The Palm Beach County Bar Association has 36 committees. Members are appointed to these committees each spring by the incoming President and their terms run from July 1 - June 30. New members can be appointed throughout the year. Click here to sign up for a committee.

2011- 2012 Committee Chairs

Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee
Co-Chairs: W. Jay Hunston, Jr. (772) 223-5503 and Amber E.B. McMichael 653-3810
Promotes the use of ADR to lawyers, businesses and the public by sponsoring programs which enhance ADR skills.

Blood Bank Committee
Chair: Roger C. Hurd 627-1534
Coordinates our blood bank drives with the Palm Beach Blood Bank.

Client Relations Committee
Chair: Tina Talarchyk 472-2121
Handles minor complaints from clients, mediates informally in an effort to assist clients, and works to avoid grievances against attorneys and promote better public relations

Committee for Diversity and Inclusion
Co-chairs: Rosalyn Sia Baker-Barnes 686-6300 and Laurie S. Cohen 241-1600
P romotes principles of diversity and inclusion as set out in the Corporation’s Anti-Discrimination Policy; and implements or continues programs designed to increase the diversity of the Corporation’s membership and the local legal community.

Corporate Counsel Committee
Chair: Derek Brown 686-8800
Focuses on solutions to corporate law and practice issues through an exchange of ideas between in-house and outside counsel representing companies. Membership will seek to be balanced between in-house and outside counsel. The committee may explore methods of controlling the cost of corporate litigation through innovative billing and budgeting techniques, imaginative litigation management methods, alternatives to litigation, and corporate compliance.

Elder Law Affairs Committee
Chair: Seth Marmor 477-7800
Addresses the needs of the elderly such as crimes against the elderly, Alzheimer's, access to the Courts and educating the elderly. Also sponsors two CLE seminars for members of the Bar on elder law issues.

Guardianship Education Committee
Co-Chairs: Rebecca Doane 656-0200 and Sheri Hazeltine 243-4655
Staffs guardianship education classes required for all wards to attend. The committee also works with the judiciary by reviewing the contents of the classes.

Judicial Relations Committee
Co-Chairs: Lawrence P. Rochefort 653-5000 and Nicole Atkinson 655-1980
Serves as liaison between the Bar and the Judiciary; it plans, implements and coordinates programs for better relations between the Bench and Bar, including the annual Bench Bar Conference, Judicial Lunch seminar series, judicial relations spokespersons who conduct in person meetings with the judges, and the bi-annual judicial evaluations administered by the PBCBA.

Law Related Education Committee
Chair: Kalinthia Dillard 434-8748

Law Week Committee
Co-Chairs: Maureen Martinez 615-5666 and Tanique G. Lee 655-6224
Plans, organizes, promotes and coordinates the activities of Law Week 2011. These programs include conducting mock trials in the schools as well as providing various opportunities for the public such as free legal clinics, ask-a-lawyer and dial-a-lawyer programs.

Lawyers for Literacy
Chair: Margaret Wood 655-0620
Works on programs to raise awareness in the community about illiteracy.

Medical/Legal Committee
Chair:
Coordinates events and communications with the Palm Beach County Medical Society

Membership Committee
Chair: Curtis Sanchez 655-8944
Serves to build membership, welcomes new members and reviews and evaluates potential member benefit programs and services.

Professionalism Committee
Co-Chairs: Carolyn Bell 820-8711, D. Culver Smith III 598-6800 and Chief Judge Peter Blanc
Addresses ways to instill a sense of professionalism in Bar members; responds to negative publicity concerning the legal profession; reviews complaints referred to the Professionalism Council and conducts an annual CLE program on ethics and professionalism.

Small Claims Court Clinics Committee
Chair: Lloyd A. Comiter 883-7806
Presents monthly clinics for the public on small claims court procedures at locations throughout the county. Participants must have recent experience in small claims court matters in order to participate on this committee.

Solo & Small Firm Practitioner's Committee
Chair: Misty Taylor Chaves 835-6775
Provides an opportunity for solo practitioners to meet and network in an informal setting such as brown bag lunch meetings, pizza and beer seminars and happy hours to exchange information and assist each other with office practices and procedures.

Technology Committee
Chair: Christopher Hopkins 653-5000
Seeks to improve the practice of law and law firm marketing through use of technology.

The Continuing Legal Education Committees gives members an opportunity to interact with others practicing in similar areas of law. General committee meetings may be submitted for possible CLER credit from The Florida Bar. The function of each committee is to plan, organize and conduct at least one CLE program per fiscal year. Members are also asked to participate in the Speakers' Bureau by addressing community organizations as requested.

Bankruptcy Law CLE: Chair: Julianne R. Frank 626-4700
Business Law CLE: Chair: James P. Curry 578-4685
Commercial and Business Litigation CLE: Chair: Barry S. Balmuth 242-9400
Community Association Law CLE: Chair: Michael J. Gelfand 655-6224
Construction Law CLE: Chair: Cristopher S. Rapp 659-3000
Employment / Labor Law CLE: Chair: Cathleen Ann Scott 653-0008
Estate & Probate Law CLE: Chair: John M. Severson 687-2003
Family Law CLE: Chair: Matthew J. Lane 651-7273
Intellectual Property Law CLE: Co-Chairs: Timothy Grice 802-4474 and Ashleigh Bhole 653-5000
Personal Injury / Wrongful Death Law CLE: Chair: Daniel A. Zuniga 655-1990
Real Estate Law CLE: Chair: Gerald R. Pumphrey 622-5446
Securities Law CLE: Chair: Craig Stein 659-8802

Court Advisory and Practice Area Committees initiate and consider suggestions to improve the practice in their respective area. Members are also asked to participate in the Speakers' Bureau by addressing community organizations as requested and assisting in the coordination of the agenda for the annual Bench Bar Conference.

Appellate Law Practice Chair: Manuel Farach 803-3500
Circuit Court Civil Law Practice Chair: Todd S. Stewart 743-2002
Criminal Law Practice C-chairs: Ned Reagan 832-7443 and Ettie Feistman 688-4644
Environmental/Land Use Co-Chairs: Jeff Collier 650-7900 and Tara W. Duhy 640-0820
Probate & Guardianship Law Practice Chair: David M. Garten 689-0054
Unified Family Practice: Chair: Elisha Roy 689-4378
Workers Compensation Law Practice Co-Chairs: Jane-Robin Wender and Nicole Hessen 246-6666