Leadership
STATEWIDE COUNSEL
Chuck Lichtman is the Statewide Lead Counsel for the Florida Democratic Lawyers Council. Chuck has been involved in working on elections for about 35 years. In 2000, he served as Lead Counsel for the Florida Democratic Party in Broward County overseeing the Presidential recount, personally handling the vote counting process before the Canvassing Board and certain related litigation. In 2004, he served as Statewide Special Lead Counsel for the Florida Democratic Party and the Coordinated Campaign, overseeing the recruiting of the 3,200 lawyers who worked the polls on election day, as well as setting and overseeing the statewide strategy for that voter protection effort, which has been credited with saving at least 50,000 votes and keeping provisional ballots cast to a minimum. Following that experience he founded the National Voting Rights Coalition, traveling around the country and setting up permanent statewide attorneys voting rights groups modeled after the 2004 Florida operation. Last year, he merged its various chapters into the Democratic National Committee, forming the National Democratic Lawyers Council, where he now sits on its National Advisory Board. Chuck is a partner in the Fort Lauderdale office of Berger Singerman. His practice concentrates in complex commercial litigation and crisis management, with an emphasis on large fraud matters, corporate shareholder disputes and matters related to finance. He also has extensive trial experience and is a frequent lecturer on matters related to business law. He is rated AV by Martindale-Hubbell and has regularly been included on a variety of lists identifying the best lawyers in South Florida and the State of Florida
Richard B. Rosentha (lrbr@rosenthalappeals.com) is one of the Chief Legal Counsels for the Florida Democratic Lawyers Council and is a solo appellate lawyer with extensive experience in the field of election law. He represented the Miami-Dade Canvassing Board throughout the 2000 Presidential election dispute, from election night controversies to the final resolution in Bush v. Gore. He also represented the Canvassing Board during the 2002 election cycle. In 2004, Richard worked in the national headquarters of the Kerry-Edwards campaign in Washington, D.C., and served in the inner circle of legal advisors to the Florida Democratic Party. He was part of the small trial team that convinced a Florida circuit judge to remove Ralph Nader from the Presidential ballot in Florida. In 2004, he also served as lead appellate counsel in the litigation over manual recounts in electronic voting jurisdictions.In addition to election law, Richard handles appeals and writs in a wide variety of substantive areas, including but not limited to: First Amendment, personal injury, intellectual property, civil rights, employment law, class actions, commercial litigation, and administrative law. His firm maintains offices in Miami and San Francisco. Richard served as law clerk to the Hon. Levin H. Campbell of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, and to the Hon. Edward B. Davis, Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. He received his J.D. with High Honors from the University of Florida, and his B.A. from the University of Michigan. After practicing with the San Francisco litigation boutique Keker Van Nest, he returned home to Florida to become an Assistant Miami-Dade County Attorney. Richard has taught appellate practice as an adjunct professor at St. Thomas University School of Law, and he is the co-chair of the South Florida Chapter of the American Constitution Society.
Stephen F. Rosenthal is one of the Chief Legal Counsels for the Florida Democratic Lawyers Council and is a partner at Podhurst Orseck, P.A., in Miami, specializing in appellate and complex trial litigation. In 2004, Stephen served as lead trial counsel in the Florida Democratic Party's effort to enjoin the Secretary of State from allowing Ralph Nader onto the presidential ballot, helped compile the Florida Democratic Party's election law training manual, coordinated the development of a model pleading bank for election-day litigation and helped monitor litigation from the statewide boiler room on election day. He attended Harvard Law School and Harvard College. Early in his career, Stephen served as a law clerk to U.S. Circuit Judge Rosemary Barkett (Miami) and U.S. District Judge Mark Wolf (Boston). He is the Chairman of the Board of the South Florida Chapter of the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy.
Michelle Wallach is the Administrative Counsel for the Florida Democratic Lawyers Council.
David Geller is the Communications Counsel for the Florida Democratic Lawyers Council.
Mark Herron concentrates his practice on ethics and elections law, legislative representation, administrative law and appellate practice. Mr. Herron received his undergraduate degree from The Florida State University (B.A., cum laude) in 1972, and his law degree from The Florida State University (J.D., with honors) in 1975. He served as a member of the State of Florida Commission on Ethics from 1984-1988, serving as its Chairman in 1987-1988. He has served as the Executive Director and General Counsel to the Florida House of Representatives. Mr. Herron has also served as the Staff Director of the Florida House Select Committee on Reapportionment and the Florida House Committee on Commerce. Mr. Herron is a member in good standing of The Florida Bar and the State Bar of Georgia. He is also a member of the American Bar Association, the Federal Bar Association and the Tallahassee Bar Association. He is admitted to practice in the United States Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals of the Eleventh Circuit, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, and the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.
