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Government lawyers Section Chairs : AlexaCline – StateAttorney ’ sOffice , ChristianKatchuk – 13thJudicialCircuitCourt & JudgeMarcMakholm – 13thJudicialCircuitCourt
Iam a senior attorney for the Office of General Counsel , in the Criminal Law and False Claims Unit , for the Florida Department of Financial Services ( DFS ). Although the main office for DFS is in Tallahassee , I report every morning to the criminal fraud investigation ’ s location in Tampa . My unit has six attorneys , but I am the only one assigned to the Tampa Office . Nevertheless , we are a close-knit unit . We work together daily on Microsoft Teams , via phone , and e-mails . My Tampa co-workers include sworn law enforcement officers who investigate automobile fraud , general insurance fraud , workman ’ s compensation fraud , and property and casualty fraud . I also work with both the State Fire Marshal ’ s Office , which investigates fire and arson , and the Public Assistance Fraud Unit , who investigate government benefits fraud .
The first task of my typical day is to check my e-mail to see what messages I have , and then my calendar to see what meetings I have for the day . Being an attorney for DFS has many hats and several different daily tasks . One of my hats includes teaching with my fellow unit attorneys the basic insurance fraud and case law updates and investigation practices to the employees of DFS . My day may
include going to the Florida State Fire College and teaching either a one-day or three-day basic fraud course to DFS and Fire and Arson detectives . I also must teach at the Florida Insurance Fraud Education Committee Meeting ( FIFEC ), and at the Division of Public Assistance Fraud ( DPAF ) conference divisionwide training . In addition , I teach continuing legal education classes in insurance fraud to Florida prosecutors . In preparation for those trainings , I work with the other attorneys in my unit to check Westlaw for new case law and new laws to update the presentations and to create a handout to give out to the participants .
Another job I hold is being a resource for all the DFS employees who are investigating criminal fraud cases from Miami to Tallahassee . I will go over the cases they are investigating to help with legal knowledge and direction . I assist in reviewing subpoenas and search warrants before they are presented to the State Attorneys Offices statewide . I also assist Assistant State Attorneys and Designated Fraud Prosecutors that are prosecuting fraud-related cases by answering questions they may have
ireallylookforwardto comingtoworkevery morningtotackleall thenewquestions , newtasks , andnew challenges . itmakesevery daydifferentandkeepslifeinteresting !
prior to making filing decisions or helping respond to motions or trial issues .
Additionally , my unit is tasked with doing bill analysis to review new insurance and financial bills that have been or will be presented to the legislature . Part of the review process is to see if the proposed bill impacts another existing state or federal law , and what effect and fiscal impact the new bill will have to state and local governments if it becomes law . I also attend all the monthly Chief of Staff meetings in Tallahassee , attend weekly meetings held by my unit , and attend trainings classes .
As a result , every day is a little different here at DFS . I really look forward to coming to work every morning to tackle all the new questions , new tasks , and new challenges . It makes every day different and keeps life interesting ! n
Author : Amy Casanova-Ward – Florida Department of Financial Services
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