William Cohen (born 1978), better known by the stage name Billy Corben, is an American documentary film director. As a co-founder of the Miami-based studio Rakontur, along with producing partner Alfred Spellman, he has created films such as Cocaine Cowboys, Dawg Fight, and ESPN's 30 for 30 The U and The U Part 2. Corben was born in Fort Myers, Florida to a Jewish family, and was raised in South Florida. As a child actor, he spent a large portion of his early days in Los Angeles, California. He attended New World School of the Arts High School[1] and graduated with honors from the University of Miami, where he majored in political science, screenwriting, and theater. His feature documentary directorial debut, Raw Deal: A Question of Consent, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2001, making him one of the youngest directors in Sundance history. Examining the alleged rape of an exotic dancer at a fraternity house at the University of Florida, the film utilized extensive clips from videotape footage of the alleged assault. Anthony Miele of Film Threat said of Raw Deal, “Billy Corben has stumbled onto one of the most controversial films of the modern day,” calling it “one of the most compelling pieces of non-fiction ever produced”.[2] Following Raw Deal, Corben and producing partner Alfred Spellman founded Rakontur, a Miami Beach-based content creation company, where they created Cocaine Cowboys. The New York Times called Cocaine Cowboys, “a hyperventilating account of the blood-drenched Miami drug culture in the 1970s and 1980s.”[3] The film tells the story of how the drug trade built Miami through firsthand accounts of some of the most successful smugglers of the era and the deadliest hitman of the cocaine wars. After a limited theatrical release in 2006, Cocaine Cowboys became the highest-rated documentary ever on the Showtime cable network.[4] The sequel, Cocaine Cowboys 2: Hustling with the Godmother, was released in 2008. The U, a feature documentary about the championship history of the University of Miami football program, produced by rakontur for ESPN's 30 for 30 series, became the highest-rated documentary in the network's 30-year history, when it debuted on December 12, 2009, following the Heisman Trophy presentation.[5] In March 2011, Square Grouper: The Godfathers of Ganja, examining the free-wheeling pot smuggling era of South Florida in the 1970s, premiered at the South By Southwest Film Festival. In April 2011, Limelight (2011 documentary), about the rise and fall of Peter Gatien, New York City's biggest nightclub owner, premiered at Tribeca Film Festival, and premiered in NYC in September 2011. In 2012, Corben produced Dawg Fight, a brutal exposé on underground backyard MMA fighting in one of Miami's toughest neighborhoods; Cocaine Cowboys: The Kings of Miami, about the sensational Miami-based federal trials of Sal Magluta and Willy Falcon, the most successful Cuban drug traffickers in history; and Broke, a feature documentary project for ESPN examining the explosion of big money in sports and the epidemic of professional athletes who have gone broke. In 2019, he co-wrote Confessions of a Cocaine Cowboy alongside journalist and Television writer, Aurin Squire. Confessions of a Cocaine Cowboy was a world-premiere documentary theatre piece commissioned by Miami New Drama at the Colony Theatre based on Corben's Cocaine Cowboys documentaries.[6] The play used text from depositions, newspaper articles, and other found documents from the time. It ran at the Colony Theatre from March 7 to April 7, 2019.[7] Corben oversees the soundtracks for all of Rakontur's productions, assembling the artists for each project and working hands-on throughout the music production process. For Cocaine Cowboys, Grammy-winner Jan Hammer (Miami Vice) composed and performed the original score; hip-hop artist Luther Campbell performed the opening titles song for The U; Miami music fixture DJ Le Spam wrote his first ever film score for Square Grouper; on Limelight (2011 documentary), Corben consulted with Grammy-winning electronic music pioneer Moby, while the original score was written by Fast of the Fun Lovin' Criminals. In addition, Corben has contributed his own original songs to the soundtracks of Raw Deal: A Question of Consent, The U and Square Grouper. Corben also serves as film critic on the Paul and Young Ron Show, a South Florida radio morning show, doing live segments every Friday. Corben and Rakontur are regular supporters of Miami-based Hope For Vision, a not-for-profit organization that donates money to fund scientific research to develop cures for blindness; the Borscht Film Festival, a group that supports and showcases Miami's independent filmmakers; and The 200 Club, an organization that gives financial support to the families of law enforcement officers and fire fighters who have lost their lives in the line of duty. In a speech given to the Miami Media School in 2013, Corben is quoted as saying about the roles that the founders David Cypkin, Alfred Spellman, and Billy Corben play in their company Rakontur, "All of the creative decisions stop with me and all of the business decisions stop with Alfred. And Dave, he really runs our post-production." In 2022, he started a bitter feud with beloved Miami Herald columnist Greg Cote. The incident has increased clicks on Cote’s online articles. As of January 30th 2022, there is a poll on @lebatardshow on who will leave the show forever.

Judge Ayana Harris is a graduate of the University of Miami and Howard University School of Law. She began her legal career as an assistant state public defender in Miami before joining the Miami office of the Federal Public Defender, where she handled a variety of complex federal criminal cases in United States District Court. She has served as a training attorney and has tried over 80 state and federal cases to verdict. Judge Harris was appointed to the Miami-Dade County Court by Governor Ron DeSantis in December 2019, and she is currently assigned the North Dade Justice Center where she handles a variety of civil and domestic violence cases.

Judge Chiaka Ihekwaba is a County Court Judge in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida. She was appointed to the County Court bench by Governor Ron DeSantis in 2020 and currently serves in the civil division. Prior to her service on the bench, Judge Ihekwaba served as an Assistant State Attorney for over 18 years where she was a Division Chief for 11 of those years, responsible for supervising a felony division and investigating and seeking justice in mainly homicide cases. While at the State Attorney’s Office, she also served as a senior member of the Organized Crime Unit where she was involved in complex investigations. Judge Ihekwaba obtained her Juris Doctorate Degree (J.D) from St. Thomas University School of law. She also has a Master of laws degree (LL. M) from Kings College, London. Judge Ihekwaba is also a member of the Nigerian Bar. She received her Bachelor of Laws degree (LL. B) from University of Benin in Nigeria following which she attended Nigerian Law School from where she received her Barrister at Law (B.L) Degree prior to joining the Bar.

Michaelle Gonzalez-Paulson, County Court Judge, Eleventh Judicial Circuit, Miami, Florida (2011-present), handling Civil, Criminal, and Domestic Violence divisions. Adjunct Faculty, Miami Dade College School of Justice (2014-present). Faculty for the Conference of County Court Judges (2013- Present), Certified Yoga Instructor. Formerly in private practice, Law Center of South Florida P.A. (2006-2010); Markowitz, Davis, Ringel and Trusty P.A. (2003-2006); Dade County Bar Legal Aid (2001-2003); B.A. in Psychology, Florida International University (May 1999); J.D., Saint Thomas University School of Law (December 2001).

