InsideTrack

11 apply for Miami-Dade Circuit judge position

The Miami-Dade Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission has received 11 applicants to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Circuit Judge Scott Silverman.

County court judges seeking promotion are Andrew S. Hague, Cristina Miranda and Rodney Smith.

The other applicants are Judson Cohen, a commercial litigation and medical malpractice attorney with the Cohen Law Office in Miami; Michelle Delancy, managing partner of DelancyHill and a commercial litigation and family law attorney in Miami; Coral Gables arbitration and mediation attorney Alan Fine; Raul Flores, executive director of the Cuban American Bar Association's pro bono project in Miami; Alex J. Labora, a Miami-Dade civil traffic hearing officer,bankruptcy and foreclosure defense attorney and the husband of Miami-Dade County Court Judge Deborah White-Labora; Lisa Lehner, a Miami litigator and receiver; Bonnie Riley, an associate with Barranco & Kircher in Miami; and Alan D. Sackrin, an appellate and civil litigator who practices in Hallandale Beach.

Steel Hector reunion one of several planned for defunct Miami firms

It's an official flash from the past.

About 400 former employees of the defunct Steel, Hector & Davis have been invited to reminisce this evening at a cocktail party at the Museum of HistoryMiami. Once one of Miami's largest and most prestigious law firms with 200 lawyers, Steel, Hector & Davis merged with Squire, Sanders & Dempsey in 2005 after overexpanding into Latin America and losing major clients.

It is the first of several reunions planned by the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Historical Society for people from defunct Miami law firms.

"The idea was there are all these firms that were part of Miami's history that are not here anymore — and I've worked at two. Why not have their reunions in an upscale venue and put the museum on display?" said Ed Davis, a partner at Astigarraga Davis who is organizing the gatherings to promote the historical society.

Future reunions are planned for Fine, Jacobsen, Block, Goldberg and Semet and Paul, Landy, Beiley & Harper.

What about Adorno & Yoss, which shut down after founder Hank Adorno's law license was suspended?

"I think it's a little too early for a reunion for that one," Davis quipped.

Softball injury doesn't slow veteran Miami lawyer

It may be time for Herman Russomanno to hang up the old baseball glove.

The former Florida Bar president ruptured his Achilles tendon while playing softball with the Dade County Bar Association's young lawyers division in February at Tropical Park in Miami. He was playing outfield with his sons, fellow lawyers Christopher and Herman Jr., when he jumped to catch a fly ball and felt a painful pop in his left leg. Trooper that he is, he stayed in the game until the end.

Since the accident, Russomanno hasn't skipped a beat, getting around with a knee walker, essentially a wheelchair for the knee. He gets a lot of questions as he hobbles — and wheels — around town. And he was a big hit on Take Your Child to Work Day when he gave two kids a ride on the walker at the Dade County Courthouse.

Russomanno, of the Miami law firm Russomanno & Borrello, is trying to avoid surgery following a new procedure aimed at regeneration. He will find out May 14 whether he needs surgery.

"It's not like I'm a complete idiot, I played in the 30-and-under baseball hardball league until I was 56," the 62-year-old said. "I guess they should have kept the father in the parking lot for this game."

Gift watch from Scott Rothstein set for eBay auction

It may be too late for collectors to get their hands on one of Ponzi scheme Scott Rothstein's luxury watches, but they can still get a deal on a Swiss watch owned by a Rothstein buddy.

Pending approval from U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Raymond Ray, a $2,500 watch that was a gift from Rothstein to former Broward sheriff's Lt. David Benjamin will be auctioned off on eBay.

Rothstein gave Benjamin the Chopard Miller Migila Gran Turismo XL as well as cash for handling security for him. The two were so close that Benjamin personally escorted Rothstein through the airport when Rothstein headed for Morrocco days before his $1.2 billion scam exploded.

Benjamin has since been demoted from the BSO command staff and was forced to hand over $30,000 and the snazzy watch to Herbert Stettin, the bankruptcy trustee for Rothstein's defunct law firm.

In seeking approval to sell the watch on eBay, Fort Lauderdale attorney Charles Lichtman, who represents Stettin, notes other bankruptcy judges have permitted seized goods to be sold on the Internet.

Rothstein's collection of 262 watches, valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars, was snapped up at two live auctions last year. Now unadorned, Rothstein is serving a 50-year prison sentence for masterminding the scheme from his opulent Fort Lauderdale office at Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler.

23 vie for seat opened by Broward Circuit Judge Susan Greenhawt's retirement

A general magistrate, four prosecutors and six other government attorneys are among 23 applicants seeking a seat opened by Broward Circuit Judge Susan Greenhawt's retirement.

Broward General Magistrate Randi Glick Boven submitted her application by Tuesday's deadline. Assistant State Attorneys Mari S. Blumstein, Morgan Roger Rood and Elizabeth Scherer of the Broward office and Abbe S. Rifkin in the Miami-Dade office also filed.

Two circuit staff attorneys — Phoebee Rebecca Francois and Giuseppina Miranda — also applied, as did Broward Assistant Public Defenders Lorena Mastrarrigo and Robert Abraham Jakovich. He also will be on the August primary ballot for a county judge seat.

Other government officials include Rene D. Harrod, an assistant attorney general in the Broward's economic crimes division, and Lynn D. Rosenthal, an assistant U.S. attorney in the Fort Lauderdale office.

