Res Gestae - July 2020

IMMIGRATION: How the legal community breaks down walls

Attorneys who were sports stars in previous lives THE OFFICIAL AWARD-WINNING PUBLICATION OF THE LEE COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION • JULY 2020

contents on the cover

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ad directory

World of immigration often complicated, confusing, challenging Tom Hayden

Cover: original composite image by April Bordeaux of international border wall between San Diego, CA, and Tijuana, Mexico.

20 special feature

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Attorneys who held court in the sports arena Tom Hayden

departments 6 Letter from the President

Matt Roepstorff, Esq.

8 Letter from the Executive Director

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10 Calendar of Events

36 5 Things You Don't Know

12 Ethically Speaking

Lauren Baugh

Henry Lee Paul, Esq.

14 Practice Section

About Me

John Casey Stewart, Esq.

38 In The News

Immigration Law

Indera DeMine, Esq. & Nirupa Netram, Esq.

16 YLD Spotlight

Tiffany Pereira, Esq.

Alma B Photography 11 Barbara Pizzolato 37 Boy, Agnew, Potanovic 7 Business Observer 17 Calvo & Calvo Attorneys at Law 19 CONRIC PR & Marketing 15 CopyLady IFC Cummings & Lockwood, LLC 37 DeMine Immigration Law Firm 11 Denise Kennedy 19 Direct Impressions 35 Donald Isaac, Esq. 15 Donna Tisch 36 Edison National Bank BC First Street Executive Suites 17 Frank Piazza, P.A. 13 Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt, P.A. 9 Hurtado Immigration Law Firm IBC Law Firm of Scott T. Moorey 13 Law Offices of Dennis L. Webb 19 Law Offices of Dennis L. Webb,Justin Hales, Esq. 13 Leonard P. Reina 23 Livingston Loeffler, P.A. 33 Markham Norton Mosteller Wright & Company PA 35 McHale, P.A. 35 McHale Properties Co. 37 Men's Rights Law Firm 32 Musca Law Office, Inc. 3 Pulse Technology Solutions 37 REAS, Real Estate Advisory Services, LLC 17 Roetzel & Andress 18 Sexto Productions 34 Sheldon E. Finman, P.A. 32 Spivey Law Firm Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A. 5 Sproat Workplace Investigations 9 Steve Niehaus, Edison Business Advisors 23 Stockman Mediation 33 The North Law Firm, P.A. 23

18 New Members 30 The Dish

Our advertisers support the Lee County Bar Association.

Slurping Dragon Connie Ramos-Williams

32 100 Club 34 5 Things You Don't

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Know About Me Hon. Keith Kyle

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30 Leebar.org

Please do your best to support them.

president's letter It is my sincere hope our members, friends, guests and loved ones are doing well and returning to some semblance of normal life and business – or as close thereto as possible.

While most desire a return to that subjective benchmark of normalcy, whatever it may be for each of us, there is no denying that the road to recovery will not come without its continued hurdles.

Candidly, each month while I prepare my president’s letter, it seems as though another significant and substantial event has taken hold of America and our everyday lives. In July, as we celebrate our independence as a nation, seldom have we seen our First Amendment rights to free speech, free press and to assemble and peaceably protest so widely exercised. Social media and online platforms have magnified the millions of voices, viewpoints and opinions expressed throughout our country. One idea we should all acknowledge, respect and honor is each person’s right to voice their opinion within the confines of the laws we all share.

LEE COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION administration

Executive Director - Lauren Baugh Administrative Assistant - Mairelis Tamayo

executive council

TREASURER

Tiffany Pereira, Esq.

BOARD MEMBERS

Michael-Anthony Pica, Esq. John Miller, Esq.

committee chairs BENCH-BAR GALA

LAW RELATED EDUCATION

Danielle Butler, Esq.

T. Rankin Terry, Esq.

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

LAW WEEK

Ita Neymotin, Esq. and Kelly L. Fayer, Esq.

Hon. John S. Carlin

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

LCBA FOUNDATION CHARITY GOLF TOURNAMENT

John Miller, Esq. and Joel Hyatt, Esq.

Shannon Puopolo, Esq. and Kenneth A. Jones, Esq.

HISTORY

MOCK TRIAL

Jenna Persons, Esq. and E. Bruce Strayhorn, Esq.

Shaina Zuppke, Esq. and Eunice Gedeon, Esq. PRO BONO

Shanthy Balachanthiran, Esq.

practice section chairs ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION

Anne Dalton, Esq. and Bill Merchant, Esq.

Partisan politics and questionable journalistic practices have undeniably clouded our nationwide conversations and made the immigration debate vulnerable to misinformation. Therefore, it is the LCBA’s goal to provide an in-depth look at available objective data and the areas which indisputably require immediate improvement to sustain a well-managed and viable immigration system.

LAND USE AND GOVERNMENTAL LAW

Alex Brockmeyer, Esq. and Matthew Irwin, Esq.

Erica Woods, Esq. and Sarah Spector, Esq.

CRIMINAL LAW

REAL PROPERTY, PROBATE & TRUST LAW

ELDER LAW

Blake Hampton, Esq. and Amy McGarry, Esq. FAMILY LAW

Christina Holly, Esq. and Mellany Marquez-Kelly, Esq. GENERAL CIVIL AND BUSINESS LITIGATION

George Knott, Esq. and Carlos Kelly, Esq.

Leebar.org

IMMIGRATION LAW

Indera DeMine, Esq. and Nirupa Netram, Esq.

APPELLATE LAW

Leah Harwood, Esq. and Kathleen Fitzgeorge, Esq.

Matt Roepstorff, Esq. matt.roepstorff@gray-robinson.com | 239.340.7936 RES GESTAE

VICE PRESIDENT

Blake Hampton, Esq.

Spencer Cordell, Esq. Peter Knize, Esq.

There is a resounding and constant refrain that our federal, state and local lawmakers have failed to address glaring deficiencies in our modern immigration system. This leads many to believe that the need for a total overhaul, or at least a substantial reform, to our immigration policies and implementation as a nation is long overdue.

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SECRETARY

Kathy Smith, Esq.

YLD President - Tiffany Pereira, Esq. President Emeritus - John Webb, Esq.

With the celebration of our nation’s founding and the anniversary of our Declaration of Independence, it feels appropriate to use this issue to discuss the evolving conversation around immigration and our federal immigration system. We are a nation of immigrants.

However, to compare the landscape and conversation around immigration from 1776 to the current times in 2020 is fruitless.

To say that America has grown and changed in the last 244 years would be an understatement.

We hope each member, reader, supporter and social media follower will take the time to carefully review and reflect upon the information presented and come to their own well-reasoned conclusion. If you feel so moved and passionate, enjoy your First Amendment rights in this month of our independence.

PRESIDENT

Matt Roepstorff, Esq.

Kenneth Kemp, Esq., Jennifer Hammond, Esq. and Peter Knize, J.D., L.L.M. SOLO & SMALL FIRM

Conor Foley, Esq. TORT LITIGATION

Dawn Maselli, Esq.

executive director's letter July is a month to recognize Independence, although if we broke it down, we would find that nothing can be without a team effort, not even our very own country’s independence.

The official award-winning publication of the Lee County Bar Association, which serves citizens and the legal community since 1949.

