Attorneys

ARTHUR I. “BUDDY” JACOBS

Founder & Managing Member

Arthur I. “Buddy” Jacobs’ family moved to Fernandina Beach in 1943 where he has remained a resident. He is a graduate of the University of Florida and was President of the Student Body. Upon graduation, he became Dean of University Relations and Development, at the age of 26. He served as an Organized Crime Strike Force Prosecutor in the Fourth Judicial Circuit. While serving as Nassau County Attorney for 13 years, he wrote the first zoning code for the County. He has been General Counsel for the State Attorneys of Florida for 47 years, representing them in the US and State Supreme Court, District Courts of Appeal and the Florida Legislature. He was Counsel to the Trial Lawyers Section of the Florida Bar, for 32 years representing 7,000 civil Trial Lawyers in Florida. He represented them in the State Supreme Court and the Legislature. He has served as Chairman of the State Arts Council of Florida and was a member of the National Council of the Arts for a decade under Reagan and Bush. He has been Chairman of the Advocacy Committee of the American Arts Alliance in Washington. He has served since 1977 as a member of the Board of Advisors of the Preservation Institute of Nantucket and served as Chairman of the Board for over a decade. He has lectured throughout the country on Historic Preservation on how to restore towns and cities and uses his work in the restoration of the historic city of Fernandina as an example. He served for six years as a Regent on the Board of the American Architecture Foundation in Washington, DC. The Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers named Jacobs the top advocate in Florida among trial lawyers for justice for the citizens of Florida for 2005. Mr. Jacobs has successfully represented counties, municipalities, cities and community associations seeking federal and state funding for beach renourishment projects critical to local economies, as well as appropriations for transportation projects, environmental enhancement projects, and preservation of historic landmarks. He was also the 2010 recipient of the Beinecke-Reeves Distinguished Achievement Award in Historic Preservation from the University of Florida. He has also been a recipient of the Distinguished Citizen Award from the Florida Shore and Beach Preservation Association. On May 18, 2012, he received the prestigious Carl Weinhardt Award from The Florida Trust For Historic Preservation recognizing his many years of service to Historic Preservation. He has been Head Usher of his church, Amelia Island Plantation Chapel, for 23 years.

RICHARD J. SCHOLZ

Managing Member

Richard J. Scholz graduated from the Ohio State University College of Pharmacy in 1977 and became a licensed pharmacist in Ohio, embarking on a career in community pharmacy. In 1987, Scholz founded Complete Pharmacy Network, a pharmacy benefit management company that pioneered the implementation of real-time computerized pharmacy management and cost controls to clients throughout the U.S. He launched the Denali Group Inc., a multi-faceted health care economics management consulting group that managed projects for stakeholders in the distribution, delivery, and financing of pharmacy care, in 1994. Branching outside of the pharmacy field, Scholz was president of Sound Point Strategies, Inc., a real estate consulting, management, and holding company from 1998 to 2005. Scholz graduated cum laude from Florida Coastal School of Law in Jacksonville, Florida in 2005, and became a member of the Florida Bar in 2006. Scholz joined Jacobs Scholz & Associates in 2005.

Since joining the firm, Scholz has led Jacobs Scholz, LLLP, a holding company for health care ventures in the medical device, optics, and digital healthcare markets, and co-founded Optimized Care Network, which connects primary care and specialty care providers with their patients via state-of-the-art CareSpaces, improving healthcare accessibility and affordability. He is currently Chief Strategy Officer of Optimized Care Network. Scholz is a registered lobbyist for local government entities as well as representing domestic and international healthcare stakeholders interacting with both the State of Florida and the Federal government. He is an active member and on the Board of Directors of Pharmaceutical Printed Literature Association (PPLA) in Washington, D.C. Scholz works with international businesses in developing and managing coalitions to complete clinical trials, process FDA approval for medical devices, and implement international production and distribution strategies. He represents healthcare clients in complex regulatory and litigation interfaces with CMS, FDA, OMB, U.S. Military branches, U.S. Veterans Administration, and Tricare. He has presented at national conferences and summits for the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy, U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, PHARMA Packaging and Labeling USA Conference, and Verizon Life Sciences and Healthcare, and was a panelist at the HX360, HIMMS 2015 TeleHealth Turnabout.

DOUGLAS A. WYLER

Member

Douglas A. Wyler, originally from New York, but raised in Frederick, Maryland, graduated with his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Philosophy from Pepperdine University in Los Angeles. He interned with Merrill Lynch and during his study of law, Wyler interned with Jacksonville Area Legal Aid (“JALA”) and the Jacksonville Film and Television Commission. In 2010, Wyler graduated from Florida Coastal School of Law in Jacksonville. He earned a Certificate in Advanced Legal Research and Writing from Florida Coastal.