On the Record
Our attorneys are recognized leaders in criminal law and civil appeals and complex litigation and class action support.
Here are some of our recent accomplishments.
Same Case, Different Court: Katherine Yanes on What Sets Federal Appeals Apart
October 7, 2026
Lawyers who are comfortable in Florida’s appellate courts can find federal appeals surprisingly unfamiliar. Shareholder Katherine Yanes addressed that gap as a panelist for “Federal Appeals: What’s Different?,” hosted by the Hillsborough County Bar Association’s Appellate Practice Section on October 7, 2026. Katherine focused on criminal appeals and drew on her experience handling criminal cases in both state and federal court to explain where the two systems part ways. Among the differences she discussed were the deadlines for filing a criminal appeal, the approach each system takes to sentencing review, and how Florida’s fundamental error doctrine compares with the federal plain error standard.
Preserving Error When Witnesses Take the Stand: A Field Guide for Trial Counsel
September 25, 2026
Shareholder Kristin Norse authored “Witnesses and Appellate Preservation” for the Summer 2026 issue of the ABA Litigation Journal, the inaugural edition of “Download,” a new annual format that serves as a field guide on a single topic. This year’s topic is witnesses. Writing from an appellate lawyer’s perspective, the article walks trial counsel through the steps that both prevent and preserve witness-related error. These include strict compliance with disclosure deadlines, targeted motions in limine, timely and specific objections, securing rulings, and making proffers when testimony is excluded. The article also recognizes that sound trial strategy sometimes means choosing not to object, and that making that choice well starts with knowing the preservation rules. A downloadable witness preservation checklist accompanies the article.
Witnesses and Appellate Preservation
Katherine Yanes Receives the FBA’s Highest Honor, the 2026 Earl W. Kintner Award
September 23, 2026
Shareholder Katherine Yanes has received the Federal Bar Association’s 2026 Earl W. Kintner Award for Distinguished Service, the association’s highest honor. The award recognizes a lifetime of contribution by an FBA member who has shown sustained leadership and involvement with the association’s chapters, sections, and divisions nationwide over the course of a career. It is named for the late Earl W. Kintner, who served two terms as FBA National President in the 1950s and went on to lead the Foundation of the FBA and the Federal Bar Building Corporation. Katherine currently chairs the FBA’s Committee on Advancing the Legal Profession.
What the Demise of the Binger Analysis on Late Disclosure Means for Trial Counsel
July 27, 2026
The May-June 2026 issue of the HCBA’s Lawyer magazine includes an article by shareholder Kristin Norse on “The Demise of the Binger Analysis for Late Disclosure.” The article traces how recent amendments to the Florida Rules of Civil Procedure and the Sixth District Court of Appeal’s en banc decision in Crecelius v. Rizzitano have upended decades of practice under Binger v. King Pest Control — the case that long governed and limited a trial court’s discretion to exclude late-disclosed witnesses and evidence. The shift means proper case management is now critical, as late disclosures may be excluded and hobble a case regardless of whether they would prejudice the other side.