239.334.0047 resgestae@leebar.org

This year, Independence Day celebrations will look different than years past, but we still celebrate, whether it be virtual or socially distanced.

staff PUBLISHER

Connie Ramos-Williams | 239.690.9840 Ext. 1001

EDITOR-IN-LAW

In the legal community, we get to defend both our country and the people within it. That makes us a very special community, one of which I am so proud to be included within.

We have some stellar members of our legal community who have dedicated their entire practices to fighting for the rights of those who want so badly to be in this country. These people were not born here but want to live here and be treated as if they were indeed born here. We are lucky to be in a country where people desire to move and start over here.

Tiffany Pereira, Esq.

MANAGING EDITOR Tom Hayden

CREATIVE DIRECTOR April Bordeaux

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR

Linda Fiore | 239.690.9840 Ext. 1006

FEATURE WRITER Tom Hayden

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

A few months ago, we formed a new section of the LCBA, the Immigration Practice Section, and we are so proud to be embracing such a relevant and important issue in today’s society.

Matt Roepstorff, Esq. Lauren Baugh Henry Lee Paul, Esq. Tiffany Pereira, Esq. Indera DeMine, Esq. Nirupa Netram, Esq. Connie Ramos-Williams Hon. Keith Kyle John Stewart, Esq.

We are also proud of our Diversity & Inclusion Committee that has worked to put together some wonderful programming within the last few months and will continue to do so in an effort to show how important it truly is to be inclusionary and make sure that we are aware that we are a very diverse community both in the legal community and as a society.

I am looking forward to the fall with the LCBA. We are hoping to get back to our regularly scheduled in-person events and continue to provide educational and informative programming to our members.

If you have an idea for a CLE or a program, please contact me.

Please like us on Facebook to see updates in programming, as well many other things going on within the LCBA and the legal community.

If you are not getting my weekly e-newsletter, please let me know. This letter goes out with important information that affects each of us in the legal community.

I want to thank each of our annual sponsors for their continued support. Each month, we list those sponsors in our magazine.

Please remember to thank them. Without their annual support, we would not be able to hold any events each year.

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER Jim Jett Photography

BILLING INQUIRIES 239.334.0047

Res Gestae is an award-winning magazine published monthly by CONRIC PR & Marketing in partnership with the Lee County Bar Association. All editorial, advertising and photos may be submitted for consideration through email to resgestae@leebar.org.

We make every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information published, but we cannot be held responsible for any consequences arising from omissions or errors. Opinions expressed by our writers and advertisers are not necessarily opinions shared by the LCBA, Res Gestae or CONRIC PR & Marketing.

Copyright©2020 Lee County Bar Association Inc. All Rights Reserved. No portion of the publication may be reproduced in part or in whole without prior written permission from the Lee County Bar Association. To inquire about such permission, please contact the Lee County Bar Association at info@LeeBar.org.

Lauren Baugh, Executive Director LBaugh@leebar.org | 239.334.0047 Ext. 102

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calendar of events Stay up to date with the latest information at LeeBar.org. Be sure to watch for announcements of new virtual events on LeeBar.org and our social media pages.

July

3 10

Independence Day Observed

LCBA and courts closed

RPPTL Virtual Lunch Meeting

Noon to 1 p.m. Topic: Estate Creditor Speaker: Kenneth Kemp, Esq.

23 Meeting

November

October

3 16

31st Annual LCBA Bench Bar Gala LCBA Pro Bono Awards Luncheon

6 10

LCBA Solo & Small Section Tech Summit

December LCBA Member Holiday Party

Pro Bono Committee Virtual

Noon to 1 p.m. Topic: Guardian Ad Litem Program. Speaker: Alicia Guerra.

Upcoming Events September

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LCBA 2nd Annual Downtown Dash to benefit Hope Clubhouse

Visit us online at LeeBar.org to see more calendar items and RSVP for upcoming events.

Would you like to submit an event? Email your event submission to ResGestae@LeeBar.org.

Thank You to Our 2020 Annual Sponsors

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ethically speaking

Supreme Court stresses importance of response to bar complaint by henry lee paul, esq.

A

s former bar counsel, it never ceased to amaze me that there were a surprisingly large number of attorneys who did not respond timely to bar complaints or other inquiries from The Florida Bar’s Attorney Consumer Assistance Program. The Florida Bar News is filled with examples of lawyers suspended for failure to respond to a bar inquiry.

When a lawyer fails to timely respond to a disciplinary inquiry from The Florida Bar, such conduct, by itself, is a separate violation of Rule 4-8.4(g) for which discipline may be imposed. In addition, The Florida Bar can file a Petition for Contempt and Order to Show Cause with the Florida Supreme Court, pursuant to Rule 3-7.11(f).

One Florida lawyer recently found out how seriously the court takes the obligation to timely respond to a disciplinary inquiry. In The Florida Bar v. Altman, SC18-724 (2020), the court issued an opinion suspending a lawyer for three years for failure to timely respond to The Florida Bar. The opinion warned members that “This Court takes very seriously every attorney’s obligation to completely and timely respond to Bar inquiries.”

The court found the conduct of the

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sanctioned lawyer was aggravated by a history of similar misconduct. Additionally, the response, when made, was deceptive.

It is significant that the court relied on Standard 7.2 (Florida’s Standards for Imposing Lawyer Sanctions) which provides that suspension is appropriate when “a lawyer knowingly engages in conduct that is a violation of a duty owed as a professional and causes injury or potential injury to a client, the public, or the legal system.”

Such a pronouncement by the court should put all members of The Florida Bar on notice. Knowing failure to timely respond to an inquiry from The Florida Bar in a meaningful manner may be cause for suspension. A response to a bar complaint should be taken seriously. It sets the course for whatever is to follow, whether it be to safe harbor or discipline. I have seen far too many cases that have resulted in discipline that might have ended in a better result for the lawyer if more attention had been paid to crafting a thorough and well thought out response.

The Supreme Court spends considerable time on lawyer regulation and expects bar members to respond to a bar inquiry Leebar.org

with recognition of the importance of the disciplinary process, even if a lawyer considers a complaint to be totally without merit.

This sentiment is present throughout other jurisdictions. For example, in Massachusetts a lawyer was suspended for inadequately responding to a bar inquiry. According to a recent ABA article, the lawyer wrote that he “DID COMPLY, and DID PROVIDE AN ANSWER, and my answer was provided in a form of SILENCE. (BOOMSHAKALAKA).”

Such a response is not advisable if a lawyer wishes to continue to practice. The lawyer is facing further discipline after receiving an initial administrative suspension.

As distressing as it may be to find a letter from The Florida Bar in the mail, matters can only get worse if it is not responded to in a timely and meaningful manner.

Henry Lee Paul, Esq. is a former Bar Counsel for the Florida Bar who now represents lawyers in all matters before The Florida Bar and offers risk management services on all legal practice matters. He also represents applicants in all matters before The Florida Board of Bar Examiners.

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practice section: immigration law

Fulfilling dreams and helping immigrants by indera demine, esq. and nirupa netram, esq.

Coming to the U.S.

By Indera DeMine, Esq. Immigrating to the United States was the single most important day of my life.

