Business Law Section Newsletter

September 22, 2025

Message from the Chair

Happy Monday BLS! 


Our members are hard at work planning continuing education programs for you throughout the fall. In October we have a number of virtual program offerings: 2025 Legislative Update, Practical Evidence, Drafting and Enforcement of Employment Agreements, and Health and Wellness. Registration is also open for the ever-popular live program View from the Bench in Tampa and Miami, which will likely sell out. Please consider registering for one or more of these high-quality programs so that you can stay on the cutting edge of developments in Florida business law.


It is hard to believe we are already planning for our Winter Meeting January 28-29, 2025 at the Sunseeker Resort in Port Charlotte. Click here to make your hotel reservations. Please note there is NOT a hotel block but should be sufficient rooms if you book soon. If you are a Chair or Vice Chair of a Committee, please let us know by September 30 if you will require a physical room at the meeting. We are working on finalizing the meeting agenda to include a Judicial Liaison Dinner on January 28th and a reception with the RPPTL Section hopefully on January 29th. 


It’s gonna be a great year!


Stephanie Lieb, Chair

Trenam Law (Tampa)

Upcoming Events

10/6/2025 Communications Committee Meeting


10/7/2025 2025 Legislative Update


10/9/2025 Practical Evidence


10/20/2025 CLE Committee


10/22/2025 Drafting & Enforcement of Florida Employment Agreements: Navigating the CHOICE Act


10/27/2025 Health and Wellness CLE


11/5/2025 Portrait Unveiling of Michael G. Williamson United States Bankruptcy Judge


11/6/2025 View from the Bench Tampa


11/7/2025 View from the Bench Miami


11/12/2025 Corporations Committee Meeting


12/9/2025 Corporations Committee CLE


1/28-1/29/2026 Mid-Year Meeting in Port Charlotte


3/4-8/2026 Executive Council Out of State Retreat to Iceland

CLE Spotlight

2025 Legislative Update

Webinar

October 7, 2025

Gain critical insights into the 2025 legislative session. Understand how new laws will directly impact your legal practice by attending the Legislative Update. Participants will hear from several speakers discussing the anticipated impact and implications of newly enacted laws, and gain various perspectives. 

Register here.

The Judge Michael G. Williamson View from the Florida Bankruptcy Bench

November 6, 2025 in Tampa

November 7, 2025 in Miami

Registration is now live for Florida's pre-eminent one of a kind bankruptcy seminar, an interactive panel discussion between a number of sitting bankruptcy judges and a seasoned practitioner moderator. 

Please note that these programs will not be recorded. These are live in-person events only.

Register before October 24, 2025!


Practical E-discovery Under the New Florida Rules of Civil Procedure

Live program was held during the 2025 Florida Bar Annual Convention.

Now available ON DEMAND

  • When You and Your Client's Duty to Preserve Arises
  • Suit Gets Filed – What Now?
  • Objections and Conferral
  • Judicial Panel, Judge Matthewman and Judge Bell

News and Announcements

From The Florida Bar Journal

161 Florida Lawyers Earn Board Certification

Congratulations to the following attorneys on earning board cetification in Business Litigation

  • William B. Lewis, West Palm Beach
  • Catherine Marie DiPaolo, Tampa
  • Jeffrey Partlow, Orlando
  • Stephen C. Schahrer, Naples
  • Kimberly Dawn Swanson, Naples

Read the full article


Opportunity for Speakers

Stetson Business Law Review announces the upcoming Real Estate Law Symposium 2026, scheduled for February 2026, and invites distinguished professionals, scholars, and industry thought leaders to contribute as speakers and writers for this premier event. 

Learn more


Do you have an idea for an article? Submit Business Law Section blog articles here. Submit Florida Bar Journal articles here.

Past Chair Spotlight: Michael Higer, 2010-2011

Mr. Higer served as Chair of the Business Law Section in 2010-2011 then went on to serve as President of the Florida Bar in 2017-2018.  


My involvement in BLS led to me making life long friends and relationships with some of the smartest, most dedicated and passionate lawyers on the planet. These folks taught me how to be a better substantive lawyer and shared the unwavering commitment to serving our legal community and those who are impacted by our legal system.


Learn more about him here.

Judicial Spotlight: Judge Matthewman

Judges fill an integral role on our Executive Council. Meet one of them, Judge Matthewman.


Chief United States Magistrate Judge William Matthewman was appointed to the federal bench in 2012, in the West Palm Beach division of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. He graduated from the University of Florida School of Law with Honors in 1983 and was a Research Editor on the University of Florida Law Review. He has extensive experience in e-discovery, has issued numerous discovery orders and opinions, and has frequently spoken or presented on discovery issues and topics.


Learn more about him here.

Additional Updates

CLE on Demand

Need CLE? Miss a program? Many of our past programs are available on demand.


Planning a CLE

Do you have an idea for a great CLE? Learn more here.


Business Litigation and Real Property Case Law Updates

August 2025, September 2025

Why Sponsor the Business Law Section of The Florida Bar?

Florida isn’t just a state—it’s a global economic powerhouse. If it were an independent nation, Florida would rank among the top 15 largest economies in the world, boasting a GDP that rivals many major countries. The Business Law Section of The Florida Bar plays a critical role in shaping the commercial legal landscape of this economic titan. Our members are not only top-tier business lawyers—they’re the very individuals Florida legislators turn to when drafting or revising key commercial statutes. Sponsoring Business Law Section events like the Labor Day Retreat puts your organization directly in front of the thought leaders, power brokers, and policy shapers who influence business law and practice statewide—and often nationally.


This is more than a networking opportunity. It’s your chance to engage with the legal professionals guiding Florida’s economic future. In addition to the Labor Day Retreat, there are plenty of other sponsorship opportunities that provide year-round exposure through our Section’s ongoing programming, communications, and events. If your brand wants to be seen, respected, and remembered by the attorneys who help write the laws that govern business in one of the world’s most dynamic markets, this is where you need to be.

 

Please reach out to Michele Moss and Bob Charbonneau for sponsorship opportunities. 

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