STAFF REPORT FT. LAUDERDALE – As the economy remains flat, many businesses and law firms look for ways to cut expenses and mergers and acquisitions are on the upswing. The latest such deal is a possible deal between Greenspoon Marder and Ruden McClosky. The two full-service business law firms, which have been serving Florida for 30 and 50 years, respectively, are in discussions on an agreement that would combine the firms’ resources. The agreement is still in the negotiation stage, but the managing partners of both firms are confident that they will be able to come to mutually agreeable terms. In general, Ruden McClosky attorneys and staff members would join Greenspoon Marder, which currently has nearly 100 attorneys practicing in more than 40 areas of law in seven offices throughout Florida. It is anticipated that the combined operations will include approximately 160 … [Read more...]
Guest Columnist Alan Frisher: The Impact of a Divorce on Your Finances
By ALAN FRISHER, Guest Columnist Divorce can extract a heavy price -- both emotionally and financially. Protecting your financial health during a divorce is crucial. If you and your spouse are headed toward a split, be sure to learn about the laws that shape divorce proceedings and the impact they can have on your assets. The law in every State is different, but each State has certain common rules with regard to divorce that affect your finances. Dividing the Assets Typically, everything you and your spouse acquired from the day you were married is subject to division. The exceptions are individual inheritances, gifts to an individual spouse and assets acquired before marriage. When assets are divided, the court considers each spouse's earning potential, the length of the marriage, and each spouse's contribution to building household assets. There is, however, one … [Read more...]
Panel: Promote your Practice through Traditional and Social Media
By DOTTIE PARIS, Features Editor INDIAN HARBOUR BEACH -- The evolution of "new media" has brought on many challenges for attorneys and non-attorneys alike. But it is important to capitalize on every cost-effective opportunity today to grow a law practice in a tough economic environment. There are hurdles in learning new media technologies. But there are myriad opportunities to use new routes of communication to a target the consumer base. If attorneys can embrace the means to get the message across, they can win new business and continually reach a new audience for their services. On Friday afternoon, Oct. 14, the panel discussion: Promote Your Practice Through Traditional and Social Media will be held at Eau Gallie Yacht Club. The panel event is an effort to present ethical, cost-effective and compelling promotional strategies to attorneys and legal … [Read more...]
Litigation, Bankruptcy and Corporate arenas Expected to Grow in Florida
By DOTTIE PARIS, The Florida Law Journal One in four lawyers plans to add legal staff in the next three months, while just 1 percent plan to cut personnel, according to a national survey by Robert Half Legal, a legal staffing firm. Florida is seeing growth in the areas of litigation and bankruptcy law, and Miami is experiencing a significant increase in corporate law, according to the survey, The Robert Half Legal Hiring Index Nationally the net 24 percent increase in hiring activity is down six points from the previous quarter’s forecast but remains above the average for all occupations surveyed by Robert Half for its Professional Employment Report. Much of the hiring is expected at law firms. The survey was conducted by an independent research firm and is based on telephone interviews with 100 lawyers at law firms with 20 or more employees, and 100 corporate lawyers at … [Read more...]
Bondi: ‘Focused on doing what’s right’
By ELAINE SILVESTRI, Tampa Tribune TAMPA -- Casual in jeans, but still put together, Pam Bondi comes to the Nola Café as breezy as she was when she worked for the Hillsborough County State Attorney's Office. Now, nine months into her new job as Florida's attorney general, Bondi doesn't want to go on camera for an interview or be photographed Friday morning because she doesn't have time to get all made up. Although her schedule was supposed to allow for 30 minutes with a reporter, she winds up staying nearly three times that long, talking about her public and private priorities as she munches on beignets while an aide waits in an SUV. On her left hand, she has a splint on one finger and a bandage on another, evidence of a leash incident involving her 165-pound St. Bernard, Luke. She also is wearing an engagement ring, evidence of her upcoming early spring wedding to Tampa … [Read more...]
