Category Archives: Firm News

Law360 Ranks Roig Lawyers Second for Percentage of Minority Equity Partners

Law360 recently released its annual Diversity Snapshot, a legal industry report that provides insights into diversity statistics among law firms. This year’s report was especially anticipated given that many law firms in 2020 renewed their commitments to diversity and inclusion following a national reckoning with racial injustice.

While many firms have begun to implement new policies and practices that attempt to diversify law firm demographics, Law360’s report reflects that the industry’s efforts are moving at a slow pace, with some firms significantly outperforming others in advancing minority attorneys. To gauge this progress, Law360 took into account the minority headcounts of law firm professionals at varying levels of practice, including associates, nonequity partners, and equity partners.

Roig Lawyers tied for the second-highest representation of minority equity partnerships for firms with 100 attorneys or fewer with diverse attorneys representing 50% of its equity partnerships. This percentage was well above what Law360 found to be common among law firms as a whole, with many firms having less than 10% representation.

Roig Lawyers also scored well for other attorney tiers, with 41.7% minority representation among nonequity partners and 54.8% representation among associates.

You can read more about Law360’s Diversity Snapshot report, including its methodology, here.

Filed under Firm News

Roig Lawyers Expands Appellate Department by Welcoming Jeffrey Geldens

There are many factors a lawyer considers when making the leap to a new firm. For Roig Lawyer’s newest member of its Appellate Practice Group, the choice heavily relied on the firm’s unique culture and commitment to its values.

“People who work here stay here for years. There’s a sense of loyalty,” said Jeffrey Geldens, the firm’s newly hired Senior Associate of its Appellate Practice Group.

Geldens was encouraged to join Roig by the head of the firm’s Miami office Nelson Bellido, who had worked with Geldens at another firm.

“Jeff came back to work with me after working with me at a previous firm, where we had a good experience,” Bellido said. “He came from the Third District Court of Appeal, recommended to me by Judge Leslie Rothenberg, who said he was outstanding.”

Geldens has dedicated over a decade of his career to appellate, including seven years’ experience in appeals for the Florida Attorney General’s Office. He joins Roig’s Appellate Practice Group Co-chair’s Veresa Jones Adams and Abbi Freifeld Carr to complete a team with extensive experience serving Fortune 500 companies in litigation at every level of the court system. To read a Q&A with Geldens, click here.

The Firm’s Clientele

Adams and Carr have extensive experience handling commercial litigation at the trial and appellate levels for high-end, blue chip companies and insurers.

For example, in her 15 years of practice, Adams has represented the world’s largest pharmaceutical, retail, rideshare, automotive, medical, and insurance companies. She has worked on large and complex multidistrict litigation, including hormone replacement, tobacco, asbestos, and airbag cases.

Attorneys at Roig enter litigation with a focus on preserving the record for potential appeals, providing full service through the entire court process. For instance, Adams represents one of the largest hospital employers in the country. In one matter, an EMS driver got into a physical altercation with a patient who sued the hospital. Questions in trial revolved around whether the patient should undergo a mental health evaluation. A trial judge awarded the evaluation, and the patient appealed to the Fourth District Court of Appeal. Adams briefed the issue, and the court affirmed, leading the plaintiff to drop the case.

The firm has also seen significant success with proposals for settlement in Florida, winning briefings on the issue, including clarification of law in the Second District Court of Appeal.

Value for Clients and Valuing the Community

Two differentiating factors separate Roig from other firms. It’s the largest minority-owned law firm in Florida, and it focuses on providing value for clients at the appellate level.

“We’re very successful and very reasonable,” Bellido said. “Most attorneys are looking to make a buck, saying let’s file briefs on appeal. We say, ‘Here’s an opportunity. If we won and there’s an appeal on the other side, maybe we can resolve the issue by picking up the phone so we don’t have to spend more money arguing the appeal.’ And we don’t charge the kind of rates big law appellate lawyers charge. We don’t take that approach. We’re trying to provide value for our clients. When you do good work and provide value, clients stay with you, and they refer you to others. That’s our approach to business.”

