MCBA Committees

Admiralty & Maritime Law Committee

Chair: Barbara A. Kreitz Cook
27 E. Ocean Boulevard
Stuart, FL  34994
772-232-8940
Email: barbcook@BarbCookLaw.com

Meeting Schedule:
No meetings are scheduled this time, look for more information in next month’s SideBar.

Chair: Shelly J. Stirrat

The Appellate Committee will meet at the law offices of Fox Wackeen in Stuart at noon for lunch.  Mark your calendars:

• Past meetings: 
  September 8, 2011 -  Hon. Gary Farmer    CLE: #11052
  October 7, 2011: 4th DCA Appellate judge Burton Conner.
  November 8, 2011:  4th DCA appellate judge, Martha Warner
• • December 9. 2011: Speaker Lillian Ewen
    January 17, 2012: Staying Power: Vacating Decisions on Appeal. CLE:  #84541
• RSVP requested to attend all meetings.

Bankruptcy Law Committee

Chair: Jon Martin
Jon L Martin Attorney At Law
901 SW Martin Down Blvd., Suite 309
Palm City, FL  34990
Tel: 772-419-0057
E-mail: jlm@jonlmartinlaw.com

Meeting Schedule: Next Meeting: February 16, 2012 RSVP Required

Constitution Week Committee  
                       
Chair: Honorable Alan O. Forst
Email: Alan.Forst@awi.state.fl.us

Meeting Schedule:

Look for a full summary of the September 19 – 23, 2011 Constitution Week Events in the November, 2011 SideBar (page 18-19).

Criminal Law Committee

Co-Chairs: Richard Kibbey and Josh Deckard

Richard D. Kibbey
Josh Deckard
Law Offices of Richard D. Kibbey, PA
416 SW Camden Avenue
Stuart, FL 34994
Tel (772) 286-0023
E-mail: kibbeyoffice@aol.com

Meeting Schedule: 
No meetings are scheduled this time, look for more information in next month’s SideBar.

Employment/Labor Law Committee

Chair: Robert Kilbride
Fox, Wackeen, Dungey, Beard, Sobel,
Bush & McCluskey, LLP
Tel: (772) 287-4444
E-mail: rkilbride@foxwackeen.com

Meeting Schedule: 
No meetings are scheduled this time, look for more information in next month’s SideBar.

Family Law Committee

Chair: Linda L. Weiksnar
Crary, Buchanan, Bowdish, Bovie, Beres, Elder & Williamson Chartered
759 SW Federal Hwy, Ste. 106
Stuart, FL 34994
Tel (772) 287-2600
Email: llw@crarybuchanan.com
Web: http://www.crarybuchanan.com

Meeting Schedule:

The next meeting will be held at the law offi ce of Crary-Buchanan at noon on February 15, 2012. RSVP Required. For more information about this committee and for upcoming programming, contact: llw@crarybuchanan.com

Foreclosure Committee

Chair: Trent Steele
W. Trent Steele, Esq.
Law Offices of W. Trent Steele
8902 Bridge Road
Hobe Sound, FL 33455
Tel (772) 408-6969
Email: trent@trentsteele.com

Meeting Schedule: 
No meetings are scheduled this time.  For more information about Foreclosure,  click on the MCBA’s “RESOURCE” link on the main menu.

Golf Committee

Co-Chairs: Jack Sobel and Larry Stewart

Meeting Schedule:
The player registration form and Sponsorship opportunities are now available (See Events on Home Page).  NOTICE: Players and Sponsors are taken first-come, first serve - we will surely SELL-OUT so don’t wait!

Immigration Law Committee

Chair: Scott D. Devore
The Law Office of Scott D. Devore
4440 PGA Boulevard, Suite 600
Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410
Tel: (561) 623-5344
Email: sdevore@devore-legal.com
Website: www.devore-legal.com

Meeting Schedule: 
No Committee  meetings are scheduled this time; please see the MCBA’s current issue of the SideBar for more information on this committee.

Judicial Relations Committee

Chairs: Honorable Jack Cox and Richard Levenstein

Richard Levenstein, Esq.
Kramer, Sopko & Levenstein, PA
853 S.E. Monterey Commons Blvd.
Stuart, FL 34996
Tel: (772) 288-0048
E-mail: rlevenstein@kslattorneys.com

Meeting Schedule:
No meetings are scheduled this time, look for more information in next month's SideBar.

