Scott D. Sheftall is the President of Sheftall & Torres, P.A., which he founded in 1996 after a twenty-year career in civil trial and appellate practice at the firm formerly known as Frates Floyd Pearson Stewart Richman & Greer. In his thirty-year legal career, Mr. Sheftall has established a track record as a lawyer who finds a way to achieve success in difficult cases which other firms may choose not to handle. He has achieved outstanding results for clients in both the catastrophic tort and complex commercial litigation areas of civil practice. Integrity, diligence, and courtesy are the hallmarks of his code of professional conduct.

In a recent two-year period, Mr. Sheftall won settlements or judgments of $10 million (wrongful death/auto negligence); $8 million (enforcement of money judgment in construction litigation); $2.5 million (breach of distributorship agreement); and $2.2 million (legal malpractice), among others. Each of these cases had been turned down as undesirable by other attorneys before being presented to Sheftall & Torres.

Mr. Sheftall is a versatile advocate whose achievements span a wide range of subject areas. He has recovered over a million dollars for various clients in over twenty distinctly different types of cases in state and federal courts. He believes that preparation, passion, and perseverance are the keys to his record of success as an advocate for a client's cause. He and his partner Brian Torres consider it vital to work closely with each client to bring an effective team effort to every case. A relationship of genuine trust and confidence, established with clients and the courts through exceptional competence, candor, and compassion, is the foundation on which every winning case is built by Mr. Sheftall and the firm.

Mr. Sheftall has been Board Certified by the Florida Bar as a civil trial lawyer continuously since 1988. In addition, he holds the highest rating, "AV," for legal skill and ethics in the estimation of his peers as conferred by Martindale-Hubbell. In 2000, Mr. Sheftall was inducted into the prestigious American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), and he is a longtime member of the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers (AFTL), where he previously served on the Board of Directors. He has served on the Florida Bar Association's Board of Legal Specialization and Education (BLSE) and the Grievance Committee. From 2005-08, Mr. Sheftall was rated by attorneys throughout Florida as a "Super Lawyer" (Super Lawyer Magazine) and as one of the "Top Lawyers in South Florida" (South Florida Legal Guide).

Mr. Sheftall was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida, and was educated at Davidson College (B.A. 1973) in North Carolina. In 1972, the Davidson faculty selected him as one of three students from his junior class to pursue special studies in government in Washington, D.C. His devotion to Davidson has been evident from his ten years of service as President of the Alumni Association (South Florida Chapter), chairman of the Davidson Alumni Admissions Program in South Florida, and as the recipient of the Alumni Leadership Award in 1997. He received his legal training at the University of Florida (J.D. 1976), where he was Vice-Chairman of the National Moot Court Team. He completed additional courses of legal study abroad at Trinity College, University of Cambridge and at the Institute for Legal Studies, Warsaw, Poland. Mr. Sheftall is currently the sponsor of the Trial Practice Book Award at the University of Florida Law Center.

Mr. Sheftall has demonstrated his belief that the privilege of being a professional attorney carries with it a duty to serve the community outside the halls of justice, as well as within them. One of his passions is to support children's causes. For example, Sheftall & Torres contributed $25,000 to build a new reading center for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Miami. And, although he did not attend the University of Miami, Mr. Sheftall, together with Brian Torres, has been among the largest contributors of time and resources to the Department of Pediatrics, Miller School of Medicine. Mr. Sheftall has served for ten years on the Children's Council whose purpose is to promote the cause of children's healthcare in the region through the Department's facilities at the University of Miami-Jackson Memorial Hospital. He originated the Children's Celebrity Pro-Am Golf Classic which has raised over $2 million for innovative and life-saving programs in pediatric medicine. In recognition of their service and significant capital contributions, the neurologic Critical Care Research Laboratory and the Family Waiting Area at the Infectious Disease and Immunology clinic in the Batchelor Children's Research Institute have been named in honor of Sheftall & Torres. The University of Miami has recognized Mr. Sheftall as a member of the "Ibis Society" and by tapping him and his partner, Mr. Torres, to be co-chairs of the Department's first ever annual fund drive to raise unrestricted dollars for the Department, the Children First Fund. Mr. Sheftall is an advocate for children's causes in the broader community as much as he is an advocate for his clients' causes in the courtrooms of Florida.

