V Olume 1 1 5 • December 20
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Volume 115 • December 2012 Adverse Witness December 2012 Adverse Witness Editorial Board I S S U E H I G H L I G H T S John T. Cardillo, Editor Publication Deadline: 10th day President’s Message of month preceding publication 3 Communicating Value Officers President Jeanne Seewald Legal Aid Notes President Elect “Wills for Heroes: Pro Bono event Tamara Nicola 4 Treasurer Sonia Diaz Secretary Calendar John T. Cardillo Make note of upcoming meetings, luncheons and events Immediate Past President 5 Margaret McMorrow Directors Guest Editorial Starling Hendriks Marc Huling Fraud Scheme targets attorneys Richard Montecalvo 6 Andrew Solis Kimberly Spiker Damian Taylor Carlo Zampogna Bulletin Board Classifieds and Announcements Executive Director 8 Lisa A. Mead Collier County Bar Association Guest Editorial 3315 East Tamiami Trail, Suite 505 You Took My Kids and Moved Where? Naples, Florida 34112 (239) 252-8711 9 (239) 775-5858 Fax [email protected] www.colliercountybar.org Bar Foundation Fishing Tournament Hours: 8:30- 4:30 p.m. M-Thu 8:30-4:00 Fridays The Biggest Ones Got Away! The Adverse Witness is pleased to feature articles 16 submitted by Collier County Bar Association mem- bers, affiliates and the general public that may be of interest to Collier County Bar Association’s membership. The Collier County Bar Association does not verify the accuracy of the information contained in the articles published in the Adverse Witness, nor are the articles published in the Adverse Witness intended to express the views of the Collier County Bar Association. If you have any questions or concerns about information Cover Art contained in articles published in the Adverse This month’s cover photo is from The Manor Restaurant, West Orange, New Jersey. Witness, please contact the author of the article directly. Page 2 Adverse Witness, December 2012 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE By Jeanne Seewald, Esq. Communicating value As attorneys, most of us believe our services are valuable and, if pressed, could list the reasons for that value. Whether it is our education, certifications, awards or the number of trials won, we can point to tangible forms of value. There also are intangible forms of value such as experience, cost-effectiveness, dedication, responsiveness, integrity and work ethic. You likely know the value of your services, but have you ever stopped to consider how you communicate your value? At CCBA, we try to communicate the value of membership to our members by providing educational opportunities and networking experiences, but we also strive to provide services in a cost-effective and responsive manner. We create value in the eyes of our members by understanding our members’ needs and time constraints, and by listening to your feedback. Are you communicating your to value to clients? Conveying tangible value to clients is relatively easy through websites, brochures and advertisements; however, communicating intangible value can be more challenging. Think about a particular client and ask yourself whether you know what is most important to them – is it reputation, expertise or timeliness? By engaging clients in conversations about their needs and learning what they value most, you have an opportunity to convey to the clients that you care about what is important to them and to create in the eyes of your clients the value of your services. On the topic of value, CCBA provided great value at its November lunch event with a two-for- one. On the Friday before election day, Jennifer Edwards, Collier County Supervisor of Elec- tions, made a great presentation that provided very interesting information about the election process in Collier County. Not only did we hear from Jennifer about the current election, but we also received a surprise visit from President Thomas Jefferson who spoke to the group (in period costume and completely in character) about the election of his era. The presentation was very educational and entertaining. We thank Laird Lile for arranging for the President to be with us at lunch. On November 16th, the Real Estate Section held its annual Real Estate Seminar which was very well attended. Congratulations to Kristin Conroy, Chair of the Real Estate Section, on a successful event. As I write this message, the final plans are being made for Judge Baker’s Retirement Party on November 29th at Grey Oaks. We are anticipating a great turnout to celebrate Judge Baker’s outstanding years of service on the bench. There will be no monthly lunch meeting in December, but we hope everyone will join us for the Annual CCBA Holiday Party which will be held this year on December 13th at Naples Bay Resort. There will be lots of fun activities for the family including food, face painting, magic, “... have you balloon animals, carolers and a special guest. Sign up on the website or contact Lisa Mead for more information. Also, the Young Lawyers Section will be hard at work on the CCBA float ever stopped to for the Naples Holiday Parade which will be held on December 11th in downtown Naples. If consider how you you are interested in participating in the parade by walking along with the CCBA float, contact Lisa for details. YLS always does a great job with the float so please go out to the parade and communicate cheer them on from the crowd. your value?” 