Firm News & Notes Archives

Congratulations to Richard A. Harrison, Marian P. McCulloch, Cynthia A. Mikos and Gary Walker who were each named Florida Super Lawyers for 2010 by Super Lawyers magazine, with McCulloch named among the Top 50 Women in the state. Tabatha A. Liebert, Eliane I. Probasco and Amy D. Singer were each selected as Rising Stars.

Note Your Calendar - The 8th Annual Allen Dell holiday open house is scheduled for December 1, 2010. We look forward to seeing our clients, colleagues and friends for good food and fellowship.

October 7, 2009 - Richard A. Harrison, an expert in local government law, was interviewed by WFLA-TV News Channel 8 reporter Katie Coronado in connection with a report on the recent lawsuit involving Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin White. See the video.

Marian P. McCulloch and Cynthia A. Mikos were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2010. Ms. McCulloch in the field of Family Law and Ms. Mikos in the field of Health Law. (Copyright 2009 by Woodward/White, Inc., of Aiken, S.C.).

Richard A. Harrison testified as an expert witness on behalf of the City of Venice in the attorneys’ fees hearing in the case of Lorenzo v. City of Venice. The public records and sunshine litigation arose over the City's email practices and related matters. The Court’s order is here: http://www.heraldtribune.com/assets/pdf-/SH18289925.PDF.

Winning on Appeal: In the case of Moreland v. Agency for Persons With Disabilities, ___ So. 3d ___, 2009 WL 2602298 (Fla. 1 DCA August 21, 2009) the 1st DCA reversed the ALJ’s findings and held that a series of proposed rules promulgated by the Agency were invalid.

Cynthia A. Mikos appeared as amicus curiae on behalf of ARC of Florida, Hillsborough Achievement and Resources Center, Autism Society of America, Autism Society of Greater Florida, Florida’s Voice on Development Disabilities and Parent to Parent of Miami.

Winning on Appeal: In the case of Cox v. Cox, 10 So. 3d 180 (Fla. 2 DCA 2009), appealing a Second Amended Final Judgment of Dissolution of Marriage, the 2nd DCA affirmed the equitable distribution, reversed the alimony award and remanded for a redetermination of the need for and amount of alimony and for the recalculation of child support. Paula Louise Cox was represented in the appeal by Richard A. Harrison and Amy D. Singer.

Winning on Appeal: In the case of Harman v. State 12 So. 3d 898 (Fla. 2 DCA 2009), the 2nd DCA reversed the order denying Mr. Harman’s petition to expunge the records of criminal justice agencies and the official records of the lower court and remanded with directions for the trial court to reconsider the petition. Charles Harman was represented in the appeal by Richard A. Harrison.

Richard A. Harrison, Marian P. McCulloch, Cynthia A. Mikos and Gary Walker were each named Florida Super Lawyers for 2009 by Super Lawyers magazine. Only 5 percent of the total lawyers in the state are selected for inclusion in Super Lawyers.

Tabatha A. Liebert was selected by Super Lawyers magazine as one of their Florida Rising Stars for 2009. No more than 2.5 percent of the total lawyers in the state are named to the Rising Stars list.

Congratulations to Richard A. Harrison who was chosen as one of the Florida Legal Elite for 2009 by Florida Trend magazine. He has also received this prestigious honor in 2004, 2005 and 2006.

April 21, 2009 – Richard A. Harrison served as the moderator and a lecturer at the The Lorman Education Services seminar entitled "What You Need to Know About Public Records and Open Meetings" held in Tampa.

Richard A. Harrison continues to publish Partly Cloudy: Florida’s Sunshine and Public Records Laws, a blog devoted to discussion of the Florida Sunshine Law, the Florida Public Records Law and related cases and current events.

Congratulations to Marian P. McCulloch on being named by Tampa Bay Magazine as one of Tampa Bay’s Top Lawyers for 2008.

Marian P. McCulloch spoke at the Florida Bar Family Law Section’s 2009 Board Certification Review Course on Modifications of Alimony and Child Support, at Disney’s Grand Floridian, in Orlando. There were 912 attendees.

Richard A. Harrison was elected to the Executive Committee of the Board of Overseers for Stetson University College of Law. The Board of Overseers serves as an advisory board to the Dean of the College of Law on matters related to the program of legal education and financial development and management.

