeachHigh School, Spectrum and Clark AdvancedLearning Center. Each school may select onestudent based on his/her school record (he/shemust have at least a 3.00 GPA), communityservice and the quality of his/her ConstitutionWeek Essay. Every scholarship recipient musthave prepared an essay. This year, studentswill be asked to prepare a 500-1000 word essayon one of the following topics: (1) the relevanceof the United States Constitution to High Schoolstudents, or (2) if the student had been a U.S.Supreme Court Justice, how would he/she havedecided Morse v. Frederick (the “Bong Hits 4Jesus” case). We will post the essays on ourwebsite. In addition to the above-notedscholarship funds, an additional $500 will beawarded for the best essay. The bulk of theScholarship Funds will come from the MCBA’sannual Golf Fundraiser.

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SHIELDS MCMANUS NAMED TO 19TH CIRCUIT COURT BENCH

On July 16, Governor Crist announced his appointment of F. Shields McManusto fill the 19th Circuit Court judgeship recently vacated by the retirement of JudgeScott Kenney. Mr. McManus is a member of the Martin County Bar Associationand, in fact, a former MCBA President (1982-83). He has noted that “Withoutbar involvement throughout my career, I would not have become a judge. Throughlocal, circuit, state, and national bar committee work, I met the finest lawyersand judges in America. Many of them unknowingly tutored me, a storefront lawyer,on how to become a true professional. I will certainly encourage every lawyer -especially the young solo and small firm practitioners – to become active barmembers.”

The new judge will be handling civil and family law cases in Okeechobee andexpects to officially commence his new position in late August. He is beingmentored by Judge Kanarek. Mr. McManus’ investiture is set for September 7th, and we have learned thathe is looking forward to sharing this “special day” with his MCBA brethren.

A double ‘Nole, Mr. McManus has been practicing law in Stuart since 1972. He is presently wrapping uphis practice at the Stuart law firm of Gary, Williams, Parenti, Finney, Lewis, McManus, Watson & Sperando,where he is the manager of the firm’s medical malpractice department. As noted above, Mr. McManushas a rich history of civic and Bar involvement, including tenure on the Young Lawyers’ Board of Governors;the 19th Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission (Chairman); the 19th Circuit Grievance Committee; theFlorida Bar Judicial Nominating Procedures Committee; the Florida Bar Foundation; Legal Aid Society ofMartin County; and the Florida Bar Committee on Judicial Independence. He was President of the Stuart-Martin County Chamber of Commerce in 1983-1984. Mr. McManus also served his county for ten years inthe U.S. Army Reserve.

The MCBA recognizes the other excellent candidates and members of the MCBA who were approvedby the JNC for consideration by the Governor and were interviewed in Tallahassee: Laurie Ehler, DeborahHooker, and Pamela Roebuck. We wish them well in their future professional endeavors.

THE MCBA YOUNG LAWYERS DIVISIONAnika Hardmon and Erica J. Lester, Committee Co-Chairs

The Young Lawyers Division (“YLD”) serves the legal community and the legal profession. Lastyear, the YLD held monthly meetings, created a young lawyer referral list, held a successful mixer withthe YLD of Palm Beach County, and donated legal services during its annual pro bono event, Law at theMall. Our predecessors, Gregory Weiss and Preethi Sekharan, encouraged new members to becomeinvolved with YLD, and reached out to other YLDs in an effort to meet young lawyers from other counties. We will continue, and hope to build upon, the level of excellence initiated by our predecessors. Some ofthe new events planned for the upcoming year include a Fishing Tournament fundraiser for the youth inour immediate community and a Judicial Reception in honor of our local judiciary. We also plan tocontinue the networking success of our predecessors with additional mixers between our membershipand the YLDs of Palm Beach County and St. Lucie County. We hope that as a result of our work,events and community service, our YLD membership will continue to grow in numbers whileimpacting the legal profession and community. We look forward to seeing all young lawyers at ournext meeting, which will be held at Dos Amigos, 300 S. Federal Highway, Stuart, Florida, on Tuesday,September 18, 2007, at 6:00 p.m.