This one act dramatically changed the course of my existence and afforded me the opportunities that I have today. I grew up in a small town in Guyana, a former British colony. My father was a rice farmer and my mother a housewife who sold livestock for additional income.

As a child, I dreamed about coming to America and what my life would look like in this foreign land.

More than anything, I wanted to be an American, indulge in the culture, taste freedom and take advantage of all of the opportunities freedom offers.

My love and appreciation for America runs deep.

As an immigration attorney, I hear immigrant stories like this every day. This longing for a better life than the one we are dealt with at birth fuels my work. I have

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seen Southwest Florida quickly become a melting pot of cultures, accepting immigrants from all walks of life.

I have seen an increase in foreign nationals wanting to invest in Southwest Florida and an increase in foreign workers wanting to bring their skills to our area. With the ever-changing and confusing immigration system, it is vitally important that we provide resources and information to our colleagues in different areas of practice who oftentimes encounter immigrationrelated issues in their work.

Introducing the immigration practice section

By Nirupa Netram, Esq. As we continue to move the needle to increase diversity, we are so pleased that the LCBA launched the immigration law practice section. The practice section is important for our community and long overdue.

We have a large local immigrant population, who work in industries such as agriculture, health care, hospitality, fishing, construction, etc. Did you know that approximately 40 percent of all Lee County students live in a home where English is not the primary language (2018-19 Impact Report, The School District of Lee County, Florida)?

In Lee County, 16.6% of our population is foreign born and 53.3% of that population is not a U.S. citizen (U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2014-18 Data Profile). Our non-citizens may be legal permanent residents or lawfully residing in programs such as investors, foreign students or other categories of persons lawfully residing or in the process of

Leebar.org

becoming legal permanent residents.

A person’s immigration status often impacts many other aspects of their life.

Immigration affects multiple practice areas, including, but not limited to, employment law, criminal law, business law, family law, constitutional law, tax law and entertainment law.

We are so fortunate to have several reputable local attorneys specializing in immigration law and local reputable nonprofits who provide immigration legal services for free or reduced cost. This practice section aims to educate attorneys and community-based organizations interested on how immigration does and can impact their work. It provides meaningful opportunities for networking and collaboration. We hope that you will walk along us on our journey as we continue to make great strides in diversity, equity, and inclusion, through this practice section.

Our initial kickoff meeting, postponed because of COVID-19 closures, is Sept. 30 from noon to 1 p.m. in person or virtually, if necessary. A location for the meeting is not yet determined.

Indera DeMine, Esq. emigrated at the age of 15 to the United States. She is founder of DeMine Immigration Law Firm in downtown Fort Myers. Indera co-chairs the Immigration Practice Section.

Nirupa Netram, Esq. is an immigrant from Guyana. She is the founder of Lotus Solutions LLC, a consulting company that helps for-profit and non-profit entities conduct outreach to immigrants. Nirupa co-chairs the Immigration Practice Section.

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YLD spotlight

Action-packed fall ahead for young lawyers by tiffany pereira, esq.

J

uly is here and the year is officially halfway over. I always looked forward to July, but after turning 30 last year, I vowed to not get older. If only it worked like that, right?

June was an interesting month, with most firms and attorneys transitioning back into the office on some sort of rotating schedule. As with all other voluntary bars in the state, we are working to figure out when we can begin in-person meetings and programming again.

We are still in the works of creating a virtual cooking class with Hope Clubhouse chef Carey Ralston.

Fortunately, the LCBA has held a variety of Zoom meetings on topics for everyone.

Please keep an eye out for more of those to come.

One exciting thing that happened behind the scenes for YLD in June was a vote by the board to donate $500 to the Calusa Inn of Court’s donation drive for Community Cooperative. Thank you to my amazing board members for coming together to make this donation a reality.

Throughout the year, YLD receives certain grant money from The Florida Bar for

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Leebar.org

programming and charitable purposes.

As we were unable to hold some of these events, this seemed like a great way to pass it along and help the community.

This year will be our first year where we will unfortunately not be holding our annual Holidays in July event. We were looking forward to taking the children ice skating at the Skatium, and more importantly for Santa’s surprise visit. I hope to have an update for you soon on how we plan to help out the foster children in our community and provide them with something they need.

One thing is for sure, we are going to have an action-packed fall and winter to make up for this lost time. We will see you soon for educational free lunch CLEs and socials.

Tiffany L. Pereira is a solo practitioner who concentrates her practice on transactional business and agricultural law. In addition to serving as the YLD President, Tiffany is a member of the LCBA Executive Council and is the statewide representative for the Lee County Association for Women Lawyers.

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World of immigration often complicated, confusing, challenging by tom hayden

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Leebar.org

The road to citizenship in this country is not easy, often taking three to five years if everything is done right.

T

he complicated, confusing, volatile, heartbreaking and heartwarming world of immigration changes by the moment for Lee County Bar Association attorneys who specialize in helping immigrants with visas, citizenship and other government programs.

The COVID-19 pandemic and everchanging laws only add to the complexities that require attorneys to be on their game when helping immigrants.

This year, the LCBA created a practice section devoted to immigration law to better familiarize membership with its enormous challenges. The section is chaired by immigration experts Indera DeMine, Esq., and Nirupa Netram, Esq. “I think the biggest struggles immigration attorneys face is trying to keep up with the changes and latest announcements,” DeMine said. “It sneaks up on you.”

Matt Roepstorff, president of the LCBA, recognizes the new practice section as crucial to keeping members informed about immigration issues. “We are pretty excited to have an immigration practice section with Indera and Nirupa. They have been a huge boost for us and the local community,” Roepstorff said.

“Immigration is a hot topic … and from a legal perspective trying to figure out where we are going with this system is an issue.”

Petitions for family members to stay in the U.S., temporary work visas, acquiring driver’s licenses and Social Security numbers occupy a bulk of DeMine’s time with clients.

The pandemic has created new hardships for many of DeMine’s clients and other immigrants seeking legal status. In March, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services suspended routine in-person services “to help slow the spread of COVID-19.”

USCIS is providing some emergency services, but many are waiting to have

appointments rescheduled or for naturalization ceremonies to resume.

At U.S. borders to Mexico, migrants who attempt to cross illegally are being sent back within an average of 96 minutes under emergency coronavirus measures now enforced, reports say. This action has reduced the flow of unauthorized border crossings from 1,000 a day to less than 60. More than 85 percent of detained migrants are being sent back to Mexico.

The road to citizenship in this country is not easy, often taking three to five years if everything is done right, depending on a person’s status, to achieve a goal many immigrants seek. Three main words— good moral character—are what keep the long journey to citizenship alive or could result in deportation. A person who has established legal residency in the U.S. must have no criminal convictions, never missed a tax return or alimony payment and never claimed to have been a U.S. citizen on any legal document, like a driver’s license, to be eligible for citizenship. That period extends to five years for people who are here on temporary status.

If all of those criteria are met within the established time periods and the person passes reading, writing and the civics examinations, U.S. citizenship awaits.

“I highly support all of them [requirements for citizenship],” DeMine said.

DeMine stresses any false claim about citizenship. Even if someone registered to vote in high school and made a false claim, it can get that person deported.

Roepstorff believes politics gets in the way of people wanting to enter this country legally, hoping for a better life.

