Contact:
Dianne Weber
305-982-5631
dianne.weber@akerman.com

 AKERMAN SENTERFITT'S RICHARD C. MILSTEIN APPOINTED
GUARDIAN AD LITEM TO ANNA NICOLE SMITH'S BABY


MIAMI – February 19, 2007 – Akerman Senterfitt shareholder Richard C. Milstein has been appointed guardian ad litem to Dannielynn Hope Marshall Stern, the five-month-old baby of the late Vickie Lynn Marshall, a.k.a. Anna Nicole Smith.  Mr. Milstein was appointed by Judge Larry Seidlin of the Broward County Circuit Court.  The appointment was made to provide a voice for the deceased's surviving child and to act in the best interest of the child in relevant court proceedings.

Mr. Milstein has been practicing law for more than 30 years and has handled numerous complex and high profile guardianship and probate matters.  His practice focuses on Trusts, Estates, Guardianship Litigation and Administration, Family and Marital Law, Alternative Dispute Resolution, as well as Alternative Family Planning, Children's Rights, Elder Law, Probate Law and Same Sex Couple Planning. In his work in family law, he has represented clients of significant means as well as children in disputed relationships, and has performed thousands of hours of pro bono work.

Mr. Milstein has been widely recognized and honored for his work as an attorney, including the Florida Supreme Court Tobias Simon Pro Bono Service Award, American Bar Association's John Minor Wisdom Professional and Public Service Award, and the Florida Bar President’s Pro Bono Service Award For The Eleventh Judicial Circuit. In 1999, the Dade County Bar Association established The Richard C. Milstein Excellence Award, which is now presented each year to a recipient in the areas of professionalism and pro bono.

A certified mediator in the Southern District of Florida and for the State of Florida, Mr. Milstein worked on the first pilot project for dispute resolution through the American Bar Association.  He is the only Board Certified Elder Law attorney in Miami-Dade County, and advises clients on all aspects of their life and estate planning for the elderly.

Mr. Milstein is a Miami native and earned his law degree and bachelor's degree from the University of Miami, and his associate's degree from Miami-Dade College. This year he will be inducted into the Miami-Dade College Hall of Fame, in the area of law.

 

Akerman Senterfitt, Florida's largest law firm, has more than 500 attorneys and consultants servicing the needs of domestic and international clients. The firm represents private and public companies, governmental entities, educational institutions and high net-worth individuals in a wide range of practice areas. The firm's longstanding commitment to diversity has been recognized most recently by the Minority Corporate Counsel Association, which presented the firm with the 2006 Thomas L. Sager Award for diversity leadership, and by MultiCultural Law magazine, which named Akerman Senterfitt the 2006 Top Law Firm for Hispanic Americans.

Founded in 1920, the firm now has offices in Florida's major business centers: Miami, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, Jacksonville, Tallahassee, and West Palm Beach, as well as in Washington, D.C., Northern Virginia, New York and Los Angeles.  Akerman Senterfitt is the exclusive member firm for Florida of Lex Mundi, the world's leading association of independent law firms. With Lex Mundi members in more than 160 countries, the firm's membership provides clients with global reach and access to legal resources around the world. For more information about our practice groups and attorneys, visit www.akerman.com.

###