July 1, 2026, News and Notes

Ira H. Leesfield of Leesfield & Partners presented, “The Use of Example and Analogy in Enhancing Your Case: Persuasion Throughout the Trial Including the Danger of Analogies that Can Backfire,” for the New Jersey Association for Justice’s Boardwalk Seminar.

Justin B. Shapiro of Leesfield & Partners presented, “Maximizing Damages with a Deeper Dive into Your Client’s Medical Records,” for the New Jersey Association for Justice’s Boardwalk Seminar.

Leisa Wintz of Ft. Lauderdale launched Legal Authority Lab, a legal AI company that builds AI workflow systems — called Bots — for attorneys, law firms, and paralegals.

Eric Shane of Leesfield & Partners participated as a volunteer coach to prepare students from the University of Miami School of Law as they readied to compete in the annual Irving R. Kaufman Memorial Securities Law Competition.

Doug Burnetti of Burnetti, P.A., has been selected as the recipient of the Jerry A. DeVane Award, presented annually by the Lakeland Bar Association at its Law Day Luncheon.

Jeniffer Viscarra of Cabanas Law Firm and vice mayor of Sunny Isles Beach was recognized by the Florida League of Cities as a Home Rule Hero for the fourth consecutive year for her work and advocacy during the 2026 Legislative Session.

Brian M. Seymour of Gunster has become chair of the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County.

Mark Eiglarsh of Law Offices of Mark Eiglarsh in Ft. Lauderdale, Arielle Capuano of Levinson & Capuano in Ft. Lauderdale, and Beth Feder of Winston Law Firm in Davie, presented, “Happiness Guaranteed in 30: Quick, Easy, & Impactful Tools to Increase your Happiness,” for the Broward County Bar Association May Wellness Series.

Blake Sando of Cole, Scott & Kissane was the guest speaker at the Coral Gables Bar Association’s luncheon where he presented, “A Whole New World, Emerging Trends and Pitfalls in Florida Legal Malpractice.”

Susan N. Eisenberg of Cozen O’Connor has been named to the International Women’s Forum Board of Directors.

Elizabeth Schwartz of Miami received the 2026 President’s Award at the annual conference of the Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys in Santa Fe, NM.

Richard C. Vaughan of Jones Foster has been elected to the board of directors of the Palm Beach County Estate Planning Council.

Christopher Gero Prado of Galbraith Weatherbie Law was accepted into the 2026 Florida Gulf Coast University Leadership Academy.

Miranda Weiss of Dean Mead graduated from Leadership Collier.

Jason B. Blank was selected to serve on the board of directors for Military Recreational Divers, a local nonprofit helping to heal veterans one dive at a time through ocean therapy.

Kim Nutter of Brinkley Morgan in Ft. Lauderdale wrote, “Should Parents Wait Until the Kids Turn 18 to Divorce?” published by the Journal of Financial Planning.

Gary A. Forster of ForsterBoughman presented, “Tax & Tonic,” to Nevada CPAs in Las Vegas.

Roy L. Weinfeld presented, “Pre and Post Judgment Enforceable Writs,” via Zoom.

Christopher Smith of LashGoldberg in Miami wrote a column titled, “Playing Magic: The Gathering Makes Me a Better Lawyer,” published by Law360.

Tom Colpitts of Dean Mead published, “Pitfalls in Estate Planning,” an article in the Estate Planning Council of Naples’ annual Estate Planning Guide.

Robert J. Fiore was appointed to the Professionalism Panel for the 11th Circuit.

Aaron Davis of Davis Goldman in Miami co-wrote a column with Stuart Grossman of Grossman Roth Yaffa Cohen titled, “There’s No Algorithm for Human Connection in the Practice of Law,” published by the Daily Business Review.

Michael J. Thomas of Pennington was awarded “Attorney of the Year” by the American Board of Trial Advocates. He also  presented  a lecture to members of the Nurse Residency Program at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital concerning the litigation process.

Adam B. Cordover of Family Diplomacy: A Collaborative Law Firm in Tampa Bay conducted a two-day introductory interdisciplinary collaborative family law training in the suburbs of New York City for the New York Academy of Collaborative Professionals.  He also conducted the same training in Plantation for the Collaborative Family Law Professionals of South Florida.

Submissions may be emailed to Editor Mark Killian at [email protected].