Florida Fellows Institute Recognizes Class IV Graduates

FORT MYERS, Fla. (April 24, 2019) – The Florida Fellows Institute of The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, ACTEC, recently recognized 29 graduates of the program’s fourth class.

Created by Florida Fellows of ACTEC, the Florida Fellows Institute serves to develop the legal profession’s future trust and estate leaders through a series of in-depth educational presentations led by outstanding subject matter experts in each field.

To participate in the program, each class member must be nominated by an ACTEC Fellow and be a member in good standing with The Florida Bar. Participants are required to attend three, two-day sessions on topics including Wealth Transfer Strategies, Estate and Trust Litigation, and Fiduciary Taxation; class members also are encouraged to participate in the Institute’s social activities with Florida Fellows, lecturers, and previous graduates of the program.

The Institute recognized the graduates on April 12 in Naples. ACTEC Secretary Robert Goldman provided remarks during the event, recognizing the commitment of class members to excellence in the profession. Since the program’s inception in 2015, the Florida Fellows Institute has graduated 120 attorneys from throughout the state.

Leadership of the Florida Fellows Institutes includes Chancellors, Laird A. Lile, Elaine Bucher and Shane Kelley; and Deans, Jerry Wolf, Deborah Russell and Michael Dribin.

The Florida Fellows Institute model has been replicated around the country: The Heart of America Fellows Institute will honor 27 graduates from its inaugural class at a May ceremony, and the Mid-Atlantic Fellows Institute takes flight in September in New York City. For more information, visit floridafellowsinstitute.org.

Photo Caption: Top Row (left to right) – Dean Michael Dribin, Patrick Mize, Jacobeli Behar, Henri Bardhi, Alexander Nostro, Michael Skyes, Scott Miller, Justin Larson, Adam Kerlek, John Paul Bratcher, Nicklaus Curley, Joseph Stusek, Robert Trudeau, Thomas VanNess, Kyle Johnson, Emily Weeks, Cady Huss, Rebecca Vaccariello, Brad Milhauser, Kurt Zimmerman, Chancellor Laird A. Lile

Bottom Row (left to right) – Dean Jerry Wolf, Dean Deborah Russell, Mitchell Bottey, Jenna Bottey, Jacqueline Augusto, S. Dresden Brunner, Victor Orihuela, Michael Arroyave, William Sunter, Michelle McClaskey, Eric Kane, Cassandra Nelson