Paul Rebein Chosen for Florida Legal Elite for 2010

Paul Rebein has been chosen as one of the Florida Legal Elite for 2010.  The Legal Elite selection process was rigorous.  It began with an invitation to all members of the bar to provide the names of the Florida Lawyers they hold in the highest regard–lawyers they have worked with personally or would recommend to others.  The votes were tallied by an independent research firm, and a Blue Ribbon Panel of prominent lawyers reviewed the list of attorneys who garnered the most votes.

We are pleased to accept this prestigous award and look forward to living up to the title of Florida’s Legal Elite!

Florida Should Pass Ban on Texting While Driving

It is so tempting.  You are driving down the road when, “ding” you get a text.  Initially, you keep your eyes on the road, but as time passes the temptation to find out what important message has just been sent to you is just too great.  You pick up the phone and glance down at the text and read it.  This takes about 2 seconds.   You keep driving, but soon the temptation to respond gets to you again.  You grab your phone and start typing in the response.  You might even steer with your knees so you can type with both hands.  As you finish typing, you look up and suddenly see that you have been looking down for 5 seconds and you have almost run into the car in front of you that is stopped at a light.

This is an all too common scenario.  Tragically, drivers often don’t react in time and plow into the back of the vehicle in front of them.  It is unclear how many accidents are caused by drivers who are texting, because drivers rarely admit that they are texting.

Florida is considering passing a bill to ban texting while driving.  Please contact your representative  to urge them to pass this important piece of safety legislation.  To read more on this topic, click here.

If you or a loved one is injured in an accident, please call Paul at 813-305-PAUL (7285) or email Paul@rebeinlaw.com for a free initial consultation.

“Mexican-American women accuse Pasco group of discrimination” -Video Coverage

“Mexican-American women accuse Pasco group of discrimination” -Video Coverage

ACLU sues pasco county Fair Association for Discrimination

When calling the Pasco County Fair grounds in Dade City for different receptions the women were all told a deposit was $1,000. In person though all the women had similar stories when it was revealed that they were Mexican-American the deposit in turn became $1,500.

Their explanation was “When you people have your receptions and quinceaneras, you leave more damages and more messes, so that’s why we charge $1,500.”

So Ms. Fregoso, a U.S. Citizen at the age of 28, brought the issue to the American Civil Liberties Union, which in turn filed a law suit against the Pasco County Fair Association.

“The different pricing flat out violates the law,” says ACLU member Rebecca Steele in a Friday afternoon press conference .

For more info please click here

Florida to Judges: Do Not Make Friends with Lawyers

While we understand that conflicts of interest are a serious matter in the judicial realm, a recent ban on friending between judges and lawyers on social networking sites does seem a bit extreme. The ruling, from the Judicial Ethics Advisory Committee arm of the Florida Supreme Court, would prevent judges from adding lawyers who may appear before the judge as “friends” and vice versa on social networks like Facebook, MySpace, et al.

The reasoning behind the ban is to prevent the appearance to the public that friended lawyers might wield some sort of undue influence over the judge. Because the judge’s friends list is most likely available to the public (even more true with Facebook’s recent privacy changes), the committee found that friending a lawyer would violate Canon 2B of the Code of Judicial Conduct, which states, “A judge shall not lend the prestige of judicial office to advance the private interests of the judge or others; nor shall a judge convey or permit others to convey the impression that they are in a special position to influence the judge.”

Click here for more info.. [via mashable ]

Woman Hits Pedestrian, Performs CPR On Victim

A woman who hit a pedestrian early this morning on Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard in Clearwater immediately performed CPR on the victim. Officials explained that the pedestrian was crossing the boulevard in the dark without using a crosswalk. The driver, who is a registered nurse, performed CPR on the victim until he was taken to the hospital by helicopter.

Click here to read the full story.

If you or a loved one was injured in a traffic accident, please call 813-356-0567, or email paul@rebeinlaw.com for a free initial consultation.

Truck Accidents Require Experienced Truck Accident Attorney

Truck accidents often have devastating consequences.  If you or a loved one has been injured in a truck accident, contact the Rebein Law Firm for a free initial consultation.

UT Student Killed In Hit-Run Accident

A student from the University of Tampa and a friend were hit by a car as they were walking along W Kennedy boulevard near the university early Saturday morning. The vehicle who hit them veered and jumped onto the sidewalk, struck them at an approximate speed of 30 mph, and did not stop. Both were taken to Tampa General Hospital with critical injuries. Erik Nicoletti, the UT student, died two days later, and his friend who was visiting from out of town is in stable condition. The driver was found and arrested, and is detained in jail without bail.

Click here and here to read the full story.

If you or a loved one was injured in a traffic accident, please call 813-356-0567, or email paul@rebeinlaw.com for a free initial consultation

Bicyclist Killed In Clearwater

A bicyclist was killed last Tuesday in Clearwater after being hit by a van. The initial investigation suggests that the 52-year old man did not properly yield to the van at the intersection of Martin Luther King Avenue and Lasalle Street. He was pronounced dead after he was taken to the hospital.

Click here to read the full story.

If you or a loved one was injured in a traffic accident, please call 813-356-0567, or email paul@rebeinlaw.com for a free initial consultation.

Driver Runs Red Light, Causes 4-Car Crash

A woman who ran a red light in Ybor City caused a four-car crash Tuesday afternoon. After the accident, the intersection was closed for several hours, as the woman was pinned inside her pick-up truck, and rescuers had to cut her free from the vehicle. She was taken to Tampa General Hospital and suffered from serious injuries. One other person involved in the crash was taken to the hospital with non life-threatening injuries.

Click here to read the full story.

Click here for a video coverage.

If you or a loved one was injured in a traffic accident, please call 813-356-0567 or email paul@rebeinlaw.com for a free initial consultation.

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