Clifford A. Wolff - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Biographical and Historical Background

Clifford A. Wolff was born in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

, New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

on April 7, 1970. Mr. Wolff is the son of Judy Wolff and Malcolm Wolff. Malcolm Wolff was a Vice President for CBS

CBS

CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...

in New York City, New York from 1980 to 1987. After working in the corporate environment, Malcolm Wolff pursued the artistic path attending the Florence Academy of Art in Florence, Italy. Malcolm Wolff is now an acclaimed sculptor maintaining residences in Palm Coast, Florida

Palm Coast, Florida

Palm Coast is a city in Flagler County, Florida. As of the 2010 census, the population was 75,180; it is the most populous city or town in Flagler County. Palm Coast is a principal town of the Palm Coast, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, designated in 2007...

, Florence, Italy and Cap D'Antibes in the South of France. The sculptures of Malcolm Wolff are on display in galleries located in Asheville, North Carolina

Asheville, North Carolina

Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the 11th largest city in North Carolina. The City is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center , which is the world's largest active...

, Denver, Colorado

Denver, Colorado

The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...

, St. Augustine, Florida

St. Augustine, Florida

St. Augustine is a city in the northeast section of Florida and the county seat of St. Johns County, Florida, United States. Founded in 1565 by Spanish explorer and admiral Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, it is the oldest continuously occupied European-established city and port in the continental United...

, Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Fort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,521. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010...

and Florence, Italy.

Clifford Alan Wolff was the namesake of his great-aunt, Claire Alice Wolff. Claire Wolff hosted a talk radio show in New York City, New York from 1942 to 1946. Her radio show was recorded and broadcast from the 86th Floor of the Empire State Building

Empire State Building

The Empire State Building is a 102-story landmark skyscraper and American cultural icon in New York City at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. It has a roof height of 1,250 feet , and with its antenna spire included, it stands a total of 1,454 ft high. Its name is derived...

in the CBS Studios

CBS Studios

Can refer to the following : *CBS, Television Network.*CBS Studio Center, a television and motion picture production facility in Studio City, California*CBS Broadcast Center, main New York City studio complex on W...

located in New York City, New York. In 1946, Claire Wolff conceived the idea of the first interfaith postage stamp

Postage stamp

A postage stamp is a small piece of paper that is purchased and displayed on an item of mail as evidence of payment of postage. Typically, stamps are made from special paper, with a national designation and denomination on the face, and a gum adhesive on the reverse side...

. The postage stamp

Postage stamp

was known as The Four Chaplains. It commemorated the sacrifice of four clergymen in the United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

who gave up their life preservers to other service men aboard the U.S.S. Dorchester. The four clergy died so that other servicemen could live. The United States Post Office approved the postage stamp

Postage stamp

in 1948 for general sale and circulation. It was the first postage stamp ever issued by the United States Post Office commemorating a Jewish individual, Rabbi Alexander Goode. From this recognition, there now exists a stained glass

Stained glass

The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...

window in the chapel of The Pentagon

The Pentagon

The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...

Educational Background

Mr. Wolff attended Nova Elementary and Middle School in Davie

Davie

Davie is a form of the name David. It can also refer to:Places* Davie County, North Carolina, United States* Davie, Florida, United States* Davie Village, Vancouver, British ColumbiaPeople...

, Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

. Mr. Wolff went on to attend Coral Springs High School

Coral Springs High School

Coral Springs High School is a public secondary school located in Coral Springs, Florida. It is a part of the Broward County Public Schools district. The school has a population of 2233 as of November 2010....

in Coral Springs, Florida

Florida

. While a high school student, Mr. Wolff was a member of the National Honor Society

National Honor Society

The National Honor Society is a recognition program for high school students in grades 10-12 in the United States and in several other countries...

, Debate Team and Math Team. Mr. Wolff graduated in the top of his high school class in 1988. Mr. Wolff then attended the University of Florida

University of Florida

The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...

, in Gainesville

Gainesville, Florida

Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...

