Florida Injury Lawyers Blawg

Despite the economic downtown and reports that many clients are demanding reduced and discounted rates, the rates of the top billing attorneys in South Florida continues to rise, according to the Miami Daily Review. More partners are charging more than $500.00 per hour, with Mark Bloom of Greenberg Traurig charging the highest reported rate at $765.00 per hour. The Review also reports that industry experts report that alternative pay arrangements to hourly billing are becoming more common. The Review's study was not comprehensive finding much of their information from the bankruptcy court which requires attorneys to disclose their billing arrangements through fee applications.

The U.S. Supreme Court began their latest term with the recently appointed Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Many await to see her impact on the upcoming cases regarding restrictions imposed by the Fair Debt Collections Act regarding proper notices of foreclosures, whether a whistleblower in Federal Court can base his/her knowledge on State and local reports, whether the Federal Arbitration Act permits class action arbitration when the arbitration clauses are silent on that issue, whether a Court can enhance an attorney's fee award based on exceptional legal work, whether a handgun ordinance prohibiting guns within the city limits of Chicago is Constitutional, and whether minors can be sentenced to life improsenment.