Patrick A. Scott, Esq. Patrick was employed by Amnesty International USA in 1989, where he worked to further the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights' Article 21 tenet that everyone has the right to take part in the government of her or his country through freely chosen representatives, with the will of the people as the basis of the authority of government as expressed in genuine elections by universal and equal suffrage. His initial foray into the election law arena occurred in July 1999 when he and his wife organized a fund-raiser for then state Treasurer, Insurance Commissioner and Fire Marshal Bill Nelson. Together they raised funds and learned a great deal about election law, particularly as it relates to fund-raising. The December 2000 Bush v. Gore, 531 U.S. 98 (2000) decision was a large factor in Patrick's decision to become more integrally involved in protecting the right to vote. In June 2004, Patrick assisted a friend and former law school classmate when the legal establishment sought to oust him from a judicial race for circuit court judge. Patrick was able to successfully defend in court the candidate's right to directly take part in the electoral process. On election day, the incumbent opponent was soundly defeated. In October 2004, Patrick became one of more than 2,700 attorneys who volunteered to serve on the Kerry Legal Team. Throughout the 2004 election season, Patrick received training, trained others, poll-watched at several Miami-Dade and Broward polling stations during early voting and provided interviews on behalf of the Kerry Legal Team to various local and national print, television and radio media outlets. Patrick has found that his involvement has been both educational and rewarding. He looks forward to serving with all the volunteers this year, and feels strongly that it is a privilege to volunteer time to serve the public Patrick is a graduate of the University of Miami School of Law, and has an active trial and corporate practice with emphasis on commercial litigation, family and personal injury for plaintiffs and defendants.
Kendall Coffey is a courtroom lawyer who fights for the rights of his clients in high stakes business disputes as well as in high-profile cases such as Miami’s historic voter fraud trial, the Elian Gonzalez saga and the 2000 Presidential recount litigation. As the former U.S. Attorney for South Florida, he headed one of the largest federal prosecution offices in the country. He has also authored numerous legal works and is a legal commentator on national news networks sharing his perspectives on major cases and controversies. He is currently a partner at Coffey Burlington with offices in Miami, Florida.
Lance Block is the Lead Attorney for Leon and Gadsden Counties. He has represented Democratic candidates in elections and recounts since 1994. He was the local lead attorney for the Florida Democratic Party during the 2000 presidential recount in Palm Beach County. In 2004 he served as the chair of the Gadsden County Kerry-Edwards legal team, and subsequently represented Morris Young, the first African-American ever to be elected Sheriff in Gadsden County during the recount of his 2004 election. Lance Block has been active in the Democratic party for thirty years. He has served as a state party trustee and delegate, and has served as a delegate at three Democratic National Conventions. He was one of 25 Floridians pledged to be a presidential elector for Gore -Lieberman in 2000 and Kerry-Edwards in 2004.
Derek B. Brett is co-chair of the Orange County chapter of the Florida Democratic Lawyers Council. Brett has served in this role since the 2004 Presidential Race. Brett is employed at the First Amendment firm of Weston, Garrou, DeWitt & Walters. There, he addresses an assortment of constitutional issues, including those impacting voting rights and election laws. Since 2003, Brett has also served as an adjunct professor of Constitutional Law at the University of Central Florida. Brett is involved in the leadership of several civic, legal and political organizations, including the City of Orlando's Affordable Housing Board; the Central Florida Inns of Court; the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers; the Central Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers; the First Amendment Lawyers Association; and the American Constitution Society. In 2004, Brett was the recipient of the Paul Wellstone Grassroots Activist of the Year Award, awarded for his strong efforts to advance progressive institutions and causes. Further, he serves independently on the southeast regional board of directors for the American Jewish Congress. Brett serves as a frequent commentator and panelist on local news and talk shows, addressing a wide range of issues ranging from the Iraq War to civil rights/liberties litigation. Brett has made several guest appearances on the Fox News Network programs including "O'Reilly Factor," and "Big Story," in discussion of constitutional issues. Brett also makes regular appearances in locally-sponsored debate events. These debates have included discussions of First Amendment rights; the Bush v. Gore decision; the Kelo eminent domain decision; and affirmative action.
Jay Crocker is the Lead Attorney for Volusia County. He is a lifelong resident of Florida, currently practicing law in New Smyrna Beach. He has a B.A. in political science from the University of Florida and a J.D. from the University of Memphis. He has been active in the Democratic Party in Volusia County for over nine years. He is married to Nancy Ryan, also a Democratic lawyer and activist, and has an eight-year-old son, Neil.Jay serves on the Code Enforcement Board for the City of New Smyrna Beach, and is chairman of the Volusia County Beach Policy Advisory Board. Additionally, he is a director of the Mental Health Association of Volusia County and chairs the Legal Redress Committee of the Southeast Volusia chapter of the NAACP.