Justice Teaching

Chair: Judge William Roby
Honorable William L. Roby
250 NW Country Club Drive
Port St. Lucie, FL 34986
Tel: (772) 288-5560

Meeting Schedule:

No meetings are scheduled this time, look for more information in next month’s SideBar  or visit http://www.justiceteaching.org

Law Library Committee

Chair: Eric Buetens
Eric Buetens, Esq.
The Law Office of Eric D. Buetens
8965 SE Bridge Rd.
Hobe Sound, FL 33455
Tel: 772-546-6633

The Law Library Committee, using funds provided by the Martin County Bar Association, has audiotape and CD sets available at no cost to Martin County Bar members at the Law Library in the Courthouse. Hours can be reported online, or the library can provide scan forms to report your credit hours. Short sets (such as the ethics-only tapes) may be checked out for one week.

Longer sets (8+ credits) may be checked out for two weeks, although the sooner they come back to the Law Library the better. The tapes provide Martin County Bar members the opportunity to earn CLE credits and stay up-to-date on the state of the law. Stop by the Law Library to take advantage of this Martin County Bar member benefi t! The Law Library is open Mon.-Thurs. 9-11:30 a.m.

The MBCA has the following new CLE’s:

• The Florida Power of Attorney Act--What you need to know before October 1, 2011: General 5.0; Ethics: 0.0; Elder Law 4.0; Wills, Trust & Estates: 4.0; CLE expires 1/22/13. Topics: POA Instrument; Protections for the Principal; Part 1, Fiduciary Duties and Part II, Drafting Considerations. Acceptance and Reliance by third persons; and Effective Date, Existing POA and Other issues.

• Also, we received a Masters Seminar on Ethics 2011: Credit hours 4.0 general; 4.0 ethics; CLE expires 12/24/12.

• All Day VA - Tips on Veterans Benefi ts CD - Credit Hours 8.5 general, 6.5 Elder law certification and 8.5 Wills, State/Fed. Government & Administrative Practice Certifi cation. Expires 3/16/2013.

• Estate Planning in an Ever Changing Environment DVD - Credit Hours 7.5 general, 3.5 Tax certified and 5.5 Wills, Trust and Estate Certifi cation. Expires 5/19/2012.

• The Court Funding Forum DVD - 1.0 General CLE Credits, including Ethics. Expires 6/1/13. Please call the law library at 221-1427 before going there, because there have been staffing issues, and the library might not be open during its regular Monday - Thursday hours.

To check on tape availability or rental charges, call the Law Library at 221-1427.
Questions or Comments call Eric Buetens 546-6633

Paralegal Committee

Chair: Jacquelynne O. Miller
William N. Swift, P.A.
901 SW Martin Downs Boulevard
Suite 208
Palm City, FL 34990
Tel: (772) 220-1740
Fax: (772) 220-7593
Email: mcbaparalegalcommittee@gmail.com

Meeting Schedule:

Contact me for details on our next meeting.

Probate/Trust/Real Estate/Property Law Committee

Chair: Ray Robison
Ray Robison, Esq.
Email: robison@foxwackeen.com
Fox, Wackeen, Dungey, Beard, Sobel, Bush & McCluskey
The Tower Building at Willoughby Commons
3473 SE Willoughby Boulevard
Stuart, FL 34994
Main (772) 287-4444
Fax (772) 220-1489

Meeting Schedule:
Our next meeting is on Wednesday, March 14th, at noon at the offi ces of Fox, Wackeen, Dungey (3473 SE Willoughby Blvd.). If you know of anyone who would like to sponsor a lunch meeting or speak to our committee on topics related to our practices, please let me know. If you are interested in joining this committee, please contact me at robison@foxwackeen.com

Pro Bono Committee

Chair: Jane L. Cornett, Esq.
Cornett, Googe & Associates, P.A.
401 SE Osceola Street
Stuart, FL 34994
Tel: (772) 286-2990   
Email: slj@cgrelaw.com

Meeting Schedule:

Ask-A-Lawyer Event
The Pro Bono Committee is having our fi rst Ask-A-Lawyer Event of 2012. The event will be held at the Kane Center in Stuart on March 23, 2012, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The facility is being provided by the Council on Aging of Martin County, Inc.

We Need Attorney Volunteers!

