BY Maggie Jessup, Special to The Florida Law Journal ORLANDO, FLORIDA -- Want to get paid $5,000 or more for speaking to a room filled with prospective clients? Every attorney is qualified but few know how to join the lucrative world of professional speakers. There are 4 steps to winning practice-building paid speaking engagements according to personal branding expert Maggie Jessup, author of Fame 101. Step 1 -- Pick the right audience and venue. Most attorneys intuitively sense that speaking engagements can translate into a big inflow of new clients, and they are right, but for most their effort is doomed from the start: they pick the wrong venue. Lawyers believe that sharing their expertise with other lawyers at legal conferences will result in a thriving practice. While true to a modest extent, they will pick up the occasional referral, the big play is elsewhere. Events … [Read more...]
FAMU Alumns Sue ESPN Boss
By DOTTIE PARIS, Staff Writer ORLANDO -- Keith Clinkscales, an ESPN senior executive is being sued by a group ofFlorida A&M alumni for promises he made related to getting a hip-hop started. According to a lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court, ESPNs senior vice president told the alumns he would use his connections to help them make Hip-Hop Grub Spot a new restaurant business. After investing in the idea and corralling top names from musicians to pro athletes to invest, Clinkscales allegedly pulled the plug, according to the lawsuit.Clinkscales is a 1986 graduate of FAMU and co-founder of Vibe magazine. FAMUs alumni association has made it clear through its general council Reginald Mitchell that the litigants are no longer involved with the alumni association and the associations new president said it would not support any civil lawsuit. MORE TO COME … [Read more...]
Attorney Rush: Clients are Genius, not Guilty
By DONNA BALANCIA, Editor, The Florida Law Journal TAMPA --A defense attorney says his clients ability to beat technology to buy thousands of top-tier tickets from Ticketmaster and make millions off their mark up was ingenious and not illegal. Mark Rush, attorney for Californians Kenneth Lowson, Kristofer Kirsch and Joel Stevenson of Wiseguy Tickets, said in a New Jersey federal courtroom that his clients were not guilty of fraud, but instead, they were extra-efficient at what they do. The men face a 43-count indictmentthatincludes conspiracy, wire fraud and unauthorized computer access. The wire fraud counts carry a maximum prison sentence of 20 years per count. Lowson and his partners are accused of circumventing the computer software known as CAPTCHA, that determines whether a machine or a person is making a purchase. The CAPTCHA software makes the user type a distorted word … [Read more...]
Movers and Shakers in Central Florida
Trey Tate, Jonathan Etra, George Mahfood, Thomas Rebull, and Stephanie Russo have become partners in Broad and Cassel. Tate practices in Orlando in the construction law and litigation, and commercial litigation practice groups. Etra practices in Miami in the commercial litigation and white collar criminal and civil fraud defense practice groups. Mahfood practices in Miami and is a member of the commercial litigation practice group. Rebull practices in Miami and is a member of the commercial litigation, real estate litigation, and labor and employment practice groups. Russo practices in Miami and is a member of the commercial litigation and health law practice groups. James V. Etscorn has been appointed managing partner of Baker & Hostetler in Orlando. He will continue to represent clients in complex commercial litigation, product liability defense, healthcare litigation, real … [Read more...]
Class Action Filed Against Toyota
STAFF REPORT CORAL GABLES, Florida -- A class-action lawsuit has been filed against Toyota Motor Sales USA, Toyota Motor Corp. and their affiliates on behalf of plaintiffs Sharlene Cohen-Goldberg, Tiffany Jones, Thelma Reid and other Florida and national class members. The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida on March 3, alleges Toyota knowingly designed, manufactured, distributed and sold certain automobiles equipped with the Electronic Throttle Control System with Intelligence that is defective and can cause sudden unintended acceleration of the vehicle engine. Lewis S. Mike Eidson, founding partner at Colson Hicks Eidson, will serve as lead counsel on behalf of the plaintiffs. When Eidson was 29 years old, he and his partners, tried and won the first case alleging that the Ford Pinto fuel system was defective. He was also involved in … [Read more...]
