Question about law firms in Florida.

[The Backlash Cometh]

I hope this won't divulge party secrets, but can someone come up with a list of law firms which have been traditionally Republican, and which ones are traditionally Democratic, and are there any which are truly neutral? And, are there any in Florida that specifialize in environmental causes that benefit the public? i.e. in favor of good and fair wetland and recreation zoning laws?

[DemocratSinceBirth]

1. I'll Try

Most of the law firms that represesent plaintiffs are Dems and most of the law firms that represent defendants, i.e. insurance companies and large corporation are Republicans.

Of course there are exception...

No secrets are given away about contributions. All contributions are in the public domain.

[The Backlash Cometh]

2. I think it's time for an awakening.

I don't think that's true. Old guard Democrats love development and loose property rights laws in Florida, just like Republicans. Here, it's all about networking to get the big construction deals.

I think it's time we face the ugly truths, because, soon, the Democrats will take over and if you don't scrutinize your own allies, you'll just end up seeing the same projects go up, but it will be the fat cats in the Democratic party who will be abusing the system. So, especially where it relates to Florida, maybe Managed Growth should be on the party platform?

[Mojorabbit]

3. Oh I hope so

This beautiful state is turning into a huge subdivision.

[The Backlash Cometh]

6. Developers & development-loving cities get away with a lot because of the

number of Senior citizens. The Seniors don't use the parks and recreation areas so they're the first to whine about paying taxes for those kinds of amenities.

Living in a Republican city is hell. Everything that was normally managed through the local government to protect public infra-structure is now mismanaged by them. They use water, sewage and electricity infra-structure, built by the public, to bring development to their areas, then try to save money they misappropriated by cutting back on the kinds of parks and recreations that help build communities. These are where young mothers bring their children to meet and form friendships in the community, and the number of these parks are disappearing, quickly. I even read some stupid projection in my city's community development plan that said that rich people don't use local park amenities because they drive their kids out of the community and pay for private lessons.

Seniors just don't like children. They're mean and cantankerous and don't want to spend a penny of their own. Yet, the minute a hurricane hits, they're the first ones to wonder where the good ole days went when neighbors came out to help the old people in the neighborhood to clean their yards. With all due respect, Fuck 'em.

[donsu]

10. seniors have a right to be cranky - just wait until you get old

but seniors have 'been there and done that' and have a lot of wisdom.

[The Backlash Cometh]

11. Cranky is one thing, selfish is another.

I have one neighbor who is physically handicapped and my first rememberance of him was of him on his cellphone yelling at some government official because he thought it was a crime that he had to pay $15.00 for a handicapped parking tag. I just talked to him last month, and he told me he just sold his property in Hawaii. The guy was never hurting for money, but he was one of the loud ones who didn't want to raise our Association fees to maintain the common grounds, which is why they were underused by the other members of the community, and why they were targets of pilfering by others. I hate to break it to you, but the guy is a registered Democrat.

So, cranky is one thing, selfish is another. I don't need to hear the "wisdom" of selfish people. But being around them really does cut down on my desire to sacrifice my time for community service.

[Zensea]

5. You might be interested in one major exception

which makes me inclined to think that it's not quite as cut and dry as you write.
It's not precisely an exception, but an indication that who they represent as part of their regular practice is a bit irrelevant.
http://www.gibbonslaw.com/index.cfm
I'd say this is a staunch Republican firm & yet the head of it, John Gibbons, who was a federal judge also appointed by Nixon is also the lead attorney representing Guantanamo detainees.
http://www.gibbonslaw.com/publications/uploadedfiles/Gibbons-nlj.pdf
Then you've got people like Ted Wells
http://www.paulweiss.com/lawyers/detail.aspx?attorney=377
who is a Democrat
"Active in social, political and community affairs, Mr. Wells served as national treasurer for Senator Bill Bradley’s presidential campaign and currently serves as trustee of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, trustee of Holy Cross College and trustee of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. He previously served, on a pro bono basis, as general counsel to the New Jersey NAACP, New Jersey co-chairperson of the United Negro College Fund and general counsel to the New Jersey Democratic Party."
who is the defense attorney for Scooter Libby
http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=YjI1MDA4YzhhMTlkYjBiMGJkYTRmM2QzMDFhYTBiYmY=

[The Backlash Cometh]

8. Maybe it's time for law firms to take sides.

I say this because something smells about the changes in the property laws that took place in Florida, and things can't be undone because both parties are politically involved.

If the public really knew how one sided those court cases were argued, and how self-serving the local governments interpreted them, I think they'd wretch. THAT'S the source of the problem, for anyone who wants to look.

[eFriendly]

4. You're kidding, right?

The only thing that most law firms in Northeast Florida (including the Insurance defense firms) are more concerned about are the caps on malpractice litigation. They all couldn't care less about anything that doesn't somehow benefit them and their pocket books. And I have worked in firms on both sides (defense and plaintiff).

I suppose that you could make a list of the 'controlling partners' of each law firm and do a search for their political contributions to find out what you want to know... but it would be awfully time consuming.

[The Backlash Cometh]

9. No, I'm not kidding.

Seems to me that we were just discussing the other day, for instance, that Grey & Robinson had strong Republican ties. Due to get a nice, juicy consultant job from Jebbie.

[DoYouEverWonder]

7. The University of Florida

offers an environmental law degree. You might be able to find someone through them.