Ellen Freidin, Of Counsel to Akerman Senterfitt and a litigator, has lead efforts to attain equality for women in the law for her entire professional life. A 1978 cum laude graduate of the University of Miami School of Law, she has worked within the legal profession to ensure the full acceptance of women lawyers and has engaged in numerous efforts to secure equality for women in all aspects of the legal system. She has been actively involved in judicial selection especially as it relates to ensuring that judges have demonstrated commitment and sensitivity to issues important to minorities and women. Her involvement in the political arena includes having been Finance Co-chair of Kerry for President (2004), Finance Co-chair of Smith for Governor (2006), Campaign Manager of Pettigrew for U.S.Senate (1974) and she has worked as campaign manager, fundraising chair and volunteer for many other candidates for local, statewide and federal office. Ms. Freidin was appointed by Gov. Lawton Chiles to the 1998 Constitution Revision commission. She was the prime sponsor of the successful effort to add women’s rights to the Florida Constitution. She has volunteered for many community organizations and her children's schools. In her law practice she has represented victims of employment discrimination, sexual harassment and violation of civil rights as well as those engaged in commercial disputes. She has taught courses at the University of Miami School of Law. She is married to Miami trial lawyer, Philip Freidin.
Joseph S. Geller was born in the Bronx, New York, New York. He has been a Florida resident since 1965. He attended Northwestern University and Florida State University, from which he received a B.A. in History in 1975. He received his J.D. from Florida State University College of Law in 1979, and was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1980. Mr. Geller focuses his practice on civil litigation, administrative law, election law, government relations and municipal law. He has extensive litigation experience in both the Florida and federal courts. Mr. Geller was elected as Mayor of North Bay Village in 2004, and was reelected in 2006. Mr. Geller is also the former long-time Chair of the Miami-Dade County Democratic Party. Additionally, Mr. Geller serves as the Village Attorney for the Village of El Portal and Acting City Attorney for the City of Opa-Locka. He is also the former Town Attorney for the Town of Golden Beach. Mr. Geller is a member of the Attorney's Title Insurance Fund. Mr. Geller currently serves as the Southeast Regional President of the American Jewish Congress.
Leslie A. Goller is the Lead Attorney for Duval County. She is a partner with Terrell Hogan, a personal injury trial law firm in Jacksonville, is a graduate of Duke University, and received her J.D. from Washington & Lee University. She has been a Democratic election lawyer in Florida since November 7, 2000. She served as the Legal Team chair for Duval County in 2004.
Alan G. Greer is on the Steering Committee of the Florida Democratic Lawyers Council. Alan has a long history of Democratic Party activism. In 1988, he was the DNC's National Finance Committee's Co-chair and ultimately ran the State of Florida for the Dukakis Presidential Campaign that year. He co-chaired the DNC Site Selection Committee that picked New York City for the 1992 DNC National Convention. Along with his law partner, Gerry Richman, he tried one of the now historic post-2000 election cases in Tallahassee, Florida. Thereafter, he was the Treasurer and General Counsel for Janet Reno's 2002 run for Governor of Florida. In 2004, as part of a larger statewide program, he ran the Lawyers Poll Watch program in Miami-Dade County after having recruited and trained over seven hundred lawyers for that effort. He has also chaired or participated in a number of other national, statewide and local campaigns for other Democratic candidates.
David Gunter is the Lead Attorney in Brevard County and was the Brevard County Co-Chair of the Kerry-Edwards Voters Rights Team in 2004. He remains very active in local Democratic politics and provides legal counsel and assistance to the local DEC and to candidates for office. David is a shareholder with Dean Mead in the firm's Melbourne office. He primarily practices in the areas of business litigation, environmental and administrative law, and construction law.
Steven A. Lessne is the Co-Lead Attorney for Palm Beach County. He is a partner in the Boca Raton office of Blank Rome LLP, and handles a wide variety of litigation matters, from commercial to First Amendment issues, in state and federal court. Mr. Lessne is a Florida native and served on the Kerry Legal Team during the 2004 presidential election. He graduated from the University of Florida College of Law and received the BAR/BRI award for achieving the highest reported score on the multi-state bar examination. Mr. Lessne has published and lectured regarding the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and discovery practice and strategies. He lives in Boca Raton with his wife and two children, and is active in several local organizations.