Mr. Sheftall's wife Regina, also from the Jacksonville area, is a graduate of Barry University and is an elementary school teacher in the Miami inner city.

Bar Admissions:

• Florida, 1977
• U.S. Supreme Court, 1982
• U.S. Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit, 1981
• U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida, 1977
• U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida, 1983

Bar Affiliations:

• Florida Justice Association, Director, 1994-99; Member, 1977-2008
• American Board of Trial Advocates, Member, 2000-08
• Dade County Bar Association, 1977-2008

Published Works:

• Author, "Expert Witnesses," Chapter 12, Florida Civil Trial Practice, Florida Bar, 4th ed. (1990), 5th ed. (1998), 6th ed. (2001), and 7th ed. (2005)
• Author, "Orders and Judgments," Chapter 20, Florida Civil Trial Practice, Florida Bar, 4th ed. (1990), 5th ed. (1998), 6th ed. (2001), and 7th ed. (2005)

Representative Cases:

• James P. Driscoll, Inc. v. Gould, 967 So.2d 369 (Fla. 3d DCA 2007)
• Colonial Penn Ins. Co. v. Magnetic Imaging Sys. I, Ltd., 694 So.2d 852 (Fla. 3d DCA 1997)
• Perlman v. Valdes, 575 So.2d 216 (Fla. 3d DCA 1990)
• Ford v. Rowland, 562 So.2d 731, 17 Media L. Rep. 2121 (Fla. 3d DCA 1990)
• Avis Rent-A-Car Systems, Inc. v. Abrahantes, 559 So.2d 1262 (Fla. 3d DCA 1990)
• Avis Rent-A-Car Systems, Inc. v. Abrahantes, 517 So.2d 25 (Fla. 3d DCA 1987)
• American Motors Corp. v. Abrahantes, 474 So.2d 271 (Fla. 3d DCA 1985)
• Parker v. Murray, 429 So.2d 790 (Fla. 3d DCA 1983)
• Fireman's Fund Ins. Co. v. Vordermeier, 415 So.2d 1347 (Fla. 3d DCA 1982)
• H. K. Corp. v. Miller's Estate, 405 So.2d 218 (Fla. 3d DCA 1981)
• Alves v. Adler Built Industries, Inc., 366 So.2d 802 (Fla. 3d DCA 1977)

Past Positions:

• Frates, Floyd, Pearson, Stewart, Richman, Greer, et. al., Partner, 1982-96, Associate, 1977-82

Education:

• University of Florida, College of Law, Gainesville, Florida (J.D., 1976)
• Davidson College, Davidson, North Carolina (B.A., 1973)

Community Affiliations:

• Co-Chair, Children First Fund, University of Miami, Department of Pediatrics
• Pillar Trustee, Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce
• Trustee, United Way of Miami-Dade
• Member, Alexis de Toqueville Society, Ordre de Liberte
• Member, Saint Thomas Episcopal Church, Coral Gables, Florida

Brian M. Torres joined Sheftall & Torres, P.A., as a founding member in 1996. Since then, Mr. Torres's law practice has focused on the prosecution of complex civil litigation in state and federal trial courts and related appeals. His practice has included the representation of clients in a variety of areas, including commercial litigation, class actions, defamation and invasion of privacy, probate and trust litigation, products liability, legal malpractice, medical malpractice and wrongful death. Mr. Torres has received Martindale-Hubbell's highest peer review rating ("AV") for his legal ability and adherence to ethical standards.

Mr. Torres is experienced in litigating in state and federal courts substantial disputes involving business firms, contract partners, entrepreneurs, corporate officers and shareholders. Mr. Torres has represented firms and entrepreneurs in industries as diverse as telecommunications, sports management, wholesale distribution, transportation, and real estate development. A particular focus of Mr. Torres's commercial litigation practice has centered on the development and analysis with expert economists and forensic accountants of damages models for companies seeking to recover lost profits due to breaches of contract or business torts. Mr. Torres, along with Scott Sheftall, also has significant experience in pursuing post-judgment collection activities after judgments have been secured at trial for the firm's clients, including in proceedings supplementary against third parties responsible for the judgment.

