We are pleased to announce our TOP 50 Pro Bono Superheroes, by number of hours reported. THANK YOU!! Marianne Coulton 1,000 Paul J. Keenan Jr. 791 Louise McAlpin 750 Bruce Jay Colan 640 Charles H. Lichtman 600 Randall Odo Reder 500 Elizabeth M. Lorie 480 Scheril Murray Powell 437 Cathy Jackson Lerman 422 James A. Nolan...Read More

Marianne Coulton is a solo practitioner who operates her own law firm named Marianne Coulton, P.A., located in Boynton Beach, Florida.  She was forced to retire in 2017 because she was suffering from severe chronic illnesses that she has now overcome to a degree that allowed her to return to the Practice of Law in...Read More

Judiciary Spotlight Hon. Thomas B. Smith, Magistrate Judge U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida (Orlando Division) Judge Smith has been an active member of the Business Law Section for many years. He is currently the Federal Judicial Chair of our State and Federal Court Judicial Liaison Committee, assisting our members in the exchange of information...Read More

August 2020 Hello BLS members: I hope this message finds each of you safe and healthy. As if the effects of the COVID pandemic were not challenging enough, there is nothing like the added overlay of Hurricane Isaias and storm preparations facing us as Florida residents. The Section and I remain undeterred and will continue...Read More

By Deedee Bitran On June 25, 2019, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law a new addition to Florida’s non-competition law which significantly alters the enforceability of certain physician non-competition agreements. Section 542.336, Florida Statutes, provides that as of July 1, 2019, non-competition agreements entered into between specialist physicians and an entity which employs or...Read More

By: Alamea Deedee Bitran, Esq., Shutts & Bowen LLP As most Florida litigators are aware, prevailing party fees are only recoverable when there is a statutory or contractual basis for those fees. A tactful litigator will often consider serving a proposal for settlement—also referred to as an “offer of judgment” or “demand for judgment”—under Florida...Read More