While the primary mission of Sheftall & Torres, P.A., is and always will be to represent as effectively and aggressively as possible our clients' interests, the firm also places a high priority on service to the legal profession and to the public at large. The firm and its lawyers have been active in their support of various causes, including promoting better public health – in particular, pediatric research and treatment; preserving the independence of the judiciary and maintaining public access to courts; and supporting community-based organizations that make a direct, positive impact every day in the lives of Floridians.

The partners of Sheftall & Torres, P.A., believe that the privilege of practicing law in Florida carries with it a duty to serve its communities outside the halls of justice, as well as within them. The firm has been particularly active in serving the needs of children in Florida and beyond. Beginning in the mid-1990’s, Mr. Sheftall served for ten years on the Children's Council, whose purpose is to promote the cause of children's healthcare in the south Florida region through the facilities of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine and Jackson Memorial Hospital. And although neither Mr. Sheftall nor Mr. Torres attended the University of Miami, the partners have been among the largest contributors of time and resources to the Department of Pediatrics at the Miller School of Medicine during the last decade. Mr. Sheftall originated the Children's Celebrity Pro-Am Golf Classic, which raised over $2 million for innovative and life-saving programs in pediatric medicine. In recognition of their service and significant capital contributions, the Batchelor Children's Research Institute at the Miller School of Medicine named the neurologic Critical Care Research Laboratory and the Family Waiting Area at the Infectious Disease and Immunology clinic in honor of Sheftall & Torres, P.A. The University of Miami recognized Mr. Sheftall as a member of the "Ibis Society" and tapped him and Mr. Torres in 2006-07 to co-chair the Department's inaugural fund drive to raise unrestricted dollars for the Department, known as the Children First Fund.

Further, the firm is proud of its role in helping to advance the cause of patient safety in hospitals. Through its representation of the family of Laurayne Gordon, Scott Sheftall was able to assist the family in turning Mrs. Gordon’s tragic death into a catalyst for positive change. Mrs. Gordon was a woman who died of respiratory failure and cardiopulmonary arrest due to an undiagnosed and untreated, post-operative methicillin-sensitive staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) infection. The result of the Gordon family’s and Mr. Sheftall’s efforts was the establishment of a continuing special educational program that began at the end of 2006 called the “Laurayne Gordon’s Lessons Learned Program” at the University of Miami. The Laurayne Gordon project is a mandatory educational program for Miller School of Medicine physicians regarding in-patient infection prevention and control, with particular focus on the treatment of MSSA. The program consists of a series of patient safety educational lectures presented by the University of Miami Medical Group’s Office of Physician-Patient Advocacy and Office of Patient Protection and Risk Prevention. In recognition of their contributions, the Dean of the Miller School of Medicine, Pascal J. Goldschmidt, M.D., presented commendations to the Gordon family and to Mr. Sheftall at a ceremony following one of the lectures on August 27, 2007.

Sheftall & Torres, P.A., are committed also to supporting institutions and organizations dedicated to preserving the public's access to our state and federal court systems and to ensuring the independence of the judicial branches of our state and federal governments. Accordingly, the firm's lawyers over the years have held leadership positions at the executive and committee levels in a number of such organizations, including the American Bar Association, the Florida Bar, the Florida Justice Association, Endowment for Academy Giving to Law and Education (EAGLE), Florida Lawyers Action Group (FLAG), and the Dade County Bar Association. Additionally, in January 2000, Scott Sheftall was inducted into the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), an honor earned by very few of the lawyers who practice in the state and federal court system.

Since the firm was founded in 1996 in Miami, Sheftall & Torres, P.A., have been active in supporting organizations that help build a better community for those who live and work in south Florida. In particular, the firm has supported a number of local charities and community development organizations, including the United Way of Miami-Dade. The firm was honored for its generosity by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami with a plaque in the reading room at the Hank Kline Unit on 32nd Avenue in Miami. Both Scott Sheftall and Brian Torres were inducted into the Alexis de Tocqueville Society of the United Way of Miami-Dade.

Sheftall & Torres, P.A., looks forward to extending our service and commitment to communities in the Jacksonville area with the opening of our new office there in the spring of 2010. Additional information on the organizations mentioned above can be found on the Useful Links page.