Business Law Section Newsletter
| |
| |
It’s gonna be a great week Business Law Section! As you may recall, our Financial Literacy Task Force has been hard at work to build and launch our Senior$marts$ program. With Tara Trevorrow and Judge Lori Vaughan at the helm, this initiative has really taken off. Below you will find an article that appeared recently in the Orlando Sentinel related to our efforts. If you would like to volunteer for this worthy initiative, please reach out to Tara.
Looking ahead towards Annual Convention/the June Meeting, registration is now open for both the Section Dinner as well as our Section Luncheon. Please don’t delay in registering as we believe these events will sell out.
Finally, we have a plethora of continuing legal education programs available for your viewing pleasure. Please take a look and sign up for the live or after market options.
Best,
Stephanie Lieb, Chair
Trenam Law (Tampa)
| | | | Pro Bono Committee "Senior$mart$" Program in the News | | |
From The Orlando Sentinel
By Judge Lori Vaughan
A few days ago, I received a text from someone claiming to be with the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. According to the text, I have unsettled traffic penalties and to avoid my license and vehicle registration being suspended immediately, I must pay them via the included link. How convenient! I spotted the signs of a scam right away — the text originated from a random Outlook account, it was oddly worded, and the payment link used a .com and not a .gov website.
Not everyone can identify a scam so easily. Scammers recently stole $120,000 from a Florida senior using a tech support scam. The victim received a pop-up notification directing her to contact technical support because her computer had been hacked. Upon contacting the number, she was told her bank accounts were compromised and that to protect her savings she needed to withdraw and deliver cash to a person in a Publix parking lot. The victim complied, believing she was protecting her savings, but she was actually handing her money over to criminals.
Read the full article
The next presentation will be Friday, May 8, 2026. Register here. Please spread the word!
| |
|
From The Florida Bar Journal
Florida’s New Protected Series LLC Law: Part I
By Louis Conti and Gary Teblum
This article is the first of a two-part series designed to give readers the “what, how, and why” of Florida’s new protected series LLC legislation (§§605.2101 – 605.2802 of the Florida Revised Uniform Limited Liability Company Act, F.S. Ch. 605). This article (Part I) describes what a protected series LLC is, addresses how a protected series LLC differs from a Florida limited liability company that is not a protected series LLC, explains how and where the concept of a “protected series” originated, addresses why Florida added the new protected series LLC entity to Florida’s existing choice of business entity list, details key aspects of a Florida protected series LLC, identifies how a Florida protected series LLC is formed, how a protected series of a Florida protected series is established, and how the Florida protected series LLC and its protected series must be operated in order to secure the benefits of desired liability shields.
Read on
From the BLS Blog
Florida’s Sixth DCA Disrupts Decades of Fee Recovery Procedure
By Michael Kolcun
Florida’s Sixth District Court of Appeal may have fundamentally altered the procedure for recovering attorneys’ fees in Florida state courts. In Ruffenach v. Deutsche Bank Nat’l Trust Co., No. 6D2023-1482,2026 WL 785140 (Fla. 6th DCA Mar. 20, 2026), the Sixth DCA rejected more than 60 years of Florida caselaw requiring an evidentiary hearing and expert testimony as prerequisites to an award of attorneys’ fees, and the Sixth DCA expressly certified a conflict with every other DCA.
Read on
| |
The 2026 Florida Bar Annual Convention
Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek
June 17-19 2026
Highlights that you will need to register for in advance:
- Judicial & Business Law Section Dinner
- BLS Luncheon: The Solutions Oriented Leader: Leading with Purpose, Practicing with Positivity
- Generative AI: E-Discovery CLE at the Annual Convention
- Presidential Showcase CLE: Introduction To The New Florida Protected Series LLC Legislation
Most BLS committees will meet during the Annual Convention. Tentative schedule and links to registration can be found here.
| | |
Judge Laurel Isicoff will receive the 2026 Hoeveler Professionalism Award from The Henry Latimer Center for Professionalism and the Standing Committee on Professionalism. The award recognizes judges in active service who best exemplify strength of character, service, and competence as a jurist, lawyer, and public servant. Read more.
Hillsborough County Bar Association presented its 2025 Outstanding Lawyer Award to Greg Yadley. Read more.
Congratulations to James Moon on being recognized by Law.com with its Unsung Hero Award. Read more
Congratulations to Valeria Angelucci on being recognized as an On the Rise honoree by Law.com. Read more
| | |
Ethical AI in Practice: Competence, Confidentiality, Privacy, and Cybersecurity
May 6, 2026
Register now
Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing how lawyers research, draft, analyze data, and communicate, but the ethical and risk implications are evolving just as quickly. This CLE will equip practitioners with a practical framework for ethical AI use grounded in professional responsibility duties, including competence, confidentiality, supervision, communication, and candor to the tribunal.
Nequosha Anderson, Orlando
| | |
BLS Email Lists
Are you getting the committee emails you want? You can check your subscriptions here.
Updated Reimbursement Forms
If you are entitled to travel reimbursement from The Bar, please note that the forms have been updated for 2026.
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.
| | | 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 Will Blair and Bob Charbonneau for sponsorship opportunities.
| | | | |
