BROWARD COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION: Member of the Week – Eric N. Assouline, Esq.

The Broward County Bar Association Featured Assouline & Berlowe Litigation Partner as the “Member of the Week”.

Eric N. Assouline, is a co-founder of Assouline & Berlowe, P.A., a business litigation and transactional boutique law firm.  Eric credits his personal and professional success to hard work, a strong work ethic inspired by his parents, and good Jewish values.

Eric is a first-generation American.  Eric was raised in Queens, New York, by immigrant French Moroccan parents, with few resources.

Started in 2003, Assouline & Berlowe’s main practice areas are pat­ent and intellectual property law; commercial litigation and appeals; real estate; labor and employment; international law and arbitration; creditors’ rights and bankruptcy; and as of 2018 the law firm added an additional practice area – Trust, Estates, and Guardianship.  The firm has three South Florida offices, and has served as counsel of record on many complex cases outside of Florida.

Eric N. Assouline is a litigation partner in the Miami and Ft. Lauderdale offices, and the head of the business litigation practice group.  Eric’s prac­tice focuses on complex business litigation, intellectual property and real estate litigation, bankruptcy and creditors’ rights.  Eric en­joys a complicated business litigation dispute, analyzing the risks and benefits of the strategy to employ, and then implementing the plan.  Eric takes pride in taking a case from inception to conclusion for the client, which often includes trips into the appellate and bankruptcy courts.

As the business world continues its international expansion, Assouline & Berlowe guides its clients through their legal challenges.  As a French speaking attorney, Eric has been hired by many clients from France and they are always shocked at the expense involved in litigating a case in the United States.  Eric does his best to bridge his clients between differing legal environments.  With the assistance of his partner, Daniel Vielleville, who was an attorney in Venezuela before becoming an attorney in the United States, they bridge the gap with the firm’s Latin American clientele.  Corporate Partner Carl Perdue plays a similar role with corporate matters from his extensive experience with complex Middle East corporate finance.

Assouline & Berlowe’s management predicts growth in the areas of technology, real estate, intellectual property, and trust and estate issues.  “We’re more than just another boutique law firm. We take great pride in the high quality legal work that we do every day. I believe our extensive network of attorneys that refer their clients to our firm, including many referrals from former opposing counsel, is a testament to how we honor our craft,” Eric Assouline has been quoted as saying.

In the Beginning

Eric Assouline and Peter Berlowe first served together as mem­bers of the University of Miami Law Review.

After law school, they worked together in the Miami office of Weil, Gotshal & Manges, LLP, where they trained as litigators on nationally recognized cases. While there, Eric Assouline served as the court appointed receiver’s lead litigation attorney charged with recovery actions in a high-profile global Ponzi scheme.

When Assouline & Berlowe first opened its doors 0n February 10, 2003, in Coral Gables, its office was sublet from Peter Berlowe’s father.  Eric has been quoted as saying “Our first office had thick shag carpet, old fash­ioned wood paneling, and had not been renovated in decades. The furnishings were comprised of mis-­matched furniture and left over construction mate­rials that we used to build a new countertop for the receptionist area,” From those humble beginnings, Assouline & Berlowe expanded with an of­fice in Broward in July 2004, and later another office in Boca Raton in 2008.

As part of its flagship intellectual property practice, the firm has two registered patent attorneys, includ­ing Peter Koziol, who is the head of the IP Litigation Group and Greg Popowitz, who has been with the firm for over 5 years.

Ellen Leibovitch, who is board certified in the areas of labor and employment, heads the firm’s Boca Raton office.

Eric Assouline has been quoted as saying that “Through our 10 attorneys we now have several hundred years of collective business law ex­perience, much of it gained in practice at large, presti­gious law firms.”

Eric Assouline has also been quoted as saying: “As the managing partner of the firm, I need to know what everyone is doing. I have an ethical obliga­tion to protect all of the firm’s clients and to be there to pick up the pieces if anything were to happen to any particular attorney at the firm. But I do not tell attor­neys how to do their job. The attorneys at my firm are exceptionally qualified and know their craft. My job is to make it as easy as possible for them to get their work done and keep the firm’s clients satisfied.”

Eric Assouline believes that his firm has the talent and experience to compete with any firm in the area of business law.  “As it re­lates to regional boutique business firms, because we are smaller, we can offer more flexibility without com­promising on service.” Eric stresses the fact that clients regularly interact with the firm’s attorneys through multi-office video conferencing. “This not only gives us what I believe is a significant competitive edge, but it helps keep clients in close contact, which is important to our client relationships.”