, Florida

Florida

, where he majored in English Literature and Mathematics at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. While matriculating at the University of Florida, Mr. Wolff was a member of Theta Chi Fraternity, he was routinely appointed to the Dean's List for academic excellence, he was active in campus politics, and he graduated in 1992 as one of the few University of Florida

University of Florida

Presidential Scholars. This award was presented to students graduating with excellent academic credentials and esteemed community service. Mr. Wolff then attended the University of Florida Levin College of Law. Mr. Wolff was immediately recognized for his advocacy skills. He was the only first year law student in his class chosen for both the University of Florida

University of Florida

Trial Team and the Justice Campbell Thornal Moot Court

Moot court

A moot court is an extracurricular activity at many law schools in which participants take part in simulated court proceedings, usually to include drafting briefs and participating in oral argument. The term derives from Anglo Saxon times, when a moot was a gathering of prominent men in a...

Board. Mr. Wolff earned the award of Champion Advocate at the 1995 Mock Trial

Mock trial

A Mock Trial is an act or imitation trial. It is similar to a moot court, but mock trials simulate lower-court trials, while moot court simulates appellate court hearings. Attorneys preparing for a real trial might use a mock trial consisting of volunteers as role players to test theories or...

Competition sponsored by the Association of Trial Lawyers of America

Association of Trial Lawyers of America

The American Association for Justice , formerly the Association of Trial Lawyers of America is the leading organization for lawyers representing plaintiffs in the United States...

in Salt Lake City, Utah

Utah

Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...

. Mr. Wolff also competed in appellate argument competitions in Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

, Illinois

Illinois

Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

, New York City

New York City

, New York

New York

and St. Louis, Missouri

Missouri

Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...

. Mr. Wolff graduated the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 1995. He was one of just two law students who received upon graduation election into the international advocacy honorary known as The Order of Barristers

The Order of Barristers

The Order of Barristers is a United States national honor society whose purpose is the encouragement of oral advocacy and brief writing skills through effective law school oral advocacy programs. The Order of Barristers seeks to improve these programs through interscholastic sharing of ideas,...

, signifying excellence in litigation skills.

Work History

Mr. Wolff was immediately admitted to The Florida Bar

The Florida Bar

The Florida Bar is the integrated bar association for the state of Florida. It is the third largest such bar association in the United States. Its duties include the regulation and discipline of attorneys....

and went to work for Josephs, Jack and Gaebe, a litigation boutique in Miami, Florida

Florida

. Mr. Wolff had the privilege of representing U-Haul

U-Haul

U-Haul International, Inc. is an American equipment rental company, based in Phoenix, Arizona, that has been in operation since 1945. The company was founded by Leonard Shoen U-Haul International, Inc. is an American equipment rental company, based in Phoenix, Arizona, that has been in operation...

International and its affiliates. Mr. Wolff was also involved in multi-million dollar commercial litigation throughout Florida

Florida

. Mr. Wolff was then courted by the law firm of Gordon, Hargrove and James in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Florida

. Mr. Wolff accepted the position and started representing AT&T

AT&T

AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...

, BellSouth

BellSouth

BellSouth Corporation is an American telecommunications holding company based in Atlanta, Georgia. BellSouth was one of the seven original Regional Bell Operating Companies after the U.S...

, Yahoo!

Yahoo!

Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...

, U-Haul

U-Haul

, Carrier Corporation

Carrier Corporation

The Carrier Corporation is one of the world’s largest manufacturers and distributors of heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems, and a global leader in the commercial refrigeration and food service equipment industry...

, Schindler Group

Schindler Group

thumb|200px|Schindler Test Tower in Ebikon, Lucerne, SwitzerlandSchindler was founded in Switzerland in 1874 and is the largest manufacturer of escalators and the second largest manufacturer of elevators world wide. Schindler produces, installs, maintains and modernizes elevators and escalators in...

, Otis Elevator Corporation, UTC Companies and W.R. Grace and Company. Among the most successful litigation matters for Mr. Wolff was his lawsuit filed on behalf of W.R. Grace and Company against American International Group

American International Group

American International Group, Inc. or AIG is an American multinational insurance corporation. Its corporate headquarters is located in the American International Building in New York City. The British headquarters office is on Fenchurch Street in London, continental Europe operations are based in...