Sheldon Philp is a Regional Coordinator for the Florida Democratic Legal Team and a member of its Steering Committee. As a Regional Coordinator, he coordinates the election protection strategy of the organization for several counties in North and Central Florida. In 2004, he was an Assistant Election Law Coordinator and Special Counsel to the Florida Victory 2004 campaign, helping to organize hundreds of attorney poll-watchers in that state on behalf of the Democratic Party. Mr. Philp is an associate in the litigation department of White & Case LLP's Miami office. He holds a B.A. in International Relations and a J.D. from The University of Pennsylvania.
Bruce A. Plesser is the Coordinator for the Central-West Region of Florida. He is duly admitted to practice in the courts of Florida and New York as well as the federal courts in those states. He holds a Florida class C private investigator license and lives in Largo, Florida. Bruce started his career in the Suffolk County Long Island District Attorney's Office where he rose through the ranks to the level of supervisor in the Rackets and Public integrity Bureaus. During his ten years in the district attorney's office, he led sophisticated investigations, including all forms of white collar crime and fraud, involving disparate and often competing law enforcement agencies. Bruce was also responsible for the caseloads of upwards of twenty assistant district attorneys, a large clerical staff and a budget. In addition, he tried more cases than anyone else in the office at the time. After ten years in the district attorney's office, Bruce formed a successful partnership on Long Island. He gained a reputation as a passionate advocate for his clients, specializing in criminal defense but his greatest strength is recognizing issues and formulating creative solutions by utilizing interpersonal, communication and writing skills. Developed over the years an expertise in white collar investigations and insurance fraud. He has consulted with special investigation units in Florida and has worked with carriers uncovering insurance fraud and conducting their examinations under oath. Since moving to Florida, Bruce has been furthering his criminal law career and is also pursuing several business interests, one involving law and one involving a subject that has interested him over the course of many years.
Gerald F. Richman is President of the firm of Richman Greer Weil Brumbaugh Mirabito & Christensen, P.A. in Miami and West Palm Beach, Florida. He is board certified by The Florida Bar in Civil Trial and Business Litigation. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and served on the Board of Governors of the International Society of Barristers. He is a Charter Member of the Miami Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates and is a national ABOTA board member as well as President-elect of the West Palm Beach Chapter. He has been selected since 1990 for The Best Lawyers in America, and is in Who’s Who in America. In 2000, he served as lead counsel of a team of 16 volunteer lawyers in the trial and appeal of the Seminole Absentee Ballot case which was one of the three cases that were tried seeking to overturn the 2000 presidential election. In 1984, he was elected as President of the Florida Bar and has chaired the Bar’s Professional Ethics Committee. He was a member of the House of Delegates of the American Bar Association for several years. In 1989, he was elected as the Democratic Nominee to the United States Congress.
Rich Siwica is is Co-Lead for Orange County. In 2000, his firm, Egan, Lev and Siwica, served as Lead Counsel to the Democratic Party's legal effort in central Florida; in that capacity, the Firm conducted litigation and argued recount issues before various county Canvassing Boards in Orange, Seminole, Hillsborough, Sarasota and other Florida counties. Siwica led the recount efforts in both Hillsborough and Sarasota County. Siwica also filed the Seminole County absentee ballot lawsuit, one of three Florida cases seeking to overturn the 2000 presidential election; and, prior to the case being transferred to Tallahassee, he argued and successfully defended the suit against all efforts to dismiss the suit by the Bush, Supervisor of Elections and Republican Party defendants. With the creation of the Florida Democratic Lawyers Council in 2004, Siwica served as lead county counsel in Orange County. Siwica also served as chief counsel to the Kerry-Edwards campaign in central Florida; over the years, he has provided counsel to various other political campaigns, candidates and political action entities in election and campaign finance law issues.Siwica received his undergraduate degree from Wayne State University in 1979, and his law degree from The University of Florida (J.D., with honors) in 1983. His firm's practice concentrates on the representation of private and public sector labor unions
Peter R. Wallace is a St. Petersburg native and a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School. Upon graduating from law school in 1979, he clerked for Judge Paul H. Roney on the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Peter was elected to the Florida House of Representatives from a district in St. Petersburg in 1982 and served until 1996. During his final two years in office he was Speaker of the House, the only person from Pinellas County ever to serve in that post. In 1998, he was the Democratic nominee for the cabinet position of Commissioner of Education, but lost to Tom Gallagher. Peter practices law with the St. Petersburg firm of Skelton, Willis, Bennett & Wallace, LLP. During the 2004 election he led the Kerry for President legal team in Pinellas County. He is currently general counsel to the Jim Davis for Governor campaign.
