Florida

Expert Analysis

• Cloud Computing Clearly The Future For Small Firms

  

  While in-house technology investments on the scale and complexity needed to compete with large firms remain cost prohibitive for small and midsize law firms, cloud-based services offer significant cost savings and productivity gains with little to no capital investment, says Holly Urban of Effortless Legal LLC.

• Leveraging Today's Lateral Associate Market

  

  With the Milbank/Cravath pay scale once again equalizing compensation at many Am Law 100 firms, there is even more pressure for firms to differentiate themselves to top lateral associate candidates. This presents strategic considerations for both law firms and lateral candidates throughout the recruitment process, says Darin Morgan of Major Lindsey & Africa.

• Opinion

  Protecting Florida Medical Plaintiffs’ Access To Courts

  

  The Florida Supreme Court's recent decision in Morris v. Muniz is intended to help protect the right of victims of medical malpractice to pursue justice. The decision will help to bring the pre-suit investigatory process back to its statutory intent — to weed out frivolous cases, without denying access to the courts for well-founded ones, says Joe Taraska of Morgan & Morgan.

• Q&A

  Back To School: Stanford's Jeff Fisher Talks Supreme Court

  

  In this series featuring law school luminaries, Stanford Law School professor Jeffrey Fisher discusses his motivation for teaching, arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court and what the court might look like if Judge Brett Kavanaugh is confirmed.

• Florida Courts Are Prepared For A New Wave Of Foreclosures

  

  For Florida practitioners who experienced the foreclosure crisis that swept through the state beginning in 2008, the recent uptick in foreclosure filings may feel ominous. However, Florida's foreclosure jurisprudence has evolved at an incredible pace, capable of expediting the process tremendously if another crisis arises, says Victor Petrescu of Levine Kellogg Lehman Schneider & Grossman LLP.

• Calif.'s New Rules For Lawyers Move Closer To ABA Model

  

  The first comprehensive overhaul of California's Rules of Professional Conduct in nearly 30 years becomes operational on Nov. 1. Some of the new rules mirror the model language used by the American Bar Association, but many continue to reflect California’s unique approach to certain ethical questions, says Mark Loeterman of Signature Resolution LLC.

• Know The Limits To Atty Public Statements During A Trial

  

  The balancing act between protecting attorneys’ speech rights and ensuring unbiased adjudications was highlighted recently in two cases — when Michael Cohen applied for a restraining order against Stephanie Clifford's attorney, and when Johnson & Johnson questioned whether a Missouri talc verdict was tainted by public statements from the plaintiffs' counsel, says Matthew Giardina of Manning Gross & Massenburg LLP.

• Q&A

  A Chat With Faegre Client Development Chief Melanie Green

  

  In this monthly series, Amanda Brady of Major Lindsey & Africa interviews management from top law firms about the increasingly competitive business environment. Here we feature Melanie Green, chief client development officer at Faegre Baker Daniels LLP.

• 2 Courts Accept Contract Terms That Limit TCPA Exposure

  

  No other appellate court has followed the Second Circuit's Telephone Consumer Protection Act decision in Reyes. However, two district courts within the Eleventh Circuit recently did — holding that consent to be contacted cannot be unilaterally revoked where such consent was obtained in a bargained-for contract, say attorneys with Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP.

• Why Fla. Should Adopt Telehealth Legislation

  

  During its 2018 session, the Florida Legislature considered, but did not pass, a bill that would have reduced uncertainty surrounding reimbursement, practice standards and liability related to telehealth services. Legislation like this is needed to provide clarification and encourage the use of telehealth in appropriate circumstances, says Morris Miller of Holland & Knight LLP.