Across the past three decades, Stuart Ratzan has combined hard work and imagination to successfully try and resolve some of the most significant cases heard in state and federal courtrooms in Florida and throughout the United States. Mr. Ratzan embraces the demanding role of plaintiff attorney with aptitude and study, perseverance, and moral courage. Stuart Ratzan’s extensive experience in handling catastrophic brain injury and medical malpractice cases throughout the United States, and successfully obtaining multiple multi-million dollar judgments and settlements on behalf of his clients and their families, have earned him the highest recognition by his peers and the most respected national legal publications. Stuart Ratzan is a Cum Laude graduate of Amherst College in Amherst, MA. In 1991 he graduated Cum Laude from the University of Miami School of Law and was admitted to the Florida Bar. After years of successful practice with a prestigious Miami law firm, he established his own practice in 2001. As founder and shareholder of Ratzan Weissman & Boldt, not only does he aggressively pursue multi-million dollar judgments and settlements on behalf of his clients to help offset a lifetime of treatments and medical expenses, but also Mr. Ratzan is well aware of the significance of bringing cases of negligence to trial. Jury verdicts provide incentives for public safety and good medical care, to which Stuart ardently asserts we are all entitled. Mr. Ratzan believes that the system’s purpose includes deterring wrongful and socially unacceptable conduct and he dedicated his life to that mission. Stuart Ratzan is a trial attorney who goes above and beyond his responsibility to obtain just compensation for his clients who have suffered catastrophic injuries or wrongful death. Among his peers, Stuart Ratzan is considered a David among Goliaths when he fights alongside his clients to take on the most powerful hospitals, doctors, manufacturers, corporations and insurance companies. On at least five separate occasions, Mr. Ratzan earned a place amongst The Top 100 Verdicts in America for his role in securing justice and enforcing safety on behalf of his clients and the communities in which they reside. In 2017, Mr. Ratzan led the trial team in securing a $46.5 million medical malpractice verdict – the largest ever in the State of Arkansas – for a three-year-old child who suffered brain damage after she was left untreated for jaundice as a newborn; and also led the way in a $45 million verdict involving the death of a medical student following a late-night crash at an Interstate 75 construction site in Pembroke Pines, Florida. By first gathering evidence, and then through top-flight courtroom advocacy, Stuart Ratzan restored balance in each case in the lives of his clients. The juries who rendered verdicts in those cases fulfilled their important role in our democratic society by compensating Stuart’s clients for their harms and losses and making the communities they live in safer. With a knack for thinking on his feet and showing pure authenticity in every case, Stuart Ratzan extends the boundaries and traditional means of courtroom techniques. For this, he often makes national headlines. As lead trial lawyer, he successfully argued on behalf of the family of a Florida wife and mother whose 1996 lung cancer death resulted in a $42.5 million verdict against cigarette companies R.J. Reynolds and Phillip Morris; and in another trial in which he represented a brain-injured baby in a $23.2 million verdict against a major Florida hospital chain; and, in yet another trial, he represented a whistleblower in a $2.8 million verdict against a major Florida hospital. When wrongdoers are held accountable, Mr. Ratzan believes a jury has enforced the safety rules and all of us can rest a little easier. Mr. Ratzan is annually recognized by Best Lawyers in America, the South Florida Legal Guide, Florida Trend magazine and Florida Super Lawyers as one of Florida’s top attorneys. Mr. Ratzan has an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell, the highest rating available. He is also a member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum. Stuart N. Ratzan was President of the Young Lawyers Division of the Florida Bar in 2000-2001, and proudly served the Florida Bar Board of Governors from 1999-2001. He has also served on the Executive Council of the Florida Bar Association’s Trial Lawyers Section from 2009 until 2014; was a Member of the Board of Directors of Florida Justice Association from 2003-2009 and was part of the Executive Committee from 2006-2008. Additionally, Mr. Ratzan served on the Board of Directors of Legal Services of Greater Miami, Inc. from 2003-2007; and is a Member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), the American Association for Justice, the Miami Dade Trial Lawyers Association and the Dade County Bar Association. Currently he serves as Chair of the ABOTA Miami COVID19 Jury Trial Task Force and as President of Temple Beth Am in Pinecrest, Florida. Drawing courage and inspiration from his clients, Mr. Ratzan is active in legal organizations. The Florida Justice Association has recognized his fundraising efforts. Mr. Ratzan is also a frequent lecturer at seminars for the Florida Bar Association and FJA, speaking throughout the country on trial practice, catastrophic injury litigation and consumer advocacy. Most of all, Stuart Ratzan is authentic. He gets real with jurors and judges and develops the bond of trust that is essential for trying cases. An avid cyclist and fly fisherman, Mr. Ratzan has ridden thousands of miles to raise funds for a handful of charities, such as the Davis Phinney Foundation, the Dolphins Cancer Challenge and Best Buddies International. He also participates annually in the Keymorada Fishing Tournament to raise money to fight Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Crohn’s and Colitis).

Jude M. Faccidomo is a founding partner and managing partner at Ratzan & Faccidomo, a Miami law firm providing misdemeanor and felony defense of Florida and federal criminal charges as well as representation of lawyers and other professionals in administrative license revocation and disciplinary hearings. As a former Assistant Public Defender in the Miami-Dade Public Defender’s office, Mr. Faccidomo gained extensive, invaluable experience handling jury trials involving a wide range of criminal matters. Mr. Faccidomo completed his undergraduate degree at Bard College in New York and earned his Juris Doctor law degree from Saint Thomas University School of Law in Miami. He was recognized as a “Top Up and Coming Lawyer” by the South Florida Legal Guide in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2014, and he has been named a “Rising Star” in SuperLawyers magazine since 2012 and was a Superlawyer selection in 2015. Mr. Faccidomo was also named to Top 40 Lawyers under 40 in Miami by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Other distinctions include receiving the “Gregg Wenzel Outstanding Young Lawyer Award” for exceptional dedication and skill in the field of criminal defense, the FACDL “President’s Award” for personifying the spirit of the criminal defense lawyer, and the Gideon’s Hammer award for outstanding service to the field of criminal defense. Mr. Faccidomo is admitted to practice in all Florida State Courts as well as the United States District Courts for the Southern and Middle Districts of Florida, and the Supreme Court of the United States. He is an active member of the Florida Bar; the Dade County Bar Association, where he serves as the Chair of the Criminal Courts Committee; and the Statewide Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (FACDL), where he serves on the Board of Directors and Chair of the Young Lawyer Committee.

Andrea Wolfson is a judge of the Florida 11th Circuit Court. She assumed office in 2018. Her current term ends on January 5, 2027.

Wolfson won re-election for judge of the Florida 11th Circuit Court outright after the general election on November 3, 2020, was canceled.

Education
Wolfson received her B.S. degree from the University of Notre Dame in 1995, her M.S. degree from Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville in 1996, and her J.D. degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology - Chicago-Kent College of Law in 2001.[1]

Career
6/2010-2018 Judge, Miami-Dade County Court
8/2008-5/2010 Assistant State Attorney/Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, 11th Judicial Circuit
8/2001-11/2007 Assistant State Attorney, 11th Judicial Circuit[1]
Elections
2020
See also: Municipal elections in Miami-Dade County, Florida (2020)

General election
The general election was canceled. Andrea Wolfson (Nonpartisan) won without appearing on the ballot.
2018
See also: Municipal elections in Miami-Dade County, Florida (2018)
General election
General election for Miami-Dade County Court
Incumbent Andrea Wolfson won election in the general election for Miami-Dade County Court on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
✔
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Andrea-Wolfson.jpg

Andrea Wolfson (Nonpartisan)
Ballotpedia Logo
Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

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Selection method
See also: Nonpartisan elections
Like the circuit courts, the Florida County Court selects its judges through nonpartisan elections. County judges serve six-year terms, after which they must run for re-election if they wish to retain their seats.[2][3]

In the event of a midterm vacancy, the county courts employ the same assisted appointment method that the appellate courts use. Judges selected this way serve for at least one year, after which they must run for re-election.[4]

Qualifications
To serve on one of these courts, a judge must be:

a qualified elector;
a state resident;
under the age of 75; and
admitted to practice law in the state for five years prior to assuming the bench.
Note that this final requirement—that judges be qualified to practice law in the state for at least five years—is the one piece that breaks from the qualifications of Florida appellate judges, who need a minimum of 10 years. In counties of 40,000 people or fewer, this requirement is waived altogether.[2]

2012
Wolfson defeated Greer Elaine Wallace for re-election on Nov. 6, 2012, receiving 53.8 percent of the vote. She previously received 48.4 percent of the vote in the primary election on Aug, 14, 2012.[5][6][7]

See also: Florida judicial elections, 2012

Judge Christina Marie DiRaimondo was born and raised in Miami-Dade County where she grew up with her parents and younger sister. As a young girl, she attended Saint Patrick’s Catholic School on Miami Beach, and later attended Archbishop Curley-Notre Dame High School in the heart of the City of Miami. Judge DiRaimondo earned her Bachelor of Arts with honors from Iona College, and later attended law school at Nova Southeastern University where she held the position of Senior Editor of the Law Review Journal and graduated at the top of her class. Before her judicial appointment, Judge DiRaimondo was an Assistant State Attorney with the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office serving as Felony Division Chief, specializing in homicide cases. Over the course of her 10-year career with the State Attorney’s Office, she supervised many of young attorneys, provided insight on thousands of cases and tried more than 80 of them to verdict in both county and circuit court. Former Governor Rick Scott appointed Judge DiRaimondo to the County Court bench in 2018 and she served in the Civil Division where she presided over thousands of cases. In December of 2019, Governor Desantis elevated Judge DiRaimondo to the Circuit Court. She presided in the Criminal Division for over a year and now sits in the Family Division of the Circuit Court. During her career, Judge DiRaimondo has been actively in local bar activities as a member of Florida Association of Women Lawyers, Wilkie D. Ferguson Bar Association, Cuban American Bar Association, Gwen S. Cherry Black Women Lawyers Association, National Association of Women Lawyers, and the Dade County Bar Association. Additionally, Judge DiRaimondo is actively involved in her community and is a member of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Miami where she mentors youth in the community. She was also a long-standing member of the Heidi Hewes Chapter of the Woman’s Cancer Association. In her free time, Judge DiRaimondo enjoys spending time with her family.

