Brian Cuban will meet members of the Jacksonville Bar Association at 11:45 a.m. Jan. 30 at the Omni Jacksonville Hotel to explain lessons learned from his mental health and recovery experiences.
The younger brother of Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, he is a Dallas-based attorney, author and addiction recovery advocate, having been in long-term recovery from alcohol and cocaine abuse and bulimia since 2007.
Cuban’s first book, “Shattered Image: My Triumph Over Body Dysmorphic Disorder,” is about his experiences living with and recovering from 27 years of eating disorders.
His most recent book, “The Addicted Lawyer: Tales of The Bar, Booze, Blow and Redemption,” is a look at how addiction and other mental health issues destroyed his career as a successful attorney and how he and others in the profession redefined their lives in recovery.
The Florida Bar is considering approval of 0.5 CLE credit. Visit jaxbar.org to register.
During the partial shutdown of the federal government that began Dec. 22, the federal court has continued to operate by using court fee balances and other “no-year” funds.
The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts has revised its original estimate and is working toward the goal of sustaining paid operations through Jan. 18, a week beyond the Friday deadline previously stated.
However, courts have been asked to delay or defer some expenses, such as new hires, non-case related travel and certain contracts. Judiciary employees are reporting to work and are in full-pay status.
Also, the Case Management/Electronic Case Files system remains in operation for electronic filing of documents.
If the reserve funds run out and new appropriated funds do not become available, the court will operate under the terms of the Anti-Deficiency Act, which allows “essential work” to continue during a lapse in appropriations. That includes activities to support the exercise of the courts’ constitutional powers under Article III, specifically the resolution of cases and related services.
Burr & Forman completed its acquisition transaction with Carolinas-based McNair Law Firm, effective Jan. 1.
McNair’s 84 attorneys join Burr & Forman from seven offices across North Carolina and South Carolina to create a firm with 360 attorneys and 19 offices in seven states, including Jacksonville and Delaware.
The offices will operate as Burr Forman McNair for two years to leverage the McNair brand and reputation.
The expanded firm offers expertise in the areas of economic development, government relations, intellectual property, cybersecurity, labor and employment, mergers and acquisitions, public finance, real estate, tax and trust and estates.
Twenty-four years after becoming one of the first courts in the world to establish a website, the Supreme Court of Florida has launched a smartphone-friendly format.
The enhanced floridasupremecourt.org is designed for growth and app development as communications technology continues to evolve.
“Our new site continues a long heritage of transparency and openness in government that dates back to the 1970s when we became the first court system in the nation to open all of our court proceedings to TV news cameras,” said Chief Justice Charles Canady in a news release.
One of the elements of the site is access to opinions rendered by the state Supreme Court and other appellate courts and judicial ethics opinions.
Oral arguments may be viewed live on mobile devices and a video archive of previous oral arguments is provided.
Information about pending and previous cases, along with general information about the court, such as case dockets, biographies of the justices and access to official photographs is another feature of the new site.
The court plans to deploy an app later this year that will make one of its most complex sets of legal documents – the state’s more than 1,000 pages of standard jury instructions – easily accessible on wireless devices for attorneys, litigants and judges in courtrooms.
William Rafferty Jr. joined the Gunster firm as a shareholder in the corporate law practice.
He will split his time between the Jacksonville and Fort Lauderdale offices.
Rafferty focuses his practice on domestic and international corporate matters, including finance and business negotiations, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, commercial loan transactions, venture capital and real estate.
Though he no longer practices, he also is a certified public accountant.
Jason Havens is a new partner in Holland & Knight’s Jacksonville office. He previously was senior counsel.
Havens is a business and tax attorney who advises high-net-worth individuals, families and charitable organizations. He specializes in estate and charitable gift planning, wills and trusts and probate and trust administration and litigation.