2012 has been a great year for CCBA. Your organization is thriving and the Board continues to strive to provide you with valuable programs, information and opportunities. Thank you for being a member of CCBA. We also continue to expand the efforts of the Collier County Bar Foundation. Early this year, the Foundation kicked off a new fundraising effort known as 100 Lawyers Giving Back. The goal was to raise additional funds for the Foundation by encouraging 100 members to give $100. We are excited that we had 86 lawyers participate and, although we did not reach our goal this year, we look forward to expanding this program in future years. Please keep the Foundation in mind when making year-end decisions about charitable giving. The Foundation has assisted many worthy organizations this year and its efforts draw attention to the generosity of our legal community and the many ways in which our members give back to Collier County. Watch for information about upcoming events as we make plans to kick off 2013. Your board is working hard to provide CCBA members many opportunities to interact and get involved. Our goal is to communicate to you the value of your CCBA membership. Let us know how we are doing. Happy holidays to all and best wishes for a wonderful new year. Adverse Witness, December 2012 Page 3 LEGAL AID NOTES By Jeffrey A. Ahren “Wills For Heroes” Pro Bono event recap The inaugural ‘Wills for Heroes’ Veteran’s Day Pro Bono Clinic was highly successful! Legal Aid, in partnership with Cohen & Grigsby, P.C., and members of the Trusts and Estates Section of the Collier County Bar Association, conducted a pro bono legal clinic to furnish Wills, Living Wills, and related basic estate planning instruments to some very special ‘heroes’ in our community – including local Military Veterans, Police Officers, Firefighters, and EMT’s/First Responders. The event was held at Cohen & Grigsby, PC, on Saturday, November 10, 2012 as a way of thanking the brave men and women who protect us all – at home and abroad. Almost 20 Wills were created on Saturday, and when those who could not make the event are served in the near future, the total number of local heroes benefitting from this program should exceed 40! I would like to thank Kelley Geraghty Price, Esq., for her outstanding leadership in organizing this event. Thanks also to her firm, Cohen & Grigsby, for hosting the clinic. Many thanks also to the following firms and attorneys for their pro bono service at the “Wills for Heroes” event: Blake Kirkpatrick, Esq., of Salvatori, Wood & Buckel, P.L.; Legal Aid Service of Collier County is committed to working Robert Lancaster, Esq., Todd Bradley, Esq., and Jacqueline Denton, Esq. of Cummings alongside the private bar and & Lockwood, LLC; Jennifer Nackley, Esq., and Brad Rigor, Esq., of Quarles & Brady, membership of CCBA to make LLP; William Pearson, Esq., and Ashley Hodson, Esq. of Grant, Fridkin, Pearson, P.A.; the Collier Lawyers Care pro William Burke, Esq., of Coleman, Yovanovich & Koester, P.A.; and Susan Nesbet-Sikuta, bono attorney program the best Esq., and Robert Rosing, Esq., of Cohen & Grigsby. Legal Aid thanks these pro bono of its kind in the State of Florida. Two immediate goals they want attorneys for their outstanding service! Thanks also to the paralegals and others who to achieve are increasing the volunteered from these firms to serve as witnesses and notaries. It is our hope that number of pro bono volunteer the ‘Wills for Heroes’ pro bono legal clinic becomes an annual tradition in Naples each attorneys in the CLC program, Veterans Day Weekend. and expanding public awareness about CLC and the impact Legal National Pro Bono Week Clinic - Recap Aid Service of Collier County has on the community by offer- The American Bar Association Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service ing free civil legal services to declared October 21 – 27, 2012 as “National Celebration of Pro Bono Week.” This annual the underserved population of initiative was launched three years ago in response to the economic downturn. The goal Collier County. To learn more about LASCC and Collier Law- is to ensure justice for all people, no matter what their social class, or what they can yers Care, contact Mr. Jeffrey A. afford. Ahren or Ms.