Judge Spencer Multack is a Judge in the Family Division. He has He received his undergraduate degree from Syracuse University and his J.D. from the University of Miami. Before joining the court, Multack spent ten years as assistant state attorney with the Office of the State Attorney in the Seventeenth Circuit. He is known to be one of the most technologically savvy Judges in the circuit and is active with The First Family Law American Inn of Court and other bar activities.

Brittany Bonner is a Partner at Filler Rodriguez, LLP where she focuses the majority of her practice on divorce and child custody cases. Prior to joining Filler Rodriguez, Brittany was a Division Chief in the Dependency Division of the Office of Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel in Miami, Florida, where she represented parents who have had their children removed for allegations of abuse, abandonment, and neglect. Brittany began her career practicing criminal defense in state and federal courts, both as an Assistant Public Defender at the Miami Public Defender’s Office and in private practice, where she has tried more than 40 criminal cases to verdict. She serves on the Executive Committee for the Miami-Dade Bar’s Board of Directors and co-chairs the Miami-Dade Bar’s Family Courts Committee. She has spoken at various events on Ethical Issues in the Representation of Children, Pro Bono opportunities in Child Welfare, Case Law Updates in Dependency, Ramifications of Virtual Visitation, and the Children’s Courthouse Wall of Honor Ceremony. She participated in Children’s Week in Tallahassee with Florida Youth Shine, lobbying alongside foster youth to pass legislation to improve Florida’s Child Welfare System. She has also provided pro-bono legal services to asylum seeking families with the CARA Family Detention Project in Dilley, Texas. She has been recognized as one of South Florida’s 40 Under 40 Outstanding Lawyers by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Disney is an associate attorney at Trueba & Suarez and is the president-elect of the Miami-Dade Bar Young Lawyers Section. Tiffany-Ashley sees herself becoming a mediator as well as a practicing attorney in the future!

Willig has been practicing marital and family law in Miami-Dade County since 2000. Kira represents parties in all areas, including dissolution of marriage, paternity and maternity cases, jurisdictional disputes, custody, parenting plans, relocation, modification, enforcement, child support, post-judgment issues, and prenuptial and postnuptial agreements. While Kira trusts the family court to provide justice, her many years in practice have informed her strong belief that families are best served when they work towards reaching a resolution outside a courtroom. In furtherance of her commitment to litigation alternatives, Kira is trained in collaborative law and is a Supreme Court of Florida Certified Family Mediator and Supreme Court of Florida Qualified Arbitrator.

Since 2002, Peter has conducted over 4000+ mediations and arbitrations throughout Florida, in the following areas: medical malpractice, motor vehicle accidents, construction defects, nursing home/ALF neglect/abuse, product liability, premises liability, first-party and bad faith claims, and admiralty. Peter has also served as a Neutral Umpire in the appraisal of over 100 first-party claims, both residential and commercial, and Arbitrator of over 50 Jones Act cases. His specialties are medical malpractice and complex personal injury cases.

Terence Shepherd is news director at WLRN News, the public radio news outlet serving Broward, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach and Monroe counties. Shepherd holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Virginia and an MBA from Florida Atlantic University

Raychel Lean is ALM Media’s South Florida litigation reporter since 2018 and the Bureau Chief responsible for the Daily Business Review’s print and digital offerings. Lean received her Bachelor of Arts in Literature and Professional Writing from Barry University in 2014.

David Ovalle has been a reporter with the Miami Herald since 2002, when he began as a Sports reporter. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Southern California.

Adam Fleisher works with payments services companies of all types to navigate the complex nonbank financial services regulatory landscape, including as it is applied to cryptocurrencies and related digital assets. He focuses on helping clients get payments products and services to market, on positioning them to operate as regulated financial services providers, and on working with them to manage their regulatory compliance structures and to grow and expand their regulated activities. He specializes in US state money transmission services regulation, the federal Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) and related anti-money laundering laws and other state and federal laws and regulations that pertain to funds transfers, virtual currency/digital asset activities, and stored value payments services.

Joshua Spector has advocated for clients in disputes ranging into tens of millions of dollars in controversy. As lead counsel, Mr. Spector has tried jury trials in both state and federal courts, and represented clients in federal appeals and appeals in Florida’s district courts and the Florida Supreme Court. Mr. Spector has represented a foreign head of state, Grammy-nominated artists, record labels, models, artist managers, songwriters, and film production companies, in addition to numerous related businesses, officers, and directors. Core specialties in Mr. Spector’s practice include complex business litigation and related arbitrations, trade dress infringement, cybersquatting and domain name disputes, all ambits of trademark infringement under the Lanham Act, state common law unfair competition, defamation and trade libel, commercial litigation, appeals, non-competition agreements (non-competes), trade secrets (both under the Florida Trade Secret Act and the new DTSA), intra-company management disputes, dissolution, receiverships, and shareholder derivative claims. Mr. Spector has also qualified as an Arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association and is available to act as a private arbitrator by agreement of the parties. Among several publications, Mr. Spector is the co-author of the definitive book on Florida defense practice, “Florida Affirmative Defenses and Procedural Objections” (ALM 6th ed.). Mr. Spector has lectured and instructed attorneys on subjects including affirmative defenses and defensive motion practice, Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practice Act, and piercing the corporate veil. Appointed by the Florida Supreme Court in 2011, Mr. Spector served on the Court’s committee on standard jury instructions for business and contract cases for eight years where he led the drafting, among other instructions, on the standard instruction for misappropriation of trade secrets.

Experience
PayPalPayPal
2 yrs 7 mos2 yrs 7 mos
Head of Global Market Development - Blockchain, Cryptocurrency and Digital CurrenciesHead of Global Market Development - Blockchain, Cryptocurrency and Digital Currencies
Jan 2021 - Present · 1 yr 3 mosJan 2021 - Present · 1 yr 3 mos
Global Business DevelopmentGlobal Business Development
Sep 2019 - Jan 2021 · 1 yr 5 mosSep 2019 - Jan 2021 · 1 yr 5 mos

MoneyGram International
5 yrs 3 mos5 yrs 3 mos
Head of US + Canada Retail / Latin America and Caribbean Head of US + Canada Retail / Latin America and Caribbean

May 2019 - Aug 2019 · 4 mosMay 2019 - Aug 2019 · 4 mos
Head of Latin America and Caribbean Head of Latin America and Caribbean

Nov 2016 - Aug 2019 · 2 yrs 10 mosNov 2016 - Aug 2019 · 2 yrs 10 mos
Miami, FloridaMiami, Florida
Vice President - Associate General Counsel - AmericasVice President - Associate General Counsel - Americas

Jun 2014 - Nov 2016 · 2 yrs 6 mosJun 2014 - Nov 2016 · 2 yrs 6 mos Miami

Regional Counsel - Latin AmericaRegional Counsel - Latin America
PayPalPayPal
Jul 2010 - Jun 2014 · 4 yrsJul 2010 - Jun 2014 · 4 yrs
Served as legal counsel for PayPal’s Latin American and Caribbean operations overseeing all legal matters for 39 countries.Served as legal counsel for PayPal’s Latin American and Caribbean operations overseeing all legal matters for 39 countries.
PartnerPartner
ProCompliance AdvisoryProCompliance Advisory
2004 - 2010 · 6 yrs2004 - 2010 · 6 yrs
Specialized in providing legal/regulatory advisory services to domestic and international financial service providers.
Specialized in providing legal/regulatory advisory services to domestic and international financial service providers.

Attorney
Gunster YoakleyGunster Yoakley
1998 - 2003 · 5 yrs1998 - 2003 · 5 yrs
Miami, FloridaMiami, Florida
Financial Services/Commercial/Regulatory/International BusinessFinancial Services/Commercial/Regulatory/International Business

Education
Boston University School of LawBoston University School of Law
JD, cum laude, Journal of Science and Technology LawJD, cum laude, Journal of Science and Technology Law
1995 - 19981995 - 1998
Saïd Business School, University of Oxford logo
Saïd Business School, University of OxfordSaïd Business School, University of Oxford
Oxford Blockchain Strategy ProgrammeOxford Blockchain Strategy Programme
2019 - 20192019 - 2019
Florida International University - College of Business logo
Florida International University - College of BusinessFlorida International University - College of Business
Business, International Business Business, International Business
1991 - 19951991 - 1995

Skills
International BusinessInternational Business
· 44· 44

Endorsed by 13 colleagues at PayPalEndorsed by 13 colleagues at PayPal
Legal ConsultingLegal Consulting
· 21· 21

Endorsed by 5 colleagues at PayPalEndorsed by 5 colleagues at PayPal
Due DiligenceDue Diligence
· 42· 42

Endorsed by Guilherme Junqueira Franco and 1 other who is highly skilled at thisEndorsed by Guilherme Junqueira Franco and 1 other who is highly skilled at this

Endorsed by 9 colleagues at PayPal.

