Category: Practice Areas

Navigating Construction Liens

Construction, and businesses supporting construction, were not generally affected by closure orders due to COVID-19. The construction industry is considered essential to the welfare of the state’s citizens, and continues to move forward. However, economic pressures brought on by the pandemic may cause first- and second-tier contractors to be less willing to wait for payment.

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Appellate Court: City’s Vacation Rental Fines are Not Fine

The City of Miami Beach appears to have lost a major battle in its war on short-term rentals following a recent decision by Florida’s Third District Court of Appeals, which declares that the City’s excessive fine structure is illegal under Florida law. Short-term vacation rentals have surged in popularity in recent years, in large part

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Online Notarizations: Efficient way to close real estate deals

This year, the State of Florida approved a law allowing Florida notaries to perform remote online notarizations. With the global pandemic stifling many legal processes including, closing in-bank services and real estate offices, the state’s timing may seem clairvoyant. The new law helps to eliminate many of the current difficulties closing real estate transactions, as well as notarizing other legally binding documents.

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Student Athletes’ Rights to Compensation

Getting paid to play sports while earning a college degree? It’s time. In Florida, this becomes a reality on July 1, 2021. California and Colorado passed similar laws, but Florida’s will be the first to take effect.

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Key Legal Concerns in Response to COVID-19

As we move forward and begin the see the potential for recovery in our lives and the larger economy, many are confronting difficult decisions about their personal and business finances. So many unknowns will have to be addressed in the coming months and Bitman O’Brien & Morat has identified the three top legal challenges our clients are currently facing.

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Fighting for Equal Pay in Women’s Sports

On May 1, 2020, a federal judge dismissed the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team’s (USWNT) claim under the federal Equal Pay Act. Judge Gary Klausner of the U.S. District Court for Central California in Los Angeles tossed the women’s claim tha

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