Business Law Section Weekly Newsletter
Special Edition - Women's History Month
In continuing recognition of Women’s History Month, the Communications Committee facilitated the discussion with several of our judicial members. Earlier this month, we featured interviews with Judges Vaughan and Isicoff; this week we’ve got conversations with Judges Mora, Specie and Walsh. It takes several people to put these special editions together – from the writers and proofreaders to the subjects themselves. So thank you to everyone for your continued help in making the goal of the Committee – engagement with our membership – a weekly accomplishment.
An Interview with Judge Specie

What can you tell us about your journey as an attorney and your career path?

The biggest irony is that I am a bankruptcy judge but I never took a bankruptcy class in law school. After my law school graduation, I moved to New York City and walked door to door looking for a job. I got a job with a midtown Manhattan law firm where I worked on my first bankruptcy case. I liked it so much that I ended up focusing my career in this area of the law. I believe Bankruptcy touches every aspect of the law and you can’t be a competent lawyer without basic knowledge of it. Today, I serve as the Chief, and only, bankruptcy judge for the Northern District of Florida, presiding over cases in Tallahassee, Gainesville, Panama City and Pensacola.

Could you share an example of a hurdle or obstacle you experienced as an attorney and how you overcame it?

Being a woman lawyer in commercial litigation was difficult. We think New York City is a forward-thinking area, but the lawyers I encountered in New York were more overtly sexist than in the south. For example, more than once I would be in a room with many male attorneys, all of whom knew I was also a lawyer, and one invariably would ask me to make a copy or get coffee.
An Interview with Judge Mora

During the month of March, we celebrate and honor the contributions of women to history, culture and society. As part of this celebration, the Business Law Section has decided to spotlight a few of the extraordinary women who serve as judges, including the accomplished Judge Mindy Mora. Judge Mora is a legal trailblazer, dedicated family member and mentor, in equal measure.

Judge Mora was appointed as a Bankruptcy Judge to serve the Southern District of Florida on April 6, 2018. She is the second woman to be selected to serve in this capacity. Prior to serving in this capacity, she was a Partner with Bilzin Sumberg Baena Price and Axelrod LLP from September 1, 2000 to April 5, 2018 and a Partner with Strook and Strook and Lavan LLP from December 27, 1986 to August 31, 2000. Although there were no female judges or partners when Judge Mora began her career, she attained these milestones through dedication, hard work – while practicing she regularly billed sixty to eighty hours a week, and pushing herself beyond her comfort zone to overcome the fears that she refused to allow to hold her back.
An Interview with Judge Walsh

In honor of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day, the Business Law Section is interviewing a series of women judges to learn about their experiences, trials, tribulations, and advice for other women lawyers. I had the honor of interviewing Judge Walsh.

Rise to the Bench

Judge Walsh explained her journey as an attorney and career path to becoming a judge. She worked in the public interest as a public defender. She tried about 30 jury trial cases and in private practice, she owned her firm focusing almost exclusively on appellate work. Her appellate practice consisted of a variety of subject matters, so that gave her flexibility. She put that to use after she became a judge because she was able to adapt and transition from dependency, to criminal, to civil, back to criminal, and again to civil. This flexibility also assists her now in her position as the administrative judge in the Appellate Division. Judge Walsh’s experience and career is nothing short of remarkable.
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Invitation from the BBASDFL, Panel Discussion featuring Judge Mora
Join the BBASDFL on April 22 at noon for a panel discussion on the recent amendments to the local rules, including The Honorable Mindy A. Mora.
11th Annual Intellectual Property Symposium
This year's Intellectual Property Symposium will be virtual, split into two half days in order to avoid zoom fatigue. It will feature a series of case study panel discussions covering a wide range of intellectual property topics, including preliminary relief, ethical and e-discovery issues, and damages in IP litigation. Panel discussions will include employee mobility issues arising from the potential sweeping changes to Florida’s and other states’ non-compete laws, the impact of artificial intelligence on IP-related issues, and the Romag Fasteners v. Fossil case which discussed the issue of trademark damages.
Toni Tsvetanova is now in-house counsel at Restaurant Brands International in Miami, and will be reachable at toni.tsvetanova@gmail.com.