de la Parte & Gilbert Sponsors Water for People Event

de la Parte & Gilbert, P.A. was a proud sponsor of American Water Works Association’s Wine for Us event which took place August 1, 2013 at the Orlando Science Center. The AWWA Region III event is held annually to benefit Water for People.

Water for People is a private, non-profit organization established to help communities in developing countries improve their quality of life by supporting sustainable drinking water, sanitation and personal health and hygiene programs. Water for People programs are currently in place in Peru, Guatemala, Honduras, Bolivia, Uganda and several other nations around the globe.

de la Parte & Gilbert Sponsors JFK Documentary Film

de la Parte & Gilbert is proud to join WUSF Public Media in sponsoring the TV film, JFK in Tampa: The 50th Anniversary. The one-hour documentary will commemorate the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s visit to the Tampa Bay area and will include rarely seen video footage, images and oral histories as told by those who were a part of this historic visit. WUSF will premiere the film on Sunday, November 17, 2013 and it will be available online through www.jfkintampa.org and www.wusf.org. Ultimately, the film will be archived in museums and libraries across the nation, including the JFK Presidential Library and Museum.

de la Parte & Gilbert, P.A. Lawyers selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2014

Several of de la Parte & Gilbert, P.A. attorneys, Richard A. GilbertEdward P. de la ParteDavid M. Caldevilla and Vivian Arenas-Battles, have been named in the 2014 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®.

Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers® has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Because Best Lawyers is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey in which almost 50,000 leading attorneys cast nearly five million votes on the legal abilities of other lawyers in their practice areas, and because lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed, inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor. Corporate Counsel magazine has called Best Lawyers “the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice.”

Mr. Gilbert is a Shareholder with de la Parte & Gilbert and was included in the 2014 list for the areas of Commercial Litigation and Personal Injury Litigation. Rich is Board Certified as a Business Litigation Lawyer and Civil Trial Lawyer and can be reached at rgilbert@dgfirm.com.

Ed de la Parte, also a Shareholder with de la Parte & Gilbert, made the list again for the specialties of Utilities Law and Water Law. Mr. de la Parte is Board Certified as a State & Federal Government and Administrative Practice lawyer and can be reached at edelaparte@dgfirm.com.

David Caldevilla, a de la Parte & Gilbert Shareholder, is a Board Certified Appellate Lawyer and was listed in Best Lawyers for Appellate Practice. David can be reached via email at dcaldevilla@dgfirm.com.

Vivian Arenas-Battles, also a de la Parte & Gilbert Shareholder, was selected for inclusion in the areas of Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law.

David Caldevilla and Vivian Arenas-Battles Named To Florida Trend’s Legal Elite

David M. Caldevilla and Vivian Arenas-Battles have been named to Florida Trend’s Legal Elite for 2013. The prestigious publication recognizes the top tier of attorneys as chosen by their peers, who are asked to name attorneys who they hold in the highest regard or would recommend to others. Only 2% of the over 90,000 active Florida Bar members were selected for inclusion.

David Caldevilla focuses his practice on appellate, administrative, civil litigation, environmental, eminent domain and government cases. David is also a Shareholder at the firm and can be reached at dcaldevilla@dgfirm.com.

Vivian Arenas-Battles is a Shareholder with de la Parte & Gilbert and focuses her practice in the areas of administrative law, civil litigation, environmental and eminent domain issues.

Eric D. Nowak Appointed to Wheels of Success Board of Directors

Associate Eric D. Nowak has been appointed to the Wheels of Success Board of Directors. Wheels of Success is Tampa Bay’s only 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to providing personal transportation solutions by partnering with the Tampa Bay community in a circle of support to keep people working and sustain their independence.

Eric graduated from New College of Florida with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and received his J.D., cum laude, from the University of Florida, Levin College of Law. He joined the firm in 2009 and practices primarily in general civil litigation.

David M. Caldevilla Appointed as Secretary of Appellate Court Rules Committee

David Caldevilla has been appointed to serve as Secretary of The Florida Bar’s Appellate Court Rules Committee. The Appellate Court Rules Committee is a standing committee of The Florida Bar. The Committee is responsible for proposing new rules of appellate procedure and amendments to existing rules for consideration and adoption by the Florida Supreme Court. David is a Board Certified Appellate Lawyer, and a shareholder at de la Parte & Gilbert, P.A.