Kimberly A. Prior is a partner in the Miami office of Shutts & Bowen LLP where she is Co-Chair of the Financial Services Practice Group. Kimberly handles regulatory, transactional, enforcement and corporate matters for domestic and international financial services firms and businesses, including banks, broker-dealers, investment advisers and private equity funds. Kimberly also advises financial institutions and technology companies on regulatory, licensing, corporate and compliance issues in the FinTech space. Kimberly has served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Miami School of Law teaching an advanced seminar focused on current issues in financial institution mergers and acquisitions. She currently teaches a course at the University of Miami School of Law on the regulation of blockchain and digital assets. Kim is the co-author of "Digital Assets and Blockchain Technology: US Law and Regulation," a textbook that examines the legal and regulatory approaches regarding the most important issues impacting the blockchain space. She is also the co-author of a chapter on recent developments in cross-border securities law. She currently serves as General Counsel to the Florida International Bankers Association.

Patricia H. Thompson, Esq. is a full-time neutral at JAMS, concentrating her practice in construction and surety claims, employment discrimination, wage and non-compete disputes, fidelity and business insurance coverage analysis, and other complex commercial disputes. As an arbitrator, she uses lessons learned over 46 years of trial, arbitration, and appellate practice to pro-actively manage arbitrations to be a more efficient, fair and cost-effective method of dispute resolution than litigation. As a mediator, she guides the exchange of necessary information in advance of the parties’ joint sessions, assists in planning how to structure the negotiation sessions, and uses experience and preparation to help the parties assess risk, value claims, and make informed decisions as to the best avenues of resolution. Ms. Thompson has been regularly listed in The Best Lawyers in America, Chambers USA Guide to America's Leading Business Lawyers, The International Who's Who of Construction and Business Lawyers, and similar Florida publications ranking attorneys in her areas of practice concentration. She is a fellow of both the American College of Construction Lawyers and the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, and a member of ArbitralWomen. Ms. Thompson has served as chair and in other senior leadership roles of major committees of the Tort and Insurance Practice and Litigation Sections of the American Bar Association. In 2012, she was awarded the Martin J. Andrew Award for Lifetime Achievement in Fidelity and Surety Law by the Fidelity Law Committee of the Tort, Trial and Insurance Practice Section of the ABA.

Scott J. Silverman has been a full-time neutral since 2012 and has acted as mediator, arbitrator, special magistrate or neutral evaluator in hundreds of matters spanning numerous practice areas, both domestically and internationally. Known for his keen intellect, down to earth manner, and pragmatic approach to problem solving, Mr. Silverman fosters an atmosphere that is conducive to achieving positive results. His determination and creative approaches to settlement have proven invaluable to parties seeking resolution. Prior to joining JAMS, Mr. Silverman spent nearly 22 years as a Judge on the 11th Judicial Circuit, during which time he presided over thousands of cases. While proud of his work on the bench, Mr. Silverman believes ADR is a faster and more cost-effective way to resolve disputes.

John W. Thornton, Jr., Retired Judge 11th Judicial Circuit, joins JAMS after serving for more than 12 years in the civil, criminal and circuit court appellate divisions. Mr. Thornton headed the complex business litigation division for five years, including four years as the International Commercial Arbitration Division judge. He has presided over more than 100 jury trials. During his time on the bench, Mr. Thornton handled a range of complex matters involving commercial and contractual disputes, class actions, insurance, real estate, construction, health care, professional malpractice, personal injury and complex business law. Before his appointment to the circuit court in 2007, Mr. Thornton was in private practice, where he was a founding partner of Thornton & Rothman, P.A., a Miami-based criminal and white-collar defense firm, where he represented individual and institutional clients, including the University of Miami and the Archdiocese of Miami. One of Florida’s first board-certified criminal trial lawyers, he tried to verdict more than 100 jury trials. Prior to establishing the firm, Mr. Thornton served as an assistant state attorney, including as a division chief, for the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office. In addition to his commitment to the practice of law, Mr. Thornton has dedicated himself to bar activities and pro bono causes, among them serving as chair of the Board of Directors of Camillus Health Concern, a private, nonprofit organization that provides comprehensive health and social services to homeless people in Miami-Dade County. He was a member of the Florida Bar Board of Governors for 10 years; president of the Florida Bar Foundation, the charitable arm of The Florida Bar; president of the Dade County Bar Association; and a member of the Indigent Services Committee for the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida. He has participated in countless seminars and panels, and has taught in the University of Miami School of Law’s Litigation Skills programs for 25 years.

Cristina Pereyra-Alvarez, retired Judge 11th Judicial Circuit, joins the JAMS panel after an exemplary career as a lawyer, judge, and legal journalist. Mrs. Pereyra-Alvarez's extensive knowledge of the law and rich cultural background positions her to serve as an effective and informed mediator and arbitrator. Born in Tampa, Florida, Mrs. Pereyra-Alvarez grew up in Mexico where she earned her first law degree from Universidad Anahuac in Mexico City. Upon returning to the United States, she earned a second law degree from the University of Miami School of Law. After a distinguished career as an assistant public defender in the 11th Judicial Circuit, Mrs. Pereyra-Alvarez became a MiamiDade County Court Judge in the 11th Judicial Circuit. In 2005, she was appointed as a Circuit Court Judge by former Governor Jeb Bush. In 2007, Mrs. Pereyra-Alvarez retired from the bench to preside on the first national Spanish language court reality program “Veredicto Final” (Final Verdict). In 2011, she became Univision’s in-house legal correspondent. Mrs. Pereyra-Alvarez is fluent in Spanish. Christina Pereyra-Alvarez's biography in Spanish.

Joseph P. Farina, retired Chief Judge of the 11th Judicial Circuit, is highly regarded as an active and effective settlement neutral who managed the resolution of countless complex matters as a Judge for over thirty years. Most recently, he was awarded the 2016 Dade County Bar Association Legal Luminary Mediation Award as “Best Mediator”. As a full time mediator, arbitrator, special magistrate, neutral evaluator and neutral umpire at JAMS, Mr. Farina has quickly distinguished himself as a knowledgeable and efficient neutral who works diligently every step of the way toward helping parties arrive at the best possible outcome to their dispute. Prior to joining JAMS, Mr. Farina served as a Circuit Judge in the Circuit Civil Division of the 11th Judicial Circuit in Miami-Dade County, Florida from 1981 to 2012. From 1995 to 2009, he served for 14 years as Chief Judge, supervising the full operations of the Miami-Dade Court system, which is comprised of 123 judges, 15 general magistrates, 20 traffic hearing officers, and more than 500 administrative court staff serving in 10 courthouses. Mr. Farina has been recognized by many national, state, and local organizations for his leadership, professionalism, and accomplishments. During his more than 30 years on the bench, Mr. Farina was consistently rated one of the top judges in bar association polls.

Mark Eiglarsh, a formerly unhappy guy, made a career out of solving everyone’s problems but his own. Now, this successful criminal defense attorney, television and radio on-air legal expert, adjunct law professor, devoted husband, and proud father of three has reclaimed his happiness. Mark has passionately made it his life mission to share with others how they can lead happy, healthy and successful lives, in spite of whatever challenging circumstances they may be facing. He dazzles audiences with his infectious enthusiasm, unique humor and heartfelt authenticity. Mark, a transformative speaker, provides people accessible tools to overcome stress, focus their mind, and improve their relationships at work and home. He’s guaranteed to make you laugh & feel inspired. Mark has been presenting his keynote address, entitled, “Happiness Guaranteed or Your Misery Back” to thousands with rave reviews. Some corporations that have benefited from Mark’s presentations included: Southern Glazer Wine and Spirit, Northwestern Mutual and Sarbey Kaufman, LLC. Mark is a passionate meditator and has been meditating for approximately ten years. His law office is one of the few in South Florida to dedicate an entire room exclusively for meditation. Believing his darma/life’s purpose is to be of service, Mark spends countless hours serving the community. Because charity starts at home, Mark is dedicated to his wife Beth and their three teenaged children.

