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Groot: ‘We Must Learn to See Hidden Value’

February 18, 2013 By
Attorney Lonnie Groot likes the balancing act

By DONNA BALANCIA, Contributor LAKE HELEN -- Attorney Lonnie Groot likes the balancing act. Over the years as attorney for various Central Florida municipalities, Groot has always sought to keep the balance between big city growth and small town identity. “There’s a special place in my heart for Seminole County and the surrounding towns,” he said. “The region has been very good to me.” As he looks out over Lake Monroe from the sea wall at Sanford, Groot, who is Of Counsel with Strenstrom McIntosh Colbert Wigham & Partlow PA, can see more than water and a couple of people fishing by the harbor. “It’s a hidden gem, don’t you think?” Groot says. “There is the desire here for Sanford to grow and there’s a lot of potential here.” Groot has a knack to see beyond face value, colleagues, friends and family members say. He likes to get down to the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cover Story, Donna Balancia, Publisher Donna Balancia, Writer Donna Balancia Tagged With: , , , , ,

Miami attorney David Podein triumphs with fellow cancer survivors on Alaskan Mountain Range

October 24, 2012 By
David Podein - Alaska

SPECIAL to The Florida Law Journal -- MIAMI -- While some lawyers enjoy relaxing at a beach or resort for their vacations away from the office, David Podein had something different – and much colder – in mind. He’d already had a work-filled summer that included a professional triumph in which he prevailed in a 10-day construction arbitration. But he followed that with a quiet personal victory, when he embarked on a six-day mountaineering expedition on the Coffee Glacier in the Alaskan Mountain Range with five fellow cancer survivors. During his second year at the University of Miami School of Law, Podein was diagnosed with cancer.  He withdrew from class and moved back home to Michigan so his parents could help with his medical care as he underwent three months of rigorous chemotherapy treatment. Now a proud cancer survivor more than five years, Podein lives in Miami and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cover Story, Donna Balancia The Florida Law Journal Tagged With: , ,

Farmer-Turned-Attorney: ‘Economy is Pressuring our People’

October 10, 2012 By
Brad Hester Fighting for Ag

By DONNA BALANCIA, TFLJ Editor WINTER PARK, Fla. -- Attorney Brad Hester buys locally grown products whenever he can, and not solely to keep in good physical health. The dairy farmer-turned-attorney believes buying Florida-grown products will also nurture a healthy economy. “Agriculture is under a lot of pressure and I help however I can,” Hester said.  “Many factors impact the farmers and all of us are affected every day.” Hester has been involved in the industry for years and says the plight of the farmer pervades all realms of law, touching everything from real estate, to a wide range of environmental issues.  It has been a tough economy throughout the United States, but the farmers in Florida have a particularly tough row to hoe. “The pressure from development has been building, and land values have swung both ways,” said Hester, who works with the law … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cover Story, Publisher Donna Balancia, Writer Donna Balancia Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Personal Injury Attorney Matt White Launches Spine Revitalizer

September 17, 2012 By
Attorney Matt White and his Revitalizing Creation

By DOTTIE PARIS, TFLJ Features Editor -- The expression "No Pain, No Gain" has a special meaning for personal injury lawyer Matt White. After suffering a debilitating back injury, White devoted every spare minute to research, and he created Spine Revitalizer, a nutraceutical product that helps heal those with similar injuries. "My injury was like an electric current that rushed up my back,"  White said.  "It was terrible.  I drove  home and got out of the car and the minute I stood up, I knew something had happened.  The pain would come and go. For a  few weeks the pain go away, but it would come back. It got to the point where I remember being on the den floor and couldn't move." It got to the point where he couldn't pick up his baby, and that's when he went to talk to a surgeon. The prospects were not good. "After the surgeon told me … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cover Story, Donna Balancia, Giving Back, People, The Florida Bar, Writer Donna Balancia, Written by Donna Balancia Tagged With: , , ,

Bank Secrecy Act v. Confidentiality

September 4, 2012 By
Lewis Cohen

By LEWIS COHEN, Special to The Florida Law Journal -- Rule 4-1.6 of the Rules Regulating the Florida Bar provides that “a lawyer shall not reveal information relating to the representation of a client.” The rule’s commentary makes clear that an attorney’s ethical duty of confidentiality is broader in scope than the well-founded principle of attorney-client privilege, and extends not merely to matters communicated in confidence by the client to the attorney, but to all information relating to the representation of the client, whatever its source. Section 352 of The USA PATRIOT Act amended the Bank Secrecy Act (“BSA”) to require U.S. financial institutions to report to the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”), transaction activity attempted by, through, or at a financial institution if (a) the financial institution knows … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cover Story, Publisher Donna Balancia Tagged With: , , , ,
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