Samuel J. Dubbin (born June 26, 1955) is an American lawyer, public servant, and
Holocaust Survivors
Holocaust survivors are people who survived the Holocaust, defined as the persecution and attempted annihilation of the Jews by Nazi Germany and Axis powers, its allies before and during World War II in Europe and North Africa. There is no unive ...
' rights advocate. He is a principal in the
law firm
A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to ...
Dubbin & Kravetz, L.L.P., a former shareholder in the law firm
Greenberg Traurig, and a former partner with
Steel Hector & Davis. A
Clinton Administration
Bill Clinton's tenure as the 42nd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1993, and ended on January 20, 2001. Clinton, a Democrat from Arkansas, took office following a decisive election victory ove ...
appointee, he served in the
Department of Justice
A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
and
Department of Transportation. He has received a
Martindale-Hubbell
Martindale-Hubbell is an information services company to the legal profession that was founded in 1868. The company publishes the ''Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory'', which provides background information on lawyers and law firms in the United S ...
Peer Review Rating of AV and is included in the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers.
Dubbin concentrates his practice in the areas of administrative, regulatory, and commercial
litigation
-
A lawsuit is a proceeding by a party or parties against another in the civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. The term "lawsuit" is used in reference to a civil actio ...
. He represents major national and regional companies, not-for-profit associations, governmental entities, and local businesses and individuals in commercial and real estate litigation, as well as matters involving
antitrust law
Competition law is the field of law that promotes or seeks to maintain market competition by regulating anti-competitive conduct by companies. Competition law is implemented through public and private enforcement. It is also known as antitrus ...
,
transportation
Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land ( rail and road), water, cable, pipel ...
, business regulation, state and local
taxation
A tax is a compulsory financial charge or some other type of levy imposed on a taxpayer (an individual or legal entity) by a governmental organization in order to fund government spending and various public expenditures (regional, local, o ...
, state and federal safety regulation,
public records
Public records are documents or pieces of information that are not considered confidential and generally pertain to the conduct of government.
For example, in California, when a couple fills out a marriage license application, they have the opt ...
and open meetings, and
land use
Land use involves the management and modification of natural environment or wilderness into built environment such as settlements and semi-natural habitats such as arable fields, pastures, and managed woods. Land use by humans has a long his ...
and
zoning
Zoning is a method of urban planning in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into areas called zones, each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for a s ...
. He is best known for his work representing
Holocaust
The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...
Survivors.
Education and early career
Dubbin received his bachelor's degree in
economics
Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.
Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analy ...
,
magna cum laude
Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some So ...
, from
Harvard College
Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher ...
in 1977. In 1981, he graduated
cum laude
Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some So ...
from the
University of Miami School of Law
The University of Miami School of Law (Miami Law or UM Law) is the law school of the University of Miami, a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida.
Founded in 1926, the University of Miami School of Law is the oldest law school in ...
, where he received the Harvey T. Reid Scholarship and served as an editor of the Law Review. After law school, Dubbin clerked for the Honorable
James Lawrence King, United States District Judge for the Southern District of Florida, from 1981–1982.
Government and community service
In 1996, Florida Governor
Lawton Chiles
Lawton Mainor Chiles Jr. (April 3, 1930 – December 12, 1998) was an American politician who served as the 41st governor of Florida from 1991 until his death in 1998. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as a United States ...
appointed Dubbin to the Florida Transportation Commission, which provides policy guidance and financial oversight to the
Florida Department of Transportation
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is a decentralized agency charged with the establishment, maintenance, and regulation of public transportation in the state of Florida. The department was formed in 1969. It absorbed the powers of t ...
. He had previously served on the
Florida Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of Florida is the highest court in the U.S. state of Florida. It consists of seven members: the chief justice and six justices. Six members are chosen from six districts around the state to foster geographic diversity, and on ...
Nominating Commission, also as an appointee of Governor Chiles.
Dubbin also served from 1993 to 1996 as an official in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
Departments of Justice and Transportation. He was special assistant to
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general.
In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...
Janet Reno
Janet Wood Reno (July 21, 1938 – November 7, 2016) was an American lawyer who served as the 78th United States attorney general. She held the position from 1993 to 2001, making her the second-longest serving attorney general, behind only Wi ...
and Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Policy Development in the Department of Justice, and later served as chief counsel to the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA ) is an agency of the U.S. federal government, part of the Department of Transportation. It describes its mission as "Save lives, prevent injuries, reduce vehicle-related crashes" rel ...
(NHTSA) in the Department of Transportation. At NHTSA, Dubbin was the chief legal officer for the federal agency responsible for setting and enforcing motor vehicle safety and fuel economy standards, supervising rulemaking proceedings and litigation involving manufacturers, consumer groups, the insurance industry, and other interested parties.
He currently serves on the board of directors of the
Greater Miami Jewish Federation
The Jewish Federation (JFED), is generally a secular Jewish non-profit organization, found within many metropolitan areas across the United States with a significant Jewish community. They provide supportive and human services, philanthropy, fina ...
, and served for over 8 years as the chairman of the Federation's
Jewish Community Relations Council
A Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) is a locally based Jewish organization that carries out "action agendas on behalf of and in the name of the local Jewish communities." Councils may aim "to represent the consensus of the organized Jewish ...
.
Holocaust Era litigation
Dubbin's chief undertaking has been fighting for the recognition of
Holocaust Survivors' rights to regain assets lost to those who profited off the Holocaust. His firm Dubbin & Kravetz represents Holocaust survivors and survivor organizations, including The Holocaust Survivors Foundation USA, Inc., a national alliance of elected leaders of grassroots Holocaust survivor organizations with thousands of members in 15 states.
Dubbin & Kravetz was one of three firms that successfully represented Hungarian Holocaust survivors seeking restitution and an accounting against the United States government in the
Hungarian Gold Train case, which was settled for $25.5 million in 2005 after nearly five years of litigation. The firm also currently represents Holocaust survivors and heirs of Holocaust victims in litigation against European insurance companies that failed to pay the proceeds of insurance policies issued prior to
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
in federal court litigation, and for recovery of other assets as well.
Dubbin testified on the issue of unhonored insurance policies that were sold to Holocaust victims before the
U.S. House Committee on Financial Services in February 2008, and before the
U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
The United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations is a standing committee of the U.S. Senate charged with leading foreign-policy legislation and debate in the Senate. It is generally responsible for overseeing and funding foreign aid p ...
on May 6, 2008.
Awards and honors
In 2008, he was honored by the
Jewish Museum of Florida
The Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU is located in two restored historic buildings that were formerly synagogues, at 301 & 311 Washington Ave., in Miami Beach, Florida. The main museum building, at 301 Washington Ave., was built in 1936, is on the N ...
as one of seven outstanding Floridians for his service to the Jewish community and his work for Holocaust survivors.
References
External links
The New York Times quotes Dubbin on the Swiss Banks Holocaust settlement.*
ttps://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/28/business/28insure.html?ref=worldbusiness The New York Times quotes Dubbin on Holocaust Era Insurance Lawsuit result.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dubbin, Sam
Harvard College alumni
University of Miami School of Law alumni
Florida lawyers
1955 births
Living people