Law News Florida - Legal News and Blawg - Douglas R. Beam

A Friend

Douglas R. Beam — Tue, 21 May 2013 04:10:59 +0000

A friend may well be reckoned the masterpiece of nature.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Courthouse Blogger Faces Bar Scrutiny After Criticizing Judges

Douglas R. Beam — Tue, 21 May 2013 04:07:46 +0000

Bill Gelin, a Fort Lauderdale lawyer whose courthouse blog trades in news and gossip about South Florida’s legal community, is fighting off an investigation by the Florida Bar after publishing articles that criticized judges in Palm Beach and Broward counties. The Bar’s action may provide a test case to determine just how far a lawyer can go in exercising his First Amendment right to criticize judges without jeopardizing his professional standing. The Bar has rules barring lawyers from bringing the profession into disrepute and criticizing judges with false or reckless statements, but Gelin said they don’t apply to the posts on JAABlog. (Read Full Article Here)

Experts Face Off On Ethics Questions

Douglas R. Beam — Tue, 21 May 2013 04:07:44 +0000

Larry Fox, a Yale University law professor, testified Friday [May 17] that prominent Sarasota attorney Robert Messick’s conflicts of interest in a First Priority Bank land deal were the worst he’s ever seen. Fox said Messick and his Icard Merrill law firm represented too many clients in the same Manatee County real estate deal. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. sued Messick and Icard Merrill alleging malpractice and breach of fiduciary duty in the wake of First Priority’s collapse. Messick and Icard Merrill defense attorneys countered by producing a University of Miami law professor who described Fox’s analysis as “totally inaccurate.” (Read Full Article Here)

Justice Watch: U.S. Supreme Court May Use Florida Case To Redefine Property Rights

Douglas R. Beam — Tue, 21 May 2013 04:07:30 +0000

The Koontz family’s case and its nearly two-decade old fight to allow a sliver of land to be developed without having to pay for off-site mitigation now resides with the justices of the U.S. Supreme Court. The issue before the justices is whether the government can demand off-site mitigation for allowing property it deems wetlands to be developed. Thirteen groups filed amicus briefs before the Jan. 15 oral arguments, including the American Civil Liberties Union, National Association of Home Builders, National Governors Association and one from 20 states in support of Florida’s position. “The decision, however it goes, will define the extent government can demand property, especially as a condition of issuing a permit,” said Paul Beard, the Koontz family attorney. (Read Full Article Here)

Editorial: Scott Should Veto “Timely Justice Act” On The Death Penalty

Douglas R. Beam — Tue, 21 May 2013 04:07:29 +0000

An editorial by the Palm Beach Post urges Gov. Scott to veto the Timely Justice Act, aimed to speed up executions. The editorial states that “in the state with the most exonerations from Death Row — 24 since 1979 — this would be like giving Bernie Madoff a new line of credit.” A Times-Union article notes that not all victims’ families support the bill. The Miami Herald examines how Gov. Rick Scott has accelerated the pace of signing death warrants in Florida by lining up three executions over the next few weeks, the most in such a brief period of time in more than two decades. (Read Full Article Here)