The separation of families in detention centers, children sold off in massive human trafficking operations and sanctuary cities in the U.S. can create

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unbelievable hardships and human trauma that must be addressed, he believes.

“I think what gets most confusing and where we need help with streamlining is the criteria in applying for citizenship,” Roepstorff said. “Can anybody apply? Do you have to have a certain skill set? What are the requirements? You wouldn’t want to deny someone the chance to come to the United States for a better life for themselves, but it is also important that those persons looking to enter the United States understand and follow the process and requirements of our immigration system and respect our federal law.”

DeMine helps around 300 clients a year and a bulk of her work is petitions, where a U.S. Indera DeMine, Esq. citizen or permanent resident wants to bring certain family members into this country legally under the family preference system. A granted petition allows a person to work here legally, obtain a driver’s license and Social Security card and get a passport to travel internationally.

Many produce farms in Florida use migrant workers to harvest their fields.

They are typically here on H-2A visas that enable agricultural employers to bring in foreign workers on a temporary or seasonal nature. Acquiring those visas also is a complicated process and requires legal experts who specialize in these programs. “Getting somebody to work here is difficult,” DeMine said. “There are so many loopholes, so much paperwork to fill out. There is no guarantee of getting anyone.”

These work visas come with other problems. Granting a visa to a worker from another country could take a job from a U.S. citizen. There are caps on the RES GESTAE

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number of H-2A visas, meaning larger companies that require a significant number of migrant workers may have an edge on getting the visas over a smaller company.

The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) allows the U.S. to grant up to 675,000 permanent visas each year covering various visa categories. There is no limit on the yearly admissions of U.S. citizens’ spouses, parents and children under the age of 21. In 2017, family-based immigrants made up 66 percent of all new lawful permanent residents in the U.S. Other preference allocations include 87,900 visas for the spouses and minors of lawful permanent residents and 65,000 visas for siblings of U.S. citizens.

Netram, who is opening her own consulting business on immigration Nirupa Netram, Esq. called Lotus Solutions LLC, says debunking myths about undocumented immigrations is crucial.

She notes undocumented immigrants who are in this country legally pay almost $32 billion in taxes in Florida. They are farm workers, teachers, healthcare workers and have many other skilled labor positions. Among the myths, she says, immigrants are “criminals and do not pay their taxes.” Other untruths are they are mainly migrant workers or in entry level jobs. According to 2018 statistics from New American Economy, there are 4.4 million immigrant residents living in Florida, accounting for 21 percent of the population. They generate $98.5 billion in spending power and over 388,000 are business entrepreneurs.

worked at the Southwest Florida Community Foundation writing grants focused on the immigrant population.

Now, she wants to educate others on the need to support undocumented workers, especially as laws change making it more difficult for many of them to stay in the U.S. Potential barriers include the Supreme Court’s pending decision on DACA, “which could have a devastating impact on DACA recipients,” Netram says, as well as the increasing changes to immigration law and enforcement. Also facing immigrants are fee increases for naturalization and the proposed addition of a $50 application fee for asylum, which would make the U.S only the fourth country to impose such a fee.

Netram adds there is a “lack of awareness of reputable immigration legal service providers, especially those who provide services to qualified individuals for free or at low cost” and a “lack of awareness of community resources available to support immigrants.”

“People assume that because they are not a citizen, not a resident, then they don’t have any value in society,” Netram said.

“They pay taxes. They are contributing members of society. We have to recognize that we need to support this population.”

Prior to opening her business, Netram

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Leebar.org

U.S. worker visas breakdown according to the American Immigration Council The limit for permanent employment-based visas is 140,000 a year divided into five categories: “Persons of extraordinary ability,” in the arts, science, education or athletics.

These visas could include professors and researchers.

Members of professions having advanced degrees or persons with strong abilities in arts, science or business.

Skilled workers with at least two years training or experience or “other” workers for unskilled labor that is not temporary or seasonal.

Certain “special immigrants,” including religious workers, employees of U.S. foreign service posts, former U.S. government employees and other classes of aliens.

Persons who will invest $500,000 to $1 million in a job-creating enterprise that employs at least 10 full-time U.S. workers.

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special feature

Attorneys who held court in the sports arena by tom hayden

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W

e are used to seeing them in jackets, ties and business suits, in courtrooms or with clients. Attorneys of the Lee County Bar Association haven’t always led Esquire lives. Some have been sports stars or played prominent roles in athletics. Res Gestae looks back at the sports careers of some of the LCBA’s best.

Anthony Cetrangelo, Jr.

during a bowl game.

“I can honestly say that without the rigorous schedule I had being in athletics, I don’t know if I would have developed the discipline that I have now in life and at work,” Cetrangelo said. “I felt like athletics prepared me very well for law school because I was used to getting up early, going to class, working hard for hours at a time, studying late and not finishing until the job was done.

“Officials are a very special breed of people—very tight and collegial,” Rice said. “I also developed relationships with coaches and players.”

Photo left: Conference championship rings won by Anthony Cetrangelo Jr. Photo above: Anthony Cetrangelo Jr. kicks for Troy.

“I think the most memorable moment though was when we were playing the DeSoto Bulldogs. We were down by two points and we had no timeouts left,” Cetrangelo said. “The coaches screamed, ‘red, red’ and rushed me into the game to kick a long field goal with the clock winding down and only seconds left. I lined up and crushed a 48-yard field goal to win the game by a point. The amount of energy that burst out of the stadium and my team was amazing.”

While at Troy and after winning several games for the junior varsity team, Cetrangelo was promoted to varsity kicker where he once belted a 76-yard kick out of the endzone on a kickoff. One of his most memorable moments was kicking in the New Orleans Superdome

“It’s going to be weird getting up on Saturday and Sunday morning and not being at a hotel or stadium, but be home playing golf,” Rice said.

He’ll miss his colleagues, the coaches and players.

The attorney with Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt, P.A., was an NCAA Division I kicker for the Troy University football team, helping the Trojans win three conference championships and make three bowl game appearances.

The Port Charlotte High School graduate was an all-state, all-regional and allcounty kicker for the Pirates. Cetrangelo’s accomplished career earned him a place in the Port Charlotte High School’s Hall of Fame.

the rules on illegal blocking, holding and false starts at the line of scrimmage, officially retired his whistle in February.

For the first time in 48 years of chasing and calling plays in his black and white uniform, Jeff will have no “official” trips to make this fall.

“It also prepared me for the competitive nature of law school and of being a lawyer. It was like the perfect warmup to real life. This same regime and discipline learned from athletics then transferred over to me efficiently balancing my family life and my career at Henderson Franklin, which is a blessing that I will always be grateful for.”

Jeff Rice

Two of those strong relationships were with Chris Palmer, former head coach of the Cleveland Browns, and Norv Turner, former head coach of the Washington Redskins and Oakland Raiders. “Chris is just a nice guy and we just kind of hit it off,” Rice said. “Every time [Turner] sees me, he reminds me that I worked his first game in his first season as coach.”

Rice’s first NFL game was a preseason encounter between the Colts and Chicago Bears at the Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis. “It was more excitement than nerves,” Rice said. “I had finally fulfilled my goal.”

His mentor was his father, Bob, who worked 19 years as an NFL official, including two Super Bowls.

“He was a teacher and a coach,” Rice said.

