Tripp Scott

Jan. 5, 2017

Sen. Chris Smith Joins Tripp Scott

Tripp Scott is pleased to announce that Sen. Chris Smith has joined the firm’s land use team. Sen. Smith is a leader in Florida politics, having served in both chambers of the Florida Legislature, on issues of election and criminal justice reform, insurance regulation and civil justice.

With the addition of Sen. Smith, Tripp Scott’s land use team will provide added depth of service to its clients in Broward County and in Tallahassee. Sen. Smith will assist clients in developing effective strategies to ensure that their interests are heard by those who impact them. Specifically, Sen. Smith’s long record of service in Broward County, where he first began serving on the Fort Lauderdale Planning and Zoning Board during a time of great expansion, will be a significant resource to clients. Tripp Scott will remain focused on commercial and civil litigation, real estate, trust and estates, government, labor and employment, environment, health care, intellectual property and maritime litigation, among other areas.

Prior to joining Tripp Scott, Sen. Smith served in the Florida Senate and in the Florida House of Representatives where he served as Democrat Leader, only the second person in the history of the state to serve as Leader both chambers.

Smith’s long-standing career of service began at a young age. He spent his formative years actively involved in many youth organizations including the Fort Lauderdale Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Youth Council. He is currently an active member with the TJ Reddick Bar Association, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Jack and Jill, Mount Bethel Human Services Corp. and is the founder of the Chris Smith All-Star Classic. Smith previously served on the Board of Directors for the Museum of Discovery and Science and the Children Service Council of Broward County.

Smith holds degrees from Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) in Charlotte, North Carolina and Florida State University College of Law. A Fort Lauderdale native, Smith lives in Broward County, Florida with his wife Desorae Giles and their two sons Christopher and Christian.

Attorney Blogs

Fresh

What hurt Detroit? (Hint: It wasn't hard work or capital)

(An op-ed in Fox Business)

It’s said that a conservative is a liberal who has been mugged by reality.

So it is both fitting and appropriate that the next round of presidential debates is taking place in Detroit, which has been assaulted with the real-world consequences of two generations of liberal Democratic rhetoric and misrule.

Memo to Democrats: Freedom and Education are Inextricably linked

(An op-ed featured in the Miami Herald)

The Democrats’ two nights of debate blather in Miami were astoundingly lean on two essential subjects — freedom and education. And the debates were especially lean given how the very state where they gathered is proving that freedom and education can work together to cost-effectively deliver real results – including in Miami-Dade County.

COMMERCIAL LENDERS AND TRADE CREDITORS OF THE COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY – A NEW COURT RULING THAT ALTERS THE RIGHTS TO RETAINAGES.

When a construction contractor defaults on a loan with its lender, and, at the same time, a surety bond issuer is required to pay on a claim for the construction project, there has been some legal uncertainty as to the entitlement to any retainages at the conclusion of the construction project when the general contractor has entered a bankruptcy proceeding. A bankruptcy judge has issued a very detailed legal opinion on the topic of priorities as to retainage which will likely be widely followed by bankruptcy courts throughout the country which is important and significant for all lenders, trade creditors and suppliers of those in the commercial construction industry and issuers of surety bonds.