Legal, Professional Services & Banking

Everyone has been duped into spending extra money when on vacation.  The nickel and diming begins even before the trip, from the moment you book a plan ticket online. 

Andrew C. Hall, founding partner at Miami-based law firm Hall, Lamb & Hall, was literally born into the Holocaust in Warsaw, Poland in 1944. Yesterday was Yom Ha’Shoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day, a day for the entire nation to honor those who were lost in one of the worst genocides in history. Andy remembers not just one day a year, but every day.

The real estate crash has affected numerous businesses sectors, many of which are still dealing with the consequences of an overleveraged real estate market. Mortgage originators in particular have been confronted with “repurchase” demands by the entities to which they sold loans in prior years – primarily major banks and Government-Sponsored Entities (GSEs), including Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. What does this mean for the financial sector and broader economy? One law firm that works with loan originators at the heart of the issue is sharing its perspective via a new blog.

Bilzin Sumberg partner Robert Siegel talks to Bloomberg about Freddie Mac's increased vigilance in dealing with  vintage loans. Siegel is actively involved in the mortgage meltdown, representing loan originators being sued by the large banks to take back faulty mortgages.

According to a recent study by Jones Lang LaSalle, Miami ranks #3 worldwide for percentage of office space occupied by law firms.

On the heels of FL Governor Charlie Crist's remarks that he is considering a posthumous pardon of The Doors front man Jim Morrison on his conviction for indecent exposure and profanity, we approached the New York Times and offered an exclusive interview with attorney Robert Josefsberg, a commercial and criminal litigation lawyer and partner at Podhurst Orseck, P.A. Bob was Morrison’s defense co-counsel in the infamous 1970 trial and helped get the rocker acquitted of more serious charges of drunkenness and lewd and lascivious behavior. The piece, which appeared in the NY Time’s “Arts Beat” blog, is below.

 Suzanne Amaducci-Adams, one of Miami's cop commercial real estate professionals and president of professional association CREW-Miami (Commercial Real Estate Women), is featured as one of the top “10 Outstanding Women for 2010” as recognized by National Real Estate Investor magazine, the foremost real estate trade publication covering both the commercial and multi-family sectors. 

Born in 1944 on the floor of a coal cellar in Poland where his Jewish parents hid from the Nazis, Andrew Hall was only three pounds when he was born. His family ultimately escaped to Krakow through the sewer system, and after a harrowing journey across multiple borders, made it to the United States. According to Hall, the only thing that kept his family alive was the acts of a heroic person willing to risk their own life to rescue another. It is with that knowledge and gratitude that Hall has never been able to walk away from a victim reaching out their hand in need.

Today's technological age means people can work anywhere, anytime, but this convenience comes with a price for business owners: distracted drivers who hurt or kill someone expose their employer to potential liabilities for their mistake.