Shareholder Luke J. Grabowski spoke at the 2025 Independent Funeral Directors of Florida Annual Conference in Palm Coast, Florida

Last month, The Florida Bar held its annual convention in south Florida at The Boca Raton Resort. During the convention each year, numerous groups and organizations throughout the state meet to discuss issues and, in some cases, elect members of their respective boards. Christopher Hill will remain a Director for the Florida State Law Alumni Association Board of Directors through 2026. Chris previously served as a Presidential Appointment on the Board of Directors since his graduation from law school in 2018. As a Director, Chris is responsible for sitting on one of the standing committees and assisting the College of Law in the area of development, alumni outreach, career services, or student recruitment. Additionally, Chris will attend board meetings and various other events and meet-ups throughout the next year. Christopher Hill obtained his undergraduate degree and law degree from Florida State University. His practice focuses on insurance defense and litigation, including medical/dental malpractice, bodily injury and under/uninsured motorist claims, auto/trucking litigation, Personal Injury Protection claims, and commercial litigation, as well as commercial Landlord-Tenant law. Christopher is licensed to practice law in Florida and Georgia and has been admitted to practice in the U.S. District Court for the Middle and Southern Districts of Florida. During the Convention, Pennington partner Chad Dunn was elected Treasurer of the Administrative Law Section of The Florida Bar for the 2025–2026 term. As Treasurer, Chad will serve as the Section’s financial liaison to The Florida Bar, overseeing the Section’s budgeting, disbursements, and financial reporting. Chad has been an active member of the Administrative Law Section for several years. Most recently, he chaired the Legislative Committee. In addition, Chad has coached at the DOAH Mock Trial Academy for two consecutive years. The Administrative Law Section is a professional organization composed of attorneys and judges who practice in areas involving administrative law and regulatory proceedings. The Section plays a vital role in advancing sound administrative procedure and fostering a community of professionals engaged in agency law, rulemaking, and administrative litigation. Chad Dunn is a Florida licensed attorney. He focuses his practice on professional licensure defense, rule challenges, bid protests, and civil litigation. He previously served as Deputy General Counsel and Chief Prosecutor for the Florida Department of Health, where he led the prosecution of administrative complaints across more than forty licensed healthcare professions. His background includes extensive experience in regulatory enforcement and administrative law. Also, during the Convention, Pennington partner Marc Ito completed his term as Immediate Past Chair of the Administrative Law Section, concluding Marc’s four-year term as an officer of the Section. Pennington is proud of its history of attorneys serving as officers of the Administrative Law Section, and we look forward to Chad’s continuing of that tradition.

Today, we extend our deepest gratitude to our incredible paralegals. Your dedication, attention to detail, and tireless support behind the scenes make everything we do possible. We truly could not do our jobs without you. Thank you for being the backbone of our legal team—your hard work does not go unnoticed. #NationalParalegalDay #ThankYouParalegals #LegalSupport #ParalegalAppreciation #LawFirmLife #GratitudeInTheWorkplace #pennington #penningtonlaw #penningtonpa

Partner Leean Chojnowski and Shareholder Cody Short recently presented a session entitled "Legal and Regulatory Considerations for Continuing Care Providers" at the 62nd Annual LeadingAge Southeast Convention & Exposition in Orlando, Florida. The session provided an overview of the regulations that govern continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) and assisted living providers. The session covered best practices and risk management strategies to consider when drafting residency agreements and handbooks, including an interactive discussion as to how medical marijuana, pets and service animals, mobility scooters, and AI-supported video monitoring can be addressed. The session also included tips for planning for the Office of Insurance Regulation application filing review process. Ms. Chojnowski, Mr. Short, and Associate Jennifer Bagby attended the LeadingAge Southeast Convention as members of Pennington's Senior Housing Practice Group , which advises and represents for-profit and not-for-profit entities ranging from single-site providers to national organizations. Our senior housing clients include independent living, assisted living, memory care, and skilled nursing providers; continuing care retirement communities; management companies; investors; and others in the senior housing industry. Pennington has the depth of talent, experience, and resources to provide solutions to the most complex legal or regulatory issues, while providing clients with the accessibility and responsiveness usually associated with smaller firms. Established in 1963 as a Florida not-for-profit corporation, LeadingAge Southeast provides education and advocacy resources for more than 250 senior living facilities in Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Pennington is a proud business member of LeadingAge Southeast.

