The
fourth annual Tallahassee workers’ compensation seminar will be February 8,
2013 in the general purpose room of the First District Court at 2000
Drayton Drive. Tallahassee, Florida.
This program would not be possible without the support of the Workers' Compensation Institute. Our thanks to James McConnaughhay, David Parrish, Steve Rissman, Gerald Rosenthal and all the Institute leadership and staff that makes this even possible.
The
agenda is packed with workers’ compensation information critical to the
adjuster, risk manager or attorney. There will be a judicial panel addressing
ethical issues confronting workers’ compensation. Moderator Christopher Smith
(Tampa) will guide judges Beck (Sarasota), Lazzara (Tallahassee) and Lewis (Ft.
Lauderdale) through a variety of ethical concerns. This panel will be recorded,
and rebroadcast throughout the state at noon on February 8, via the OJCC
videoteleconference system. Program rebroadcast locations include Miami, Ft.
Myers, Port St. Lucie, Orlando and Tampa.
The
program includes a segment presented by Randall Porche, and the workers’
compensation unit, focused on the art of writing a persuasive appellate brief.
Attorneys and parties will gain a better understanding of the effort and
organization that go into preparing a brief that says enough, does not say too
much, and is organized so that it is comprehensive, informative, and
persuasive.
A
mediation panel including Susan Bisbee (Tallahassee), Alan Gordon
(Jacksonville), and Jake Schickel (Jacksonville) will address issues
confronting the mediation process. They will explore the conflicts between
early defense expenditures that may decrease the funds available for settlement
versus the difficulty of negotiating a settlement on incomplete and imperfect
information. The necessity and reality of a complete settlement agreement, and
the downside risk of that motion to compel settlement that results from poor
draftsmanship will also be explored.
The
afternoon portion of the program will begin with another judicial panel
moderated by Steve Coonrod (Tallahassee). He will navigate Judges Condry
(Orlando), Medina-Shore (Miami) and Sojourner (Lakeland) through a variety of
issues including the new procedural rules, effective drafting and pleading, and
tips and tricks or effective advocacy generally.
An
attorney panel will follow, moderated by Jake Schickel (Jacksonville). He will
be joined by panelists Christopher Smith (Tampa), Kimberly Syfrett (Panama
City), Steve Coonrod (Talahassee) and Amy Warpinski (Jacksonville).
This geographically diverse panel of exceptionally expereicned attorneys brings
perspectives from the injured worker, the employer/carrier, and the in-house
counsel for the defense. Their focus will share a wide array of challenges
faced by the litigators in the system. Reference will be made to various recent
court decisions and the new procedural rules.
The
program will conclude with an all-star panel on appellate law and its
interaction with the trial bench. Judges Lazzara (Tallahassee), Ervin
(Tallahassee, First District Court of Appeal, retired) and Wetherell
(Tallahassee, First District Court of Appeal) will provide an overview of the
interaction between trial and appellate bench. They will address issues
including the preparation and filing of the appellate record, the process for
dealing with appellate exhibits that cannot be e-filed, the issuance of
appellate decisions and how the trial judge and parties should proceed
following an order from the court or issuance of a mandate.
The agenda is full, and the program participants will enjoy the
wit and wisdom of some of the most knowledgeable workers’ compensation system
participants from around the state. This program brings an exceptional level of
geographic diversity to Tallahassee for an unparalleled program.
The registration form is on page 24 of the December WCI360 newsletter (www.wci360.com). Register early, space is limited!