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41 Fla. B. News 1 (2014)

handle is hein.barjournals/flabn0041 and id is 1 raw text is: Committee Preference Forms Are Due January 15 - FloridaBar. org R0 _est. 1974 The Florida Bar News Volume 41, Number 1 floridabar.org January 1, 2014 'I am really in awe of this country. I am an immigrant. I never forget that. By Jan Pudlow are the lawyers upon whose shoulders my generation and I Senior Editor stand. In 1961, when Ram6n Ray Abadin III was 2 years old, But Abadin's father ended up doing odd jobs and selling his father left his law practice and his mother said goodbye real estate and insurance instead of practicing law in their to her beloved home in Cuba. They packed a suitcase and the new homeland of two years in Atlanta, followed by a decade trio boarded a plane for the United States and never went back, in New Orleans, and finally Miami. leaving behind everything they knew. Living the immigrant experience is a big part ofAbadin's Ram6n Ray Abadin III Fifty-two years later, Abadin, a partner at Sedgwick LLP's answer when asked why he wants to be president of The Miami office, reflects on coming to America as a toddler, and Florida Bar, a career milestone that will become a reality in his second language, as well as his native tongue, Spanish, and carrying on a love for the rule of law instilled by his father, June 2015. When no one ran against him, and the deadline Portuguese, which he minored in as an undergrad at Tulane Ram6n Abadin, Jr. passed December 16 for candidates in the election, Abadin University. Some of his father's law school friends in Cuba were able officially became president-elect designate. My parents left Cuba under harsh circumstances. The to continue practicing law in Florida- such as Luis Figueroa, I am really in awe of this country. I am an immigrant. I Osvaldo Soto, and Mario Goderich, and Abadin said, Those never forget that, said Abadin, who speaks perfect English as See Abadin, page 8 Board moves forward with posting more disciplinary information online By Gary Blankenship Senior Editor More information about grievance cases nearing conclusion will be posted on the Bar's website following approval by the Bar Board of Governors of recommendations from the Communications Committee. The board acted at its December 16 meeting in Ft. Lauderdale. The changes will result in public information being posted on member profile pages on the Bar's website when a consent judgment or referee's report with a finding of guilt in a grievance case is filed with the Supreme Court. They will also make more information from those grievances and those in which the Supreme Court has taken final action available online. Communications Committee Chair Michelle Suskauer presented the four policies to the board. The first two, amended slightly by the board, provide that when a consent judgment or referee's report with a finding of guilt is filed with the Supreme Court, a SUSKAUER Bar member's status on the Bar's website will be changed from Member in Good Standing to Member in Good Standing/Disciplinary Proceeding Pending. The third recommendation has the Bar posting links to the referee's report or consent judgment, the complaint and response, and other relevant documents from the case once the referee's report or consent judgment is filed. The final recommendation allows for links to case documents once the Supreme See Online, page 6 The Bar Board of Governors has narrowly decided not to issue a proposed advisory opinion relating to the deceptive use of hidden text and metatags on attorney websites but has authorized a committee to explore preparing an opinion on lawyers using the business networking site LinkedIn. While that opinion is being considered, the board also withdrew a Bar staff opinion that advised an attorney that using LinkedIn violated Bar advertising rules. Even as the board acted at its December 16 meeting in Ft. Lauderdale, board members bemoaned the difficulty of keeping board rules and policies up to date in a fast-changing digital online world. Our rules are the rules, said Carl Schwait, chair of the Board Review Committee on Professional Ethics, which reported to the board on the See Linkedin, page 19 ad mos n m@RG~o By Gary Blankenship Senior Editor Billboards, radio, and TV ads will be presumed misleading if they refer to past results of cases and give a monetary amount won by clients, following action by the Bar Board of Governors. The board, at its December 13 meeting in Ft. Lauderdale, approved a recommendation from the Board Review Committee on Professional Ethics to adopt guidelines for Bar lawyers who review ads submitted by attorneys. While the board was concerned mostly with billboard and electronic ads,. all lawyer ads that mention past results must comply with the new guidelines. The guidelines are intended to clarify recent advertising rule amendments that allow lawyers to refer to past results if they are objectively verifiable. They also refer to claims in criminal cases or success in other types of cases if relevant information is omitted. Bar staff now will review ads that contain claims about past results that were approved since new ad rules went into effect May 1, and report on when noncomplying ads can be changed. They will contact lawyers and law firms if those ads are deemed not to comply. The problem, according to BRCPE Chair Carl Schwait, is when these ads that are seen briefly by consumers, such as on billboards, or in short duration, like 15- or 30-second television or radio ads, the .message adequately that an award mentioned in the ad is a gross amount and not the net amount received by the client after attorneys' fees and costs. We have found that those types of advertisements do See Ads, page 5 Board agrees to expand Leadership Academy Applications for the second Leadership class are due January 15 As the Bar accepts applications for its second class, the Board of Governors has approved expanding the size of the Wm. Reece Smith, Jr., Leadership Academy. The board at its recent Ft. Lauderdale meeting agreed with the recommendation of the Program Evaluation Committee to expand the number of participants from - 60 to 75 and also give sections more say in the selection of some academy members. TWoMPSON We have alot ofenergetic individuals. These folks are getting involved in our Bar and our communities, and we're thrilled to have a little more room next year, said PEC Chair Ray Abadin. Board member and Leadership Academy Chair Renee Thompson reminded the board that applications for the second class are on the Bar's website on the Leadership Academy page See Leadership, page 4 PHELPS DUNBAR IN TAMPA was hard at work this holiday season gathering toys and other appropriate gifts for children living with autism and developmental delays. They brought the gifts as well as a monetary donation to the Lawyers Autism Awareness Foundation's Sensory Frien fly Santa event that took place December 7. The'event, held at the Charles H. Ferguson LaW Center, featured arts and crafts, a toy giveaway, and photos with Santa all geared to ac- commodate the special needs of children on the autism spectrum. Elements that comprise traditional visits with Santa,-including bright lights, loud Christmas music, and long lines, can cause stress and anxiety for children with autism. The Sensory Friendly Santa Event provided a calmer environment, including natural light, low noise, and appointed blocks of time to minimize waiting for Santa. The firm also has a special connection to the event, as one of the attorneys in the Tampa office has a child with autism. 'I am grateful for Phelps Dunbar's leadership and generous assistance on this event, said Luis Viera, co-founder and president of LAAF 'Up to this year, 100 percent of the toys that are distributed to the children come from Phelps and the Tampa Hispanic Bar Association. Without their support, this event would not be possible. Board wrestles with Linkedin issues Declines to issue opinion dealing with hidden text and metatags

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