(AIG) seeking reimbursement of hundreds of millions of dollars paid by W.R. Grace and Company to resolve mass tort asbestos

Asbestos

Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long, thin fibrous crystals...

claims. AIG eventually capitulated under pressure following the depositions of various claims adjusters. This resolution was considered by many to be the real life epilogue to the John Grisham

John Grisham

John Ray Grisham, Jr. is an American lawyer and author, best known for his popular legal thrillers.John Grisham graduated from Mississippi State University before attending the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1981 and practiced criminal law for about a decade...

novel, "A Civil Action." After this tremendous success, Mr. Wolff was one of the youngest attorneys ever made partner at the law firm of Gordon, Hargrove and James. Shortly after being elected a law partner at Gordon, Hargrove and James, and at the request of several clients, Mr. Wolff started his own law firm. Mr Wolff founded The Wolff Law Firm in 2005. The Wolff Law Firm is discussed in more detail, below.

In addition to working as a commercial litigator, Mr. Wolff is currently the president of Blaise Capital, Inc. Blaise Capital, Inc. is a holding company for various assets including, but not limited to, real estate and intellectual property. Mr. Wolff is actively involved in the valuation, purchase, defense and licensing of such assets. Mr. Wolff uses his extensive experience in business disputes to determine the value and usefulness of real estate and intellectual property.

Other Published Works

In addition to his work with some preeminent clients, Mr. Wolff was involved in a matter for Boca Burger

Boca Burger

Boca Burger is a veggie burger made chiefly from soy protein and wheat gluten; it is a registered trademark of the Boca Foods Company, a subsidiary of Kraft Foods. Like all of Boca Foods' products, Boca Burgers serve as a meat analogue. Although most of Boca products are vegetarian and may include...

, a division of Kraft Foods

Kraft Foods

Kraft Foods Inc. is an American confectionery, food and beverage conglomerate. It markets many brands in more than 170 countries. 12 of its brands annually earn more than $1 billion worldwide: Cadbury, Jacobs, Kraft, LU, Maxwell House, Milka, Nabisco, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Trident, Tang...

. Mr. Wolff, along with other members of his law firm, were successful at the trial court level. However, the Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal disagreed with Mr. Wolff, and sanctioned his law firm pursuant to Florida Statute 57.105. The issue was appealed and reached the Florida Supreme Court

Florida Supreme Court

The Supreme Court of the State of Florida is the highest court in the U.S. state of Florida. The Supreme Court consists of seven judges: the Chief Justice and six Justices who are appointed by the Governor to 6-year terms and remain in office if retained in a general election near the end of each...

. The Florida Supreme Court agreed with Mr. Wolff and his law firm. The Florida Supreme Court held that the appellate court incorrectly adjudicated the matter, reversed the decision of the appellate court, reversed sanctions, determined that the issue of preemption pursuant to the Florida Food Safety Act was a valid defense to be presented at the initial stages of litigation. These decisions have been cited over thirty five (35) times by Florida

Florida

courts since 2005.

Mr. Wolff has since been the managing partner of The Wolff Law Firm located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Florida

. Among other matters, Mr. Wolff successfully defended claims of usury

Usury

Usury Originally, when the charging of interest was still banned by Christian churches, usury simply meant the charging of interest at any rate . In countries where the charging of interest became acceptable, the term came to be used for interest above the rate allowed by law...

. Mr. Wolff has countless awards and innumerable public service activities. Mr. Wolff is admitted to practice law in Florida

Florida

, New York

New York

and Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

Mr. Wolff currently holds an AV-Rated Preeminent ranking of 5.0 out of 5.0 by the Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review System. Less than five percent of all attorneys are AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell. In 2010, Mr. Wolff was also selected as a "Florida Super Lawyer" by Super Lawyers Magazine. Less than five percent of lawyers are selected by the magazine after a nomination and peer-review process. Mr. Wolff effectively represents Fortune 100 companies, Florida 500 Companies, and some of the wealthiest businesspersons in South Florida.

