Inside This Issue
President’s Message Front Cover
Upcoming Webinars Page 2
Upcoming Events Page 2
Florida Chapter Retreat Page 3
Annual Meeting Page 3
Florida Summer 2014 Retreat Information Page 4
Photos—Midyear Meeting Page 6
Photos—36th Annual Institute Page 7
Lewis Kapner by John F. Schutz Page 11
Welcome New Member & Member Announcements Page 12
Kudos and Tidbits Page 12
In Memoriam—A Final Farewell to Melvyn Frumkes by Andrew Leinhoff Page 13 Academy Foundation –Lifetime Members Page 15
2014-2015 Committees Page 16
The Lighthouse
President’s Message
Dear Fellows,
This year will be exciting for the AAML Florida Chapter. It will give us many opportunities to enhance our practices as well as our fellowship.
I look forward to seeing most of you at our annual Chapter Retreat, July 24-26, 2014 in Vail Village, Colorado. We will have a great time in this outdoor mountain paradise, and it is not too late to register! See the announcement in this issue or visit aamlflorida.org for more information or to register.
The Annual Meeting of the AAML is in Chicago, November 5-9, 2014 in Chicago at the J.W. Marriott. Attendance by
Florida fellows has been meager in the last few years. As you know, we are one of the larger and most influential chapters in the AAML. Our chapter lunch will be on Wednesday at Harry Caray’s Steakhouse, a Chicago landmark. We really need to see some new faces in Chicago this year. The CLE, food and collegiality are excellent. Did I mention the food? Go to aaml.org and login for more info.
Tom Sasser, Peter Gladstone, Susan Stafford and the Institute Committee deserve much thanks for the fantastic job they did this past May. Reviews and comments have been very positive. Jonathan Root and his Committee are working hard to plan a very exciting and innovative Annual Institute which will occur during April, 2015. Following a recommendation of the Long Range Planning Committee, we will be once again returning to the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay, our ancestral home. Look for a more advanced, cutting edge and practical curriculum this year.
Financially, our Chapter is doing well. Our leaders in the past several years have taken important steps to secure our financial viability, and we owe them gratitude. The Institute is once again generating good income, and our partnership with the Family Law Section of The Florida Bar on the Certification Review seminar is also paying dividends. I thank our partners in the Section for their hard work and dedication. I am hopeful that financial stability will allow us to offer enhanced programs to our Fellowship, and to allow us to make contributions that will benefit the practice of family law and families in our state.
As I stated in our annual meeting, I strongly believe that we have been blessed with the opportunity to be members of our profession. I also believe that our contributions to society, both on the legal level and as benefactors for various worthy causes in our communities go vastly unrecognized. This is something that I would like to see us work on in the coming year. Along those lines, I would suggest you that the Florida Fellows are underrepresented in the membership of our organization’s charitable arm, the AAML Foundation. Since our meeting this past May, the Foundation has six new Florida members. While this is progress, it is not enough. If you are not already a member, we will be contacting you shortly. As Richard West stated, there is no reason why our chapter should not be the first to have 100% membership in the foundation.
Again, we look forward to a great year. I am greatly honored by the opportunity you have given me to lead the AAML’s best Chapter.
Cheers, Jorge
July 2014 Volume 10, Issue 2
President Jorge Cestero
President-Elect
Charles Fox Miller
Vice President Natalie Lemos
Treasurer Peter Gladstone
Secretary Jonathan Root
Immediate Past President Thomas Sasser
Managers Robert Sidweber Jack Long N. Diane Holmes Mitch Karpf Thomas Duggar Jackie Valdespino Dori Foster-Morales John Schutz Mark Sessums
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AAML, Florida Chapter 3046 Hawks Glen Tallahassee, FL 32312 www.aamlflorida.org 850-668-0614 Executive Director Susan D. Stafford [email protected]
The Lighthouse N. Diane Holmes, Editor
Please consider the environment before printing this newsletter
Upcoming Events
July 24 - 27, 2014—Florida Chapter AAML Retreat Vail Village, Colorado
November 5 - 8, 2014—AAML Annual Meeting JW Marriott Hotel, Chicago, IL
January 30 - 31, 2015—Marital & Family Law Review Course Hilton Bonnet Creek, Orlando, FL March 8 - 13, 2015—AAML Midyear Meeting The Westin Playa, Bonita Panama, Panama
May 1 - 2, 2015—37th Annual Institute Grand Hyatt, Tampa Bay, FL
November 4 - 7, 2015—AAML Annual Meeting Renaissance Chicago Downtown, Chicago, IL
UPCOMING WEBINARS
August 28, 2014—11:45 a.m.