“I would receive notes from him that

The partner with Goldstein, Buckley, Cechman, Rice, & Purtz, PA was an NFL official for 25 years before retiring earlier this year. His distinguished career is highlighted by umpire roles in four Super Bowls, and he’s one of only 16 officials to work three or more NFL championship games.

His achievements will be noted on a plaque alongside his game jersey in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Rice, who was responsible for enforcing July 2020

Photo above: Jeff Rice (with his arm up) makes a call during an NFL game. Photo by USA TODAY. RES GESTAE

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I kept in a notebook and would read before games. He would see me after games, and he would tell me what he liked and what I could improve on.”

Rice’s most memorable Super Bowl was in 2002 when he worked as an umpire for the Rams-Patriots game. It was just months after the 9/11 attacks.

“We actually had security for the first time to get in the game, going through machines,” Rice remembered. “We had a police escort and there were snipers on the roofs. During the National Anthem, I was standing on the sidelines next to [Rams coach] Mike Martz and we were looking at each other with tears in our eyes.”

His final game was commemorated by announcers Jim Nance and Tony Romo during a fourth-quarter two-minute feature on Rice.

Chené Thompson There was a time when this partner in Pavese Law Firm took her Chevy El Camino, her Chevy Nova, her Chevy Camaro to the track, waited for the “tree lights” to turn green, pushed hard on the gas, lit up the rear tires, sped down the quarter- or eighth-mile track at over 160 mph and showed the boys how to win. Thompson was a drag racer and good at it.

everything out of the car that didn’t make it go fast or help it stop. She went to work, removing the air conditioning, the radio and every creature comfort. A piece of concrete was placed in the trunk to give the rear tires traction. Her first time at the track racing in a class for high school-aged drivers, Thompson brought home a trophy. The second time, she performed well enough to bring home money. She was literally off to the races.

“My dad said, ‘she is serious and is really going to do it,’ and he invested a lot in a car for me,” Thompson said.

Learning about speed from her father, who made a life out of working for auto racing teams, including NASCAR, Thompson knew in high school she didn’t necessarily want to turn left, rather go straight from a standing start at blazing speeds on a drag way.

Photo above: NFL umpire Jeff Rice (44) talks to Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) during the first quarter in a NFC Divisional round playoff game against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., on Jan. 16, 2016. Photo by Kyle Terada/USA TODAY Sports.

After talking over his plan to follow in his father’s footsteps, Rice began building his impressive resume working high school games as an official in Ohio while attending law school at Case Western Reserve University. “I would schedule my classes in the morning and do JV and freshman games in the afternoon,” Rice said.

Rice also officiated as a member of the South Gulf Football Officials Association in Southwest Florida. He graduated to college games, then officiating in NFL Europe and made the NFL in 1995.

His final official NFL game was a playoff game between the Tennessee Titans and Houston Texans on Dec. 29, 2019.

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Photo left: Thompson’s first race - a $15 El Camino.

Photo above: Chene´ Thompson came home many times with a trophy during her drag racing career.

“I told my dad I wanted my own car,” Thompson said. Dad paid $15 for an El Camino that was headed for the scrap heap and brought it to his daughter.

“He said, ‘here is your race car,’ and I said I wanted one of those shiny ones over there,” Thompson remembered. “He said, ‘I just want to make sure you want to do this. You only played the flute for two weeks.’”

Mr. Thompson told his daughter to take

Leebar.org

She was racing mainly at small tracks in Florida. During one race, she wrecked but she had still finished high enough to earn another check. On the way up to the race tower to collect her money, the public address announcer asked to interview her to eat up time during a race delay.

She did so well during the interview, she was offered a paid job announcing at other tracks, including Miami-Hollywood Motorsports Park and Palm Beach International Raceway. Believed to be the only female in such a role in the southeastern part of the U.S., Thompson also announced national races, including the prestigious NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla.

xx Thompson kept on racing and winning.

She went from the El Camino to a custom built 1971 Chevy Nova with a fiberglass body around a powerful engine. She won major races across the southeast from her home track in West Palm Beach, Fla. to Atlanta, Ga. driving the Nova, and soon a 1984 IROC Camaro. “I loved that body style,” Thompson said. The prize money wasn’t bad, either. Winners could often collect around $20,000.

Her most memorable victories came back to back. She won a “big fat paycheck” during an event called Super Chevy Sunday at West Palm Beach, finishing the event about 2 o’clock in the morning. She told her dad “I’m on a hot streak,” so they jumped in the truck and pulled the race trailer across the state to Bradenton for a race that day and she won there as well.

“That was as fun a weekend as I ever had,” she said.

Thompson stopped racing when she attended law school in 1998, ending— for now—a nine-year racing career.

She says racing helped her develop a strong character and toughness for the courtroom.

“Racing and competing translates into everything that I do,” Thompson said.

“It’s like the pressure of driving with a championship on the line, or the pressure of picking a jury.”

Now a mother and married, Thompson hopes one day to return to the sport she loves. “One of these days I may put together another car,” she said.

Terry Cramer III An attorney with the Law Offices of Dennis L. Webb, P.A., Cramer’s athletic career started as a catcher for his high school team in the Tampa area, where he injured his elbow in his junior year. Significant arm injuries can end an athlete’s career in a hurry, but Cramer’s sports journey was just

remembers about the early days of minor league baseball.

The righthander pitched for three years in the Pirates organization. In those years, he recorded a 2.96 earned run average and a 1-0 record. Cramer continued to have troubling shoulder injuries and had a decision to make about his future.

“In rehab, you would see guys that are older; they had not made it and they were hurt again,” Cramer said. “They had chased a dream, but it was the end of the road for them. I made the decision then to hang it up and go get an education.”

Photo above: Terry Cramer III played minor league baseball with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

starting. During his senior year of high school, he attended a tryout with college and professional scouts and coaches in attendance. He pitched for the first time in his career and turned a few heads with a fastball clocked over 90 mph.

Cramer attended Palm Beach Community College in Lake Worth where he said, “I learned how to pitch.” His fastball and 6-foot-5 frame got the attention of the Boston Red Sox and he was drafted in the 2003 Major League Baseball draft. During 2003, he hurt his shoulder, didn’t commit to a pro career at that point and continued pitching at Hillsborough Community College in Tampa.

The Red Sox had released the rights to Cramer at that point and he signed a professional contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

“In high school, you can be the best person in the county, in the region and you can be one of the best in college, but when you show up at pro ball, everybody is the same size as you, throws the same speed and is just as good,” Cramer

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Cramer was able to complete his undergraduate studies and graduate law school in just four years. “When I went back to school I was in my mid-twenties and I felt like I had to make up for lost time and move on to the next chapter of my life,” Cramer said.

“What I really miss is the camaraderie with other teammates. You have a brotherhood,” Cramer said. “The main thing I learned is how to deal with adversity. In sports, you fail often and you learn to persevere. I would have loved to have had a major league career and reached my dream. But I can sit here today and say I played professional baseball. Nobody thought I was going to make it. I used that to motivate myself. ”

Joe North The attorney at The North Law Firm, P.A., was a track and field star at Cypress Lake High School and The Citadel Military College in the 1980s.

He excelled in all of his events in high school, holding school records in the 440-yard dash, the triple jump and as a member of the 440 and mile relay teams.

