Message from the Chair

What a great Winter Meeting this past week! Paul Perdomo will post pictures to the website soon but in the meantime, here are a few highlights.

We started with meetings on Wednesday afternoon, including Blockchain, Labor Day Retreat, Marketing, IMF, Rules of Court, and Bankruptcy Judicial Liaison followed by a great dinner at Seasons 52. Thursday included an early morning Budget Committee meeting, followed by Computer Law, Bankruptcy/UCC, IP, and a great luncheon presentation by retired bankruptcy judge Melanie Cyganowksi who spoke on her involvement in the Purdue Pharma and the LTL “Texas Two Step” cases. Talk about being current and in the know, Judge Cyganowski discussed the upcoming settlement between Purdue Pharma and the settling parties (various states) just before the news broke over the newswires. The afternoon included Corporations, e-Discovery, Business Litigation, Legislation, and the Executive Council meeting.

And what a great EC Meeting it was. Florida Bar President Roland Sanchez-Medina, a member of the Section, came by to give his well-wishes and President Elect Sia Baker-Barnes presented on her new Corporate Counsel program to bring in-house counsel into the Bar. We also had presentations by Paige Greenlee and Jeff Rynor on their campaigns for Bar President-Elect. The Substantive Committees presented their work to date and their future plans and the Non-Substantive Committees, including Labor Day Retreat and CLE, presented their work. It all looks good. One Triple Motion was presented, i.e., to oppose Florida Senate Bill 48, and the motion passed, and the Business Litigation Derivative Study Group gave an informational presentation that it will (pursuant to Section Bylaw 5.4) seek to be converted to a task force at the Annual Meeting after proper notice. Greg Yadley gave a presentation on the Federal Securities Institute to be held February 24 and 25th in Tampa. For those not familiar with the Institute, this is a national level corporate and securities program that attracts some of the best speakers from around the country. How highly regarded is this seminar? This year’s keynote speaker will Acting Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Mark T. Uyeda. This program offers up to 15 hours of CLE credit, including 2.0 in ethics, 1.5 in professionalism, and .5 in technology.

To summarize where we are, the Section’s Fund Balance is in good shape, CLE is on track, membership is up almost ten percent, and we have great programming coming down the road. A good report all the way around, but there is no time to rest on our laurels. We are working on finishing the year strong in CLE, we have great programs (FSI, IP Symposium, Out of State Retreat in Quebec, and Legislative Update) coming down the pike, and Chair-Elect Stephanie Lieb is already working on her Labor Day Retreat and her events.

It's going to be a great rest of the year, come join us!

Note: The only down note of the meeting is that the freak Winter weather prevented some people, including past Chair Doug Bates, from travelling to the meeting. But as the picture shows, the weather did not keep Doug from having a little fun. Now we know where he got the scarf, but who in Florida keeps a corncob pipe around just in case they have to build a snowman?

-- Manny

Upcoming Meetings

2/10/2025 Communications Committee

Upcoming CLE Programs

Federal Securities Institute

February 24 & 25, 2025

Grand Hyatt Tampa

Meet one of our Special Guests

Leslie M. Van Buskirk has been the Administrator of the Division of Securities at the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions since 2016, after serving as an enforcement attorney and supervisor for 14 years. In 2012 she received an Honorable Mention for the 29th Annual Virginia Hart Award for her service to the State of Wisconsin. She is a member of the statewide Wisconsin Elder Justice Coalition.

She is currently President of the North American Administrators Association (NASAA) and served as the NASAA representative on the US Securities & Exchange Commission Investor Advisory Committee from December 2020-September 2024. Prior to her three years on the board, she served for two years as chair of the Broker-Dealer Section after 10 years of section and committee service. She received a NASAA Distinguished Service Award in 2014 for work toward improving securities arbitration for investors. She has also chaired the NASAA Exams Advisory committee.

Critical Liability Insurance Issues for Litigators

February 6, 2025

Webinar

Mediation Myths & Mysteries

February 13, 2025

Webinar

Florida's Data Privacy Landscape 2025 Edition

March 6, 2025

Webinar

Intellectual Property for the non-IP Practitioner – Part I – Patents and Trade Secrets

March 12, 2025

Webinar, Save the date

Operating Agreements in Florida: The Basics

March 13, 2025

Webinar

Spring Retreat

March 15-21, 2025

Montreal and Quebec City

Intellectual Property Symposium

April 10 & 11, 2025

Hilton Aventura

Legislative Update

May 23, 2025

JW Marriott Bonnet Creek

Additional Updates

Reimbursement Forms

Effective January 1, 2025, the IRS has increased the standard mileage rate from $0.67 to $0.70 per mile. The updated reimbursement form can be found here. Reimbursements must be submitted within 14 days of the conclusion of the event.

Banks Beware: Independent Liability of Garnishees to Garnishors

The Florida Bar Journal Article by BLS Section Members Jocelyne A. Macelloni and Danielle Latte

CLE On Demand

Need more CLE before your deadline? Miss a program you wanted to see? Many BLS programs are available on demand.