JUDGE WALTER J. HAVERS was admitted to The Florida Bar in 2003. In 2003 ,he began nine years of service as legal advisor to the Office of the Judges of Compensation Claims and assistant to the Deputy Chief Judge of Compensation Claims. He developed rules of procedure, policies, and production methods to improve the workflow and efficiency of the OJCC. In addition, he represented Judges of Compensation Claims before the First District Court of Appeal in cases involving Petitions for Writs of Mandamus and Prohibition. He became a Florida Supreme Court Certified Circuit Court Mediator in 2012. In 2013 he began serving as a State Mediator with the Office of the Judges of Compensation Claims until he was appointed Judge of Compensation Claims in Miami by Governor Rick Scott in 2017. Judge Havers served in the United States Marine Corps on active duty from 1983 until 1987.

• Received an individual Prudential-Davis Productivity Award in 2010 for developing an electronic record on appeal that can be electronically transmitted from the OJCC to the First District Court of Appeal, which will save the workers’ compensation claims system an estimated $500,000 annually and can be adapted by other Florida courts. This electronic record on appeal was recognized by The Florida Tax Watch in 2012 as one of the top 25 adaptable achievements over the last quarter of a century.
• Received a Prudential-Davis Productivity Award in 2009 as part of the Programming Development Team for the creation of an electronic filing system, which has saved the workers’ compensation claims system millions of dollars.

IVAN P. MORALES is the managing and founding partner of Morales & Cerino, P.A. located in Hialeah, Florida, ostensibly established in 1994. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Politics and Public Affairs from the University of Miami in 1987 and his Juris Doctorate degree, Cum Laude, from the University of Miami School of Law in 1991. Mr. Morales was a member of the University of Miami Law Review. He is licensed to practice in the State of Florida and has represented Claimants in workers’ compensation matters throughout the state of Florida for over 30 years. Mr. Morales has tried over two hundred fifty workers’ compensation cases and has handled over 5,000 workers’ compensation cases start to finish. He is an original member of the Richard A. Sicking Inn of Court, the Miami Dade Chapter of the American Inn of Court. Mr. Morales is currently the co-chairman of the Workers’ Compensation Section of the Miami Dade County Bar Association and a member of the Workers’ Compensation Section of the Florida Bar.

AUDREY M. CASTRO received her B.A. in International Relations with a Minor in Communications from Florida International University in 2011. Ms. Castro received her Juris Doctor, Cum Laude, from Florida A&M University College of Law in 2016. While in law school, Ms. Castro was a Certified Legal Intern for the Guardian Ad Litem Clinic, where she represented children in Juvenile Dependency cases in Orange County. Ms. Castro is a former Florida Supreme Court Certified County Mediator; she has mediated an array of cases in the Small Claims Division. Ms. Castro is an Associate Attorney of Bichler & Longo, PLLC. Since joining the firm in 2017, Ms. Castro has further specialized her practice by representing First Responders and Correctional Officers with their Heart and Lung claims (F.S. 112.18), pensions, personal injury, and social security matters throughout the State of Florida. Ms. Castro is also admitted to practice law in Washington, DC. She is an elected Board Member of the Florida Workers Advocates, a member of the Workers Compensation section of the Florida Bar, and a member of the Richard A. Sicking American Inn of Court Chapter. Ms. Castro is bilingual, a native Cuban, and in her free time she enjoys kayaking, listening to audiobooks, and traveling.

Anthony V. Alfieri, Professor of Law and Dean's Distinguished Scholar, is the Founder and Director of the Center for Ethics and Public Service, and the Founder of the Historic Black Church Program and Environmental Justice Clinic, at the University of Miami School of Law. Professor Alfieri earned an A.B. in 1981 from Brown University, graduating magna cum laude with concentration honors in the Center for Law and Liberal Education, and a J.D. from Columbia University School of Law in 1984, graduating with Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and Jane Marks Murphy Prize honors. From 1984 to 1987, he served as a staff attorney in the South Bronx trial office of the Civil Division of the New York Legal Aid Society, specializing in federal and state complex public benefits litigation. In 1987, New York Law School appointed him Clinical Associate Professor and Managing Attorney of its Federal Litigation Clinic. In 1990, he served at Marquette University Law School as Assistant Professor of Law and Director of Clinical Studies. In 1991, Professor Alfieri joined the University of Miami School of Law, where he teaches civil procedure, ethics, public interest law and leadership, social enterprise, and professional liability and lawyer malpractice. He has published more than 80 articles, essays, and editorials on ethics, civil rights, criminal justice, poverty law, professional liability, and the legal profession in leading journals and book anthologies. His work has been cited and downloaded more than 4,000 times in books, law journals, social science networks, and the media. At the Center for Ethics & Public Service, Professor Alfieri supervises graduate and undergraduate students working on education, research, and policy projects in the fields of civil rights and poverty law, environmental justice, social enterprise development and nonprofit governance, and oral history and documentary filmmaking. Under his direction, the Center for Ethics & Public Service has won the American Bar Association 1998 E. Smythe Gambrell Professionalism Award, the Florida Bar Seventh Annual 1999-2000 Professionalism Award, and the Miami-Dade County Commission on Ethics and Public Trust 2001 ARETE Award for nonprofit of the year. Professor Alfieri is a current member of the American Law Institute, the University of Miami Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa, the St. Thomas Episcopal Parish School Board of Trustees, the St. Paul Community Development Corporation, and the Coconut Grove Ministerial Alliance, Inc. (a consortium of Historic Black Churches); an elected Fellow of the American Bar Foundation; past member of the Florida Bar Standing Committee on Professionalism, the Ethics, Integrity and Accountability Task Force of the Miami-Dade County Commission on Ethics and Public Trust, the Attorney-Client Privilege Task Force of The Florida Bar, the Association of American Law Schools' Standing Committee on Curriculum Issues, and the Executive Committees of the Association of American Law Schools' Sections on Clinical Education and Professional Responsibility; and a past Contributing Op-Ed Columnist for The Miami Herald. In addition, he is a Visiting Scholar at the Dartmouth College Ethics Institute, a Visiting Professor at Brown University in the Department of Africana Studies, and an affiliated faculty at the University of Miami Abess Center for Ecosystem Science & Policy. Professor Alfieri is the winner of numerous awards, including the 2000 and 2009 Richard Hausler Professor of the Year Award and the Class of 2000 Amicus Curiae Dedication, the Florida Supreme Court 1999 Faculty Professionalism Award, the Association of American Law Schools' Clinical Section Committee on Lawyering in the Public Interest 2004-2005 Gary Bellow Scholar award, the Association of American Law Schools' Clinical Section 2007 William Pincus Award, the Association of American Law Schools' Pro Bono and Public Service Opportunities Section 2007 Father Robert Drinan Award, and the University of Miami School of Law’s 2011-2012 Public Interest Innovative Service Award. In 2014, Miami New Times recognized Professor Alfieri for his environmental justice work in its annual Miami People issue.

