FORT LAUDERDALE – Immediate Release – The law firm of Conrad & Scherer LLP today announced that Reid A. Cocalis, Henry N. Portner and James D. Silver have joined the firm as partners.

“We are very pleased to add these three excellent attorneys to our staff,” said Managing Partner William R. Scherer Jr. “They will play key roles in our aggressive plans for growth in the years ahead, including the continued expansion of our business litigation, corporate and real estate practices.”

Conrad & Scherer is a prominent law firm handling commercial and banking litigation, personal injury, general liability, labor and employment law, medical malpractice & health law, appellate law, maritime law, civil rights litigation, bankruptcy & creditors rights, eminent domain, marital and family law, and international law.

Cocalis is returning to Conrad & Scherer from the firm of Gordon, Hargrove & James. He had previously practiced with Conrad & Scherer for 13 years.

He is a graduate of the University of Miami School of Law and has been practicing law in South Florida for 20 years. His areas of practice include general civil litigation, medical malpractice litigation, health law, admiralty and maritime law, personal injury, wrongful death and product liability.

Portner has both law firm experience as well as experience in serving as General Counsel for corporations, real estate companies and developers. He is a graduate of Temple University School of Law and holds a Master of Law in Taxation from Temple as well. He has also taught taxation at the Masters level.

He is a highly experienced transactional attorney with a background in corporate, real estate, tax and intellectual property law, and is also an experienced business and real estate litigator. He represents developers, builders and landlords in all aspects of real estate, land use law and litigation. He also represents corporate clients in mergers and acquisitions, entity formation and shareholder issues.

James D. Silver comes to Conrad & Scherer from Carlton Fields P.A. in Miami where he headed up the firm’s Miami bankruptcy practice. In 1982, Silver graduated magna cum laude from the University of Miami School of Law where he was an Associate Research Editor for the Law Review. Silver has practiced in South Florida for his entire 25 year legal career.

Silver’s practice focuses on business bankruptcy and insolvency work, as well as creditors rights, including extensive litigation relating to those matters. Silver also has a background as an SEC Receiver and counsel for the Receiver, including litigation, fraud investigation, and asset tracing in SEC Receivership matters. Last year Silver was appointed Receiver by the U.S. District Court in Orlando to administer various entities that had been shut down by the SEC as a result of an alleged $20 million ponzi scheme. 
For more information on Conrad & Scherer visit conradscherer.com or call 954-462-5500.