FLORIDA BAR GRANTS BOARD CERTIFICATION TO
BECKER & POLIAKOFF ATTORNEYS

FT. LAUDERDALE, FL, August 9, 2011– Becker & Poliakoff today announced that attorneys Edward C. Lohrer, Mark J. Stempler, Scott Kiernan and D. Andrew Byrne have earned board certification from the Florida Bar.

Mr. Byrne, a member of the firm’s Business Litigation practice group, earned certification in the area of Business Litigation. He also is the recipient of certification in Labor and Employment Law, which he was awarded in June.

Mr. Lohrer, Mr. Stempler and Mr. Kiernan each earned certification in the area of Construction Law. Firm-wide, Becker & Poliakoff’s Construction Law & Litigation practice group now includes 17 attorneys who hold the prestigious Construction Law certification.

Board certification is the Florida Bar’s highest level of recognition of an attorney’s competence and experience in one or more of the 24 areas of law approved for certification by the Supreme Court of Florida. Only attorneys who have earned the Florida Bar’s “board-certification” distinction are allowed to describe themselves as legal specialists or experts in a specific field of practice. Certified lawyers make up less than 1 percent of all lawyers admitted to practice in Florida. 

	Andrew Byrne is a litigator with more than 25 years of experience and has concentrated his practice as a first chair trial lawyer in complex business litigation, with significant experience in employment law, land use, contract, administrative, and appellate matters.  He is based in the Coral Gables office.
	Mark Stempler, based in the West Palm Beach office, represents clients in many sectors of the construction industry, including general contractors, subcontractors, developers, design professionals, sureties, and manufacturers. He is also active in the government procurement arena, representing private companies doing business with government agencies during the solicitation, bidding, negotiation and protest process.
	Edward Lohrer has significant experience representing owners, developers, associations, contractors, design professionals, and governmental entities in a variety of construction related litigation. He has handled construction related issues involving contractual disputes, delay claims, defect claims, design professional errors and omissions claims and Florida's construction lien law throughout the state of Florida. He is based in the West Palm Beach office.
	Scott Kiernan, based in the Orlando office, is experienced handling construction cases for Sub-Contractors and General Contractors/Developers as well as for Community Associations throughout Central and North Florida. He is also a member of the firm’s Business Litigation and Community Association practice groups and represents clients in areas that include debt collection, lien rights, transactional business, secured transactions, drafting binding agreements and resolutions, casualty and insurance disputes, and numerous covenant enforcement matters.

More information on Florida Bar standards and attorney certifications can be found online at The Florida Bar Association Web site at www.floridabar.org/certification or by contacting The Florida Bar’s Legal Specialization & Education Department at (850) 561-5842.

About Becker & Poliakoff
Becker & Poliakoff is a diverse commercial law firm with more than 145 attorneys and lobbyists in a total of 15 domestic and international offices. Celebrating its thirty-eighth (38th) year of serving clients, the firm has seven primary areas of practice: Real Estate, Construction Law & Litigation, Community Association, Customs & International Trade, Business Litigation, Corporate & Securities, and Government Law & Lobbying. For more about the firm, visit: www.becker-poliakoff.com, or, www.becker-poliakoff.com/blogs/ to access forums on the latest ideas and opinions on legal matters hosted by Becker & Poliakoff attorneys.

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