It Needs to be Served Where?
October 9, 2014—11:45 a.m.
For the Love of Money: Prenuptial Agreements from A to Z!
November 21, 2014—11:45 a.m.
Competency in Family Law: Helping the Clients Who Cannot Help Themselves
Log onto www.AAMLFlorida.org for more details.
Florida Chapter AAML Retreat July 24—27 , 2014 Sonnenalp Hotel Vail Village, Colorado Please call 1-866-284-4411 and reference AAML to receive our special rates: junior suite (not 1 bedroom) is $199 per night and 2 bedroom suite is $379 per night.
See additional information on next two pages.
AAML Annual Meeting
November 5—8 , 2014 J.W. Marriott Hotel Chicago, Illinois Register at www.AAML.Florida.org. Additional information will follow.
Florida Chapter Lunch
November 5, 2014, 12:30 p.m. Harry Caray’s Italian Steakhouse Chicago, Illinois
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Our Fearless Leader.
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AAML Midyear Meeting Cancun, Mexico March 3-7, 2014
View from Caroline’s Room
Our Fearless Leader.
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36th Annual Institute Tampa, FL May 2-3, 2014
Our Fearless Leader.
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36th Annual Institute Tampa, FL May 2-3, 2014
Our Fearless Leader.
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36th Annual Institute Tampa, FL May 2-3, 2014
Our Fearless Leader.
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36th Annual Institute Tampa, FL May 2-3, 2014
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LEWIS KAPNER
By: John F. Schutz
We know Lewis Kapner as an exemplary lawyer
demonstrating the highest integrity. Before attending law
school, Lewis served as a lance corporal in United State Marine
Corps. Early in his career, Lewis practiced law with his brother,
Norman. But just five years after becoming a member of The
Florida Bar, Lewis was appointed a judge of the Juvenile and
Domestic Relations Court in 1967 and Palm Beach County
Circuit Court Judge in 1972 where he presided until 1984. He
served as Chief Judge from 1981-1983. After his 17 years as a
trial judge, Lewis went into private practice, eventually
founding Kapner & Kapner, P.A., a family law firm wherein he
practices with his daughter, Allison.
Lewis and his lovely wife, Dawn, celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary this year. They are the
parents of four children, two of whom live in Boston, one who lives in Jerusalem, and Allison practices law
with Lewis. Dawn and Lewis have nine grandchildren- five in Israel and four in Boston.
As a judge, Lewis was intelligent, open, humble and sensible; the same genuine qualities he
displays in his practice. He is so intelligent; in fact, he is a member of Mensa, The International High IQ
Society. As judge and lawyer, Lewis has significantly contributed to Florida family law and to the
professionalism of all attorneys.
Lewis and his brother, Norman, were born in West Palm Beach in 1937 and 1934 respectively, when
the population of the city was less than 30,000. Lewis’s father was an immigrant from the Austro-
Hungary Empire to West Palm Beach during the Florida land boom of the 1920s. Lewis’s mother also
came to Florida to manage a department in the newly opened Saks Fifth Ave. in Palm Beach. Later Lewis’s
parents opened a gourmet food market they ran together until the 1950’s, when they transitioned into a
successful career in real estate.
Lewis’s passion, other than his family and the law, is theatre. In college, Lewis minored in theatre.
During high school, Lewis appeared on stage with Charlton Heston, Paul Douglas and Jan Sterling.
Admittedly, his acting career was all-downhill from that point. Nevertheless, the passion remains and
spans decades. He has played the role of Inspector Clouseau in “A Shot in the Dark”, (Pink Panther), Doc
in “Come Back Little Sheba,” and Bishop Cauchon, the judge who pronounced the death sentence in “St.
Joan.” Lewis has also played supporting roles in operas with the Civil Opera of the Palm Beaches.
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WELCOME NEW MEMBER
Shannon L Novey became a fellow of the AAML in March 2014. Shannon received
her undergraduate degree from Florida State University in 1991 and her Juris
Doctorate from Florida State University in 1999. Shannon became a member of The
Florida Bar in 1999 and a member of the District of Columbia Bar in 2002. In 2012, she qualified with The
Florida Bar as a board certified marital and family lawyer.
