Florida legislators recently introduced companion bills in the Florida House (HB 963) and Senate (SB 1670) that would create restricted online privacy rights and obligations in the state. The legislation looks to copy aspects of the Nevada Online Privacy Protection Act, which was amended in 2019 to include a right to opt-out of sales of covered information. Florida’s bill is different from the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and more like the California Online Privacy Protection Act (CalOPPA). Florida joins a growing list of other states reviewing consumer privacy legislation, including ..read more

The Miami-Dade Chapter of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers (MDFAWL) is a volunteer bar association founded in 1980. Since then, MDFAWL has been at the forefront of change – lobbying for the Equal Rights Amendment; fielding female candidates for The Florida Bar Board of Governors; The Florida Supreme Court Gender Bias Commission, ultimately leading to many changes throughout the state’s court system; implementing the “GOOD” Guys program; lobbying for the enactment of Florida’s Sexual cyberharassment statute to protect victims of nonconsensual pornography; putting nursing suites in loca ..read more

Effective Jan. 1, 2019, the Florida Supreme Court made substantial amendments to the Florida Rules of Appellate Procedure and other rules of court, including the Florida Rules of Judicial Administration. It is important to review the revisions in full, but a few of the changes are summarized below. In Case No. SC17-882, rules 2.514 and 2.516 of the Florida Rules of Judicial Administration were amended to eliminate the additional five days to respond following the service of a document by e-mail. Under amended rule 2.514(b), five days are added only where service is made by postal mail. To comp ..read more

As the COVID-19 pandemic has spread across America, the full economic damage came into sharp view, as unemployment claims and small business closures spiked nationwide. Our state, local, and community leaders are diligently responding to the urgent public health needs of our community. Now is also the time to plan and take the necessary steps to counter the economic fall-out of the COVID-19 recession and help get our economy back open and running as soon as it is safe. For our community leaders, getting this rapid response effort right is as important as what they are doing today. The pain of ..read more

Newly inducted president of the Florida Bar, Dori Foster-Morales sat down with Attorney at Law Magazine to talk about plans for the upcoming year and other issues impacting the legal community at large. A native of Miami Beach, Foster-Morales began her career at the United States Environmental Protection Agency where she worked both in Washington, DC and New York City. When she returned to her hometown, she worked as an assistant state attorney for the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office where she tried 65 cases to verdict. Board certified in marital and family law by the Florida Bar and by the ..read more

No one could have predicted the immediate devastation wrought by COVID-19. Our world was upended seemingly overnight, and we all are now left scrambling to understand the ever-shifting implications of this novel disease. Health concerns always remain priority number 1. It’s likely we know someone affected, directly or indirectly, by the pernicious symptoms of the Coronavirus or the worldwide economic shutdown. But with our attention focused on the health and welfare of those around us, it’s easy to forget about our own financial lives. Here are three strategies to ensure your investment portfo ..read more

Attorney at Law Magazine sat down with Judge Abby Cynamon, a Circuit Court Judge in the Civil Division of the 11th Judicial Circuit. She has spent more than a decade on the bench. AALM: How did you transition from attorney to judge? What advice do you have for attorneys considering the switch? Cynamon: After graduating from Barnard College with a bachelor’s degree and University of Miami School of Law with a Juris Doctor and an LL.M. in taxation, I was an assistant general counsel for the 11th Judicial Circuit, researching the law to help judges render rulings and decisions that followed the l ..read more

Are you planning to get a divorce this year? There are some changes to Florida alimony laws that you should know about.  As of January 1, 2019, some tax law changes were made in Florida state and federal laws that will affect divorce and alimony rules going forward. Alimony rules affect tax benefits Before January 1, 2019, if a couple got divorced in Florida, the alimony was handled as follows. The recipient of the alimony paid tax on it. The payer of the alimony could deduct tax on it.  As a result, both parties got to benefit. The spouse paying the alimony got to lower their taxes ..read more

THE EMERGENCY FUND Building financial security means sticking to a smart strategy and thinking ahead. Success comes from spending less than you earn, investing wisely, and protecting against unforeseen challenges. To be truly prepared you should probably have an emergency fund. The point of an emergency fund is to cover unexpected events that could put you into long-term debt. It may be tempting to invest this money. However, your emergency fund should be kept as cash/money market so that when you need it you don’t have to waste time selling shares or converting other assets (especially if it ..read more