HONORABLE MENTIONby Deborah Beard

Judge Lawrence Mirman. His parents selected a name that couldnot be shortened or would not encourage nicknames. As a result,"Lawrence", a fairly sophisticated name for a young boy, has manystories about being teased because of his first name, the mostnotable may simply be that if his name were shortened, it wouldbe "Law". He doubts that when he was born, his family really hadaspirations for him to become an attorney, much less a judge,and thinks it might have had more to do with his mom watchingPeter O’Toole in the role of Lawrence of Arabia.

Judge Mirman grew up in Brooklyn and Queens, New York and later in Long Island, with his parents,an older brother, who is also an attorney now practicing personal injury law in New York. His dad,originally a caseworker with the welfare department, spent many years working to support his familyand going to school in the evenings to earn his JD degree. His dad was the first attorney in the familyand had quite an influence on both of his sons’ choices of profession. His mom was and still is, anintegral part of Judge Mirman’s life and he credits her with creating the nurturing environment whereinhe and his brother learned about life.

But today, law is only one of the driving forces and interests that Judge Mirman has. Although cur-rently, he does not have the time to devote to his first passion, tennis, he remembers playing at leastfour hours a day while in high school. His parents sent him to tennis camp in Florida, which might havealso been the beginning of a dream to move to a warmer climate. He combined that avocation withlearning to play the guitar and the piano, which even today, he often plays and encourages his chil-dren, and in the love of music. With the energy that seems to only come with youth, healso joined the acting group at his high school and won the role as the main star in the play Dracula.He said that he felt surprisingly comfortable on stage and decided to pursue this path when he went tocollege.

Along with his extracurricular activities, Judge Mirman also devoted himself to his studies and wasaccepted to New York University, where he further pursued his acting interests and was encouragedby the acting teacher to seriously consider acting as a profession. College was fun and he consid-ered becoming an actor but thought that it alone, might be a difficult way to make a living. He decidedto consider a profession that would combine his interest in acting with his interest in business andother college classes. Law school seemed to be the right choice to take advantage of all of hisinterests and skills and that prompted his move to Boston where he attended Boston University,School of Law. He was quite sure, even at that early stage, that he would like to be a trial lawyer.

The move to Boston was made more palatable because his whom he had met thesummer before law school, agreed to move there with him. She was just graduating from St. JohnsCollege in New York and was working with Lufthansa Airlines. It seemed like an ideal time and inmany respects it was. Boston is filled with colleges and universities and to be a young student in a fun

Continued On Next Page . . .


city environment is a time to create great, happy memories. Of course, the basement apartment theylived in for a year, that had windows opening to the street, permitting smoke and noises and some-times even rats to come in was not necessarily part of the fun memories nor was the atrocious rentthey had to pay. Law school itself proved to be a rude awakening in comparison to his college life.The academics were rigorous and he had far less time to devote to his outside interests, but heenjoyed all of the trial advocacy classes which only cemented his decision to become a trial attorney.

mom had worked for the Mets in New York and it seemed completely natural for Lawrenceand after they married, to honeymoon in Port St Lucie, to watch the Mets and to visit with

family who had previously moved to Florida. His family had also moved to Florida. BothLawrence and knew that although New York and Boston offered all the advantages of city life,they did not want to raise children in the city, and decided to move permanently to Florida whereLawrence began employment with the State Attorney’s Office. Their was born and

later, arrived.

Life in Florida did turn out to be quite different than living in the city and living in the cold weather.Judge Mirman developed a passion for gardening and is especially proud of his "jungle yard" that hehas created. His goal is to "tropicalize" his surroundings and is doing so with many fruit trees, orna-mental flowering plants and ivies, as well as an assortment of plants indigenous to Florida. Runningaround this tropical paradise was and is a cat, two dogs (Heidi and Roxie), gerbils, a cockatiel(Freddy), a corn snake and a hermit crab; much different than his childhood in New York. And yes,the whole family are animal lovers which extends even to their two salt water reef tanks filled with fishand coral.

Being a judge in the family court exposes one to all different types of family situations and often, fairlyintense animosity between husbands and wives. It is not an easy bench to sit at. Judge Mirmantakes his role seriously. As a devoted husband and father he knows that his orders have a far reach-ing impact on families and especially on children. As such, he is respectful of the parties and spendstime with the parties trying to explain the importance of mediation, parenting and the need to makedecisions and move on with their lives. Regardless, Judge Mirman enjoys being a judge and ishappy that his earlier interest in acting and academics combined, materialized into such a positiveprofession.

