PALM BEACH COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION www.palmbeachbar.org October 2007 Members of the Young Lawyers Section recently spent a morning distributing school supplies to almost 300 students as well as teachers, at Palm Beach Public which is a Title I school (most of the children come from low-income families or are at risk of failing). Pictured to the left are Jason Guari, Andy Severson, Jeff Pepin, John Whittles, Allison Kapner, Eric Severson, Catherine Eaton, Brian Kennedy, Kristi L. Bergemann and Jennifer Kypreos. Many thanks to Allison Kapner for doing another great job in organizing this project. Mark your calendar for upcoming US Attorney Acosta to speak at Bench Bar Conference Membership Meetings R. Alexander Acosta, United States Attorney for the Bench Bar Conference (New and Improved!) Southern District of Florida since May 2005, will be the keynote Friday, October 12 speaker at this year’s Bench Bar Conference on October 12 at Palm Beach County Convention Center the Convention Center. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Acosta served as Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Special Needs of Children Membership Reception Division of the US Department of Justice. Mr. Acosta was the Thursday, October 18, 5:30 - 7:30 first Hispanic to serve as an Assistant Attorney General at the Benefiting National Adoption Day Department of Justice. Mr. Acosta had also served as Principal E.R. Bradley’s in West Palm Beach Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Rights Division. Prior to his service as Assistant Attorney General, Mr. Acosta served as a member of the National Labor Young Lawyers Section Happy Hour Thursday, November 8, 5:30 - 7:00 Relations Board. A native of Miami, Mr. Acosta attended the Gulliver Schools in Miami. He Annual Holiday Party with earned his degrees from Harvard College and Harvard Law School. After graduation, North County & Young Lawyers Section he served as a law clerk to the Honorable Samuel A. Alito, Jr. on the U.S. Court of Wednesday, November 28, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. BallenIsles Country Club, Palm Beach Gardens Appeals for the Third Circuit. He then worked at the Washington, D.C. office of the law firm Kirkland and Ellis, where he specialized in employment and labor issues. Joint Luncheon with the Forum Club with Mr. Acosta has also taught several classes on employment law, disability-based Guest Speaker U.S. Supreme Court Justice discrimination law, and civil rights law at the George Mason School of Law. Clarence Thomas Wednesday, December 12, 12 noon The Cohen Pavilion at the Kravis Center This meeting will be limited to PBCBA members only! Inside... Bankruptcy.........................................9 Joint Luncheon with The O’Connell Family.....................10 South County Bar Association President’s Message .........................3 Pro Bono Corner..............................12 Guest Speaker: FL Bar President Historical Committee.........................4 Professionalism................................13 Frank Angones Judicial Profile...................................5 New Members..................................14 Wednesday, March 5, 2008, 12 noon Spelling Bee.......................................6 Rainmaking 101...............................16 Delray Beach Golf Club Personal Injury Corner ......................7 Bulletin Board .................................22 THE PALM BEACH COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION MEENU T. SASSER President www.palmbeachbar.org PATIENCE A. BURNS, CAE Executive Director Officers Meenu T. Sasser, President Richard D. Schuler, President-elect Directors C. Wade Bowden John M. Howe Michael J. Napoleone Bryan Poulton Adam T. Rabin Michelle R. Suskauer The Palm Beach County Bar recently received the Spotlight Award from The Florida Bar’s Voluntary Manuel Farach, Immediate Past President Bar Liaison Committee. This award recognizes the PBCBA for its Minority Student Initiative Jason J. Guari, Young Lawyers Section President Program which is designed to provide internship placements during the school year to minority Adam S. Doner, North County Section President Howard S. Grossman, Ex Officio, South County Bar second and third-year law students in area law firms and governmental agencies. One of the goals President of the program is to introduce the students to Palm Beach County and provide them with exposure FL Bar Board of Governors Representatives to the local legal community and mentoring opportunities. This is the third year that the program Gregory W. Coleman has been in place and this year the following firms are participating: Casey Ciklin Lubitz Martens & Scott G. Hawkins O’Connell; Gunster Yoakley; Ruden McCloskey; Walton Lantaff, Schroeder & Carson; 15th Judicial David C. Prather Circuit; State Attorney’s Office; Lytal Reiter Fountain Williams & Clark; and Holland & Knight. For Lisa S. Small more information about the program or if your firm is interested in participating next semester, FL Bar Young Lawyers Division please contact program chair Tanique Lee at (561) 687-1772. Board of Governors Representatives Ronald