Florida Rural Legal Services will prescreen clients and set appointments for 30-minute consultations. The appointments will be for on-site counsel and advice only, with NO on-going commitment. Volunteer for 1, 2, or 3 hours! We need volunteers in the following areas:

Bankruptcy
Collections
Expunge/Seal
Foreclosure
Landlord Tenant
Wills, Estate, Probate

To volunteer for the “Ask-A-Lawyer” or for additional information about the event, please contact: Carolyn Fabrizio, 19th Circuit Pro Bono Coordinator, at carolyn.fabrizio@frls.org, (772) 466-4766, Ext. 7024, or Jane L. Cornett, Esq., Pro Bono Committee Chairperson, at jlc@cgrelaw.com, (772) 286-2990.

Professionalism Committee

Chair: Mark Miller
Mark Miller, Esq.
Appellate Law Office of Mark Miller, P.A.
50 SE Ocean Boulevard, Suite 202
Stuart, FL 34994
Phone: 772-633-4401
mark@millerappellate.com

Meeting Schedule:

The next meeting will be our annual Bench-Bar program on February 17, 2012 (Noon at Monarch Country Club).

Scholarship

Chair: Preethi Sekharan
Page, Mrachek, Fitzgerald, & Rose, P.A.
1000 SE Monterey Commons Blvd.
Suite 306
Stuart, Florida 34996
Phone: (772) 221-7757
Fax: (772) 781-6886
E-Mail: PSekharan@pm-law.com

Meeting Schedule:
No meetings are scheduled this time, look for more information in next month’s SideBar.
Click on Scholarship link under Resources for details on our 2012 Scholarship.

Social Committee     

Co-Chairs: Mark Miller and Chad Hastings

Meeting Schedule:

Small & Solo Practice Committee

Chair: Jason D. Berger, Esq.
850 NW Federal Highway, Suite 103
Stuart, FL 34994
jason@jasonbergerlaw.com
Phone: 772-403-5880
Cell: 772-708-0170
Fax: 772-403-5884 

Meeting Schedule:

Join us for Happy Hour at Bonefish Grill with YLD on February 9, 2012 (5:30pm).  .

Tennis

Chair: Scott W. Konopka
Page, Mrachek, Fitzgerald, & Rose, P.A.
1000 SE Monterey Commons Boulevard Suite 306
Stuart, FL 34996
Tel: (772) 221-7757
Fax: (772) 781-6886
skonopka@pm-law.com

Meeting Schedule:

No meetings are scheduled this time, look for a summary of the January 28th event in next month’s SideBar.

Contact Scott Konopka at skonopka@pm-law.com with any questions and for more information. Look for more details in the January, 2012, SideBar.
.

Trial Lawyers Committee

Chair: Paul McMahon
Cushnie & McMahon, P.L.
543 NW Lake Whitney Place, Suite 106
Port St. Lucie, Florida 34986
Tel: (772) 335-9219
Fax: (772)335-9368
paul@cushniemcmahonlaw.com

Meeting Schedule:

The next Trial Lawyers Committee meeting will be held on February 9, 2012, at noon at Page, Mrachek, Fitzgerald & Rose, P.A., 1000 SE Monterey Commons Blvd. in Stuart. Our guest speaker will be Marjorie Gadarian-Graham, a former shareholder in the firm of Jones & Foster and Best Lawyer’s Lawyer of the Year 2012, West Palm Beach Metropolitan Area-Appellate Practice. Ms. Graham is also past chairman of the Florida Supreme Court Committee on Jury Instructions and vice-chairman of the Florida Bar Civil Rules Committee. Her topic will be the important role of jury instructions in presenting and winning your case. If you plan to attend, please RSVP as soon as possible to Florence Soto at: florence@cushniemcmahonlaw.com. We look forward to seeing you there!

Our next meeting will be on March 8, 2012. For more information,
please feel free to contact me at (772) 335-9219 or paul@cushniemcmahonlaw.com.

Young Lawyers Division

Chair: Paige P. Hardy                                             
Paige P. Hardy
Page, Mrachek, Fitzgerald & Rose, PA
1000 SE Monterey Commons Blvd., Suite 306
Stuart, FL 34996
Tel (772) 221-7757
Web: http://www.pm-law.com
E-mail: phardy@pm-law.com


Meeting Schedule:

Join us for Happy Hour at Bonefish Grill with the Small & Solo Practice on February 9, 2012 (5:30pm).