Look for the next Honorable Mention Featuring: Judge Gary L. Sweet.

Continued From Previous Page . . .


14

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PRO BONO CORNER

Florida Rural Legal Services, Inc. is seeking Attorneys to train both in-house and ProBono Attorneys to handle consumer matters for the indigent including foreclosure and bankruptcy. As always, there is a number of easy-to-handle family law cases, without domestic violence,that need Attorney representation. The contact person for obtaining a file is Jane Cornett. Florida Rural Legal Services, Inc. will provide the Florida Bar Fast Tran documents and manualat no charge if you take a pro bono case through this program. Additionally, mentors are availableas well as cases involving the unbundling of legal services such as mediation representationonly. For more information please visit www.floridaprobono.org. Contact Jane Cornett (772)286-2990 [email protected] or Donna Graf (772) 466-4766 x 20 [email protected].

ANNUAL GOLF FUNDRAISER UPDATEJack Sobel

The Fifth Annual President’s Cup was a bigsuccess. We raised almost $3,000 for the MCBAscholarship fund. The winning team, whose names willbe engraved on the Cup, were Larry Stewart, RickSpears, Barry Allison and Woody Smoak. The winnersof the net division were Jeff Hickman, Fred Harrington,Jon Robinson and John Schulmeyer.

Our most generous sponsors were GulfstreamBusiness Bank, which bought an embroidered golf shirtfor each player, and Westlaw, which bought a baseballcap for each participant and donated a digital cameraafter taking photos of each foursome. Other sponsorswere Oscela Street Cafe, Willoughby Golf Club, GolfGear, Golf, USA, Smokin’ Premiums, Palm City Grill,Peter’s Steak House in Jensen Beach, Colette’sCourtyard Cafe, Balanced Body Works, EvergreenCountry Club, Hammock Creek Golf Club, AtlanticReporting, Chantal’s Restaurant, Dos AmigosRestaurant, Simpson Chiropractic, Therapeutic MassageCenter of Stuart and The Ashley Restaurant.

The Fox Club was in beautiful shape, despite thedrought and a torrential rain the night before thetournament. Eighty-four players signed up to play,including lawyers from the public and private sector andsome Judges. I think that there were enough prizesdonated that each and every player won something.

P.S. See the MCBA website for event photos.


THE MCBA LAW LIBRARY UPDATEEric Buetens, Law Library Committee Chair

Last year we were forced to downsize thelaw library. We helped with the transition to ourbeautiful, but small, 4th floor location on theConstitutional Office side of the Courthouse complex.We sponsored an open house and training on theelectronic databases by representatives from Westand Lexis. We continued our program of providingseminars at no additional cost to Martin County Barmembers, thanks to the budget allocation from theMartin County Bar Association. We purchased 7seminars and have had 149 check-outs during thelast 12 months. We continue to advocate, with littlesuccess, to restore or even partially restore the lawlibrary budget which was decimated by the revisionto Article Five a couple years ago. The law libraryis getting by with an annual budget of about $30,000which had previously been $136,000 before the ArticleFive revision. We have had to eliminate a tremendousnumber of books and subscriptions and may beforced to cut back on our electronic resources tooin order to stay within our budget. Please contactEric Buetens for more information on using the libraryresources or to join this committee.

ACTIVITIES PLANNED FOR 2007-2008IN JUDICIAL RELATIONS

Jack Cox and Richard Levenstein, Co–Chairs ofthe Judicial Relations Committee.

> A Judicial Reception Cocktail Party

> A Bar vs. Bench Sporting Event.....Lawyers willreferee.

> A Bench/Bar presentation for one of the BarLuncheons with invitations to all Judges askingthem to give a short presentation of the status oftheir division.

> Support of Judge Roby’s Canoe/KayakRiver Seminar.

> Programming to promote interaction betweenjudges and lawyers about the practice of law in ourCircuit and County Courts.

Look For Details in Future SideBar Issues

HAVE YOU JOINED/RENEWED YOUR MEMBERSHIPIN THE MCBA?

