Berger Singerman

James L. Berger is a shareholder residing in the Fort Lauderdale office of Berger Singerman. Mr. Berger is Co-Chief Executive Officer of the firm, and practices on the Transactional Team. Mr. Berger represents both buyers and sellers in multimillion-dollar complex loan transactions and refinancing. Mr. Berger received his undergraduate degree, cum laude, from Duke University in 1980, and his law degree from Duke in 1983. Mr. Berger was managing editor of the Legal Research Program at Duke for the 1982-1983 term, and was a member of Duke's Moot Court Board during that time. In 2006, Mr. Berger was named Top Managing Partner and "Legal Elite" in the area of Real Estate Transactions by Florida Trend Magazine. South Florida Legal Guide recently named Mr. Berger one of the Top South Florida Lawyers in Real Estate for 2007. Additionally, Mr. Berger is listed in The Best Lawyers in America 2007 in the area of Real Estate Law and in the " Florida Super Lawyers 2007" list compiled by the publishers of Law & Politics magazine. He currently serves on the Broward County Higher Education Facilities Authority, the Board of Directors of the Charter School of Excellence, and the Capital Campaign Fund for the Boys and Girls Club of Broward County. Mr. Berger was born in Brooklyn, New York, on November 28, 1958.

Mitchell W. Berger founded Berger Singerman in 1985, serves as Chairman of the firm, and has practiced with every practice group in the Firm. He is located in the Fort Lauderdale office. Mitchell has been active in public affairs at the national, state and local levels. Mitchell was a member of the Board of Directors of the Student Loan Marketing Association from March, 1994 to July 2001 and, in 1998, he was appointed to serve as the Chairman of the Board by President Clinton. In addition, Mitchell has served on numerous boards and commissions, including as a Commissioner on the Florida Environmental Commission, a member of the Environmental Financial Advisory Board to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, a member of the United States Small Business Agency Advisory Board, and a member of the Governing Board of the South Florida Water Management District. While on the South Florida Water Management District Board, he served as the Chair of their Audit Committee, was a member of the Broward County Water Advisory Board, a member of the Governor's Commission for a Sustainable South Florida, serving as Co-Chair of the Natural Resources Subcommittee in 2000, and a member of the Florida Keys Advisory Board. Mitchell was Co-Chair of the Community Relations Committee for the Summit of the Americas, Miami, Florida in 1994. He served as Counsel to the Broward Community Health Purchasing Alliance (CHPA), was a member of the Boys and Girls Club of Broward County Capital Campaign Cabinet, a member of the Advisory Board to the Master's Program in Real Estate Development and Management being offered by Nova University, and has been a member of the Board of Governors of Nova Southeastern University School of Business and Entrepreneurship since 1991, a member of the Board of Governors of Nova Southeastern University's Shepard Broad Law Center since 2002, a member of the Board of Visitors of Temple University School of Law since 2001, and 2006 Alumni Associate Member of the Trustee Committee on Development and Alumni Affairs for Lafayette College in Pennsylvania. He has served on The Nature Conservancy's Board of Florida since 2001. Mitchell was a member of President Clinton's Transition Team, for the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Interior, in 1992 and 1993. He was Senior Advisor to the Gore 2000 Campaign. Mitchell has received numerous awards, including being named as a Co-Lawyer of the Year from the National Law Journal in 2000, the Excellence Award from the South Florida Water Management District in 2001. Mitchell was a Distinguished Lecturer at Nova Southeastern School of Business and Entrepreneurship in 2000, a guest lecturer at Vanderbilt University 's Presidential Leadership class in 2003, and has received the Humanitarian Tree of Life Award from the City of Hope . While Mitchell served on the board of the South Florida Water Management District, the Board and the Agency received the Environmental Merit Award 2000 from the United States Environmental Protection Agency Region 4, for appreciation and recognition of outstanding environmental stewardship. Mitchell is listed in Florida Trend Magazine's Florida Legal Elite and Super Lawyers and was named One of the 50 Most Powerful People in Broward County by Gold Coast Magazine. Mitchell graduated from Lafayette College, B.A. Magna Cum Laude (1977), where he was a member of Omicron Delta Epsilon, The International Economics Honor Society. He received his law degree from Temple University Law School in 1980, where he was a member of the Law Quarterly. Mitchell served as a Clerk to Alan C. Sundberg, then-Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Florida (1980). Mitchell is a member of the Florida Bar, the Tennessee, New Jersey State and American Bar Associations and the Bankruptcy Bar Association. He is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals (6th and 11th Circuits), the United States District Court...

