Welcome to the Workers' Compensation Section Home Page.
Your Executive Council has created this site in an effort to encourage and facilitate communication and exchange of ideas among the members of our Section. Enjoy! The purpose of the Workers' Compensation Section is to provide an organization within The Florida Bar open to all members in good standing who have a common interest in workers' compensation law. The Section provides a forum for discussion and exchange of ideas leading to the improvement of individual trial abilities in workers' compensation cases.
Send mail with questions or comments about this web site to:
Richard J Manno, Esq. 1099 W. Morse Blvd. Winter Park, FL., 32789 (321) 214-1249 Rmanno@winterparklaw.com
Please use the social media links below to stay well informed about the section's events and information regarding the practice of workers’ compensation within the state.
Legal Fuel (Please identify yourself as a section member)
The Workers’ Compensation Section of the Florida Bar and the WCCP Association would like to invite you to the 2023 Florida Bar’s Workers’ Compensation Forum on April 20 - 21, 2023 at the Omni Orlando Resort ChampionsGate.
Join the lawyers, adjusters, case managers, vocational experts, supervisors, managers, and executives as they gather at one of Florida’s most advanced educational conferences.
*REMINDER to Board Certified Litigation (CWCL) Adjusters! To maintain the “CWCL” designation, board certified adjusters are required to attend the Forum at least once every 3 years.
A limited number of exhibitors are invited to join the Workers' Compensation Section of the Florida Bar and the Association of Workers’ Compensation Claims Professionals (WCCP) in sponsoring the 2023 Florida Bar Workers' Compensation Forum, April 20-21, 2023.
The Forum features the latest in legal, claims, medical and vocational topics, which center around the Florida Bar’s traditional Certification Review Course.
Exhibitor setup is on Wednesday evening, April 19th, 2023 from 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. After set up, join us in the Exhibit Hall for a Welcome Cocktail from 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Registration includes:
· A 6’ tabletop display in the Forum Exhibit Hall throughout the event where Breakfast, Breaks, and Lunches are served (*Note: Exhibitor setup is scheduled for Wednesday, April 19th from 5:00-7:00 p.m.) Floor Displays will not be Permitted and no Early Breakdowns
· Your Company’s Logo featured in the Exhibitor’s slide presentation, WCCP's website and marketing emails, and onsite brochure
· Opportunity to present door prizes at Friday’s luncheon
· Complimentary registration for one (1) company representative *One additional company representative permitted at a rate of $175.00*
The cut-off date for this special rate is Wednesday, March22, 2023. (There is a 72 hour cancellation policy)Reservations are dependent on availability within our room block.
Fall is in the air and the holiday season is upon us. I’d venture to guess that other than a significant increase in the consumption of everything pumpkin spice, most of us associate the holiday season with family, friendship, and togetherness.
Hurricane Ian recently carved its way through our great state, leaving a trail of destruction in its path. As we have seen so many times in the past, after a great tragedy, people pull together in the aftermath and come out with a greater sense of community. To those impacted by Hurricane Ian, your Workers’ Compensation Section family is with you. If you are in need, please reach out.
On the topic of community, as of October 1, 2022, there are 92,499 members of The Florida Bar eligible to practice, 1,234 of whom are members of the Workers’ Compensation Section.
The strength of our section is in its size. We are a congenial bunch. For the most part, everyone knows everyone, and we are all family, even if dysfunctional at times. Most of us take great pride in the level of professionalism that is displayed amongst our colleagues and friends.
Gone are the days of live pretrials and in-person motion hearings. The new way of the world is Microsoft Teams meetings and Zoom hearings. I am a huge proponent of phone and video appearances. However, while technology certainly makes us more efficient, it prevents us from the personal contact and camaraderie that makes our section great.
On the topic of technology, while I would argue we are the most congenial and professional section out there, sometimes everyone can use a reboot. As we shift away from in-person contact, now is the time for us as practitioners and colleagues to unite and promote professionalism.
Due to the lack of personal contact, it is incumbent upon the more senior practitioners in our field to mentor newer practitioners. It is time for us to come together and foster community. To this extent, your Executive Council will start working on a mentorship program available to all section members, the mission of which will be to bring participants in the workers’ compensation system together and continue to promote a level of professionalism and camaraderie that is the cornerstone of our practice.
I am honored to be your section chair. Through my 25 years of practice, I have gained valuable friendships and earned lasting relationships. I hope that all of you reading this message have had similar experiences. The holiday season is about family, friends, and togetherness. As we constantly strive to promote professionalism amongst our colleagues, the Workers’ Compensation Section will have an enduring holiday season.
Governor Ron DeSantis recently appointed Lourdes Sancerni to be a judge of compensation claims in Orlando, Florida. Along with other judges, she will preside over workers’ compensation claims brought in Orange, Lake, Osceola and Seminole counties. Judge Sancerni was admitted to the Florida Bar in April 2003, following her graduation from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in December 2002. She received her undergraduate degree from Florida International University. Immediately prior to her appointment, Judge Sancerni was an attorney, focusing her practice on workers’ compensation law in North and Central Florida.