Christina Crespi is the Executive Director for the Miami Downtown Development Authority (Miami DDA), a quasi-governmental agency of the City of Miami. The agency’s mission is to grow, strengthen, and promote the economic health and vitality of Downtown Miami by reinforcing its position as an international hub for commerce, culture, and tourism. The Miami DDA is also committed to sustaining and enhancing the quality of life for the City’s nearly 100,000 residents, 250,000 daytime workers, and six million annual visitors. As Executive Director, Christina leads the development, management, and execution of the agency’s longterm strategic plan, oversees the agency’s business development strategy, including the national and international recruitment of blue chip organizations to Downtown Miami, guides the public relations and marketing efforts to promote Downtown Miami worldwide, and oversees the agency’s 30-person staff. With the onset of the pandemic, Christina’s priorities shifted to focus on the economic recovery and sustainability of Downtown Miami. To support the district’s business community, Christina spearheaded various relief programs including the Small Business Microgrant Program and the Hospitality Industry Relief Fund. She also assembled a small business task force to help area businesses navigate the federal, state, and local grants and loans available to them and launched several restaurant-specific initiatives, including the Sidewalk Café Permit ordinance, the “Go Local, Go Direct” program, and the COVID-19 Restaurant Safety and Compliance Course, in partnership with the City of Miami and the FIU Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management. To ensure the health and safety of the City’s residents, Christina launched the integrated “Masks On, Miami” campaign to encourage people to wear a mask to stop the spread of COVID-19 and enhanced the district’s daily cleaning procedures. She also focused on raising the spirits of Downtowners during the ‘stay-in-place’ period of the pandemic, by helping orchestrate a livestream performance with international DJ David Guetta – live from Downtown Miami – which raised over $700,000 for COVID-19 relief. The performance also showcased the beauty of Downtown Miami to 25 million online viewers worldwide. Christina joined the Miami DDA in 2015 as the Manager of Education and Strategic Initiatives, where she focused on advocacy and governmental affairs. Through her work, Christina was instrumental in securingmillions of dollars in education expansion, including $17 million dollars from Miami-Dade County Public Schools for Southside Elementary and the launch of Southside Middle School. She also recruited Brickell Prep and The Avenues School to the greater Downtown Miami area. Furthermore, Christina successfully implemented cultural arts programming for Downtown public schools, in partnership with the Miami Children’s Museum. In addition to the advancement of education, Christina worked closely with the Miami DDA’s Homeless Task Force and Miami-Dade County’s Homeless Trust to allocate more than $1 million in resources, to provide permanent housing for nearly 240 homeless people in Downtown Miami. She also assisted in securing the funding and expedited permitting for the Mental Health Diversion facility, which will be operational in 2021. A public servant for over 15 years, Christina has extensive experience in strategic management, budget and finance, community relations, legislation and policy development, logistics, project management, business and economic development, event coordination, and planning. Prior to her career at the Miami DDA, Christina served as Assistant to the Deputy Mayor of Miami-Dade County, where she helped manage a myriad of County departments including Public Works and Waste Management, Water and Sewer, Elections, Animal Services, Transportation, Police, Fire Rescue, Corrections, Medical Examiner, Emergency Management, Juvenile Services, and the Department of Procurement Management. She also served as Assistant to the Miami-Dade County Manager and the County Mayor’s liaison to the Public Health Trust, Department of Health, and Citizens Independent Transportation Trust. Throughout her career, Christina has helped coordinate various special events including numerous Super Bowls and the Interconference of Mayors, and has most recently served as the Chair for the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer campaign, raising over $500,000 for breast cancer research. Christina holds a bachelor and master’s degrees in social work and Social Policy and Administration from Florida State University and is the proud parent of three children.

Downtown Development Authority of the City of Miami Miami, Florida
Government Relations and Land Use Counsel
February 2017 – Present
Direct DDA’s policies and objectives involving local, state, and federal government affairs. Lead advocacy efforts in the areas of economic growth, blockchain & crypto, resiliency, homelessness, education, and holistic development of Downtown Miami. Manage and nurture relationships with business community, tech innovators, startups, funds, elected officials, legislative bodies, residents, and community associations. Attend meetings, advocate and monitor all City and County legislation affecting Downtown’s economic vitality and residents’quality of life. Oversee the Development of Regional Impact and encourage proper use of collected impact fees. Review internal contracts and procurement matters, provide educational grants for local schools, and manage DDA lobbyist teams. Represent DDA on various boards and committees; attend fly-ins and economic development missions. Siegfried, Rivera, Hayman, Lerner, De La Torre, Mars & Sobel, P.A. Miami, Florida
Associate Attorney May 2016 – February 2017
Represented clients in community association, construction, land use, and zoning law matters. Conducted zoning due diligence and obtained development approvals from municipalities in Miami-Dade County. Resolved permitting and code enforcement matters, researched upcoming projects and addressed their effect on community association clients with local governments and developers. Law Offices of Elena Bondarenko, P.A. Miami, Florida
Attorney Nov. 2014 – May 2016
Represented developers and individual landowners in land use, zoning, and environmental law matters. Participated in contract negotiations and conducted development cost/profit analysis for real estate projects. Conducted zoning due diligence, obtained development approvals, and resolved permitting issues in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties. Bercow Radell & Fernandez, PA Miami, Florida
Associate Attorney Mar. 2013 – Nov. 2014
Summer Associate May 2012 – Aug. 2012
Drafted legal documents and conducted research in all areas of land use, zoning, and environmental law. Attended hearings and handled development applications at all stages, including restorations/demolitions of historically designated buildings, multi-family projects, and zoning changes. Conducted zoning due diligence research and drafted associated memoranda for properties in various municipalities of Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties. Immigrant Children’s Justice Clinic, FIU College of Law Miami, Florida
Certified Legal Intern Jan. 2012 – Apr. 2012
Represented unaccompanied immigrant minors in dependency and immigration proceedings. Environmental Law Clinic, FIU College of Law Miami, Florida
Legal Extern Aug. 2011 – Dec. 2011
Conducted legal research and writing with a focus on Everglades litigation, dredging of the Biscayne Bay, Clean Water Act, EPA’s numeric nutrient rule, various administrative law issues, and rulemaking procedures. Guardian Ad Litem Program, 15th Judicial Circuit Palm Beach County, Florida
Legal Extern May 2011 – Aug. 2011
Attended numerous trials, mediations, depositions, and assisted in trial preparation. Drafted motions and proposed orders. Worked with clients from culturally and economically diverse backgrounds, while dealing with sensitive and confidential issues. Don King Productions Deerfield Beach, Florida
Legal Assistant / Research Analyst July 2006 – June 2007
Drafted contracts with international TV networks for boxing events and provided Russian-English translations. Investigated international TV networks unlawfully televising DKP events and breach of contract issues. Lofranco Chagpar Corriero Personal Injury Lawyers Toronto, Canada
Legal Assistant / Paralegal Jan 2001 – July 2006
Performed legal research and drafted mediation memoranda, statements of claims, motions, and pre-trial memoranda. Developed and coordinated a successful marketing campaign targeting the Russian community of Toronto.

James F. Murley is the Chief Resilience Officer for Miami-Dade County. Miami-Dade County, together with the Cities of Miami and Miami Beach, launched their Resilient 305 Strategy in May 2019. Jim previously served as Secretary of the Department of Community Affairs under Governor Lawton Chiles and was appointed Chair of the Florida Energy and Climate Commission by Governor Charlie Crist. Additionally, he served as Executive Director of 1000 Friends of Florida, spent over 10 years with Florida Atlantic University overseeing research on urban and environmental issues, and served as Executive Director of the South Florida Regional Planning Council. Jim is a founding member of the American Society for Adaptation Professionals and Resiliency Florida, a Board member of The Florida Ocean Alliance and the Southeast Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association. He serves as Mayor Levine Cava’s designee on the Miami River Commission. He is also a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration.

Compassionate, empathetic and a fervent advocate for victims of crime, Michael Haggard has dedicated his career to the pursuit of justice on behalf of his clients in the courtroom securing unprecedented awards and as an activist who continuously lobbies for permanent solutions and change through local, statewide and federal legislation. Specializing in pool drowning, negligent security, wrongful death, unsafe premises and products liability, Haggard has established himself as a powerful force in the legal community as the Managing Partner for The Haggard Law Firm. After spending time as a Public Defender and working with a small personal injury firm before joining The Haggard Law Firm, Haggard was named a partner in 2001, secure in the belief that every case holds equal importance and could mean the opportunity to award a family resolution to a devastating incident. He soon captured national headlines as the only plaintiff’s personal injury attorney to secure three separate $100 Million verdicts on behalf of individual clients. Haggard secured two consecutive $100 Million verdicts on behalf of children involved in pool accidents. To learn more about Haggard’s extensive experience as a trial lawyer for drowning victims visit aquaticattorney.com. Several years later, a third $100 Million verdict was awarded by a jury in a negligent security case, deemed the largest of its kind for that genre of case law. Ultimately, Haggard hopes to give victims the tools and resources to help rebuild their lives. By convincing a judge or jury to hold those responsible accountable he gives victims and their families a sense of justice and comfort that another family won’t have to go through this same tragedy. Devoted to his clients, Haggard has received numerous awards for his time and dedication earning him recognition as one of the most highly regarded personal injury attorneys in the country. In 2017 he was awarded the Florida Justice Association’s highest honor, the Perry Nichols Award, and was named Lawyer of the Year by Best Lawyers of America. He has also been honored to receive the Advocate of Justice Award from the National Crime Victims Bar Association received the Lifetime Achievement selection to America’s Top 100 Attorneys®, has been twice named a Most Effective Lawyer by the Daily Business Review, is a member of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers, and is annually recognized as a Florida Trend Legal Elite Lawyer, a Florida Top 100 Super Lawyer, and one of the Best Lawyers in America. Professional achievements aside, Haggard is also fiercely dedicated to a myriad of worthy causes. Believing that as an attorney he has an obligation to give back to the community, he serves on the Advisory Council for the National Drowning Prevention Alliance and sits on the Board of Directors for the National Crime Victim Bar Association where his knowledge and background of representing victims of violent crimes, including sex crimes (more info here: abuseguardian.com/sexual-assaultlawyer/florida), is put to good use. Additionally, Haggard is a current member of the MADD Barristers Council and supports the National Center for Victims of Crime. Closest to his heart, however, Haggard sits on the National Board of the Polycystic Kidney Foundation. Passed genetically, this disease has affected many members of his family, as well as Haggard himself. Outside the office, Haggard is not only a philanthropist but also a dedicated father. He enjoys spending time with his wife Bekki, coaching his son’s football team and attending his daughter’s track meets.