Arnold D. Shevin received his undergraduate degree from Emory University in 1967, and his law degree from the University of Florida in 1970. He is a member of the Florida and Colorado Bars. While at the University of Florida , he was a Member of the Board of Editors of the Florida Law Review and Member of the Board and the Secretary/Treasurer of the John Marshall Student Bar Association. In addition, Mr. Shevin received Book Awards as the outstanding student in Constitutional Law I, Constitutional Law II, Water Law and Legislation. Mr. Shevin is a shareholder on the Transactional Team. Prior to joining Berger Singerman, Mr. Shevin was the Senior Partner in charge of both the Healthcare and Real Estate practice groups of the Miami office of a major national law firm, and the Senior Vice President and General Counsel for a national commercial real estate development company. In the latter capacity he established the in-house legal department for the company, overseeing the acquisition, development, leasing, financing and sale of projects valued at approximately $500 million in over 15 states. Mr. Shevin has extensive experience representing clients in real estate, and financing transactions. His real estate representations have included the handling of a major sports stadium development project in Miami, Florida, assisting buyers in two multi-state property acquisitions of over $400 million from the agency engaged in the disposition of real estate owned assets from various failed financial institutions, the representation of a national big box retailer in numerous developments and the representation of the developer of several hotel and office building complex in Miami, Florida and the sale of a major hotel on Miami Beach. Mr. Shevin's activity in the lending area includes the financing of retail, multi-family, office, hotel and mixed use projects for both lenders and borrowers, including substantial expertise in the handling of securitized conduit financing of commercial in various states. Mr. Shevin is a former member of the Board of Directors of the American Red Cross, served as a Member of the Board of Trustees of the City of Miami Off Street Parking Authority , and is currently serving as a Trustee member of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce. He was among the first group of attorneys in Florida to be Board Certified in Health Law by the Board of Legal Specialization and Education of the Florida Bar in 1995. He was named as one of the Best of the Bar, as chosen by his peers, in a survey conducted by the South Florida Business Journal. In 2004, he was designated as the Dealmaker of the Year by the Daily Business Review in the area of Hotels Transactions, and was a finalist for the Most Effective Attorney award in the area of Real Estate as chosen by the Daily Business Review in 2005. Mr. Shevin was named to the 2006 and 2007 "Florida Super Lawyers" list compiled by Law & Politics magazine, which recognizes Florida 's leading lawyers as chosen by their colleagues. Mr. Shevin was named a "Heavy Hitter in Real Estate" by the South Florida Business Journal who based their decision on prominence, achievements and community involvement. He proudly maintains an AV rating by Martindale-Hubbell. Mr. Shevin is a native of Miami , Florida .