Marian P. McCulloch and Cynthia A. Mikos have each been named in the 2009 Best Lawyers in America.

The firm is pleased to announce that Cynthia A. Mikos joined Allen Dell, P.A., on June 30, 2008. Ms. Mikos has been practicing law for fifteen years and is board certified in health law by the Florida Bar. Her extensive legal experience in the area of health care is enhanced by her own clinical and managerial experiences as a former nurse and an executive of a Fortune 100 health care company.

Marian P. McCulloch, Gary Walker and Cynthia A. Mikos were each named Florida Super Lawyers for 2008 by Super Lawyers magazine. Only 5 percent of the total lawyers in the state are selected for inclusion in Super Lawyers.

Lisa Ferrara has obtained the designation of Florida Registered Paralegal, having fulfilled the requirements set forth by the Supreme Court of Florida. Lisa also serves on the Board of Directors for the Tampa Bay Paralegal Association.

Eliane I. Probasco was elected as the “Chair Elect” of the Marital and Family Law Section of the Hillsborough County Bar Association.

Gary Walker was elected Treasurer of the Hillsborough County Bar Association.

Melissa A. Mora was elected to the Board of Directors of the Young Lawyers Division of the Hillsborough County Bar Association.

Melissa A. Mora is a graduate of the Tampa Connection program Class of 2007-2008.

Amy D. Singer has been appointed to the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Grievance Committee to promote and maintain the high standards of The Florida Bar. Ms. Singer will be investigating complaints filed with The Florida Bar against attorneys practicing in the Thirteenth Circuit (Hillsborough County).

April 3, 2008 - Richard A. Harrison was the guest speaker at the National Honor Society induction ceremony at Blake High School in Tampa, Florida. His remarks to the sophomore, junior and senior inductees touched on the NHS membership criteria of scholarship, community service, character and leadership.

Marian P. McCulloch has been appointed co chair of the Collaborative Divorce Lawyers of Tampa Bay for the 2007-08 year. Marian is board certified in Marital & Family Law, and is a member of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals.

January 11, 2008 - Richard A. Harrison was elected Vice Chair of the Hillsborough County Land Use Appeals Board.

Gary Walker serves on the board of directors of Bay Area Legal Services, a local organization that provides civil legal services to low-income residents in Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Pasco Counties.

November 8, 2007 - Richard A. Harrison was interviewed by Fox 13 (WTVT) investigative reporter Doug Smith as part of an investigative series focusing on people who have had their photographs stolen from the internet and misused. See the interview.

October 1, 2007 - Marian P. McCulloch was selected by her peers for inclusion in the 25th anniversary edition of The Best Lawyers in America in the specialty of family law.

September 1, 2007 - Gary Walker was recently appointed to the national board of directors of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, a Washington, D.C. advocacy organization that has worked for nearly seventy years promoting religious liberty for all and upholding the principle of church-state separation.

Richard A. Harrison was elected to a second term on the Board of Overseers of Stetson University College of Law. The Board of Overseers advises the Dean of the College of Law on matters affecting the program of legal education and financial development and management.

August 1, 2007 - Richard A. Harrison was interviewed with his client, Lara Jade Coton, by Fox 13 (WTVT) news reporter Chris Chmura in connectioin with Ms. Coton's federal copyright infringement lawsuit against a Texas pornographic movie company that misappropriated a self portrait of Ms. Coton and used it as the cover of an adult DVD. See the video.

August 13, 2007 - Richard A. Harrison appeared with his client, Lara Jade Coton, on Live with Dan Abrams on MSNBC discussing Ms. Coton's federal copyright infringement lawsuit against a Texas pornographic movie company that misappropriated a self portrait of Ms. Coton and used it as the cover of an adult DVD. See the video.

April 11, 2007 - Richard A. Harrison spoke on the topic "When Are Private Entities Subject to Florida's Public Records Laws" at the Tampa, Florida seminar entitled "What You Need to Know About Public Records and Open Meetings" sponsored by Lorman Education Services.

Note Your Calendar - The 7th Annual Allen Dell holiday open house is scheduled for December 2, 2009. We look forward to seeing our clients, colleagues and friends for good food and fellowship.