Stephen Cain is a trial lawyer at Stewart Tilghman Fox Bianchi & Cain, P.A. where he represents families across Florida in cases involving medical malpractice, defective products, automobile accidents, and general negligence cases. Stephen has been consistently recognized as one of the top attorneys in his practice area by publications including The Best Lawyers in America, Florida Trend “Legal Elite”, South Florida Legal Guide, and Super Lawyers. He was also nominated and selected as a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). His efforts have resulted in dozens of verdicts and settlements in excess of a million dollars. Many of Stephen’s cases have involved birth-related injuries. In September 2021, In that case, he represented the family and their young son after he suffered a catastrophic brain injury during delivery. The defendants in the case included the United States of America, which employed the physician involved and a private hospital where the delivery occurred. The government paid $8.5 million to resolve the case, one of the largest Federal Tort Claim Act awards in West Virginia history. On the eve of trial, Stephen obtained a confidential settlement from the private hospital. In July of 2017, Stephen and his trial team obtained a nearly $8 million verdict on behalf of a woman diagnosed with significant heart problems, including atrial fibrillation, whose physicians negligently discontinued her medication, causing her to suffer a stroke rendering her hemiplegic. Along with partner, David Bianchi, he represented the family of Chad Meredith who died as a result of a dangerous fraternity hazing incident that resulted in the largest fraternity hazing verdict in the country—$14 million. Stephen also helped obtain a $2.25 million verdict against Mercedes in a products liability suit in the first side impact airbag lawsuit resulting in a verdict in favor of the consumer. In that case, a 75-year old retiree was struck on the driver door during a classic T-Bone accident and although the door was equipped with an airbag, it failed to deploy, forcing the driver’s arm outside the door tearing it off below the shoulder. Outside of the courtroom, Stephen devotes a significant amount of his time to the Florida Justice Association (FJA) lobbying our elected officials in the Florida legislature to ensure that victims and their families continue to have their rights guaranteed to them under the Constitution to pursue their claims for injuries and death resulting from the negligence of others. During his time as a member of the FJA he has been elected by his peers to serve on the Executive Committee, the Board of Directors, Chair of the Medical Malpractice Committee and as a Trustee of the FJPAC that coordinates the political efforts of the organization. He currently serves as Treasurer of FJA. Stephen is also active in a variety of charitable causes. In the aftermath of Hurricane Michael, Stephen brought a U-Haul filled with supplies to Panama City, Florida and spent a week tarping roofs, cutting trees, and giving out food, water, and generators. Stephen graduated from Florida State University in 1994 with a Bachelor of Science and in 2000 he received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Miami. Stephen is married to his wife Marni, and together they have three children, Raftin, Hudson, and Savannah.

Schuyler A. Smith is a partner in the firm’s Miami, Florida office. Ms. Smith concentrates her practice on defending complex personal injury, premises liability, toxic tort, and products liability matters in the retail, hospitality, and manufacturing industries. She also handles general commercial litigation matters. She represents major hotel and resort chains, retailers, product manufacturers, Fortune 500 companies, insurers, cruise lines, and transportation companies, in state and federal courts throughout Florida and the United States Virgin Islands. Ms. Smith has extensive courtroom and trial experience having begun her legal career as a trial attorney for the State of Florida Department of Children and Families. She subsequently practiced at a large Florida defense firm where she handled cases involving business torts and commercial disputes, as well as, employment and professional liability lawsuits with a particular emphasis on the defense of lawyers, accountants, and insurance brokers. She currently manages a docket of toxic tort cases pending in the Southern District of Florida. She also serves as lead counsel for one of the largest retailers in the U.S. Ms. Smith was born and raised in Jamaica. Ms. Smith obtained her Juris Doctor from St. Thomas University School of Law and her Bachelor of Science in Political Science from the University of the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica. While in law school, Ms. Smith served as an Editor for the St. Thomas Intercultural Human Rights Law Review, and was active in the Moot Court and Mock Trial Programs. Ms. Smith also served as an intern to the Honorable Chief Judge David Gersten of the Florida Third District Court of Appeal. Ms. Smith has been consistently recognized as a Florida Super Lawyers “Rising Star” since 2014.

Shirley Lopez is currently the CEO of L&L Process, who has always said, “I’m an entrepreneur that just so happens to be a process server.” She has been in this role since 2014, branding and strategizing her nationwide service of process business to new levels. In 2020, she launched virtual notarizations at L&L Process, seeing the opportunity to innovate and offer new solutions to her clients. Shirley Lopez loves networking - currently sits on the board of the Doral Bar Association as the Secretary. She is a current Director Consultant - now known as a Chapter Success Coach’s - in BNI Miami Dade, helping chapters grow and recently launching the first 100% Virtual Spanish Chapter in BNI Miami. In her limited spare time, Shirley is working on a new startup in the NFT realm. Shirley holds an International MBA from Florida International University in Miami and a Political Science/International Relations Bachelors Degree from Northeastern University in Boston.

Ms. Méndez is the City Attorney for the City of Miami since 2013 and is the first Miami born female City Attorney. She is Board Certified in City, County, and Local Government by The Florida Bar. She joined the Office of the City Attorney in 2004 as the municipal prosecutor. She rose up the ranks as a Supervisor and then Deputy City Attorney. She primarily focused her practice in land use, zoning, platting, building, code enforcement, eminent domain, utilities, and election law and the litigation thereof. Ms. Méndez was also the Recruitment & Internship Coordinator for the Office for several years. Prior to joining the Office, Ms. Méndez was a Prosecutor with the Miami-Dade County State Attorney's Office for over three years. She prosecuted misdemeanors to life felonies. Ms. Méndez is a Trustee for the University of Miami School of Law Alumni Association and a Member of the Executive Committee of the City, County, and Local Government Section of the Florida Bar. She is an American Bar Foundation and Florida Bar Foundation Fellow and also a founding committee member of the Florida Bar Leadership Academy. She is a Trustee for the Miami-Dade County Law Library and on the Steering Committee for the Florida Municipal Attorneys Association. Ms. Méndez is the Government Relations Co-Chair for the Dade County Bar Association and a committee member of the Miami-Dade County League of Cities Attorney’s Council. She is a Past President of the Cuban American Bar Foundation and of the Cuban American Bar Association (CABA), the largest minority voluntary bar association in Florida. She is also a former Board Member of the League of Prosecutors and the CABA Pro-Bono Project. Ms. Méndez is a past CABA Delegate to The Florida Bar and to the American Bar Association. She has been named a Top Government Attorney in Florida Trend's Legal Elite every year since 2008 and in South Florida Legal Guide. She has been named one of the Daily Business Review's Top 20 South Florida Women for Legal Achievement, recognized by the University of Miami as a Distinguished Alumni, named an Achiever and listed in the Book of Leader’s by the Miami Today, and named to Leadership Florida Class XXXV. She regularly speaks on local government topics and mentors young women through her role as City Attorney and as a School Trustee and Past President of the Alumna Board at her all female high-school, Our Lady of Lourdes Academy. Ms. Méndez graduated from the University of Miami School of Law and has a Master of Public Administration from the University of Miami. She also graduated from the University of Miami as an English and Political Science Double Major with General Honors. Ms. Méndez enjoys municipal law and being a public servant. She is happily married and has two wonderful boys.