Dawn M. Meyers is a shareholder and a member of the Administrative Law Team, concentrating her practice in the areas of environmental and land use law, administrative law, and general governmental regulation. Mrs. Meyers' regulatory experience has included representation of clients in a variety of diverse industries including hotels, restaurants, hospitals, large manufacturers, solid waste transportation and disposal, detention facilities, beverage producers and distributors, large venue management, land developers, banks and contractors. Mrs. Meyers routinely represents clients before municipal, county, state and federal agencies and governing bodies. Mrs. Meyers is a member of The Florida Bar, the Administrative Law Section and the Environmental and Land Use Law Section of The Florida Bar, and the Government Law Section of the Broward County Bar Association. Mrs. Meyers is the author of To Report or Not to Report: That is the Environmental Question, which appeared in the November 1993 issue of THE FLORIDA BAR JOURNAL. Prior to joining Berger Singerman in 1995, Mrs. Meyers served as a Chief Hearing Officer and Administrator for the State of Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Mrs. Meyers enjoys the unique distinction of being the first female lawyer to be named shareholder at Berger Singerman, an achievement attained in 1996. Mrs. Meyers is a former member of the Florida Bar's Grievance Committee "17H," in and for the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit, and has been AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell since 1999. Mrs. Meyers was a finalist for the Daily Business Review's 2006 Most Effective Lawyers in South Florida, in particular, for spearheading a successful lobbying effort to persuade Broward County authorities to open the news and gifts concession at the Fort Lauderdale/ Hollywood International Airport to competitive bidding for the first time in two decades. In 2007, Mrs. Meyers was named "Legal Elite" in South Florida by Florida Trend Magazine. Mrs. Meyers is a graduate of Leadership Fort Lauderdale Class X, which is sponsored by the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce. Currently, Mrs. Meyers is the Chairperson of the Environment Program Day for Leadership Fort Lauderdale's Class XI, a member of the Advisory Committee and has been named Chair-Elect of Leadership Class XIII. Mrs. Meyers received her undergraduate degree with honors from the University of Florida College of Journalism in 1984, and her law degree with honors from UF in 1987. Mrs. Meyers is a native Floridian, born in Gainesville in 1963. Mrs. Meyers resides in Berger Singerman's Fort Lauderdale office.

Fred Goldberg has been an investment adviser, specializing in fixed income securities, since 1984 when he founded Goldberg Capital Management, Inc., a registered investment adviser managing securities portfolios for high net worth individuals and family trusts. Prior to that time, from 1982 to 1984, he served as assistant manager for the design and sale of investment-driven insurance products at the Equitable Life Assurance Company in New York City. Mr. Goldberg received a doctorate in philosophy from Brandeis University in 1969. In the years following, he taught mathematical logic and the philosophy of science at M.I.T. and at the University of California at Santa Cruz. In 1970, Mr. Goldberg published a groundbreaking thesis in the field of symbolic logic. The paper was published in the summer quarterly edition of the prestigious London journal, Analysis. In January of 1993, at the request of The Peace Bonds Project, Mr. Goldberg co-authored a White Paper for the incoming Clinton administration detailing a special government bond issue. During 1995 and 1996 he wrote and produced a daily radio program, The World of Investments, for station KHFM in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

John D. Eaton is a shareholder resident in the Fort Lauderdale office and is a member of Berger Singerman's Business Reorganization Team. His practice includes representation of creditors, trustees, debtors in possession, committees, and other parties in interest in all aspects of Chapter 7 and Chapter 11 cases and adversary proceedings. Mr. Eaton also has substantial experience in commercial litigation in both state and federal courts. During the course of his career, Mr. Eaton has been primary bankruptcy counsel or has had significant involvement in many complex Chapter 7 and Chapter 11 cases, including but not limited to, CHS Electronics, Commercial Financial Services, The Celotex Corporation, Model Imperial, Inc., Ormet Corporation, PhyAmerica, and Pallet Management. In addition, Mr. Eaton has represented officers and directors with respect to breach of fiduciary duty and other claims involving Directors and Officers insurance policies in connection with the following bankruptcy cases: Renaissance Cruises, Inc., Flagship Healthcare, Unicapital Corporation, Hospital Staffing Services, Inc., Fuzion Wireless Communications, Tropical Sportswear, Aloha Airlines, Regional Diagnostics, LLC, and MercyHealth, Inc. Mr. Eaton received his B.S. from Florida State University , cum laude, and J.D. from University of Florida , with honors. He is a member of The Florida Bar, the American Bar Association and the American Bankruptcy Institute. He is admitted to practice in the U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit; U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida; and U.S. District Court, South District of Florida. Mr. Eaton is also a director of the Bankruptcy Bar Association for Southern District of Florida, and previously was the Secretary for that organization. In 2006 and 2007, Mr. Eaton was named to the Florida Super Lawyers list compiled by Law & Politics magazine, which recognizes Florida 's leading lawyers as chosen by their colleagues. Mr. Eaton is listed in 2007 edition Florida Trend's Florida Legal Elite in the area of Bankruptcy/Workout. He has achieved an AV-rating by Martindale-Hubbell.