Another of Mr. Torres's major areas of practice is the representation of businesses and consumers in class action litigation. In particular, Mr. Torres has litigated as lead counsel or co-counsel over 40 class action cases in state and federal court. Many of these cases have involved class action claims against insurance companies in relation to their claims handling and loss adjustment practices. Mr. Torres has litigated a wide array of issues, including class certifications, standing, federal jurisdiction under the Class Action Fairness Act (CAFA), discovery, adequacy of class notice, class-wide damages, arbitrability of class claims, settlement fairness, and objections to class settlements. Additionally, Sheftall & Torres are believed to be the first law firm in Florida to have obtained certification of a plaintiff class in arbitration, a class award of damages in arbitration, and confirmation of the award in a Florida circuit court. Mr. Torres has had substantial experience with class action settlements and in working with independent claims administration firms. The total value of the class settlements in which Mr. Torres represented the plaintiff class exceeds $15 million. Several hundred thousand dollars of unclaimed funds from some of those settlements were donated to the Batchelor Children's Research Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine to promote pediatric clinical research.

Mr. Torres has significant experience in other areas, as well. Mr. Torres participates actively in the firm's personal injury practice, and has represented clients in products liability, medical malpractice, and wrongful death cases. He has significant experience in representing surviving children under Florida's Wrongful Death Act, Fla. Stat. ' 768.16 et seq. He has successfully represented clients against newspaper and broadcasting interests in cases involving defamation and invasion of privacy and has achieved $1.5 million in settlements for the firm's clients. Mr. Torres has also represented and counseled clients, including heirs, trustees and trust beneficiaries, in probate and trust litigation.

Mr. Torres is a 1994 graduate of the Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California at Berkeley. While at Berkeley, Mr. Torres honed his legal research and analytical skills as an associate editor from 1992-94 of the law school's flagship law journal, California Law Review. Prior to law school, Mr. Torres attended Williams College, in Williamstown, Massachusetts, where in 1991 he graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History. Mr. Torres was also inducted into the Williams chapter of Phi Beta Kappa in 1991.

Mr. Torres was born September 11, 1969, and raised in Fairfax County, Virginia. He resides in Miami Beach with his wife and three children.

Bar Admissions:

• Florida, 1994
• U.S. Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit, 1999
• U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida, 1995
• U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida, 1998
• U.S. District Court, Northern District of Florida, 2000

Bar Affiliations:

• Member, Dade County Bar Association, 1994-2008
• Chair, Appellate Courts Committee, 2001-02
• Member, Miami Beach Bar Association, 2007-08
• Member, Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers, 1996-2005
• Member, Association of Trial Lawyers of America, 1996-2001
• Member, American Bar Association, 1994-2001

Published Works:

• Co-Author, "Expert Witnesses," Chapter 12, Florida Civil Trial Practice, Florida Bar, 5th ed. (1998), 6th ed. (2001), and 7th ed. (2005)
• Co-Author, "Orders and Judgments," Chapter 20, Florida Civil Trial Practice, Florida Bar, 5th ed. (1998), 6th ed. (2001), and 7th ed. (2005)

Representative Cases:

• James P. Driscoll, Inc. v. Gould, 967 So.2d 369 (Fla. 3d DCA 2007)
• Blackstone Calling Card, Inc. v. American Digital Networks, Inc., 892 So. 2d 1036 (Fla. 3d DCA 2005)
• Sweeney v. Integon General Ins. Co., 806 So.2d 605 (Fla. 4th DCA 2002)
• Consortium for Diagnostics, Inc. v. Cigna Ins. Co., 781 So. 2d 1128, rev. den., 799 So. 2d 216 (Fla. 2001)
• Magnetic Imaging Sys. I, Ltd. v. Auto-Owners Ins. Co., 775 So. 2d 348, rev. den., 796 So. 2d 595 (Fla. 2001)
• Belfort v. Falowski, M.D., et al., 749 So. 2d 520 (Fla. 3d DCA 1999)
• USA Diagnostics, Inc. v. Rosales, et al., 740 So. 2d 598 (Fla. 3d DCA 1999)
• Fortune Ins. Co. v. USA Diagnostics, Inc., 736 So.2d 1279 (Fla. 4th DCA 1999)
• Orion Ins. Co. v. Magnetic Imaging Sys. I, Ltd., 696 So.2d 475 (Fla. 3d DCA 1997)
• Colonial Penn Ins. Co. v. Magnetic Imaging Sys. I, Ltd., 694 So. 2d 852 (Fla. 3d DCA 1997)

