Photo of the legal professionals at Vocelle & Berg, LLP
Louis (Buck) Vocelle
Contact Me:
Paralegal: Yesica Jure
Vero Beach, FL
Practice Areas:
- Personal Injury
- Business Disputes
- Construction Disputes
Certified Legal Specialties:
- Civil Trial, Florida Bar Board of Legal Education and Specialization, 1990
- Business Litigation, Florida Bar Board of Legal Education and Specialization, 1996
- Circuit Court Arbitrator, Supreme Court of Florida
- Certified Civil Circuit Mediator
Biography:
Mr. Vocelle’s family has been on the Treasure Coast of Florida since 1924. His grandfather, James T. Vocelle, was one of the founders of Indian River County. His father, L.B. Vocelle, was Chief Judge of the 19th Judicial Circuit of Florida until his death in 1996. Mr. Vocelle has represented thousands of clients in his career and has recovered for them millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements. Mr. Vocelle is double board certified by the Florida bar as a specialist in both civil and business trials, an honor held by less than 1% of all Florida lawyers. He has served as special counsel to and represented several judges many local lawyers in various legal proceedings and was honored to serve as Chair and later as special counsel to the Florida Bar Board of Legal Education and Specialization which regulates all of the board-certified lawyers in the state of Florida in an appeal to the Florida Supreme Court.
Professional Associations:
- Florida Bar, Trial Lawyers’ Section
- American College of Barristers
- Order of Barristers
- Florida Justice Association
- American Justice Association
- American Bar Association
- Indian River County Bar Association
- Florida Bar, Board of Governors, 1995 to 2003
- Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization and Education, 2004 to 2010
- Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization and Education, Chair, 2009 to 2010
- Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization and Education, Special Counsel, 2010 to 2011
- Florida Bar Board of Governors, Board Review Committee on Professional Ethics and Advertising (1995, 1997, 1999, 2000), 2010 to 2011
- Florida Bar Board of Governors, Certification Plan Appeals Committee (Chairman) (1996-2000, 2002-2003)
- Florida Bar Board of Governors, Disciplinary Review Committee (1995, 1998), Communications Committee (2002), Rules Committee (1996), Judicial Evaluation Committee (1996)
- Florida Bar Board of Governors, Judicial Ethics Advisory Committee (1998-2003), Mediation Committee (1998), Special Committee on Insurance Practices (Vice-Chairman) (1999-2000), Special Commission on Insurance Practices II (2001-2002)
- Florida Bar Board of Governors, Constitutional Revision Committee (Article III and Article V), Florida Bar Speakers’ Bureau, Grievance Mediation Committee
- Florida Bar Board of Governors, Professional Ethics Committee (1995-1997), Wills, Trusts and Estate Certificate Committee (1995), Aviation Law Committee (1998), Aviation Law Certification Committee (1997), Civil Procedure Rules Committee (1999), Civil Trial Law Certification Committee (1998)
- Florida Bar, The Florida Bar Professional Ethics Committee: 1984-1995; 2003 – 2004 (Chair 1988 -1990)
- Florida Bar, Indian River County Bar Association Pro Bono Chairman: 1985 -1987
- Florida Bar, Florida Rural Legal Services Board of Directors: 1986 -1987
- Florida Bar, The Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division, Board of Governors: 1989-1990, Supreme Court Judicial Management Council of Florida: 1989 - 2003, Chairman of The Florida Bar 19th Judicial Circuit Nominating Committee: 1993 -1994
- Florida Bar, 19th Judicial Circuit of Florida Grievance Committee B: 1993 -1995; 2004 – 2009, Designated Reviewer-19th Judicial Circuit Grievance Committee: 1995 - 2003, Business Litigation Certification Committee: 2003 – 2004, Board of Legal Specialization and Education: 2004 – 2010 (Chair 2009-2010)
- Florida Bar, Board of Legal Specialization and Education Executive Committee: 2006 – 2010, Special Counsel, Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization and Education 2010 – 2011, Code & Rules of Evidence Committee 2011-Present
- American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA)
Education:
- Florida State University College of Law, Tallahassee, Florida
- J.D. - 05/1982
- Honors: cum laude
- Honors: Moot Court Team
- Honors: Order of Barristers
- Honors: With Honors
- Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
- B.A. - 05/1978
Bar Admissions:
- Florida, 1982
- U.S. District Court Middle District of Florida, 1982
- U.S. District Court Southern District of Florida, 1983
- U.S. Court of Appeals 11th Circuit, 1983
- U.S. Supreme Court, 1986
- U.S. District Court Southern District of Florida Trial Bar, 1989
Honors:
- Florida Trend’s Legal Elite-Top Lawyers in Florida (2009, 2012)
- Super Lawyers of Florida, 2005-Present
- Million Dollar Advocates Forum
- AV rated by Martindale Hubbell
Classes/Seminars:
- The Rules (and Gamesmanship) for Successful use of Offers of Settlement and Judgment, Demands for Judgment and Offers of Settlement, The Trial Lawyers Section of The Florida Bar, 05/19/1988 to 05/20/1988
- Bridge the Gap-Discipline and Ethics, The Young Lawyers Division, The Florida Bar, 03/19/1991 to 03/20/1991
- Ethics Seminar: Avoiding Grievance and Malpractice Liability-Hot Topics in Ethics, The Florida Bar, 06/26/1992 to 06/27/1992
- Basic Commercial Litigation - Selected Issues on Ethics and Professionalism in Litigation, The Florida Bar, 08/17/1995 to 08/18/1995
- Current Issues for the General, Solo and Small Firm Practitioner - Personal Injury Litigation for the General Practitioner; Commercial Litigation for the General Practitioner; Hot Topics in Ethics: A Practitioner's View-Next Stop Malpractice Liability, The Florida Bar-General Practice Section, 04/21/1996
- Professionalism, The Public and You, 19th Judicial Circuit Bench-Bar Committee, 07/01/1997 to 07/02/1997
- Basic Commercial Litigation - Selected Issues on Ethics and Professionalism in Litigation, The Florida Bar, 04/27/2000 to 04/28/2000
- Exploring Our British Connections - An Excursion Seminar, The Florida Bar-General Practice Section, 07/01/2002 to 07/02/2002
- MASTERS IN TRIAL - A Trial Demonstration in an Automotive Product Liability Case from Opening statements to Jury Deliberations. Participant and Panel Member (Cross Examination of the Plaintiff). Sponsor, American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), Knoxville, TN, 2008