Eight Bryant Miller Olive Attorneys Named as Super Lawyers and Rising Stars for 2015
TALLAHASSEE —Bryant Miller Olive is pleased to announce that eight attorneys have been named in the 2015 edition of Florida Super Lawyers including: Ken Artin, Randy Clement, Jim Crosland, David Miller, Alan Zimmet and, Michael Elkins and Ellie Neiberger as Rising Stars.
Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. Each candidate is evaluated on 12 indicators of peer recognition and professional achievement.
Rising Stars recognizes top up-and-coming attorneys that must be either 40 years old or younger or in practice for 10 years or less. Super Lawyers publishes no more than 2.5 percent of lawyers as Rising Stars, while up to 5 percent of the lawyers in a state are named to Super Lawyers.
Ken Artin has actively practiced public finance law beginning in 1986 and, since 1991, has practiced exclusively in Florida. He has represented municipalities, counties, school districts and special taxing districts as disclosure counsel, bond counsel and special tax counsel. Mr. Artin has been named as among the state’s Legal Elite by Florida Trend Magazine and is also active at the national level through his involvement with the National Association of Bond Lawyers. He graduated from the State University of New York at Buffalo’s Law School in 1982 and from Southern Methodist University with an LL.M. in taxation in 1983. Mr. Artin has also served as the Managing Shareholder of the firm’s Orlando office.
Randy Clement was recognized for his work in the Bonds and Government Finance practice area. Mr. Clement is the Managing Shareholder of the firm’s Orlando office, and he has extensive experience in state and local government revenue bond financings in the State of Florida. He has particular expertise in airport, hospital, multi-family and single family housing, electric and water and sewer utility financings, as well as various special tax and enterprise fund financings. Serving in the capacity of bond counsel, underwriter’s counsel and disclosure counsel, Mr. Clement’s experience includes fixed rate, variable rate and auction rate financings, commercial paper programs, various derivative products and credit and liquidity enhanced transactions.
Jim Crosland was recognized for his work in the Employment and Labor Practice Area. Mr. Crosland has represented management exclusively in the practice of labor and employment law for 35 years. He has advised clients in both the private and public sectors in numerous successful election campaigns which resulted in the defeat of union organizing attempts. He also has extensive experience in advising clients how to maintain a union-free workplace environment. Mr. Crosland represents employers before the National Labor Relations Board and the Florida Public Employee Relations Commission in both representation (union organizing) and unfair labor practice cases.
Duane Draper was recognized for his work in the Bonds and Government Finance practice area. Mr. Draper currently co-chairs Bryant Miller Olive’s Public Finance practice area and has been in public finance either as an attorney or investment banker since 1989. He is resident in the firm’s Tampa office and is a member of the National Association of Bond Lawyers and the Local Government Section of The Florida Bar. Additionally, Draper is a graduate of Leadership Tampa 2003 and Leadership Florida 2006. His practice is focused primarily on bond counsel and disclosure counsel representations.
David Miller was recognized for his work in the Employment and Labor Practice Area. Mr. Miller has practiced labor and employment law, representing management, for his entire legal career. He is Board-Certified by the Florida Bar in Labor and Employment Law. He received a B.A., magna cum laude, from Newberry College in 1978, an M.S. from University of Tennessee in 1982, and his J.D., magna cum laude, from Stetson University College of Law in 1998. At Stetson, he served on the editorial board of the Stetson Lew Review. Before entering the practice of law, Miller was a journalist at newspapers including the St. Petersburg Times and the Sarasota Herald Tribune. David currently serves as the Risk Management Shareholder for Bryant Miller Olive.
Alan S. Zimmet was recognized for his work in the Business/Corporate, Real Estate, Employment & Labor practice areas. Mr. Zimmet has more than 30 years of legal experience, and is board certified by The Florida Bar in the area of City, County and Local Government Law. Mr. Zimmet specializes in local government law. Throughout his career, he has represented cities, counties, and special districts. Mr. Zimmet is also a certified circuit court mediator and a trained arbitrator.
Rising Stars
Michael Elkins was recognized as a Rising Stars in the Labor and Employment practice area. Mr. Elkins has exclusively represented management throughout his legal career. He has handled employment disputes in connection with claims arising from Title VII, the Florida Civil Rights Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Americans with Disability Act, and the Family and Medical Leave Act. As a litigator, he has regularly appeared before state and federal courts, as well as before a variety of administrative agencies. Mr. Elkins has guided employers through such complex issues as statutory compliance, employee discipline and terminations. Mr. Elkins also represents employers in collective bargaining negotiations and in the grievance and arbitration process.
Ellie Neiberger primarily practices in the firm’s Litigation, Bankruptcy and Creditors’ Rights, and Real Estate practice groups. Ms. Neiberger first joined Bryant Miller Olive as a law clerk in 2008, and joined the firm as an attorney upon admission to The Florida Bar. She received her Juris Doctorate with highest honors from the Florida State University College of Law in May 2009, where she graduated first in her class. After graduating and passing the bar, Ms. Neiberger was elected to the Florida State University Chapter of the Order of the Coif and recognized by the Florida Supreme Court for high performance on the July 2009 bar examination. In May 2006, she received a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics with honors from the University of Florida.