Past Positions:

• Gallwey Gillman Curtis Vento & Horn, Miami, Florida, Associate, 1996
• Kurzban Kurzban Weinger & Tetzeli, Miami, Florida, Associate, 1994-96

Education:

• University of California at Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law, Berkeley, California (J.D. 1994)
• Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts (B.A. 1991)

Community Affiliations:

• Co-Chair, Children First Fund, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, 2006-07
• Member, Committee on Quality Education, City of Miami Beach, 2007
• Member, Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce, 2005-08
• Pillar Trustees Board of Directors, 2007-08
• Co-Chair, Sustainable Living Council, 2007-08
• Governmental Affairs Committee, 2006-07
• Member, Business Networks International, South Beach Chapter, 2006-08
• Member, United Way of Miami-Dade, 1998-2008
• Alexis de Tocqueville Society, Ordre de Liberte, 1998-2008

Eric T. Halsey is a native Floridian who joined Sheftall & Torres as an associate in April 2006, after serving as a law clerk in the firm's civil trial and appellate practice since January 2004. Mr. Halsey practices in the areas of commercial and tort litigation, including personal injury, wrongful death, medical malpractice, breach of contract, judgment collection, and defamation. First as a law clerk and now as an associate, Mr. Halsey has worked extensively with the firm's partners on some of Sheftall & Torres' most successful cases, including a $10 million wrongful death settlement in 2005 and a $6 million judgment in construction litigation in 2006.

Mr. Halsey earned his law degree from the University of Miami School of Law in 2005, where he was a member of the Moot Court Board. He is an active member of the Florida Bar, the Miami Beach Bar Association, the Dade County Bar Association, and other local organizations, such as the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce, of which he is a Pillar Trustee.

Born in Fort Lauderdale and raised in Boca Raton, Mr. Halsey graduated magna cum laude from New York University in 1999, where he received a Bachelor of Education while majoring in communications. After graduating from NYU, Mr. Halsey worked as a General Assignment Reporter and News Anchor at a Fox News affiliate in Michigan.

Mr. Halsey was admitted to the Florida Bar in 2006.

Bar Admissions:

• Florida, 2006

Bar Affiliations:

• Dade County Bar Association, 2006-08
• Miami Beach Bar Association, 2007-08

Education:

• University of Miami, School of Law, Miami, Florida (J.D. 2005)
• New York University, New York, New York (B.E. 1999)

Community Affiliations:

• President, Business Networks International, Success Links Chapter, 2008
• Pillar Trustee, Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce, 2006-08

Margarita (Maggie) Rodriguez is the firm's legal assistant and office manager. Maggie joined Sheftall & Torres in 2005 and has over 30 years experience in the legal profession as an administrator and as a legal assistant in civil trial work. Among her many other achievements, Maggie is the Past President of the Miami Dade Legal Support Association. Maggie is an integral part of our trial team and brings to bear on her work not only considerable case management experience, but also exceptional communication skills with the clients and court personnel with whom she interacts on a daily basis.

Maggie has lived in Miami most of her life. She is bilingual in English and Spanish.

Dorothy Johnson has served Sheftall & Torres as our receptionist and as an office administrator since 2000. She plays a vital role in keeping our clients, the courts, and other professionals connected to the lawyers in the firm. Dorothy joined Sheftall & Torres after 24 years with American Express in New York and south Florida. Dorothy has resided in south Florida since 1981. She is originally from Kingston, Jamaica.