Jonathan T. Brand is a member of firm's Business Reorganization Team. Mr. Brand and regularly represents corporate debtors, creditors and trustees in Chapter 7 and Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases and defends various companies against preference actions or other types of adversary proceedings throughout the United States. In addition, Mr. Brand's practice includes the representation of owners, developers, trade creditors, contractors and institutional lenders in complex construction, leasing and real property disputes. His commercial litigation practice also includes litigating and defending claims related to fraud, Director and Officer misconduct, breach of fiduciary duty, deepening insolvency and conflicts of interest. Prior to joining Berger Singerman, Mr. Brand served as a law clerk for the Honorable John S. Dalis, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the Southern District of Georgia. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in History and law degree from the University of Florida . While in Gainesville , Mr. Brand served as the Editor in Chief of the Journal of Technology Law and Policy, Research Assistant for Professor Jeffrey Davis and Kenneth Nunn, Vice Chancellor of the Student Honor Court . Mr. Brand is active in various professional and civic organizations. He serves on the Local Rules Committee for the Bankruptcy Court of the Southern District of Florida. He remains an active member of the American Bankruptcy Institute and the Bankruptcy Bar Association for the Southern District of Florida. Mr. Brand serves on the Planning Committee for the Greater Miami Jewish Federation's Leadership Development Institute and is a Director of the Horizon Speakers Series for Jewish Federation of Broward County. Mr. Brand is licensed to practice before all state courts in Florida and the United States District Court for the Southern and Middle Districts of Florida . He also has represented clients in the Complex Business Litigation Section of Eleventh Judicial Circuit in and for Miami-Dade County , Florida .

Jordi Guso is a shareholder resident in the Miami office of Berger Singerman. As a member of the firm's Business Reorganization Team, he represents debtors, official committees and secured creditors in the areas of bankruptcy, insolvency and debtor-creditor relations. Mr. Guso represented the debtors in the Aloha Airlines, Piccadilly Cafeterias, Atco Products, Medcontrax and Rose Auto Stores cases, and served as co-counsel to debtors in the Atlas Air and Polar Air Cargo cases. He represented the senior secured lender in the Suncoast East Associates case, in the Pallet Management cases, and in the Twin Eagles cases filed in the Middle District of Florida. He was also significantly involved in the representation of the official committees of unsecured creditors in the Pan Am, Fine Air Services, and CHS Electronics cases. Mr. Guso is listed in The Best Lawyers in America (2006 and 2007); Chambers & Partners USA, America's Leading Business Lawyers (2004 - 2007); Florida Trends Magazine's "Legal Elite" Edition (2004-2007) as one of the top 1.6% attorneys in the State of Florida; the South Florida Legal Guide as a "Top Lawyer" (2005, 2006 and 2007); and, Florida's Super Lawyers (2006 and 2007). Mr. Guso was previously recognized as an "Up & Comer", in the 2002 and 2003 "Annual Legal Guide" published by Miami Metro Magazine, and was a finalist in the 2003 South Florida Business Journal "Up & Comer Awards." Mr. Guso is admitted to practice before all of the state courts of Florida , the United States District Courts for the Southern, Middle and Northern Districts of Florida , the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Florida and the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. He is a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute, the Business Law Section of The Florida Bar, the Bankruptcy Bar Association for the Southern District of Florida (Treasurer, 2000-2001; Secretary, 2001-2002), and the Cuban-American Bar Association. Mr. Guso received his Bachelor of Science degree, Pi Sigma Alpha, in Political Science from Spring Hill College in 1987, and his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Miami in 1990. Following graduation, Mr. Guso served a two year clerkship to Judge Sidney M. Weaver, former Chief United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Southern District of Florida.