Mr. Caldevilla has practiced with de la Parte & Gilbert since 1989. In addition to his appellate cases, he also focuses his practice on administrative, civil litigation, environmental, eminent domain and government cases. David can be reached at dcaldevilla@dgfirm.com.

Super Lawyer Magazine selects de la Parte & Gilbert Attorneys as 2013 Super Lawyers

The firm is proud to announce that Edward P. de la Parte, Jr. (Environmental Litigation), Richard A. Gilbert (Business Litigation), David M. Caldevilla (Appellate) and Vivian Arenas-Battles (Eminent Domain) were once again honored as “Super Lawyers” in the 2013 issue of Florida Super Lawyers magazine.

Two other Shareholders, Daniel J. McBreen (Business Litigation) and Nicolas Q. Porter (Environmental Litigation) and Associate Kristin Y. Melton (Environmental Litigation) were also selected again in 2013 as Rising Stars among the state’s younger attorneys.

Two additional attorneys were also honored as first time selectees. Patrick J. McNamara (Business Litigation) was selected as a Super Lawyer. Pat is a Shareholder and Vice Managing partner at the firm. He can be reached at pmcnamara@dgfirm.com. Associate Michael R. Bray was added to the Rising Stars list. Mike has been with the firm since 2008 following his graduation from the University of Florida, Levin College of Law.

David Caldevilla’s Artwork Featured at Bank of America Plaza

David Caldevilla, an AV-Rated Board Certified Appellate Lawyer and a Shareholder at de la Parte & Gilbert, P.A., currently has his Automotography artwork featured at the Bank of America Plaza in downtown Tampa.

David is a proud “gear-head” with a passion for classic cars. Growing up, he graduated from playing with Hot Wheels, slot cars and Cox model racing cars to owning and refurbishing his first car – a 1969 Camaro. As a teenager, he picked up photography as a hobby and he quickly found that cars were his favorite subject to photograph.

A few years ago, David discovered photo manipulation techniques using technology to blur the lines between photography and painting. When he tried the techniques on his car pictures, what evolved is his self-named “Automotography.” You can view David’s artwork in the lobby of the Bank of America Plaza.

David has practiced with de la Parte & Gilbert since 1989. In addition to his appellate cases, he also focuses his practice on administrative, civil litigation, environmental, eminent domain and government cases. David can be reached at dcaldevilla@dgfirm.com or (813) 229-2775.

de la Parte & Gilbert Sponsors 2013 University of Tampa Fellows Forum

de la Parte & Gilbert was a proud sponsor of the 2013 University of Tampa Fellows Forum held at the David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts on February 27, 2013. The annual event for the University of Tampa Board of Fellows brought together a distinguished panel of business CEOs to share their perspectives with the Tampa Bay business community on issues such as cyber-security and keeping pace with technology changes. The primary focus of the Board of Fellows is to serve as goodwill ambassadors for The University of Tampa by increasing visibility and strengthening ties within the Tampa Bay business community.

Patrick J. McNamara, the Firm’s vice-managing shareholder, is a member of the University of Tampa’s Board of Fellows.

Caldevilla Continues Tradition

de la Parte & Gilbert, P.A. is proud to announce that Jacob (“Jake”) Caldevilla, has been selected by the American Legion to represent Tampa Catholic High School at Florida Boys State in Tallahassee this summer. Jake, a junior in TC’s Class of 2014 and the son of d&G Shareholder David Caldevilla, has worked for the firm in the past as an office services clerk. Jake’s father, David participated in the Boys State program in 1979, and Jose Caldevilla, Jake’s grandfather also participated in the program in 1958.

Boys State is a comprehensive one week course in state and local government, as well as a “leadership action program,” where qualified male high school juniors from all over the State of Florida take part in a practical government course. The program is designed to develop a working knowledge of the structure and operation of Florida’s government and political process. The participants run for office, and each level of government will be run by those participants who are elected to serve. Instruction will be presented on the law and court system, parliamentary procedure, and Florida’s political history.

Jake is one of 500 boys from across the State of Florida who was interviewed and selected to attend this year. He is very excited to have this opportunity and we are proud of him for being selected as a delegate and continuing his family’s outstanding qualities of leadership, character, scholarship, loyalty and service to their schools and community.