Giving Back

As individual professionals and as a firm, the attorneys of Assouline & Berlowe believe in sharing and they have backed that belief from the beginning. “We’ve long been involved in giving back to the community, in time, money and energy, to support numerous worthy causes and those who are less fortunate,” Eric Assouline has been quoted as saying.

Just some examples include: a mayoral debate for Miami-Dade County; a fundraising program for the Cystic Fibrosis Founda­tion; and a charity golf tournament in Boca Raton and a Walk-a-Thon in Sunrise, both in support of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.  “In 2008, as the economy struggled, we did not feel it was appropriate to have a year-end holiday staff party. So, instead we made donations to the Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood and to the Miami Children’s Hospital,” Eric Assouline has been quoted as saying.

Eric Assouline currently serves on the board of directors of: the B’nai Brith Justice Unit; the Jewish Na­tional Fund; Hillel of Broward and Palm Beach Counties; the University of Miami Law Alumni Association; and the Florida Alumni of Arizona State University.

Eric Assouline has been a regular guest speaker at St. Thomas Univer­sity School of Law, where his wife, Iris Rogatinsky, is a law pro­fessor.  During his talks, Eric Assouline has mentored law students seeking his advice and insight on the practice of law, and he has conducted lectures on litigation and deposition skills for Pincus Professional Edu­cation. He also regularly volunteers to judge law school moot court and mock trial competitions at the University of Miami and Nova Southeastern Law School.

“I feel fortunate that I have been given this opportunity and I do my best to instill the same strong work ethic and uncompromising moral values upon my children with the help of my amazing wife.” She also worked with both Eric Assouilne him Peter Berlowe at Weil Gotshal & Manges.

Eric Assouline’s rise from humble beginnings to prominence in the legal community has colored his view of the world, the com­munity, and his firm. Eric Assouline and the attorneys of Assouline & Berlowe recognize their fortuity. Eric Assouline has been quoted as saying: “You will not hear me complain about my life. I find it very unbecoming to complain about triv­ial matters. No one is perfect and no situation is perfect forever. I like to say that I don’t look at the glass half full. I am grateful I even have a glass to drink. And as far as I am concerned, my glass always runneth over.”

Eric N. Assouline, Esq.

Business Litigation Partner

ASSOULINE & BERLOWE, P.A.

Miami Tower

100 SE 2^nd St., Suite 3105

Miami, FL 33131

Telephone: 305-567-5576

Email: ena@assoulineberlowe.com

www.assoulineberlowe.com

Intellectual Property, Labor & Employment Law,  Real Estate, International Dispute Resolution, Commercial Litigation, Corporate Law, and Bankruptcy

Miami · Ft. Lauderdale · Boca Raton

HAPPY WORLD IP DAY!

Happy World Intellectual Property Day – 2013

Assouline & Berlowe is hard at work building its intellectual property department.  The firm now has three patent attorneys and handles all forms of IP issues.  Join us in celebrating World IP Day.

Every year, on April 26, 2013, the world celebrates World IP Day.  The theme of the World Intellectual Property Organization for 2013 is Creativity: the next generation.According to the WIPO website (www.wipo.int):

What is the shape of things to come?

From the weather to the markets to the next big thing in technology or the arts, we all want to know how the world will look tomorrow.

Predicting the future is an uncertain endeavor at best, but that doesn’t keep us from trying. And with ever greater access to information, instant communication, new forms of collaboration and crowd-sourcing, our predictions are becoming more frequent, more outrageous, and more accurate.

We know, for example, that cars will soon drive themselves. That our sight and speech – eventually our brains – will interact more directly with, and effectively control, our computers. Which will in turn become much smaller and be worn on – or inside – our bodies. This will all have a profound effect on how we live – how we think, how we work, how we learn, heal, enjoy.

What used to be science fiction is now fact. But what’s next? What is the future beyond the future? What disruptive technology is now just an idea bouncing around a young engineer’s mind? Who will create the next online sensation that again changes how we talk to each other? What new music will emerge from a garage somewhere to rock the world’s dance floors or unnerve the academy? Who are tomorrow’s great artists and innovators? How are they working; how do they create? And how will they get their creations to market in a world where the game changes, almost daily?

The future? Ask the next generation.

