Thirty Years

 Thirty years ago today I was sworn in as a member of the Florida Bar by Judge Becky Titus. It has been a great career, mostly due to the people I have worked with and the friends I have made. One person who has been with me every step of the way, is Regina Tebrugge, who started as my co-counsel, became my friend, and for these past many years has been my wife. I would also like to thank my first boss, Elliott Metcalfe who was a great friend and employer for 23 of those years. I also must acknowledge my friend and landlord, Mark Lipinski, for all of his support, particularly these last seven years.
The past thirty years have prepared me to take the next step. I am in the process of closing Tebrugge Legal so that I can work full time protecting our constitutional rights and reforming Florida's criminal justice system. I will be ready to provide more information in early July.

New Orleans filmmaker cleared in cold-case murder

False positive highlights limitations of familial DNA searching.

Ten Years of “Law and Sarasota”

      It was sometime in 2005 when Jan Jung and Art Hardy asked me to accompany them to a meeting with Leanne McIntire at the Education Channel.  The result was that I agreed to host an ongoing series of television programs focused on Sarasota’s legal community.  For the first episode, I handled First Appearances in front of Chief Justice Bob Bennett and then interviewed him afterwards inside the historic courtroom at the old Sarasota courthouse.

      My producer, Bob Gray and I, completed four additional episodes that year with distinguished guests such as Earl Moreland, Charles Williams and Rick DeFuria. We focused on criminal law topics and filmed inside the library at the Public Defender’s Office. Poor Bob would have to tote all of his cameras and microphones and lights into the office for each new episode. At the end of that first season I thought we were done. But the Education Channel liked the program and told me to continue if I could find new quests. At this point we have now filmed about fifty episodes.

      Within the first few years the program won the “public service award” presented by LexisNexis and the National Association of Bar Executives. Along with the award came a donation of a substantial block of free legal research on Lexis that was donated to Gulfcoast Legal Services.  In 2010 we won a grant from the Florida Bar Foundation to allow production of a video outlining the criminal justice system from arrest through trial. The great thing about this video was that as I filmed in English, Varinia Van Ness hosted the Spanish language companion. Both of these videos can still be found on YouTube and on the Sarasota County Bar Association website.

     A couple of years ago the Education Channel moved into its new production headquarters and studio on the campus of Sarasota County Technical Institute. The new studio allowed for a professional upgrade of the entire look of the program. Thanks in part to the generosity of the Sarasota Community Foundation we are now uploading the programs onto YouTube where they can found at TheEdChannel20. There you will find Robert Lincoln discussing code enforcement, Carol Kalish discuss the Affordable Health Care Act, and see Florida Bar President Eugene Pettis visit students at Booker High School.

     So far this year I have filmed episodes featuring Kurt Hoffman discussing the Sarasota Sheriff’s Office, Teri Cromley talking about workman’s compensation and Social Security disability, and Jane Windsor who discussed individualized learning plans for students suffering from learning disabilities.  The program is broadcast on Comcast Channel 20 and Verizon Channel 33 in Sarasota, and is typically shown several times a day. The Education Channel is also broadcast throughout the Sarasota County school system, and it is always cool when the young person bagging my groceries looks up, sees me and says “Law and Sarasota!”

      So I thank the Sarasota County Bar Association and all of my guests for allowing me to spread some legal knowledge throughout our community. If you have an idea for a program, feel free to let me know. 

 You Tube Link to Law and Sarasota episodes.

I will officiate your marriage in Manatee County, Bradenton Florida.

In honor of marriage equality coming to Florida, and in anticipation of National Marriage Week February 7 – 14, 2015, I am pleased to announce that I now provide marriage services as a licensed Notary Public. My office is conveniently located across the street from the Manatee County Clerk of the Court, and there is a lovely pavilion on the courthouse grounds where ceremonies may be performed.

Here is the view from my office. Please call (941) 544 6151 to schedule your wedding.