Dispositive Motions in Federal Court and Florida State Court

Phil Rothschild | Holland & Knight

Philip E. Rothschild is a litigation attorney in Holland & Knight’s Fort Lauderdale office. He practices in the area of complex commercial litigation, with an emphasis on federal court issues. Mr. Rothschild has defended numerous consumer finance class actions (before, during and after) the class certification stage, as well as lawsuits involving the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), Florida Consumer Collections Practices Act (FCCPA) and Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). He has also represented lenders and mortgage servicers in prosecuting foreclosures and defending claims under the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) and Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA). In addition, he has represented several medical providers and their billing companies in class actions involving Florida’s personal injury protection (PIP) balance billing provision. Mr. Rothschild has experience handling matters involving many different types of claims from pre-suit through trial, having participated in numerous bench trials in state and federal court, and three federal jury trials between 2018 and 2022.

Monica V. Castro | Holland & Knight

Monica Vila Castro is a Miami litigation attorney on Holland & Knight’s Appellate Team and in the firm’s Litigation Practice Group. She focuses on complex commercial litigation and appellate matters involving a wide variety of legal issues.

In her commercial litigation practice, Ms. Castro has represented clients in cases arising from breach of contract, shareholder disputes, mismanagement and embezzlement of company assets, challenges to the validity of life insurance policies, termination of distributorships, disputes with health insurers and predatory lending. Ms. Castro’s fluency in Spanish has enabled her to effectively assist clients in both English- and Spanish-speaking jurisdictions.

As part of her appellate practice, Ms. Castro has drafted briefs and argued appeals in the Florida District Courts of Appeal, Florida Supreme Court and the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Fourth and Eleventh Circuits, as well as the U.S. Supreme Court. Ms. Castro routinely assists trial lawyers from the inception of a case, using her appellate knowledge to ensure that legal issues arising during the course of litigation are well-positioned for a favorable outcome at the trial and appellate levels. Prior to entering private practice, Ms. Castro served as a law clerk to the Honorable Susan H. Black on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

Rebecca J. Cañamero | Holland & Knight

Rebecca Cañamero is an attorney in Holland & Knight’s Miami office.

Ms. Cañamero practices in the areas of appellate litigation, trial support, white collar criminal defense, internal investigations and healthcare fraud. She serves clients in a broad range of industries, including financial services, healthcare, military contractors and securities, among others. Ms. Cañamero practices in both English and Spanish to assist clients in the U.S. and Latin America.

Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Ms. Cañamero served as a law clerk to the Honorable Cecilia M. Altonaga, United States District Judge in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

During law school, Ms. Cañamero was an executive board member of the Harvard Prison Legal Assistance Project where she represented inmates at disciplinary hearings in Massachusetts state prisons. She received the Dean’s Scholar Award for Federal Courts and the Federal System.

I. Purpose and timing of motions to dismiss and summary judgment | 2:00pm – 2:30pm

II. Legal standards for motions to dismiss and motions for summary judgment | 2:30pm – 3:00pm

Break | 3:00pm – 3:10pm

III. Effective use of evidence in summary judgment motions | 3:10pm – 3:40pm

IV. Judicial perspective: What courts expect | 3:40pm – 4:10pm