Join in

• Organize an event or activity for World IP Day in your community;
• Follow us and join the discussion on the World IP Day Facebook page;
• Find IP Day images from around the world and check out activities on our world events map;
• Share your World IP Day activities, posters, pictures, etc., directly on the Facebook Page, or send them to us for posting at worldipday@wipo.int;
• Visit World IP Day exhibition

More Information on World IP Day, go to the the wipo.int cite.

• About World IP Day
• Suggested activities
• World IP Day archives

Sincerely,

Eric N. Assouline, Esq.

Litigation Partner
Assouline & Berlowe, P.A.

For additional information:

In Miami: 305-567-5576

In Broward: 954-929-1899

In Palm Beach: 561-361-6566

ERIC N. ASSOULINE, ESQ.

Eric N. Assouline

visit superlawyers.com

ASSOULINE & BERLOWE, P.A.

http://www.assoulineberlowe.com

Intellectual Property, Labor & Employment Law, Bankruptcy, Commercial Litigation, and Corporate Law

Miami · Ft. Lauderdale · Boca Raton

Eric N. Assouline

Business Litigation

Patents and Miami – The Next Tech Hub

As the firm continues to build its base of hard IP talent, an interesting editorial was written by one of Miami’s favorite sons, Manny Medina.

The following editorial was published in the Miami Herald and addresses many of the main issues that Miami need to address in order for Mr. Medina to accomplish his goal of making Miami a Technology Center for the Americas.

Miami can be Latin America’s technology hub

BY MANUEL D. MEDINA

http://www.tfamericas.org

More than 500 of the top executives in South Florida were in the audience a year ago when I made the statement that was a sobering realization for a group that had convened to celebrate the great achievements the technology industry had enjoyed in the previous year. I myself cringed when I said bluntly, “Miami does NOT have tech.”

As someone with a deep, enduring love for Miami and the head of one of the few publicly traded technology companies in this community, nothing caused me more frustration over the years than the fact that our community has not been able to take advantage of our differentiators to elevate the IT sector to the level of economic staples like tourism, real estate and construction.

There have been some tremendous strides made to help foster a growing tech sector, but these efforts are just the beginning of what must be achieved to elevate South Florida in the context of the broader technology ecosystem.

Where we are today in technology mirrors the opportunity facing our community a decade ago when the organizers of Art Basel decided to launch the event here. For much of its history, Miami was never considered a major center for arts and culture. Yet today our community hosts tens of thousands of visitors every year for the premier art show in the Western Hemisphere. More importantly, Art Basel served as the catalyst that led to the development of an arts and culture industry that contributes millions of dollars and thousands of jobs to the local economy. If we can do the same thing in technology the impact will be truly game changing for South Florida.

The good news is that today we have the perfect opportunity to establish our region as the tech hub I know it can be. Our geography makes us the ideal bridge to connect Latin America and the world as the traditional large technology vendors chase growth in new emerging markets and highly skilled IT professionals with a strong entrepreneurial spirit from throughout the Americas look for opportunities to tap into the global marketplace. I firmly believe that if we act now, in a concerted and unified fashion, we can make Miami the center for technology innovation for the Americas.

In order to become a technology hub that compliments the mature ecosystems of Silicon Valley, Research Triangle, and London, there are four critical areas that we must advance.

First, we must enhance the world-class education our students are receiving by focusing on the areas that will drive technology-based employment opportunities in the 21st century. To do this we must instill a strong sense of curiosity in our children about how the technologies that convert 1’s and 0’s into the applications that make everything from mobile banking to angry birds flying across the screen possible.

Second, we must continue the momentum in nurturing the entrepreneurs and startups that have tremendous potential to be the next Facebook or Twitter. There are many intrepid young minds in our community that are working tirelessly to take their unique ideas and make them into thriving businesses. We need to continue providing the service that will accelerate their success.

Third, our community needs the institutional funding mechanism to finance these burgeoning companies so they don’t need to relocate to attract the financial resources needed to take their enterprises to the next stage. Access to capital beyond angel investments is critical to providing entrepreneurs with a clear path to business success without ever having to leave South Florida.

Finally, we have to retain the talented technology employees our universities are producing and bring back the thousands of sophisticated workers that have left Miami for greater opportunities in other areas of the world. Miami is one of the best places in the world to live, play and work — let’s make a concerted effort to keep the talent we’re nurturing so they can serve as the fuel that takes our economy to new heights.