What are you waiting for—a summons from the Court?BTW, that can be arranged. We are new and improved.Actually, we’re not new, but we hope to be improved. Thisyear, we will have a website (www.martincountybar.org) withoriginal and useful content! A newsletter that will arrive on aregular basis early in the month and will not go immediatelyinto the bird cage! CLE credits for every one of our monthlyBar lunches! Top Quality luncheon and (perhaps) specialdinner speakers. Invitations to speak to our group have beenextended to the new Governor and Lt. Governor, SenatorMartinez, Solicitor General Paul Clement and SenatePresident Pruitt. Deputy Associate Attorney General (ourfriend Greg Katsas) will return to provide a Supreme Courtroundup (in case you were sleeping, last Court term was amomentous one). Leonard Leo, the Vice President of theinfluential Federalist Society, as well as Judge Lisa Kemler(who had her 15 minutes as defense counsel for Lorena Bobbit)also intend to join us, and I am hopeful that my mentor, JusticeClarence Thomas, will join us in December. We will continueour exemplary Constitution Week activities, expand our LawDay program, and host several social events.

Membership Dues are only $175, with reduced ratesavailable for government attorneys. For this minimal rate,you are entitled to receive a meal at our ten monthly lunches(on the third Friday of the month; no lunch in June and July),and reduced rates for special Association events, such asthe canoe trip, special dinners, and the annual dinner. AMembership Application is on the next page. If you haven’treturned the application we sent you earlier this summer,please do so now, along with your dues (of course). We alsourge you to volunteer to serve on one or more of our BarAssociation Committees. It is going to be a really greatyear for the Martin County Bar Association. Don’t missit!

OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR/OFFICE MANAGER’SMONTHLY MEETING

If you are the Office Administrator or Office Manager ofa law firm in the Stuart area (from West Palm Beach to VeroBeach) we invite you to join our group. For the last eightyears a core group of Office Administrators and OfficeManagers have been meeting to network, exchange ideasand information regarding vendors, benefits, policies,procedures, etc. We meet once a month at the offices ofCrary, Buchanan for lunch and an exchange of ideas and thesupport and camaraderie of other managers in area firms. Ifyou are interested in attending our next meeting, pleasecontact Jim Menendez at 287-2600 for more information.


MARTIN COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION

SUMMER 2007- SUMMER 2008 MEMBERSHIP REGISTRATION AND DUES NOTICE

First Name : _______________ Middle Name: ____________ Last Name: _______________ Suffix: ___

Firm: _______________________________________________________________________

Address: __________________________________________ Suite #: __________

City: __________________________ State: _______ Zip Code: __________

Phone #: ( ) ______ - ______ ext: _____ Fax #: ( ) ______ - ________

E-Mail: ________________ @ _________ . ___ Courthouse Box #: _____

How many years have you been a Martin County Bar member? _____ years

Do you currently practice law and/or reside in Martin County, Fl? Yes No

Are you currently a member of the Florida Bar? Yes No

How would you prefer to receive the monthly SIDEBAR Newsletter?

Email Only Mail Only Both Email & Mail

Please check all committees for which you would like to be a member or chair:

Public Image: Bar Related: Practice:

Constitution Week Attorney Directory Bankruptcy Law

Golf Judicial Relations Criminal Law

Pro Bono Library Employment/Labor Law

Professionalism Long Range Planning Elder Law/Probate/Guardianship/Estate Planning

Justice Teaching Newsletter Family Law & Dependency

Scholarship Social Federal Practice Solo & Small Firm Immigration

Young Lawyers Probate & Trust Litigation

Real Estate Law

Trial Lawyer

Other: ______________________ (please specify)

Bar Dues for Summer 2007 – Summer 2008: $175.00* Payable Upon Receipt

Please make checks payable to: MARTIN COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION Please mail your checks and completed form to: Martin County Bar Association c/o Michelle Katzman (Executive Director)

4995 SW Lake Grove Circle Palm City, FL 34990

*If you are a full-time Government attorney you may be entitled to a reduction in dues. Please contact Michelle Katzman at (772) 288-6245 for further details.

JUDGES ARE EXEMPT FROM MEMBERSHIP DUES.


COMMENTS FROM THE SOCIALCOMMITTEEErica Lester, Co-Chair

Last year’s Social Chair put together aCalendar of social events that we will strive tomatch. We will continue the level of excellenceby continuing the Martin County Bar Socials everyother month at local bars and eateries. We willalso continue to foster the relationships initiatedby our wonderful predecessor with localbusinesses and firms to sponsor the “HappyHours.” The Judges’ camping trip down the PeaceRiver was resurrected this year and was verypopular with the Judges and Lawyers. We planto continue and build on this wonderful tradition.