Pennington is pleased to announce the formation of the Senior Housing Practice Group to address the multifaceted needs of senior living providers. We understand that senior housing clients operate in a complex environment requiring counsel and representation involving administrative, business, construction, employment, healthcare, intellectual property, and real property law and litigation. The senior housing team utilizes a holistic, client-focused approach to coordinate efficient and effective legal services throughout the lifecycle of a community, from initial development and licensing to operational and compliance issues to the sale of a facility or winddown of business. We advise and represent for-profit and not-for-profit entities ranging from single-site providers to national organizations. Our senior housing clients include independent living, assisted living, memory care, and skilled nursing providers; continuing care retirement communities; management companies; investors; and others in the senior housing industry. Pennington has the depth of talent, experience, and resources to provide solutions to the most complex legal or regulatory issues, while providing clients with the accessibility and responsiveness usually associated with smaller firms. Learn more about the Senior Housing Team .

“We are pleased to share that our firm recently secured a favorable ruling on a motion to dismiss on behalf of a valued client in a professional malpractice case. While the court granted the plaintiff leave to amend, this ruling represents a significant step in defending professionals against unsupported claims and underscores the value of early, strategic motion practice. Congratulations to our client, our Partner Ben Andrews , Associate John Yunger , and the rest of our litigation team for their excellent work on this matter!”

Shareholder Michael J. Thomas recently had the pleasure of presenting with Jacqueline Sharuzi at the 2025 OMS National Defense Counsel Seminar in Chicago to other attorneys, oral and maxillofacial surgeons, and dentists from around the nation. He presented on the topic of "Effective Litigation Management: Avoiding Surprises in Litigation." He discussed the importance of preparing the insured for deposition, understanding the entirety of the medical record, and how to effectively manage expert witnesses that will best bolster the defense of the case. The presentation, and seminar as a whole, proved to be a resounding success. Michael J. Thomas has an AV Preeminent® rating from Martindale-Hubbell’s peer review rating system and is an adjunct professor at the Florida State University College of Law. Mike is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates. Mike is licensed to practice law in Florida and Georgia and has been admitted to practice in the U.S. District Court for the Northern, Middle, and Southern Districts of Florida, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, the Northern, Middle, and Southern U.S. District Courts of Georgia, and the Supreme Court of the United States. #pennington #penningtonpa #penningtonlaw

Pennington partner Chad Dunn had the opportunity to present “Beyond the Call: Ethics, Law & Real-World EMS Lessons” to the dedicated EMS personnel of the Marion County Fire Rescue. The session explored the legal and ethical responsibilities of EMS providers in Florida, with real-world examples that focused on how actions can lead to an Administrative Complaint and impact a provider’s professional license. Topics included standard of care, documentation integrity, impairment, criminal acts, and the distinction between human error and misconduct. Attendees also reviewed risk management strategies that can prevent incidents from escalating to a formal Administrative Complaint, including lessons learned from disciplinary cases in Florida EMS. Chad is proud to support the EMS community with practical, high-impact education rooted in real cases, state law, and professional accountability.

Shareholder, Brian Chojnowski , and associate, Trey Schulte , recently obtained a judgement for attorneys’ fees against a plaintiff and their counsel on behalf of their client. The case involved an injury to plaintiff while on property adjacent to Brian and Trey’s client’s property. Plaintiff’s counsel then filed suit, improperly naming Brian and Trey’s client as the owner of the property. After repeatedly reaching out to plaintiff’s counsel to inform them of the mistake, Brian and Trey filed a motion for sanctions pursuant to Fla. Stat. § 57.105. At the motion hearing, Brian demonstrated to the court that plaintiff’s lawsuit was not supported by facts necessary to establish a claim and that plaintiff and their counsel had knowledge or should have had knowledge that the claim was unsupported. The court ruled in the defense’s favor and ordered plaintiff and their counsel to split Brian and Trey’s attorneys’ fees, thus saving the client from having to pay for their defense.

After passing the February 2025 Georgia Bar Exam, Associate Jennifer Bagby was recently admitted as a member of the Georgia Bar. Jennifer obtained her undergraduate degree from New York University in 2014. She graduated from the University of Mississippi School of Law in 2023. She is now licensed to practice law in Florida and Georgia, and able to assist clients with litigation matters in both jurisdictions. Her practice areas include insurance defense, professional liability defense, premises liability cases, and real estate matters.