To make this a reality, I am putting my money where my mouth is. Along with many of Miami’s community and business leaders, we have created the Technology Foundation of the Americas — a non-profit organization whose mission is to serve as the catalyst for establishing Miami as the technology hub for the Americas. Our foundation’s primary focus today is in launching the preeminent technology conference focused on emerging technologies impacting the Latin American market. Starting in May of 2014 this annual conference, eMerge Americas, will attract thousands of technology leaders from across the Americas to Miami to hear about the latest trends driving areas like cloud computing, cybersecurity and mobile applications; to meet with their peers, customers and partners; and to enjoy all the fun and entertainment our community has to offer.

To validate the immense impact we believe this conference can have on our local economy, we have commissioned an economic impact study that took a conservative approach and predicts the event has the potential to help bring approximately 17,000 additional jobs in the high tech and related industries over the next 10 years; generate $1.6 billion in growth to Miami-Dade County’s GDP from the eMerge Americas conference and the economic development impact directly tied to the event; and bring $2.4 billion in additional local sales over the first 10 years the conference is held.

This is a herculean effort that will require the hard work and support of the public and private institutions that are at the core of our community. With the help of key leaders and organizations throughout South Florida, we can effect the change needed to make sure that in the near future we can all say with conviction “Miami has tech!”

Manuel D. Medina is the founding and managing partner of Medina Capital. For more information about the Technology Foundation of the Americas, please visit http://www.tfamericas.org.

I hope to see you there.

Sincerely,

Eric N. Assouline, Esq.

Litigation Partner
Assouline & Berlowe, P.A.

For additional information:

In Miami: 305-567-5576

In Broward: 954-929-1899

In Palm Beach: 561-361-6566

ERIC N. ASSOULINE, ESQ.

Eric N. Assouline

visit superlawyers.com

ASSOULINE & BERLOWE, P.A.

http://www.assoulineberlowe.com

Intellectual Property, Labor & Employment Law, Bankruptcy, Commercial Litigation, and Corporate Law

Miami · Ft. Lauderdale · Boca Raton

Eric N. Assouline

The Business Lawyer’s Role in the New Age of Science and Technology

“From Concept to Miracle…The Lawyer’s Role in Florida’s Bioscience and Technology Industry”

The 21st Century is said to be the century for innovations in bioscience and nano-technology innovation; the dawn of a new industrial revolution. Florida is well-known as a state for new beginnings and entrepreneurship. The State is expected to be a cutting-edge leader in this exciting and rapidly developing science frontier.

Florida has become a rapidly growing center for biotechnology and medical research and development. The State is steadily gaining national recognition as an important center for discoveries in its scientific and medical communities.

In its June, 2012 BioPulse article A Snapshot of the Bioscience Industry, BioFlorida (“Florida’s bioscience industry association… represent(s) and advocate(s) for the state’s biotechnology, pharmaceutical and medical device industries”) reported that:
“While other states are seeing a decline in biotechnology investment and entrepreneurship, the biotechnology industry in Florida continues to grow, with venture capital investments surging by 200 percent(.)”

In recent years, Florida has succeeded in attracting and relocating premier research institutions, including:
• Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience: “a study conducted by Enterprise Florida anticipates that the research organization will support the creation of more than 1,800 jobs, both directly and indirectly, over the next two decades, and generate more than $2 billion in economic activity.”

• Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute of Florida: “the Florida-funded expansion of Oregon Health & Science University’s highly successful Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute, focused on vaccine development with a special focus on vaccines and therapeutics that protect the aging population, which is the most vulnerable to disease.”
• Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies: “conducting basic research to advance the understanding of human disease and the improvement of human health, Torrey Pines’ scientists conduct research in fields associated with a wide variety of major medical conditions, and new methods for drug discovery.”
• Sanford-Burnham Institute for Medical Research: “conducts world-class collaborative research dedicated to finding cures for human disease, improving quality of life; its Orlando facility focusing on diabetes and obesity.”

• Scripps Research Institute of Florida: “cutting edge facilities for researchers who conduct studies at the forefront of basic biomedical science, drug discovery, and technology development.”

A State-wide supporting infrastructure includes state-of-the-art university laboratories, hospitals, and research centers and the State’s 12 research parks, including:
• Florida Innovation Hub of the University of Florida: “will provide its resident companies with office space, laboratories, conference rooms, and other resources…to enable the advancement of their technology and marketing strategies….”