Mr. Wolff is listed in Who's Who of American Law, Who's Who of Emerging Leaders, has been seen on television on CNN

CNN

Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...

with Wolf Blitzer

Wolf Blitzer

Wolf Isaac Blitzer is an American journalist who has been a CNN reporter since 1990. Blitzer is currently the host of the newscast The Situation Room and was the host of the Sunday talk show Late Edition until it was discontinued on January 11, 2009...

on The Situation Room

The Situation Room

The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer is an afternoon/early evening newscast on CNN and CNN International hosted by Wolf Blitzer that first aired on August 8, 2005. The show replaces three politics and hard news programs: Judy Woodruff's Inside Politics, Crossfire and Wolf Blitzer Reports.At first,...

and in publications such as The Miami Herald

The Miami Herald

The Miami Herald is a daily newspaper owned by The McClatchy Company headquartered on Biscayne Bay in the Omni district of Downtown Miami, Florida, United States...

, the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel

Sun-Sentinel

The Sun Sentinel, owned by the Tribune Company, is the main daily newspaper of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S., and all of Broward County, but circulates throughout all of South Florida.-Overview:...

, the New York Daily News

New York Daily News

The Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....

, the South Florida Business Journal and Miami Daily Review. Mr. Wolff currently represents construction companies, roofing companies, health care companies, foreign real estate investors and vitamin companies based in Florida.

Among the most notable clients, The Wolff Law Firm represents Alcor Life Extension Foundation

Alcor Life Extension Foundation

The Alcor Life Extension Foundation, most often referred to as Alcor, is a Scottsdale, Arizona, USA-based nonprofit company that researches, advocates for and performs cryonics, the preservation of humans in liquid nitrogen after legal death, with hopes of restoring them to full health when new...

, the largest cryonics company in the world. Mr. Wolff advocated for—and successfully obtained—on behalf of an Alcor member the first known "virtual autopsy" in Florida. The virtual autopsy was performed using a portable CT Scan in Hillsborough County, Florida

Hillsborough County, Florida

As of the census of 2000, there were 998,948 people, 391,357 households, and 255,164 families residing in the county. The population density was 951 people per square mile . There were 425,962 housing units at an average density of 405 per square mile...

to avoid intrusion into the brain of an Alcor member after death. The matter received a great deal of media attention. In February 2010, Mr. Wolff successfully obtained an order from a court in Palm Beach County, Florida

Palm Beach County, Florida

Palm Beach County is the largest county in the state of Florida in total area, and third in population. As of 2010, the county's estimated population was 1,320,134, making it the twenty-eighth most populous in the United States...

for the second virtual autopsy known in Florida for yet another Alcor member. Mr. Wolff was also interviewed extensively on ABC News

ABC News

ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...

, Good Morning Phoenix on KTVK

KTVK

KTVK is a full-service, independent television station in Phoenix, Arizona. It broadcasts in digital on UHF channel 24 from a transmitter located on South Mountain in Phoenix, and can be seen across northern Arizona on a network of nearly two dozen translator stations...

, and The Denver Post

The Denver Post

-Ownership:The Post is the flagship newspaper of MediaNews Group Inc., founded in 1983 by William Dean Singleton and Richard Scudder. MediaNews is today one of the nation's largest newspaper chains, publisher of 61 daily newspapers and more than 120 non-daily publications in 13 states. MediaNews...

in connection with litigation over an Alcor member from Colorado Springs, Colorado

Colorado Springs, Colorado

Colorado Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Colorado Springs is located in South-Central Colorado, in the southern portion of the state. It is situated on Fountain Creek and is located south of the Colorado...

who left her remains to Alcor pursuant to the Colorado Disposition of Remains Act and the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act

Uniform Anatomical Gift Act

The Uniform Anatomical Gift Act , and its periodic revisions, is one of the Uniform Acts drafted by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws in the United States with the intention of harmonizing state laws in force in the states.UAGA governs organ donations for the purpose...

. The family of the Alcor member sought revocation of the anatomical gift based on an alleged change of a financial beneficiary in connection with a life insurance annuity. Alcor prevailed in court and the written desire of the Alcor member to be cryopreserved was fulfilled.

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