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During the Edison Relays his senior season in 1983, North was dominant, winning five events - the 100, 220 and 330-yard intermediate hurdles, long jump and triple jump. During that season, North advanced to the state meet in the 330 intermediate hurdles and beat Arthur Blake, who went on to star at Florida State and made the U.S. Olympic team. North finished sixth in the state race and Blake was seventh.

him a different perspective on his abilities.

“Coming out of high school, I considered myself to be elite. No one in Southwest Florida could beat me,” North said. “I go to The Citadel and considered myself to be an elite runner and one of the fastest guys in our conference. Then we go to the Florida Relays in Gainesville my freshman year, and I am running one of the best times of my life. I come around the curve and I know I am doing well personally, but there were guys from Florida and Ohio State who were way out ahead of me. It opened my eyes that the world is so much bigger than what is right in front of me.”

In front of North was also a legal career.

The time demands of being a collegiate athlete were impacting him academically and he wasn’t sure his grades would be good enough to get into law school.

He made up his mind to give up track, but that also meant giving up his track scholarship.

“I called my parents and told them I wanted to go to law school and I needed to make grades. I asked if it would be OK if they paid my tuition,” North said.

“Without hesitation, they said yes.

My parents took out a loan to pay my tuition. My parents were very supportive.

Fortunately, I was able to make grades and get an academic scholarship.”

North graduated The Citadel in 1987 with the rank of Second Lieutenant, earned his law degree from Florida State University College of Law in 1990 and opened The North Law Firm.

Photos above - top: Joe North running the hurdles for Cypress Lake High School; bottom: Joe North (left) runs a relay event for The Citadel during his freshman year.

His decorated high school career earned North a track and field scholarship to The Citadel, where his freshman season he set the school record in the 440-yard dash with a time of 48.2 seconds. College track gave

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Dennis Webb The founder of the Law Offices of Dennis L. Webb, P.A., Webb received a full football scholarship to The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, after a successful football career at North Miami Senior Leebar.org

Photo above: Dennis Webb during his senior season with The Citadel football team.

High School where he was a starting running back his junior and senior seasons in the 1960s and made honorable mention all-county. His backfield running mate was Jerry Anderson, who went on to star at the University of Florida and was a longtime coach there. Webb also played junior varsity basketball at North Miami with Hall of Fame baseball pitcher Steve Carlton.

For one season, he played 10 games at wide receiver for The Citadel, catching one pass for nine yards. Webb was moved to defensive end/monster back his following three seasons, earning the right to be game captain three times his senior year. During one game, Webb sacked then Furman quarterback Sam Wyche, who went on to coach the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals. Wyche passed away earlier this year.

Following graduation from The Citadel with a degree in history, he returned to his high school alma mater as an assistant football coach and history teacher while attending law school at night.

Sports parallels much of what Webb sees as an attorney.

xx “As an attorney, you get to be the defensive guy and the offensive guy in court. You get to be the quarterback,” Webb said. “I am competitive as heck. I take my losses very hard. Winning would never feel so good if losing didn’t feel so bad.”

Rana Holz The family law attorney with Rubinstein & Holz was captain of her women’s track team at Springstead High School in Hernando County in 1980 and 1981. She finished on the podium at the state meet in the mile, taking third, placed sixth in the two-mile and anchored the mile medley relay team to a third-place state finish her senior year. Her fastest time in the mile was 5:23 and in the two-mile was 12:34. She did more for the track team, running the 440and 880-yard dashes as part of medley teams.

Photo above: Rana Holz (No. 20) was a track star at Springstead High School in Hernando County, and advice from her coach was always welcome.

Holz earned all-county and all-state track team honors multiple years. She was named the most outstanding athlete of the high school program in 1981. She earned four varsity letters in track, three in cross country and two as a statistician for men’s varsity basketball. Holz went on

to run cross country for two years at the University of Tampa.

“The experience of being part of a team cannot be understated in developing character and leadership,” Holz said. “It made all the difference in the world to excel being part of a sports team and not just known for academics. Learning endurance, how to train and push through pain, encouraging one another and receiving the support of your peers is an important part of maturing.”

Mike Corso The attorney at Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt, P.A., has “engineered” quite a career. While earning an aeronautics and astronautics degree from Purdue University, Corso was a member of the baseball team for four seasons, hitting in the leadoff position. He became good friends with NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Bob Griese, who led the Boilermakers to the 1967 Rose Bowl title and finished runner up to Steve Spurrier for the Heisman Trophy. Griese was a three-sport star for the Boilermakers and was on the baseball team during Corso’s freshman season.

Corso’s sports connections with other Lee County Bar Association attorneys started when he attended Malvern Preparatory School near Philadelphia and continued at Purdue. He didn’t know it at the time, but he played high school football against former 20th Judicial Circuit state attorney Steve Russell, who was playing for William Penn Charter School at the time. “We didn’t know each other, but to this day, Steve still sends me scores, but only if Penn Charter wins,” Corso said.

During a conversation with Fort Myers attorney Jeff Rice, they both realized a baseball connection. “Jeff played baseball

July 2020

at Northwestern and he said to me, ‘did you lead off? Were you a switch hitter?

I remember playing against you at Evanston. You were a good hitter.’”

Corso played shortstop, second base and in the outfield for the Boilers from 1966-70. During his junior year, Corso hit .325 from both sides of the plate. He remembers a game against Minnesota when the Gophers pitcher was Dave Winfield, who went on to a Hall of Fame career as mainly an outfielder with six Major League Baseball teams. Prior to his at-bat, Corso watched as Winfield warmed up, hitting the dirt, but never the catcher’s mitt. “I had a Pete Rose hitting style, I crouched and crowded the plate,” Corso said. “He ends up plucking me in the right side of the rib cage.”

Many years later while Winfield was playing for the Minnesota Twins, Corso remembers seeing the star during spring training in Fort Myers. “We chatted for a few minutes and I said to him, ‘I do have a little complaint, the right side of my rib cage is a little sore. When you were playing for Minnesota, you plucked me here. With that big wide grin, he put his arm around me and said, ‘I was not a very good pitcher, was I?’“ After graduating from Purdue in 1971, Corso flew jets for the Air Force, worked as an aerospace engineer and rose to the rank of captain. While in law school, he used his aeronautics background to work as a consultant to help engineers design an aircraft ejector seat. Corso won Purdue’s Outstanding Aerospace Engineer Award in 2011 and currently serves on the university’s Industrial Advisory Council.

Editor’s note: We hope to make this look back at LCBA attorneys and judges with notable sports careers a regular annual piece in Res Gestae. If you were not mentioned in this article but feel you played a prominent role in sports, please notify Tom Hayden at tom@conricpr.com.

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the dish

Unleash the dragon and get your slurp on by connie ramos-williams

Not just any Asian fare.

Sure, there are many poke bowl restaurants popping up across town, but this one offers so much more.

My daughter, Natalie, and I stumbled upon the new Slurping Dragon, Fort Myers’ premier noodle and poke bar, one afternoon in March while we were posting updates in the SWFL Strong Facebook group. Flavorful, colorful photos of freshly made Asian innovations shared in the Facebook community’s daily Business Roll Call post grabbed our attention, made our mouths water, and as they Spicy Tuna Rice say, unleashed our inner dragon.