P. Ponzoli, Jr. Matthew T. Ramenda Elisha D. Roy 1601 Belvedere Road, Suite 302E West Palm Beach, FL 33406 (561) 687-2800 W. JAY HUNSTON, JR. FAX (561) 687-9007 e-mail [email protected]. Mediator/Arbitrator Advertising Information: Shoshanah Spence • [email protected] • J.D. Stetson Univ. College of Law (1976) Views and conclusions expressed in articles and • Florida Bar Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer advertisements herein are those of the authors or (1983-2003) advertisers and not necessarily those of the officers, directors, or staff of the Palm Beach • Florida Bar Board Certified, Emeritus in County Bar Association. Further, the Palm Beach Civil Trial Law (2003-Present) County Bar Association, its officers, directors, and staff do not endorse any product or service • Florida Certified: advertised. Copy deadline is the first of the month Circuit Civil Mediator (1991-Present) preceding publication. Family Mediator (1998-Present) The mission of the Palm Beach County Bar Association is to serve its members, foster • NASD Approved Mediator professionalism and enhance the public’s • Qualified Florida Arbitrator understanding and awareness of the legal system. • Admitted to Practice in Florida, Montana, Colorado, and Ohio Letters to the Editor • Hourly and Per Diem Rates Available upon Request The Palm Beach County Bar Association Bulletin welcomes your comments on topics relating to the Since 1/1/01, limiting his practice to all forms of effective dispute resolution, including pre-suit and law, the legal profession, the Palm Beach County Bar Association or the Bar Bulletin. Court-ordered mediation, arbitration, conciliation, special master proceedings, and private judging. Letters must be signed, but names will be withheld upon request. The W. Jay Hunston, Jr., P.A. editor reserves right to condense. P.O. Box 508, Stuart, FL 34995 Send letters to: (772) 223-5503; Fax: (772) 223-4092 EDITOR Bar Bulletin (800) 771-7780; Fax: (866) 748-6786 Palm Beach County Bar Association 1601 Belvedere Road, #302E Email: [email protected] West Palm Beach, FL 33406 website: http://www.hunstonadr.com Page 2 Bulletin President’s Message Law Firms Go Green By Meenu Sasser, President In March, 2007, almost a ton of paper per year. The life implemented by setting copiers and the American Bar cycle of a ton of paper, from production to printers on double-sided as a default Association disposal in a landfill, results in a mode and making reasonable (“ABA”), Section of generation of about 11 tons of carbon- acquisitions to software needed to Environment, Energy dioxide (C02) gases. Therefore, the firm ensure double-sided is used; and and Resources, in conjunction with the has taken an initiative to reduce its • Using technology for internal office U.S. Environmental Protection Agency greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the memoranda in communication and (“EPA”) launched the ABA-EPA Law amount of paper used in the office. The sending documents via PDF form Office Eco Challenge (“Eco- specific steps the firm has taken include: and email attachments. Challenge”). The Eco-Challenge is • Assuring that a significant percentage By implementing some of these designed to encourage law firms to of all copier, printer, letterhead and suggested policies through the Law conserve resources and work towards bond paper has at least 30% post- Office Eco-Challenge, lawyers and law reducing emissions of greenhouse gases consumer recycled content; firms in Palm Beach County can take which may cause global warming. The • Recycling at least 90% of discarded steps to make a difference in improving Eco-Challenge suggests that law firms mixed office paper (which includes our environment for our children. have the ability to make an impact on white copier printer paper, bond and For more information on the our environment by reducing the amount letterhead paper, note paper or color ABA’s Eco-Challenge, go to: of greenhouse gases. For example, one paper and envelopes); www.abanet.org/environ/climatechallenge/ large Washington, DC firm buys • Instituting a policy of using double- home.shtml. approximately 100,000 copy pages per sided copying and printing for drafts attorney per year, which amounts to and internal documents, which is Board of Directors Meeting Attendance July Aug Retreat Bowden x Phone-in Doner McCabe x Farach x x Guari x x Howe x x Napoleone x x Poulton x x Rabin x x Sasser x x Schuler x x Suskauer x x October 2007 Page 3 Who are they? istorical In continuing with a project started by the Historical Committee, we will continue to run old photos of some of our members. Can you guess who they are? Do you have old pictures of yourself or your associate? If so, send them to Committee Patience Burns at the Bar office for use in future issues. Answers on page 11 1 2 3 4 5 Minutes of the Junior Bar Section November 1, 1963 Minutes of the 153rd regular meeting of the Junior Bar Section of the Palm Beach County Bar was held at the Town House Hotel on Friday, November 1, 1963. Fifty-six members and guest were present. Five members took advantage of the crowd and neglected to pay the treasurer thereby profiting from both the meal and the speech.