A few years back there was a movie released named “Up in the air” starring George Clooney (A movie worth watching with a surprise ending!). The storyline was that it was Clooney's job to fly around the country and fire long-term executives and workers. He did that face-to-face. The company he worked for ultimately decided that [...]
I have often wondered how much evidence it takes to convince someone “beyond a reasonable doubt.” That is a standard we are all used to hearing. It is a standard throughout the United States. But just how much evidence is needed? It got me thinking. In all probability, it is a different standard to many [...]
deVlaming & Rivellini excitedly welcomes another deVlaming to the firm, Denis’s daughter, Kali. Kali graduated from the University of Central Florida in 2011 with a Business Administration major. After college, she moved to Atlanta, Georgia and worked in commercial real estate. It was there she earned a paralegal degree from Emory University. While pursuing her [...]
I have been watching the George Floyd case on television like millions of others. As I listened to the prosecutor conduct some direct examinations, I wanted to jump up and say “objection!” I just could not believe that the defense would allow what I believe to be improper and objectionable questions. Then I got to [...]
I grew up believing that trials are a search for the truth. The whole truth. Moral truth. God’s truth. Unfortunately, after almost 50 years of practicing law I have come to believe that trials are not about a search for the ultimate truth. Trials are about the perception of truth. What the jury believes is true [...]
The State Attorney for the Sixth Judicial Circuit of Florida, Bernie McCabe, died on January 1, 2021. Although he was experiencing some health issues, his passing was a surprise to many. Bernie and I have known each other for over 50 years. In 1969, we started as freshmen at Stetson University College of Law in [...]
When I look back on the year 2020, I think of all the things that have gotten lost. Vacations, trips to see friends, movies and restaurant dining without masks. Trials for clients unable to post bond and in-person hearings to persuade a judge to grant a motion. It is now December and this past year has gone [...]
2020 will go down as the lost year. By that, I mean that normalcy just does not exist. Everything we are used to doing, we cannot continue to do. That vacation? Canceled. Having friends over for a get together? No way. Restaurants open for business? No such luck. And so on. Masks are no longer preferred, but expected. I have finally gotten use to [...]
On September 29, 2020, the presidential debate was aired. My hope was that it would produce a clear picture of whom should be president of this country. It took less than five minutes to realize that there would be no clear winner. As I watched this spectacle unfold, I silently hoped that there were no children watching who saw [...]
I have two visions of a man who so desperately wants a woman to tell him she loves him. In one vision, the man has a gun to the head of the woman telling her to say she loves him or he'll blow her brains out. In the other vision he earns her love and eventually, when [...]
