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JOSEPH E. BLITCH is Of Counsel with Thomas J. Pilacek & Associates, where he devotes his practice primarily to representing plaintiffs and unions in labor and employment law matters before state and federal courts and before agencies such as the Public Employees Relations Commission and the National Labor Relations Board. He earned his B.A. degree from the University of Central Florida and his J.D. degree from the University of Florida. Mr. Blitch is a frequent lecturer on labor and employment law and on legal matters relating to the public and private sector. He is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Middle and Southern Districts of Florida, the U.S. Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court. He is a member of The Florida Bar (member, Labor and Employment Section) and the Seminole County and Federal bar associations. GEORGE E. CARR is of counsel for the Orlando office of the law firm of Swartz Campbell, LLC, where he practices in the areas of insurance coverage, commercial litigation, bad faith, professional liability and casualty liability defense. He has extensive experience in complex litigation in both federal and state courts. Mr. Carr has been a presenter at numerous gatherings of mental health professionals on professional liability and ethical considerations and at numerous seminars on insurance coverage issues. He also is an adjunct professor at the Department of Criminal Justice and Legal Studies of the University of Central Florida. Mr. Carr earned his undergraduate degree, magna cum laude, from Duke University and his J.D. degree from Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, D.C. He is admitted to practice in all state and U.S. District Courts in Florida including the Northern District of Florida. CYNTHIA HAWKINS is a sole practitioner in Orlando, concentrating in the area of federal criminal defense. Prior to opening her own practice, Ms. Hawkins served as Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida, Orlando Division. As a former Senior Litigation Counsel, she handled complex white collar cases, including money laundering, health care, defense procurement and securities fraud, Internet-based crimes, official corruption forfeiture and tax evasion. The health care cases and investigations Ms. Hawkins handled primarily dealt with fraudulent billings to Medicare for medical procedures and durable medical equipment. She has prosecuted cases (all as lead or sole counsel) from intake through trial, several of which lasted more than three months in federal court. Ms. Hawkins has supervised federal criminal investigators from the FBI, DEA, IRS, ICE and the U.S. Marshals Service. She has coordinated with other investigative entities, such as the SEC, the HUD Inspector General (IG), NASA IG, the Florida Attorney General's Office and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. From January to August of 2008, Ms. Hawkins requested assignment to the Civil Division, where she handled affirmative enforcement and labor cases, as well as tort claims. She also has worked with the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, where she prosecuted complex importation and drug distribution schemes, including investigations involving multiple wire intercepts. Ms. Hawkins also was an active duty Assistant Staff Judge Advocate in the JAG Corps of the U.S. Air Force, where she prosecuted dozens of court-martials. She also handled labor law matters and hearings, procurement actions, risk management issues and tort claims. Ms. Hawkins earned her B.A. and J.D. degrees from the University of Florida. She is a member of the American, the Federal and the Orange County bar associations, as well as the Central Florida Association for Women Lawyers.
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