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Executive Council

Mr. Stein dedicates his practice exclusively to the areas of patent, trademark, copyright, computer, and internet law. He assists clients with trademark and copyright acquisition and counseling, intellectual property litigation and transactions and alternative dispute resolution. Mr. Stein has litigated, arbitrated and mediated cases in all areas of intellectual property law, including, trademark infringement, trade dress infringement, trademark counterfeiting, copyright infringement, patent infringement, unfair competition, federal trademark dilution, trade secrets violations, restrictive covenants, tortious interference, licensing and franchising, domain name disputes and a variety of intellectual property matters involving computers and the Internet. Mr. Stein has also counseled clients on trademark, copyright, trade secret and computer and Internet law issues and has provided guidance on documenting and protecting trade secrets, developing, and protecting computer software and protecting trademarks, copyrights and other intellectual property assets. Mr. Stein has represented clients in numerous intellectual property matters ranging from assisting one of the founding members of the rock band FOGHAT in protecting the band name, to helping clients establish programs to protect and enforce their trademarks, trade secrets and copyrights. He regularly lectures on a variety of trademark, copyright, trade secret and Internet and computer law subjects.

Mr. Stein is a Florida Supreme Court Certified Circuit Mediator. He regularly serves as a mediator in all types of patent, trademark, copyright, computer, and internet law cases and is a member of the International Trademark Association Panel of Trademark Mediators and of the American Arbitration Association Master Mediator Panel. Mr. Stein is also an arbitrator on the Commercial Arbitration Panel of the American Arbitration Association and has served as an Arbitrator in a number of matters.

In addition to being the Chair of the Business Law Section of the Florida Bar, Mr. Stein is an active member of the International Trademark Association and is a member of the Brands and Innovation Committee, where he is the co-chair of the Technology Monitoring Subcommittee.

Manuel (“Manny”) Farach is Chair Elect. Manny is a shareholder of Mrachek, Fitzgerald, Konopka, Thomas & Weiss, P.A. where he practices business, real estate, and appellate law together with alternative dispute resolution. Manny has served in numerous positions with the Section, including as Secretary, Treasurer, and as Chair of its Legislation, Sponsorship, Business Litigation, and Computer Law Committees. Manny presently serves on the Board of Governors of the Florida Bar and also of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers (ACREL), where he serves as Chair of ACREL’s Bankruptcy and Litigation Committee. He is an elected member of the American Law Institute, and past Chair of the Florida Supreme Court Committee on Standard Jury Instructions for Contract Cases and the ABA’s Real Property Litigation Group. Manny has been honored as Member of the Year by the Section and as Board Certified Lawyer of the Year by The Florida Bar. He is the author of Florida Real Estate Law, the real estate treatise in West’s Florida Practice Series and publishes the Case Law Update, a weekly compilation of Florida business and real estate and cases that is distributed by the Section. Manny is triple board-certified by The Florida Bar in Business Litigation, Real Estate Law, and Appellate Law and has served as an arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association since 1990 and as a certified mediator since 2009. Manny teaches as an Adjunct Professor at the Florida State University College of Law and previously taught as an Adjunct Professor of Business Law at the Rinker School of Business at Palm Beach Atlantic University; he sits on the Executive Councils of the Business Law, Real Property, and Alternative Dispute Resolution Sections of the Florida Bar.

Doug Bates is a shareholder with Clark Partington and is Immediate Past Chair of the Business Law Section. Douglas (“Doug”) Alan Bates, Shareholder & Commercial Litigation Department Chair, is proud to practice in the same town where he was born and raised. Living and working in Pensacola allows Doug to interact with lifelong friends on a daily basis, and allows him to serve as a trusted advisor to regional and Fortune 500 businesses that share his values of hard work, dedication, and personal service. Doug remains mindful that the opportunity to serve clients in his hometown is a great privilege, one that he never takes for granted. Doug’s practice is focused on commercial and real estate litigation, as well as bankruptcy and creditors’ rights matters.

 

Role of the Executive Council

The Executive Council is the governing body of the Section and is made up of the Section’s officers, chairs and vice-chairs of the substantive and standing committees, and all members of the Long Range Planning committee.

UPCOMING MEETING

Executive Council will meet on January 18, 2024 at 3:30 p.m. in Crystal E. 

Register to attend remotely here

Meeting Package

Printable Schedule

 Executive Council is sponsored by

Past chairs of the Section

BLS BOOTCAMP

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BLS – Boot Camp – 8-18-2023

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