It was a few weeks

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Shrimp Fried Rice

after the COVID-19 pandemic struck Florida with a vengeance, forcing restaurants to close and other businesses to operate remotely. We had grown tired of the soup, salad and sandwiches we were making at home while under quarantine and the photos set our taste buds ablaze. We immediately went to their website to peruse their menu and found ourselves having a difficult time making a selection because there were more options than anticipated.

crispy rice, steam buns, brown rice or quinoa. You then choose from a wide selection of proteins that include an assortment of tuna, yellowtail, shrimp, salmon, krab salad, teriyaki chicken, beef bulgogi, pork or tofu. Then onto the sides.

You may choose three to five sides from a long list of 22 options that include avocado, seaweed salad, pumpkin seed, edamame, baby kale and more.

Lastly, you top this dish off with one of the many delicious sauces such as spicy mayo, kimchi, poke, Sriracha, and of course, the restaurant’s fire dragon sauce, which packs a punch. I opted for the Teriyaki Chicken Bowl made to order with brown rice, egg, sesame seeds and sweet and green onions.

Natalie ordered a Custom Dragon Bowl, available in two sizes. You can select two proteins for the regular bowl, priced at $10.95, or three proteins for Crispy Rice the larger option, priced at $13.95. Each bowl starts with a base of either salad spring mix, white rice, Leebar.org

Both dishes did not disappoint.

In fact, the photos online didn’t do them justice. They

Bao Buns

Custom Poke Bowl

with fresh marinated ribeye are made to order in the back kitchen. Guests seem to love the Bao Steamed Buns filled with your Veggie Ramen choice of meat, which are best when eaten right when they come out of the steamer.

Slurping Dragon opened its dining room doors to the public were fresh, flavorful and so generous in in January 2020, and in March had to portion sizes that we had leftovers for quickly switch gears to focus strictly on the next day. We have since continued curbside pickup and delivery to survive to order takeout and curbside pickup during the pandemic. in order to try more items on the menu The co-owner such as the ramen noodle bowls and and creative signature bowls that were also tasty mind behind and plentiful. The ramen Slurping Ribeye Bulgogi Ramen noodles inspired the name of Dragon, Peter the restaurant, since it’s not Schmid, has unusual to do a great deal of slurping a long history when you eat good ramen. YUM! of success in the restaurant If you are looking for innovative industry.

Schmid Asian cuisine, you may want to was the owner of Peter’s La Cuisine and give Slurping Dragon a try.

Skybar in historic downtown Fort Myers The restaurant offers something where The Firestone Skybar & Martini Bar Spicy Chicken Poppers now reside. In 1998, when I moved to Fort for everyone Myers, the Skybar was the place to be, large and small appetites, featuring trendy local bands such as Alter vegans and carnivores.

Ego and Mambo Brothers, the dance floor Appetizer bites range in price was elbow to elbow from $4.95 for spring rolls and and there was a line bao steamed buns to $6.95 for spicy to get in. If this chicken poppers. Miso, spicy beef doesn’t ring a and clear chicken and veggie soups bell to some are priced from $3.95 to Shrimp Filled Potstickers of you, maybe $5.95. Spicy or teriyaki Blu Sushi does. chicken, beef bulgogi or seafood Schmid was an pancakes start at just $9.95. Poke original co-owner bowls are made in the front kitchen, of Blu Sushi and while wok bowls and beef bulgogi made July 2020

still owns Brahma Express restaurant on the campus of Florida Gulf Coast University.

One thing is clear. Schmid has a great deal of passion and savvy when it comes to the restaurant business and he seems to have hit the mark with this new restaurant concept and menu. He says he is excited to roll out his new expanded menu in July.

Are you ready to get your slurp on and unleash your inner dragon?

Slurping Dragon Noodles, Poke & Fresh Asian Grill 5611 Six Mile Commercial Court Fort Myers, FL 33908 (239) 990-2446 info@SlurpingDragon.com Open: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily

Connie Ramos-Williams is the publisher of Res Gestae and president of CONRIC PR & Marketing. She enjoys discovering new local restaurants, bars and dives throughout Southwest Florida. She may be reached at connie@conricpr.com or (239) 690-9840 ext. 1001.

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100 club Is your firm part of the 100 Club? Any firm with two or more attorneys and 100% membership in the LCBA qualifies.

Aloia, Roland, Lubell & Morgan, PLLC. Knott Ebelini Hart Arend & Sisk, P.A. Law Offices of Dennis L. Webb, P.A. Associates & Bruce L. Scheiner, P.A. Law Offices of Michael M. Raheb, Criminal Lawyer Banker, Lopez & Gassler, P.A. Lee County Legal Aid Society, Inc. Boy Agnew Potanovic, PLLC. Linde Law Group Boyle & Leonard & Anderson, P.A. Men's Rights Law Firm Burandt, Adamski, Feichthaler & Sanchez, PLLC. O'Halloran & O'Halloran, Attorneys at Law Coleman & Coleman, PLC. Osterhout & McKinney, P.A. Cole Scott & Kissane, P.A. - Fort Myers Patrone, Kemp & Bentley, P.A. Florida Rural Legal Services, Inc. Pavese Law Firm Garvin Law Firm Roetzel & Andress, L.P.A. Geraghty, Dougherty, Edwards & Stockman, P.A. Rubinstein & Holz Goldberg|Noone|Abraham Personal Injury Scarmozzino Law Firm, P.A. Atttorneys Sheldon E. Finman, P.A. Goldstein, Buckley, Cechman, Rice & Purtz, P.A. Sheppard, Brett, Stewart, Hersch, Kinsey & Hill, P.A. GrayRobinson, P.A. Simmons Law Firm, P.A. Green, Schoenfeld & Kyle, LLP Strayhorn and Person, P.L. Hollander & Hanukah, Attorneys at Law The McQuaggue & King Law Firm Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt, P.A. The Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A. John Webb Legal Group, P.L. Viacava & Cantor Attorneys at Law Kelleher Law Viles & Beckman, LLC If you feel your firm is eligible, email a listing of your attorneys to admin@leebar.org and we will let you know.

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judge spotlight

Hon. Keith Kyle

1. During my first year of law school, I had a pretty bad bicycle accident. I flipped over the handlebars of my bike after the front tire got caught on a trail obstacle.

I flew through the air and landed on my head. My bicycle helmet split into two pieces like a cracked walnut shell. Always wear a helmet!

2. If you enjoy unique places to visit, I highly recommend Liechtenstein, San Marino and Vatican City. Small countries are fascinating places.

3. The Wall Street Journal printed a story on one of my cases a few years ago.

Unfortunately, I did not get my digitized picture included as part of the story, which the W.S.J. is renowned for in its articles.

4. My father taught me about saving money and investing when I was a middle schooler. So, I would try to invest my money saved from birthdays, jobs, etc. For a kid, I did not do too badly, but I learned a hard lesson when one of my picks filed for bankruptcy and I lost all my money.

5. I ran my first marathon, the Chicago Marathon, in 2012. I have run several marathons since then, including two within a week of each other. I have not run any the last few years because I injured my foot and have residual issues with it, but I have been trying to get back to running lately.

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July 2020

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member spotlight

John Casey Stewart, Esq.