Laz L. Schneider, Director, 66, Mr. Schneider is, and has been for the past five years, an attorney in private practice and was elected to serve as an outside Director of the Company during May 1998. Mr. Schneider is a partner at Berger, Singerman, P.A., a law firm that serves as our lead counsel in various corporate and litigation matters.

Leonard K. Samuels is shareholder in the Dispute Resolution Team at Berger Singerman. Mr. Samuels joined Berger Singerman in 1989 as the firm's sixth lawyer, and has been instrumental in the growth and success of the firm. Mr. Samuels received his undergraduate degree from the University of Florida in 1982, and his law degree, magna cum laude, from Florida State University in 1985. As a law student, Mr. Samuels interned with Justice James C. Adkins of the Florida Supreme Court, and upon graduation from law school, he served for eighteen months as a law clerk for Justice Adkins. Mr. Samuels splits his practice between employment matters, employment-related litigation and complex commercial litigation. Mr. Samuels has developed specific areas of expertise in matters that encompass both the knowledge of an employment lawyer and the skills of a seasoned commercial litigator. In this regard, Mr. Samuels has handled litigation involving non compete agreements throughout Florida and the United States, as well as substantial litigation matters involving theft of trade secrets, breach of fiduciary duty, intellectual property rights, unfair competition and fraud. On the employment side, he has defended management on discrimination claims based upon age, religion, race and national origin, as well as alleged statutory violations of the Family Medical Leave Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. During the recount in the last presidential election, Mr. Samuels was hired as co-lead counsel in the recount effort in Broward County on behalf of Gore/Lieberman. Under his leadership, all of the ballots were manually recounted in Broward County , Florida , and made part of the certified election results. Mr. Samuels' success was featured on a front-page article in the National Law Journal on December 11, 2000, entitled Florida's Chad Bar. Mr. Samuels is the co-author of Eighteen Years in the Judicial Catbird Seat, 11 Nova L. Rev. 1 (1986), and the author of Florida's Amended Noncompetition Statute: A Reasonable Approach, The Florida Bar Journal, July/August (1991). He has also lectured at a seminar sponsored by the American Bar Association covering employment discrimination, and a variety of forums and classes on sexual harassment law, various whistleblower acts, the Fair Labor Standards Act and non compete agreements. He was a member of the Federal Judicial Nominating Commission of Florida from 1992-1996. In 2005, Mr. Samuels was appointed panelist for commercial disputes by the American Arbitration Association. Mr. Samuels serves on an Advisory Board of Family Central, where he was a past Chairman of the Board of Directors. Mr. Samuels served on the Steering Committee For Education Excellence of Florida, which successfully spearheaded a constitutional amendment to reestablish a statewide governing board for the state university system. He currently serves on the board of directors of ChildNet, a non profit agency responsible for foster care in Broward County , as well as of the Regional Board of Directors of the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith. Mr. Samuels previously served on the board of directors of United Way of Broward County . Mr. Samuels is a member of the Litigation ADR Committee of the Labor and Employment Law Section of The Florida Bar, the American Bar and Broward County Bar Association and serves on the Board of Directors of the Federal Bar Association, Broward County Chapter.