Shannon’s husband, Joe Williams, is a teacher and the administrator of Tallahassee’s only International
Baccalaureate program. They have two children: Ruby (age 10) and Judah (age 6), plus a slightly neurotic
standard poodle named Coco.
Shannon and her husband both grew up in Tallahassee. She took a year long break in college and spent it in
Israel on a program called Otzma where she worked on a kibbutz, learned Hebrew and traveled.
To learn more about Shannon L. Novey and the Novey Law firm, visit the website at www.noveylaw.com.
MEMBER ANNOUNCMENTS
Members, if your office has moved or you have gained associates/shareholders, please share the information with
your fellow members. Email the editor, N. Diane Holmes, at [email protected].
Shannon L. Novey
Novey Law
851 East Park Avenue
Tallahassee, Florida 32301-2620
Telephone: (850) 224-4000
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.noveylaw.com
KUDOS AND TIDBITS
Fellows please keep us informed about happenings in your lives. Contact N. Diane Holmes at (407) 843-1744 or by email at [email protected].
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IN MEMORIAM
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ACADEMY FOUNDATION—LIFETIME MEMBERS
Edna Y. Elliott Tampa, FL
Marsha B. Elser Miami, FL
Dori Foster-Morales Miami, FL
James T. Friedman Islamorada, FL
Melvyn B. Frumkes (Deceased) Miami, FL
Cynthia L. Greene Miami, FL
Martin L. Haines, III North Palm Beach, FL
Judith Hodor Miami, FL
N. Diane Holmes Orlando, FL
Lewis Kapner West Palm Beach, FL
Mitchell K. Karpf Weston, FL
Ann Loughridge Kerr Clearwater, FL
Miriam E. Mason Tampa, FL
Donald J. Sasser West Palm Beach, FL
Stephen W. Sessums Tampa, FL
Roberta G. Stanley Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Richard D. West Orlando, FL
Highlighted names are new Lifetime Members since the last publication. If you are a Lifetime Member
that has not been listed here, please contact the editor, N. Diane Holmes, at: [email protected].
Mark A. Sessums Sebring, FL
Ashley McCorvey Myers Tampa, FL
Jorge M. Cestero West Palm Beach, FL
Lawrence C. Datz Jacksonville, FL
Melinda P. Gamot Palm Beach Gardens, FL
Peter L. Gladstone Boca Raton, FL
Natalie S. Lemos South Miami, FL
John E. Long, Jr. Naples, FL
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2014 — 2015 Committees
AMICUS: Cynthia Greene (Chair).
CHARITABLE GIVING: Elaine Duggar (Chair);
Stann Givens; Richard West.
CERTIFICATION REVIEW: Jorge Cestero
(Chair).
INSTITUTE: Jonathan Root (Chair); Mark Sessums;
John Schutz.
JURIST OF THE YEAR: Carmen Gillett (Chair);
Gordon Brydger; Lawrence Datz; N. Diane Holmes.
LEGISLATION: Kristin Adamson (Co-Chair);
Thomas Duggar (Co-Chair); Jack Long; David Manz;
Ashley Myers; Shannon Novey; Mark Sessums;
Caroline Black Sikorske.
FUTURE OF THE INSTITUTE: Jerome Novey
(Chair); Dori Foster-Morales; Elliott Zisser; Natalie
Lemos; Jonathan Root; John Schutz; Richard West;
Jesse Bennett; Mark Sessums; Elisha Roy.
NEW MEMBER RECRUITING: Roberta Stanley
(Co-Chair); Thomas Sasser (Co-Chair); Natalie
Lemos; Reuben Doupe; Stann Givens; Richard West;
Mark Sessums; Lawrence Datz; Elliott Zisser; Dori
Foster-Morales; Shannon Novey.
NEWSLETTER: N. Diane Holmes (Chair); Carmen
Gillett; Caroline Black Sikorske; Ashley Myers.
NOMINATING: Charles Fox Miller (Chair); Stann
Givens; N. Diane Holmes; Natalie Lemos; Richard
West.
BOARD OF EXAMINERS: Charles Fox Miller
(Chair); Mark Sessums; Robert Sidweber; Elaine
Duggar; David Manz; Mitch Karpf, Jesse Bennett;
John Schutz (Alternate 1); Jonathan Root (Alternate 2);
Kristin Adamson (Alternate 3).
WEBINAR: Mitch Karpf (Chair); Reuben Doupe;
Ashley Myers; Maria Gonzalez; Carmen Gillett.