Mary Hladky

November 04, 1999 | Law.com

Florida's war over sweeping changes in the civil justice system will soon move onto a new battleground, and combatants are already suited up. Opponents of the massive lawsuit limitation package passed by the state legislature earlier this year, led by the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers, plan to file their long-expected suit challenging the constitutionality of the so-called tort reforms in the next month. Both sides signed up some of the state's most highly regarded lawyers to wage the fight.

By Mary Hladky

4 minute read

December 02, 1999 | Law.com

To some criminal defense lawyers, the government's pursuit of Miami lawyer Frank Quintero Jr. on money laundering charges is a prime example of the federal assault on lawyers who represent accused drug dealers. At the end of his second trial in five years, Quintero walked out of the Miami federal courthouse a free man after jurors acquitted him on six counts. The outcome marks the end of a five-year investigation that included four indictments, two trials, and all but destroyed Quintero's law practice.

By Mary Hladky

3 minute read

September 03, 1999 | Law.com

Florida lawyers are taking the lead in deciding just how the ABA's multidisciplinary debate will be framed. For now, it's go slow. It was the Florida Bar's idea to hold off on voting until lawyers have more time to study the issue. But that doesn't mean they are ignoring it. The vote on Aug. 10 in Atlanta means that lawyers have fundamental differences of opinion on what has already shaped up to be a defining moment for the profession as it decides what the legal practice will be in the next millennium.

By Mary Hladky

5 minute read

November 18, 1999 | Law.com

A Miami-Dade legal team marched into court to convince Circuit Judge Amy Dean that the county should be allowed to sue gunmakers to recover the money it has spent on police, ambulances and other services associated with gun violence. Dean immediately told the lead lawyer for the county that she had "problems" with the suit. Chief among them: There is little, if any, precedent allowing a government to file such an action on behalf of citizens.

By Mary Hladky

4 minute read

December 16, 1999 | Law.com

Undaunted by a judge's dismissal of their suit against gun makers, Miami-Dade officials are pressing ahead in local courts and Washington, D.C. "It does not deter from our efforts to compel the gun industry to design safer guns and change their negligent marketing efforts," said one city official. Judge Amy Dean's ruling shot down every argument brought by the county on why it should be allowed to recover from gun makers the money it has spent on services associated with gun violence.

By Mary Hladky

4 minute read

December 29, 1999 | Law.com

When American Airlines recently admitted violating federal laws and agreed to pay an $8 million fine, the action wasn't prompted by the Federal Aviation Administration. The outcome was part of a rare criminal case brought by South Florida's U.S. attorney's office against the country's number two airline. The move marked a new focus for the office, which in some ways is moving into a role historically preserved for the FAA that of airline safety regulator.

By Mary Hladky

7 minute read

February 04, 2000 | Law.com

Six months after the Florida Bar persuaded the ABA to delay deciding just what stand it should take on allowing multidisciplinary practices, a bar committee studying the issue produced only two reports that reach opposite conclusions. The committee's co-chairmen created yet another group to reach a consensus in the next few months. The Florida Bar wants recommendations before the ABA considers the matter again.

By Mary Hladky

5 minute read

November 03, 1999 | Law.com

By Mary Hladky

4 minute read

February 22, 2000 | Law.com

As Florida's top arbiter of laws, the Florida Supreme Court is perpetually in the hot seat. But now, the court is facing more than routine post-decision criticism from the losing side. The court is under attack as a result of decisions it has made on one of the most contentious issues in the state: the death penalty. The backlash is so strong among the state's conservative lawmakers -- not the least of which is Gov. Jeb Bush -- that the court's independence is threatened.

By Mary Hladky

12 minute read

February 22, 2000 | Law.com

By Mary Hladky

6 minute read