Kathy McLeroy, a partner at Carlton Fields, was recognized last week by the Business Law Section with this year’s BLS Pro Bono Award, due to her longstanding commitment to, and contributions to, pro bono and access to justice.  Kathy has served for many years as the Chair of the Florida Bar’s Standing Committee on Pro...Read More

Welcome to the 2024-2025 BLS year! We have some great events coming your way. We will see Executive Council members on August 1 for Leadership Training and all of us on August 30 for the Labor Day Retreat. Take a look below at our upcoming events, and please note here the deadline for reimbursement requests...Read More

Dear BLS Members: This is my last communication to the entire section as chair and I want to thank all of you.  It has been a humbling experience and an honor to serve as your chair for the last year.  I hope that I will see many of you in Orlando on June 19-20 for...Read More

Three of our Business Law Section Fellows became fathers within the past year. In fact, they each had their first child within a month of each other. To see how it is going, we asked them to write about the changes they have experienced and the lessons they have learned through the journey of fatherhood....Read More

By Michael A. Kolcun SCOTUS Sides with the 11th Circuit by Allowing Copyright Damages Beyond 3 Years After years of uncertainty due to a split among three Circuits, the U.S. Supreme Court has sided with the Eleventh Circuit by allowing damages for copyright infringement that occurred more than three years before the suit was filed....Read More

By Manuel Farach Week ending June 29, 2024 Murthy v. Missouri, Case No. 23–411 (2024). States and individuals lack standing to claim the federal government violated the First Amendment by pressuring social media platforms to censor speech. Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jarkesy, Case No. 22–859 (2024). A Securities and Exchange Commission action seeking civil...Read More

Chief Bankruptcy Judges Caryl Delano (M.D. Fla.), Erik Kimball (S.D. Fla.), and Karen Specie (N.D. Fla.) at the Florida bankruptcy judges’ dinner at the recent Eleventh Circuit Conference in Point Clear, AL.Read More

By Hunter Grasso I. Introduction Many Crypto exchanges operate on a national or global scale, but in recent years, Florida has emerged as a crypto-industry hub. Naturally, we have seen an influx of crypto, fintech, Web3, and blockchain-related companies, and of course, consumers. With that comes an increase in deals, disputes, and unfortunately, bankruptcies. This...Read More

By: Kayla Heckman May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Established in 1949, the goal of Mental Health Awareness Month is to emphasize the importance of mental health and undo the stigma commonly associated with mental illness that is deeply ingrained in our society.[1] Coinciding with Mental Health Awareness Month, Well-Being Week in Law is observed...Read More

Here are the case summaries of our bankruptcy cases that are in need of pro bono counsel with BALS. Contact Linda Barack for more information. 23-XXX9739 (Bankruptcy) Pinellas County Senior seeks assistance with chapter 7 Bankruptcy.  Senior had to retire early due to her health.  Her only source of income is Social Security. She estimates...Read More