Jacksonville partner Scott Thomas was recently appointed to serve on the Task Force on the Distribution of IOTA Funds. The Interest on Trust Accounts (IOTA) Program operates in accordance with the provisions of rule 5-1.1(g) of the Rules Regulating the Florida Bar. Under the Program, all IOTA funds flow to The Florida Bar Foundation. These reserves are to be used to fund programs that improve the administration of justice and are used to expand the delivery of legal services to low-income litigants. Deemed appropriate by the Supreme Court, the Task Force was created to determine whether rule 5-1.1(g) should be amended to better ensure the most effective use of IOTA funds.

Over the next 14 months, the Task Force will examine and make recommendations to the Court on alternative models for the distribution of IOTA funds. All matters related to ensuring the most effective use of funds will be examined by the Task Force. During this time, the Task Force will give priority consideration to the need for funding direct legal services for low-income litigants in Florida.

Scott Thomas is a general commercial litigator, focusing on complex commercial litigation including real estate and land use matters, business torts, IP and contract disputes.

In addition, Scott assists clients with commercial loan litigation and workouts. Scott also has lead counsel trial experience, jury and non-jury, in both state and federal courts.

In 2015 Florida Governor Rick Scott appointed Scott to serve a four-year term as Chairman of the Florida Elections Commission, the state agency charged with enforcing Florida’s Election Code. Scott also serves on the Judicial Nominating Commission for the Fifth District Court of Appeal and on the Board of Directors for the University of Florida Alumni Association.

For more than a century, Burr & Forman LLP’s experienced legal team has served clients at the intersection of business and government with local, national, and international interests in numerous industry and practice areas, ranging from commercial litigation and class actions to corporate transactions, including bankruptcy and restructurings. A Southeast regional firm with 360 attorneys and 19 offices in Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, Burr & Forman attorneys draw from a diverse range of resources to help clients achieve their goals and address their complex legal needs. The firm operates as Burr Forman McNair in North Carolina and South Carolina. For more information, visit the firm’s website at www.burr.com.