The Annual Banquet in June will of coursebe the centerpiece of the Social Committee’scalendar for next year. Sponsors will again bevital for its success and we hope to increase thenumbers of those in attendance.

Civility and professionalism begin withfostering good relationships between our fellowmembers of the Bar. Lawyers who interact andsocialize outside of the practice of law are muchmore likely to work through their differences thanto seek Judicial intervention.

MCBA 2007- 08 Committees Are StillForming – Consider Joining Now!

Public ImageConstitution Week, Golf, Pro Bono, Professionalism, JusticeTeaching & Scholarship.

Bar RelatedAttorney Directory, Judicial Relations, Library, Long RangePlanning, Newsletter, Social, Solo & Small Firm & YoungLawyers

PracticeBankruptcy Law, Criminal Law, Employment/Labor Law,Elder Law/Probate/Guardianship/Estate Planning, FamilyLaw & Dependency, Federal Practice, Immigration, Probate& Trust Litigation, Real Estate & Trial Law

Indicate committee interest on your registration form or email:[email protected]

with your name & committee interests.

MCBA WEBSITE IS NEW & IMPROVED

The MCBA is pleased to announce that the website is nowbeing managed by Graphics and Media Solutions.

Updates will be done bi-monthly. Contact Michelle Katzmanat 772-220-8018 or [email protected] tosubmit content or with any website questions.

REQUEST FOR PHOTOS

We are looking to fill our Photo Gallery! If you have anyphotos taken at any MCBA past event or if you take them atfuture events, please forward via email to:[email protected].

ORDINANCE ADOPTIONS FROM THE MARTINCOUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

Please visit www.martin.fl.us then click on “Martin CountyCodes” for an updated list of approved ordinances.

EMPLOYMENT AND LABOR LAWCOMMITTEE - Alan Orantes Forst, Chair

This Committee didn’t do anything lastyear. How’s that for honesty! The year before,we had a well-attended lunch, notwithstanding ourluncheon speaker (me). As you may know, thisyear I am the Chair-elect of the Labor andEmployment Law Section of the Florida Bar. Andwhat does that mean for the MCBA? I don’t know,I just think it sounds cool. In any case, we aregoing to have at least two lunch meetings thisyear, at least one for CLE credit. The first lunchmeeting will be at noon on Friday October 5 atCollette’s (across from the Court house). Prior tothat, your attention is directed to FridaySeptember 28, when Miami (hotel TBA) will bethe site of the Florida Bar Labor and EmploymentLaw Section’s day-long employment law CLEseminar. The L&E Section will also be sponsoringCLE seminars in October (Public Employee andLabor Relations Seminar), February (CLECertification Review Course) and early May(Advanced Labor Topics). You can check outwhat’s coming up via the Florida Bar’s L&E Sectionwebsite, http://laboremploymentlaw.org.


GOLFTOURNAMENT

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MARK YOUR CALENDARS FORUPCOMING MCBA EVENTS

See inside for details.

Please check the MCBA website in lateAugust for the 2007-2008 Calendar of events!

www.martincountybar.org

MARTIN COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATIONPO BOX 2197STUART, FL 34995-2197

AUGUST LUNCHEON

When: Friday, August 17, 2007 at 12:00 pmWhere: Monarch Country Club 1801 SW Monarch Club Drive in

Palm City

Menu*: Petite Cesar Salad, Chicken Piccata,Mango Cheesecake

Guest Speaker: Representative Bill Snyder

RSVP: No later than Tuesday,August 14th

Call: 772-220-8018 orE-Mail: [email protected]

There is no charge for MCBA members; guestsare welcome to attend for $25 each (to be paid

at the luncheon). RSVP required.

* If you require a specialty meal, please notifyMichelle Katzman when you RSVP.

AUGUST 17MCBA Luncheon (Noon)

SEPTEMBER 7F. Shields McManus’ Investiture

SEPTEMBER 17-21Constitution Week

SEPTEMBER 18YLD Meeting – 6pm at Dos Amigos

SEPTEMBER 21September MCBA Luncheon (Noon)

ewsletter of the martin county bar association in … · 2019-03-02 · 1 the side bar august 2007...

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