Among the private attorneys seeking the governor's favor are Garrett S. Elsinger, a criminal defense lawyer at Purdy Jolly Giuffreda & Barranco; Michele McCaul Ricca, an insurance lawyer at Boyd Richards Parker & Colonelli; Mark W. Rickard, a collections lawyer at Jacobson Sobo & Moselle; Stacey Schulman, a personal injury lawyer at Morgan & Morgan; and Gerard S. Williams, a criminal lawyer at Nichols Williams & Julian, all Broward-based law firms.

Solo practitioners vying to make the cut include Maritza Gonzalez, a family lawyer in Weston; Jorge E. Hurtado, a criminal defense lawyer in Coral Springs; Steven W. Hyatt, a family lawyer in Fort Lauderdale; Kenneth P. Kugler, a workers compensation lawyer in Lauderdale-By-The-Sea; Christopher W. Pole, a criminal defense lawyer in Fort Lauderdale; former Davie Mayor Thomas A. Truex, a commercial and bankruptcy lawyer; and Ruby Seymour-Barr, a family lawyer in Hollywood.

Brokerage firm International Sales Group hopes to woo Chinese condo buyers

Hoping to attract Asian condo buyers, International Sales Group is heading to China to promote a high-rise in downtown Miami.

ISG principal Philip Spiegelman wants to develop a network of Asian brokers to help the Aventura-based brokerage firm sell its listings in South Florida. That model has served ISG well in Latin America, where most of Miami's foreign condo buyers originate.

The new ISG Asia Division will target mainland China, Jakarta, Indonesia, Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea, Mumbai, India and Japan.

"We decided to make the investment of time, capital and human resources to determine, once and for all, whether Asia is a viable market for Miami," Spiegelman said.

To start, he is sending ISG broker Sandra Dominguez, who has experience in the Asian Pacific Rim, to meet this month with brokers in Singapore, Hong Kong and Bangkok, Thailand.

By mid-May, Spiegelman expects to know how receptive the Asian market is to South Florida's investment opportunities. Depending on that response, he will decide how big the ISG presence should be in a new office set to open in Singapore next month.

Right now, the Asian market represents about 1 percent of foreign buyers in Miami, he said.

"I would like to turn that into 5 percent," Spiegelman said. "That would be a huge difference."

Vizcayne, formerly known as Everglades on the Bay, is the first condo project that ISG will market in Asia, Spiegelman said. The company is already marketing the 849-unit high-rise at 244 Biscayne Blvd., which has about 300 units for sale with prices ranging from the $200,000s to $2 million.

Many of those units are rented. The rental rate in the building is about $2 per square foot, up 50 cents from a year ago, Spiegelman said.

The idea is to sell the units to Asian buyers as investment opportunities. ISG would collect the rent and manage the units for the investors.

Spiegelman said the great distance between investor and investment shouldn't be a problem.

"I think the economics should overcome the logistics," he said.

Related steps up appreciation with broker events

Miami-based Related Group knows how to keep real estate brokers motivated in selling its projects. At a recent gathering at Juvia, a trendy restaurant at 1111 Lincoln Road in Miami Beach, about 30 brokers gathered to collect nearly $2 million in commissions for the pre-sales of 42 of the 49-unit Apogee Beach in Hollywood Beach, said Carlos Rosso, who heads Related's condo division. The total broker payouts would reach $5 million when all the units are sold. Apogee Beach is one of the first new condo projects to go up since the economy crashed in 2008.

Related began construction of Apogee in January. Bringing buyers to the oceanfront project was instrumental for Related to be able to break ground on its first project since the economic downturn.

Apogee, near A1A and Hallandale Beach Boulevard, is mainly funded with the deposits of the buyers, mostly foreigners. "It is a way to show that when brokers do their part selling condos for developers who follow through with their promises, everybody wins," Rosso said.

Apogee condos pre-sold at almost $500 per square foot, with units ranging from $700,000 to $2.5 million, he said, adding the new asking price for the few remaining units is about 20 percent higher.

Related plans to hold a similar event this month for brokers who pre-sold many of the condos at the planned Mybrickell, a 192-unit condo tower in downtown Miami.

Related is launching another project, 1100 Millecento Residences, a 42-story tower west of Brickell Avenue in Miami.

Judge rules pension plan changes unconstitutional

It wasn't hard to guess where the Florida Chamber of Commerce landed on the issue of employee contributions to state pensions.

Just read the headline on a statement released when a Tallahassee judge ruled the state law was unconstitutional: "Florida Chamber Statement RE: Activist Judge's Retirement Plan Ruling."

Tuesday's decision by Leon Circuit Judge Jackie Fulford is expected to end up in the Florida Supreme Court.

Five on list to replace newly elevated Judge Norma Lindsey

Five attorneys are on the shortlist to replace newly elevated Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Norma Lindsey in county court.

The Judicial Nominating Commission picked Tanya Brinkley, Judson Lee Cohen, Ivonne Cuesta, Carlos M. Guzman and Rodolfo A. Ruiz.

Stearns deploys 'Jewish grandmother defense'

Gibraltar Private Bank & Trust attorney Eugene Stearns offered spirited support for an injunction to stop Razorback Funding from going forward with its trial next week against the bank.

Razorback accuses Gibraltar of fraud for allegedly aiding Ponzi schemer and disbarred Fort Lauderdale lawyer Scott Rothstein.

Stearns said Razorback's attorney would have people believe there are millions of dollars in spare capital and assets that could be obtained beyond the $20 million settlement with the bankruptcy trustee for Rothstein's defunct law firm.

Stearns noted at a bankruptcy court hearing that banks are required to maintain high levels of capital or risk being shut down by federal regulators, which would leave Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler's creditors with nothing.

Ray wryly observed: "It's the Jewish grandmother defense. You do what I want, or I'll kill myself."

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