Companies seeking to hire a minority-owned law firm choose Roig for its excellence, value, and sincere commitment to community service through pro bono work, volunteerism, and support of causes.

An emphasis on diversity arises out of intentionality around culture, within the firm and in the community.

“Here you’re dealing with people with good hearts, and it really makes the difference in how they manage, operate, and run the firm,” Geldens said. “They are good at making sure people are fulfilled, not just in the practice itself, which makes for better and happier attorneys.”

Filed under Firm News

No Need to Reschedule – Keep Your Claims Moving and GO VIRTUAL!

We Are Able to Facilitate Virtual Examinations Under Oath, Hearings and Depositions!

Don’t cancel! Go virtual!

Recorded statements are not your only choice for presuit investigations and litigation (consent from all parties required). We can facilitate virtual Examinations Under Oath, hearings and depositions.

At this time, the claim investigation deadlines remain under each policy of insurance and under Florida Statutes.

Courthouses have limited operations and are shifting to electronic hearings and suspending jury trials. Our essential services remain uninterrupted. We are handling files via remote technological platforms (videoconference or teleconference) to eliminate the need for people to gather or come in and out of the courthouse.

There may be a small additional cost of $75 – $500.

Please review the Florida Supreme Court Administrative Order for Administering Oaths via Remote Audio-Video Communications Equipment. It orders the following:

  • Notaries and other persons qualified to administer an oath in the State of Florida may swear a witness remotely by audio-video communication technology from a location within the State of Florida, provided they can positively identify the witness; and
  • If a witness is not located within the State of Florida, a witness may consent to being put on oath via audio-video communication technology by a person qualified to administer an oath in the State of Florida; and
  • All rules of procedure, court orders, and opinions applicable to remote testimony, depositions, and other legal testimony, including the attestation of family law forms, that can be read to limit or prohibit the use of audio-video communications equipment to administer oaths remotely or to witness the attestation of family law forms, are hereby suspended, and will remain suspended until the expiration of the provisions of paragraph five in In Re: COVID-19 Emergency Procedures in the Florida State Courts, Fla. Admin. Order No. AOSC20-13 (March 13, 2020), and any orders extending AOSC20-13.

Our vendors can assist in capturing your presuit and litigation needs via smartphone or laptop. Equipment rental services are available as well.

Capabilities of these virtual services include swearing-in, taking testimony, taking screenshots of evidence and documents, the pickup of documents and evidence by the vendor. They can organize exhibits into handy PDF files, hyperlinked, OCR’d and searchable by keyword making them easily accessible from any computer, tablet, or mobile device.

During depositions, files can be synchronized to the transcript, electronic documents can be displayed to witnesses, and mouse movements and keystrokes can be recorded on the computer in realtime.

Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns at info@roiglawyers.com.php73-37.phx1-1.websitetestlink.com or call us at 1-855-ROIGLAW (1-855-764-4529).

YOUR LAW FIRM IS HERE FOR YOU!

Filed under Firm News

ROIG LAWYERS REMAINS OPEN AND CAUTIOUS THROUGH THE COVID-19 CRISIS

To our valued clients, partners, & community members:

As COVID-19 continues to affect the global community, we would like to assure you that Roig Lawyers remains fully operational. We are taking preventative measures to ensure the safety of our employees while continuing to provide services without disruption to our clients.

We want to update you on the steps we have taken to ensure business continuity for all our clients as well as the action we are taking to slow the transmission of COVID-19 for the health of our employees, our communities, and society as a whole.

Business Continuity Plan: We have a comprehensive Business Continuity Plan in place to ensure you will continue to have access to the resources and services you require. These plans were developed to cover any contingency that might interrupt day-to-day business, and have been updated to account for new challenges caused by COVID-19.

Remote Workforce: Our attorneys and professional staff are equipped to work remotely, and have been encouraged to do so as a precaution. Effective today, we are ensuring the remainder of our support staff will also be able to work remotely without interruption. This is a normal work practice for Roig Lawyers, and you will see no change in our ability to maintain the level of service you are accustomed to.