• Lake Nona Science & Technology Park: “this 600-acre site will be home to University of Central Florida’s new College of Medicine and Health Sciences Campus, Burnham Institute for Medical Research’s East Coast Campus, a University of Florida Research Center, Orlando VA Medical Center, and Nemours Children’s Hospital and Research Campus.

• Tradition Center for Innovation: “research and office park focused on immunology, medical devices, health care and clinical trials, and life sciences.”

• University of Miami Life Science and Technology Park: the complex “provides first-class facilities in an urban park setting in order to promote research, inspire collaboration between the University and private and public enterprise, deliver economic benefits to the local community and bring meaningful medical and technological advances to the world.”

To these may be added several business incubators supporting Florida’s growing number of startup companies.

Many scientists are entrepreneurs. They seek to develop proprietary and patentable life science-related products and medical devices. Their research initiatives lead to collaborations with like-minded colleagues; to financial arrangements with angel investors, venture capital, and private equity firms; and to strategic alliances, joint ventures, or mergers or acquisitions with more viable industry partners. Ultimately, that idea (the subject of interesting research, clinical study, and regulatory concern) reaches full commercialization and is subject to capital markets interest. Moreover, the idea or concept is eventually transformed into a universally available life-science miracle product or device.

“At each of the major junctures on the road to decipher the human genome, there were multiple issues, those that were legal-regulatory in nature and those of intellectual property, geopolitical divisions, and the maturity of information technology, personnel, and public relations, with which researchers and developers had to contend.” (Bryan Bergeron and Paul Chan, Biotech Industry: A Global, Economic, and Financing Overview John Wiley & Sons, 2004 (Kindle Edition Locations 1706-1707)

The road from basic research to commercialization may be long and tortuous. It can be a formidable affair. Financial and general management practices do not always equate with scientific methods; regulatory and legal compliance requirements can constrain clinical studies and medical procedures.

Business creation in the life sciences, as in other for-profit endeavors, catapults the entrepreneur into unfamiliar territory. Territory, where risk mitigation is critical and “timing everything.” Financial consultants, business advisors, and lawyers; each has a role in this mitigation process. It may not “take a village,” but it does require a multi-disciplinary and professional, team-oriented approach.

The business lawyer’s role, as confidant and counselor, is pivotal: whether the client’s “sounding board;” reviewing the impact of business or strategic plans; expressing opinions relating to governance or other corporate actions; negotiating contentious commercial or financial issues; securing patents; or doing deals. This is especially true when advising science and technology-oriented firms engaged in entrepreneurial business and financial transactions.

“A lawyer…is a representative of clients, an officer of the legal system, and a public citizen having special responsibility for the quality of justice. As a representative of clients, a lawyer performs various functions. As an adviser, a lawyer provides a client with an informed understanding of the client’s legal rights and obligations and explains their practical implications. As an advocate, a lawyer zealously asserts the client’s position under the rules of the adversary system. As a negotiator, a lawyer seeks a result advantageous to the client but consistent with requirements of honest dealing with others. As an evaluator, a lawyer acts by examining a client’s legal affairs and reporting about them to the client or to others.”

Lawyers shape relationships; a critical role often forgotten. For example, a successful transaction attorney is a “deal maker; not deal breaker.” Good transaction lawyers will not make “mountains out of molehills.” Counsel understands that the client will be living with deal results perhaps for years; while he or she moves on to the next case or transaction.

Good corporate lawyers focus core disciplines in business and finance. And, have a “familiarity with many apparently unconnected areas of legal practice;” including securities, antitrust, intellectual property, real property law and litigation. Such counsel, especially if engaged at an early stage, is well-positioned to help a bioscience, technology, and other industry entrepreneur initially create a viable business platform and thereafter, help navigating the legal “rocks and shoals” of the free enterprise system.

Carl H. Perdue, JD, LLM – Of Counsel
chp@assoulineberlowe.com

In Miami: 305-567-5576

In Broward: 954-929-1899

In Palm Beach: 561-361-6566

ERIC N. ASSOULINE, ESQ.

Eric N. Assouline

visit superlawyers.com

ASSOULINE & BERLOWE, P.A.

http://www.assoulineberlowe.com

Intellectual Property, Labor & Employment Law, Bankruptcy, Commercial Litigation, and Corporate Law

Miami · Ft. Lauderdale · Boca Raton

Photo is from . . . New York’s Hall of Science from the World’s Fair exhibit in Flushing, Queens.

Eric N. Assouline

visit superlawyers.com