Becker & Poliakoff

Attorneys Julie Ann Garber and Christopher Thornton Join Becker & Poliakoff in Southwest Florida

Attorneys Julie Ann Garber and Christopher Thornton Join Becker & Poliakoff in Southwest Florida

For Immediate Release
Media Contact:

Alan Penchansky
The Pen Group Communications
Tel: (305) 529-1944
email:
alan@thepengroup.com


FT. LAUDERDALE, FL, February 24, 2010 –
 Becker & Poliakoff, a diversified commercial law firm with more than 130 attorneys in 13 Florida offices, New York City, New Jersey, Nassau (Bahamas) and Prague, announced today that attorneys Julie Ann Garber and Christopher Thornton have joined the Firm in its Southwest Florida offices located in Naples and Ft. Myers.

Ms. Garber advises clients in all aspects of estate planning, including the design, execution, and implementation of wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts, financial powers of attorney and health care directives, the funding of trusts, the creation and maintenance of family limited liability companies, and domestic asset protection planning. She also assists clients with meeting their charitable goals by establishing charitable trusts and private foundations and works with nonprofit organizations to obtain their exempt status with the IRS.

Ms. Garber has been writing extensively about estate planning for About.com, a New York Times companysince May 2008. Her website can be found at wills.about.com. Topics include: Top Reasons Why You Need an Estate Plan; What Happens if You Don’t Have an Estate Plan?; Step by Step Overview of the Estate Planning Process; What is a Revocable Living Trust? Ms. Garber previously worked at boutique estate planning firms located in Bethesda, MD, and Key West, FL, and is a graduate of Duquesne University School of Law and Allegheny College.

Mr. Thornton is an attorney in the Firm’s Community Association Practice Group, where his practice is concentrated on representation of condominium, cooperative, homeowners and amenities associations, including marinas and golf clubs. His experience includes residential and commercial real estate transactions, banking and developer financing, and all aspects of land use and zoning.

Mr. Thornton has represented community associations, owners, and developers before state and local government in all phases of development and permitting, including rezoning, variance, conditional use, comprehensive plan amendments, development of regional impact, stewardship sending areas, formal interpretations, vested rights, impact fees, environmental resource permits, and sovereign submerged lands approvals. He previously served as an assistant general counsel with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Mr. Thornton is a graduate of Tulane University Law School and Duke University.

Joe Adams, the Shareholder in charge of Becker & Poliakoff’s Southwest Florida region said,

“Julie Garber and Chris Thornton are first-class lawyers and excellent additions to our offices in Ft. Myers and Naples. Julie’s Estate Planning practice and Chris’ experience in Land Use and Zoning expand the range of services available to our clients.”

About Becker & Poliakoff
Becker & Poliakoff is a diverse commercial law firm with more than 130 attorneys in 13 Florida offices, New York City, New Jersey, Nassau, Bahamas, Prague and affiliated international offices. Celebrating its thirty-seventh (37th) year of serving clients, the firm has seven primary areas of practice: Real Estate, Construction, Community Association, Customs & International Trade, Commercial Litigation, Corporate & Securities, and Government Law & Lobbying.