Melanie Ann Hines is a shareholder resident in the Tallahassee office and is a member of Berger Singerman's Dispute Resolution and Government & Regulatory Teams. From 1991-2003, Ms. Hines served as Florida 's Statewide Prosecutor, appointed by Attorney General Robert A. Butterworth. She focuses her practice in the areas of white collar criminal defense, administrative law, and civil litigation. Since joining Berger Singerman , she has represented corporate and individual clients in grand jury investigations, before regulatory licensing boards, in defense of agency enforcement actions, and in civil RICO and fraud cases. She has also conducted internal investigations for public and private entities. During her public service, Ms. Hines served by appointment of the Governor and Attorney General on the Violent Crime Council, the Drug Control Policy Council, the Public Corruption Study Commission, the Privacy and Technology Task Force, the Task Force for the Review of Criminal Justice and Corrections, and the Commission on Grand Jury Law. On these and related maters, she testified before the Legislature and Cabinet on many occasions. She was elected to chair The Florida Bar's Criminal Procedure Rules Committee (1995-1996) and the Criminal Law Section (2003-2004). Ms. Hines is a frequent lecturer on criminal law issues and has served as an adjunct professor at the Florida State University College of Law, teaching a course on Corporate Governance and a trial practice class. She has also served as an instructor in the Prosecutor/Public Defender Training Program sponsored by the Criminal Law Section. Under her supervision, the Office of Statewide Prosecution was recognized for its effectiveness by the Florida Legislature, the Cabinet, and state auditors. Ms. Hines was considered a leader in the formation of public-private partnerships for crime prevention. In June, 2007, Ms. Hines received The Florida Bar's President's Award of Merit in recognition of her work with the Association, local bar groups, and court programs, and for her dedication to diversity in the legal system. Since 2006, she has been listed as among the Legal Elite for Criminal Law by Florida Trend Magazine. She is listed in The Best Lawyers in America 2007 and 2008 in the area of Administrative Law and in 2009 in the area of Administrative Law and White-Collar Criminal Defense, as well as in the " Florida Super Lawyers" list compiled by Law & Politics magazine (2006-2008). Ms. Hines is a graduate of Leadership Florida, Class XXIII. In 2003, the Florida Commission on the Status of Women selected her for its Outstanding Achievement Award. In 2006, she was appointed to the Judicial Management Council by the Florida Supreme Court. She recently completed two terms as Chair of the Voluntary Bar Liaison Committee, responsible for coordinating the leadership program for local bars around the State. She currently serves on The Florida Bar Professionalism Committee. She is a fellow of both The Florida Bar Foundation and the American Bar Association Foundation. Ms. Hines has achieved an AV-rating by Martindale-Hubbell. Prior to her prosecution experience, Ms. Hines worked for six years as an Assistant Public Defender in Tallahassee and, prior to that, worked in the law offices of criminal defense lawyer Albert J. Krieger in Miami , Florida . Ms. Hines is admitted to practice in all Florida state and all Florida federal courts, as well as the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court. Ms. Hines received her law degree, cum laude, from Florida State University College of Law in 1979 and her undergraduate degree, magna cum laude, in Criminology and Psychology from Florida State University in 1976.

Paul S. Figg is a member of Berger Singerman's Government and Regulatory Team. He received his B.A. in Philosophy/English, magna cum laude, from University of South Florida in 1998, and his J.D. from University of Florida in 2003. Serving as an Assistant County Attorney in Broward County , Mr. Figg gained extensive experience in construction litigation, constitutional law and employment law including litigating cases involving intergovernmental conflicts, construction disputes, labor disputes and disciplinary proceedings, employment discrimination, personal injury, equitable subrogation, bid protests, Burt J. Harris Act and constitutional rights claims. Additionally, his experience includes advising county agencies on issues involving land use, intergovernmental disputes, taxation, employment and labor disputes, public records and meetings laws and elections. Mr. Figg is also experienced in constitutional litigation including issues involving due process, free speech and the establishment clause. Mr. Figg is admitted to practice in Florida and U.S. District Court Southern District of Florida. He is a member of Florida Bar Standing Committee on Eminent Domain and Florida Bar Standing Committee on Legal Needs of Children.