Travel Restrictions: We have instructed employees to leverage technology and conduct internal and external meetings virtually as much as possible. We have asked our employees to reschedule all non-essential travel plans and events, and we will continue to update our staff and workspaces with the latest health and wellness practices and tips provided by the United States Center for Disease Control.

Client Guidelines and Expectations: We are continuously updating our Business Continuity Plan according to our clients’ instructions and expectations of their vendors and outside counsel. We are meeting the expectations to minimize business interruption but also protect the health and safety of our employees and our clients.

This is an unprecedented time for everyone, and the situation is changing daily. We are committed to maintaining our business operations and ensuring you continue to receive the highest quality service from us, regardless of our ability to access our offices in this unlikely occurrence.

We are fortunate that we can make these changes with no business disruption. Our hearts and thoughts go out to the people who have been affected by this unprecedented event and we appreciate the healthcare workers, local communities, and governments around the world who are on the front line working to contain this coronavirus. We will continue to actively monitor the situation and share updates as needed. Please stay safe and thank you for your continued trust in us.

Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns at info@roiglawyers.com.php73-37.phx1-1.websitetestlink.com or call us at 1-855-ROIGLAW (1-855-764-4529).

Filed under Firm News

Nelson Bellido Elected to Board of Directors of NAMWOLF

Nelson - NAMWOLF

Roig Lawyers is proud to announce that Nelson C. Bellido, Managing Partner of its Miami office, has been elected to the Board of Directors of the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF).

Nelson is also the Co-Chair of the Trial Practice Area Committee. He has served on the Financial Services Practice Area Committee and Development Committee in the past.

About NAMWOLF
The National Association of Minority & Women Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF), founded in 2001, is a nonprofit trade association comprised of minority and women owned law firms and other interested parties throughout the United States.

Filed under Firm News

Roig Lawyers Complimentary Webinar – Insurance Bad Faith 101

We are pleased to announce our first CE Webinar for 2020!

Bad Faith 101 SM

Tampa attorneys Amanda Kidd and Stephanie McQueen-Zehm will present “Insurance Bad Faith 101” on Wednesday, February 12th, at 1:00 pm.  This course will provide an introduction to insurance bad faith claims and more.

This CE is approved for 1 credit for Florida adjusters.

REGISTER NOW!

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Insurance and Tort Case Law Update Published in Trial Advocate

Check out the Insurance and Tort Case Law Update by Tampa Partner, Miguel Roura and John Miller (Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt, P.A.) published in FDLA’s Trial Advocate.

TA 2019 Vol 38 No 3 - web

The Insurance and Tort Case Law Update was originally presented by Miguel and John at the 2019 Florida Liability Claims Conference.

Click here for FDLA’s Trial Advocate.

 

Filed under Firm News, Personal Injury Protection (PIP)

Roig Lawyers Complimentary Webinar – Injections Don’t Need To Be Painful

Injections SM - 5

We are pleased to announce a webinar perfect for October, “Injections Don’t Have to be Painful” presented by Orlando Managing Partner Scharome Wolfe. The webinar will take place on Tuesday, October 29th at 1:00 pm. This course explores the use of injections by pain management physicians and their teams.

This CE is approved for 1 credit for Florida adjusters.

REGISTER NOW!

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Looking Forward to the 2019 NAMWOLF Annual Meeting & Law Firm Expo!

My Post (12)

The NAMWOLF Annual Meeting & Law Firm Expo is a three-day conference providing unique opportunities to connect corporate counsel from Fortune 1000 companies and minority and women-owned law firms. The conference features NAMWOLF’s signature event, the Law Firm Expo, which provides an opportunity for In-House Counsel to meet with the Nation’s top minority and women-owned law firms in a relaxed networking environment.

Click here for more information.

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Two Roig Partners Recognized by The Best Lawyers in America©

Roig Lawyers is proud to announce that two of our partners have been selected by their peers for inclusion in the 2020 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

Congratulations to Nelson C. Bellido, Managing Partner of Miami Office and our Tampa Partner Peter S. Nayrouz on being recognized for Insurance Litigation three years in a row!

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