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Businesses and professionals today can seek to change laws and rules, not simply accept them. Accomplished advocacy – representing clients in need of proposing, amending, and where necessary defeating legislation and regulations -- is a special strength of our firm.
Our lawyers regularly appear before all levels and branches of government: municipal and county governments; regional and district boards; state agencies; as well as, the Cabinet, Supreme Court, Legislature, and Office of the Governor.
Our extensive experience in both government and politics gives our firm its strategic edge. F. Philip Blank was employed for over six years by the Florida House of Representatives and was its first full-time General Counsel; and Timothy J. Meenan served as Deputy Treasurer for the State of Florida.
As part of our legislative representation, we often draft legislation, provide testimony and briefs at hearings and committee meetings, lobby for and against legislation and develop lobbying strategies. Many in our firm have participated in grassroots campaigns for many legislators and executive officials. This hands on contribution gives us the opportunity to offer our clients full access representation throughout Florida's governmental system.
Government itself often calls on our firm to solve its most complex problems. Nothing demonstrates better our firm's thorough familiarity with government operations. The State turned to our firm to conduct its largest-ever investigation of state agencies, and to initiate new state programs such as the State's Prepaid Tuition Program, and NICA, the State's compensation fund for neurologically damaged infants.
We represented the State in its efforts to resolve its problems when it implemented the largest integrated public assistance computer system ever developed for a State governmental agency. Our services ranged from overseeing the administration of the agreement between the State and its contractor, to representing the State in negotiations related to contract disputes.
Under contract with the Florida Department of Education, we were instrumental in assisting the Bureau of Student Financial Assistance in the procurement of services related to the collection of delinquent Federal and state student loans. Our legal work, advice on issues of strategy, understanding of the State's competitive procurement process, and knowledge of state contract requirements led to the successful completion of contracts between the Department and several vendors, without any contract award protests.
We were chosen to represent the State of Florida in negotiations involving the State’s participation in celebrations centered around the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. In March 2003, we were retained as special counsel by the Tallahassee Leon County Civic Center Authority Board to resolve issues associated with the development of a $48 Million convention hotel project. This is the intimate, expert knowledge we bring to the governmental relations needs of our clients.
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