BULLETIN BOARD
BULLETIN BOARD
Professional Announcements
Office of Equal Opportunity Announces
Requests for Proposals for Legal Services for Housing Discrimination Cases. Posted on Thursday, December 11, 2025 Palm Beach County is seeking proposals from legal firm( s), whose staff attorneys are members of the Florida Bar and experienced in representing complainants in housing discrimination cases under the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1968, as amended by the Fair Housing Act of 1988, to provide legal representation for individuals who have filed complaints of housing discrimination. Full details are contained in the Request for Proposals( RFP). The deadline for submitting proposals in response to the RFP is Friday, January 9, 2026, 4:00 p. m. To obtain the RFP No. OEO2025-03R and more information, please visit https:// pbcvssp. co. palm-beach. fl. us / webapp / vssp / AltSelfService or contact Pamela Guerrier at 561-355-4884 or Pguerrie @ pbc. gov
Jones Foster announces that litigation shareholder Joanne M. O’ Connor has been recognized in Florida Trend’ s Legal Elite Notable Women Leaders in Law special section, featured in the magazine’ s November 2025 issue. This marks the third consecutive year that Ms. O’ Connor has been honored with this prestigious distinction. Ms. O’ Connor was among only 145 women attorneys statewide selected for inclusion on this year’ s list, and notably, one of just 10 honorees from the West Palm Beach metro area. Ms. O’ Connor was also featured in both the inaugural and 2024 editions of this distinguished list of Florida attorneys. A Florida Bar Board Certified Business Litigation attorney, Ms. O’ Connor focuses her practice on complex commercial litigation, including contracts and business torts, partnership and corporate disputes, civil RICO, real estate and land use litigation, and lawyer and law firm defense. As Town Attorney for Palm Beach, Ms. O’ Connor advises on contracts, land use and zoning, ordinances, and regulatory matters, and oversees all Town litigation.
Eugene Pettis and select members of the Haliczer Pettis & Schwamm attorney team will join Osborne & Francis, PLLC on January 1, 2026, forming Osborne, Francis & Pettis, PLLC. The new firm will have five offices in Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, and Lakeland, with a total of 17 attorneys. Pettis, along with partners Ken Miller, Debbie Klauber, and Trish Widowfield, will continue to maintain their original office at 100 SE 3rd Ave., Fort Lauderdale. Pettis has practiced trial law in Florida for 40 years, was the first African American President of the Florida Bar, and serves as a Regent for the American College of Trial Lawyers. He co-founded Haliczer, Pettis & Schwamm in 1996, focusing on medical malpractice, wrongful death, and catastrophic injury cases, with over $ 160 million recovered in settlements and verdicts over the last five years. Pettis and his team are consistently recognized in Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers, and their firm is ranked Tier 1 for Medical Malpractice and Personal Injury by Best Law Firms. Osborne & Francis, founded in 2018 by Joe Osborne and Greg Francis, represents clients in personal injury, medical malpractice, mass torts, and civil rights matters. Osborne has over 35 years of experience in complex civil litigation and mass torts, while Francis has handled landmark civil rights cases, including the $ 1.2 billion Black Farmers Settlement, and recently secured $ 60 million in a financial fraud case. The merger expands the firm’ s footprint and practice capabilities in Florida while combining extensive trial experience and legal resources to serve clients across multiple practice areas.
PBCBA BAR BULLETIN 25