1. I held sports records at two schools. People don’t know that at one point I supposedly held basketball records. One record was for most three-point shots made in a single game and the other was for most career assists. The most career assists record has since been broken.

2. My name comes from a long line of John Stewarts. However, most of us have different middle names, thus not allowing for the Jr., II, III, etc. titles to be included.

Twelve of the last 13 generations contain individuals named John Stewart. I am the ninth consecutive John Stewart and my son, John “Zane” Stewart is the 10th consecutive.

3. I have had multiple close encounters with Mother Nature. I have been dangerously close to two separate tornadoes and nearly struck by lightning. Surely, it would be a better story if I had survived something more than “dangerously close.”

4. One of my hobbies includes real estate. I also enjoy learning all aspects of real estate. For that reason, I became a licensed Realtor.

5. My wife and I are high school “sweethearts.” We have been together for just over 16 years and married for 10 years. My wife and I have three wonderful children and enjoy outdoor and sports-related activities.

DONNA TISCH M E D IATIONS • ARBITRATIONS “We take an Active Role...

We Never Give Up!” Full-Time

Certified Circuit Civil Mediator • Qualified Arbitrator AV Rated ~ Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer (1998)

Serving Lee County - Tuesdays only Charlotte County - any day Schedule Mediations and Arbitrations Online at

DonnaTisch.com 239.826.3644

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Lawyer for Life Barbara M. Pizzolato, Esq.  Over 30 years experience  Licensed to practice in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Florida  Committed to establishing long-lasting relationships with her clients  Offers personalized, customized legal services that clients expect and deserve

(239) 225-7911

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Now more then ever, you should be evaluating your company’s security. It’s only a matter of time before you’re the next target. We leverage some of the best talent in the industry to thoroughly evaluate both your technical infrastructure James Ritter Founder & CEO and your operational workflows for security holes. We will make recommendations and can implement for you whatever may be needed. Not only does it take robust and secure IT systems, but your staff needs to be trained and your workflows need checks and balances to make sure you are protected against every angle that hackers are currently using.

Cummings & Lockwood LLC seeks Trusts & Estates associate for its Bonita Springs office with a minimum of 4 years’ experience.

• • • • •

Estate Planning Probate and Trust Administration Estate, Gift and Fiduciary Income Tax LLM in Taxation or Estate Planning Preferred Florida Bar Required

See LCBA website classified advertisement for additional details or visit our website at www.cl-law.com.

Please send cover letter, resume and transcripts to oeldridge@cl-law.com. www.cl-law.com

Contact us for a free assessment at (239) 676-6679 or visit Pulse.Tech July 2020

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in the news Langdon Lile was named as the 2020 summer associate at the Naples-based law firm Laird A. Lile, PLLC. In the position, Lile assists with research, drafting documents, and administration of estates and trusts. Lile has completed his second year of studies at the University of Miami School of Law, where he serves as president of the Honor Council. A participant in the Spellman-Hoeveler Chapter of the American Inns of Court and The Real Property, Probate & Trust Law Society, Lile also is a Student Ambassador and a Dean’s Merit Scholarship recipient. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Government from the University of Virginia with a concentration in American Politics; Lile also earned a Certificate with Distinction in Business Fundamentals from the McIntire School of Commerce at UVA. Luca Hickman has joined the firm of Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt, P.A. in the Fort Myers office.

Hickman, who is a registered patent attorney with a dual U.S./German degree in engineering, will expand the breadth of the firm’s litigation and intellectual property practice areas. Hickman has experience working on high profile business and contractual matters, including multi-million-dollar mergers and acquisitions involving publicly traded companies and celebrities, assisting clients with creation and management of intellectual property portfolios, brand licensing and anti-infringement matters – including extensive anticounterfeiting work, and creating and overseeing global trademark portfolios.

Aloia, Roland, Lubell & Morgan, PLLC was recently honored as “Business Partner of Year” by the Foundation for Lee County Schools. The award was given to recognize Aloia Roland’s ongoing support of students, faculty and families. From in-kind support, ongoing volunteerism and financial contributions, Aloia Roland has shown proven dedication to Lee County Schools.

“We’re honored and thrilled to be recognized as a ‘Business Partner of the Year.’ The Foundation has been supporting the development of a black box theatre on the campus, and I can’t wait to see what the students are able to create,” said Aloia Roland senior partner, Ty Roland.

Danielle Levy Seitz, a senior associate attorney at the law firm of Aloia, Roland, Lubell & Morgan, PLLC, in Fort Myers, has been selected to the 2020 Florida Rising Stars list. Each year, no more than 2.5 percent of the lawyers in the state are selected by the research team at Super Lawyers to be honored as Rising Stars.

Seitz handles matters involving divorce and dissolution of marriage, adoptions, child support, custody, dependency, domestic violence, modifications, paternity and relocations, providing personalized and dedicated representation to her clients.

John Miller has joined the firm Boy Agnew Potanovic as a partner. Miller brings almost two decades of expereince to the firm and focuses his litigation practice in tort and insurance defense, municipal and governmental liability defense and professional negligence defense.

“It’s wonderful they have the capacity to bring on somebody solely dedicated to the litigation side of things,” said Miller, who also will broaden his work into areas of employment and commercial litigation.

John grew up on Pine island and received his law degree from the Stetson University College of Law.

Ita Neymotin was appointed chair of The Florida Bar Committee on Professionalism. The Office of Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel, Second District, announces that the Florida Bar President, Honorable Dori Foster-Morales, has appointed Regional Counsel Ita M. Neymotin as chair of the Committee on Professionalism. Neymotin oversees 14 counties within the Second District Court of Appeal and manages 140 attorneys and staff. In addition to being regional counsel, she will begin her new voluntary appointed position beginning July 1 through June 30, 2021.

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P.O. Box 1387 | Fort Myers, FL 33902-1387 (239) 334-0047 | Fax (239) 334-0523 LeeBar.org

WE MA K E BA N K IN G AB O U T Y O U !

STANDING STRONG…

Together

Now more than ever, relationships matter.

As Lee County’s oldest community bank, we’ve spent nearly 25 years building relationships with customers and giving back to our local community. During this time of uncertainty, we’re working diligently to do our part, serving as the trusted and responsive banking partner that customers need and showing our heartfelt dedication to protecting and empowering those we hold dear.

Discover the difference a local banking relationship can make at Edison National Bank and Bank of the Islands. We continue to stand strong together and make banking about YOU.

Lending Team – From left back row: Geoffrey Roepstorff, CEO CEO;; John Ammons, Vice President, Cleveland Avenue Office Manager; Liz Aurensan, Vice President, Lending; Robbie Roepstorff, President. From left middle row: Darrin Grotrian, Asst. Vice President, Lending, Sanibel-Captiva Asst. Office Manager; Kim Nyberg, Vice President, Professional & Executive Banking; To learn more about our customer Greg Blurton, Vice President, Sr. Commercial Loan Officer. services and convenient locations, From left front row: Leah Kirby, Kirby, Vice President, please visit EdisonNationalBank.com River District Office Manager; Willy Ocasio, Vice President, Sanibel-Captiva or call 239.466.1800.

Office Manager; Pam Edwards, Vice President, Lending.

An Equal Housing Lender | Member FDIC | Bank of the Islands is an office of Edison National Bank.