Thomas Logue has served as a judge on the Third District Court of Appeal since 2012. He was appointed by Governor Rick Scott. In 2016, he joined the faculty of Florida’s Appellate Judges College, where he teaches jurisdiction to newly appointed judges. In 2018, by invitation, he briefed the Florida Constitutional Revision Commission on the history of Florida’s Constitutions. As a judge, he toured seven of Florida’s largest prisons. He continues to lecture at law schools, high schools, and community forums. Before being appointed to the bench, Judge Logue served as an assistant county attorney for Miami-Dade County from 1982 to 2012. In that capacity, he litigated hundreds of state and federal cases in the areas of constitutional law, torts, contracts, taxes, civil rights, zoning, real estate valuation, copyrights, and bonds. He tried numerous jury and non-jury trials. For thirty years, he argued appeals in state and federal courts, including the Florida Supreme Court, the United States Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and the Third District Court of Appeal. His legal practice included advocating before many administrative bodies, including the Florida Cabinet. He drafted state and local legislation and negotiated major contracts. Both Florida Trend Magazine and the South Florida Legal Guide named him a “Top Government Attorney.” His Martindale-Hubbell rating is AV, the highest peer rating for legal ability and ethics. Judge Logue taught Florida Constitutional law as an adjunct professor at the University of Miami School of Law and St. Thomas University School of Law. He published articles in law reviews, bar journals, and newspapers on the topics of takings, federalism, civil procedure, administrative law, and legal history. Judge Logue has been active in a variety of professional and civic groups. He was a member of the Governor’s Ad Valorem Tax Task Force. He served on the Board of Directors of the Dade County Bar Association and chaired various Bar Committees. He was vice-chair of the Coral Gables Charter Review Committee. He was a founding member of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of the State of Florida Historical Society. He is a member of the Spellman-Hoeveler American Inns of Court, the South Florida National Parks Trust, the Friends of the University of Miami Libraries, and St. Philip’s Church of Coral Gables. He has received awards from the Dade County Bar Association, Dade County Public Schools, Dade Heritage Trust, and the Florida Archeological Society. The Guardian ad Litem Program for the Eleventh Judicial Circuit honored him for his pro bono appellate work on behalf of abused children. Born in 1955 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Judge Logue received a B.A. in English Literature, cum laude, from Dickinson College and a J.D. from Duke University, where he served on the editorial board of the Duke Law Journal. Judge Logue lives in Coral Gables with his wife, Sheila. They have three daughters.

Judge Blackmon immigrated from Trinidad at age nine years old with her family. She grew up in Broward county, where she attended public schools, such as Coral Springs Middle School and Stoneman Douglas High School. She is a double Gator, having graduated from the University of Florida with her bachelor’s degree and juris doctorate. Judge Blackmon spent most of her career in public service. She started at the State Attorney’s Office as an assistant state attorney in 2009. She also spent approximately three and a half years prosecuting dependency cases through the Office of Attorney General and Children’s Legal Services, prior to returning to the State Attorney’s Office in 2017. She once again served as a prosecutor until her appointment to the bench. On June 24, 2020, Judge Blackmon was appointed to the County Court Bench by Governor Ron DeSantis. She is the first Trinidadian American Judge to serve on the bench in Broward County. She started at the South Satellite Courthouse, handling both civil and criminal matters. Then, she was assigned to the First Appearance Division. Currently, she is assigned to the West Satellite Courthouse handling both civil and criminal matters. Judge Blackmon is actively involved in numerous bar organizations, including but not limited to the Broward County Bar Association and their professionalism committee as their co-chair; Asian Pacific American Bar Association; TJ Reddick Bar Association; Inns of Court; Caribbean Bar Association; Broward County Hispanic Bar Association; and Broward County Women Lawyer’s Association. She also attends church with her family on the weekends and is actively involved in her children’s school and extracurricular activities.

In September 2018, Mr. Eves joined the Office of the City Attorney for the City of Miami. He is assigned to the Litigation and Appeals Division where he handles trial and appellate litigation in both state and federal courts. Before joining the Office of the City Attorney, Mr. Eves served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Office of the Attorney General of Florida, with his practice focusing exclusively on appeals and trial support. Mr. Eves has also clerked at the Florida Third District Court of Appeal.

Paul Lipton is the firm’s Director of Professionalism, Career and Skill Development. His role is working with the associates and mentoring them in learning their skills, building their brand and finding personal and professional growth as successful litigators. Paul was a prominent South Florida trial attorney for more than 40 years and a shareholder at Greenberg Traurig until he retired in 2012.

A role like this is not common in law firms, particularly to be occupied by an attorney. Traditionally, in-house recruiting personnel are tasked with monitoring associate development. However, Paul’s role goes far beyond that of traditional associate integration. He works with the associates on a one-on-one basis and in small groups, attends functions with them and helps sharpen their skills in business development. As the firm continues its exciting growth, Paul assists in looking for new and innovative ways to provide an engaging and challenging work environment for our lawyers. “Paul’s unprecedented role with his vast experience provides meaningful opportunity for mentoring, career guidance and community involvement. Paul’s thoughtful approach encourages associates to pursue their goals while embracing their roles as young leaders in our community,” says an associate in the Miami office.

According to Miami office Administrative Partner, Scott Sarason, “We believe that there is so much more to a fulfilling career than just ‘being smart and working hard,’” Paul plays an important role in cultivating each generation of RumbergerKirk lawyers to be passionate about being a trial lawyer while maintaining the highest standards of professionalism.” He is currently the Co-Chair of the Eleventh Circuit Committee on Professionalism in Miami-Dade County. “With a very competitive marketplace, not only in hiring, but in lawyer retention, RumbergerKirk is taking a forward-thinking approach to provide our attorneys with this opportunity of career development beyond the traditional law firm standard.”

During his legal career, he tried numerous jury and non-jury trials in complex commercial, probate, estate and trust litigation involving national and international companies. His areas of law included complex commercial litigation, real estate and land use litigation, probate and trust and estate litigation, and legal ethics and professional liability.

Paul is also an esteemed keynote speaker and inspirational author. The veteran attorney published two books, “In These Five Breaths,” a novel, and “Hour of the Wolf-An Experiment in Ageless Living,” which is his personal journey in searching for personal fulfillment and living life without limitations or definitions.

Experience
11th Judicial Circuit in and for Miami-Dade County, Florida
11th Judicial Circuit in and for Miami-Dade County, Florida
2 years 9 months

Circuit Court Judge
Apr 2020 - Present2 years
Miami, Florida, United States

County Court Judge
Jul 2019 - Apr 202010 months
Miami, Florida

Meland Russin & Budwick, PA Graphic
Partner
Meland Russin & Budwick, PA
Oct 2011 - Jul 20197 years 10 months

Meland Russin & Budwick is a full service business law firm. My primary practice areas included bankruptcy, business reorganization, and commercial litigation. I also focused my practice on financial fraud and Ponzi scheme litigation, commercial foreclosure matters, and representing corporate and individual debtors.

U.S. Department of Justice Graphic
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney
U.S. Department of Justice
Apr 2010 - Oct 20111 year 7 months

During my tenure with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, I prepared for and handled criminal jury trials, led numerous investigations, presented more than 100 cases for indictment to grand jury panels with a 100 percent true-bill rate, and successfully argued before a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals panel.

US Department of Homeland Security Graphic
Trial Attorney
US Department of Homeland Security
Oct 2007 - Apr 20102 years 7 months

I handled scores of bench trials, drafted dozens of appellate briefs, handled human rights matters as a designated human rights attorney, and conducted training in areas of human rights, custody, immigration, and protection law.

State Attorney's Office Graphic
Assistant State Attorney
State Attorney's Office
Aug 2004 - Oct 20073 years 3 months

Gainesville, Florida Area

I prosecuted complex criminal cases, participated in more than 30 criminal trials, including numerous serious felony matters, and served as liaison for environmental and animal abuse offenses.

Education
University of Miami School of LawUniversity of Miami School of Law Graphic
University of Miami School of Law
Juris Doctor
2001 - 2004

The University of Texas at AustinThe University of Texas at Austin Graphic
The University of Texas at Austin
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)Psychology
1997 - 2001

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Click here to view Juan Castaneda’s profile
Juan Castaneda
“Zach is a top notch trial lawyer that I highly recommend. Zach is professional, ethical, and completely thorough in his preparation of anything he touches. While working with Zach at the U.S. Attorney's Office I was consistently impressed with his discipline, work ethic and down to earth personality. Clients would be well served having Zach represent them.”

Judge Harris Nelson serves as County Court Judge in the criminal division of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit for the State of Florida. She also serves as Chapter President of the Miami Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. Before being appointed to the bench, Judge Harris Nelson was a partner in the Miami office of ROIG Lawyers and served as VP of the Gwen S. Cherry Black Women Lawyers Association & on the Executive Board of the Dade County Bar Association. Harris Nelson continues to serve with distinction on the Board of the Miami Bridge Youth and Family Services and remain active with Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Alpha Alpha Beta Omega Chapter. She is an experienced insurance defense trial attorney who has personally tried more than 50 criminal and civil jury and bench trials involving automobile liability personal injury protection (PIP) litigation and insurance law. Harris Nelson worked as in-house and private counsel for many major insurance companies, with responsibility for the investigation and defense of personal injury protection litigation files involving fraud, insurance coverage, and breach of contract issues. Her work includes the investigation and practice of Special Investigation Unit (SIU) claims. She is court-approved to serve as an attorney fee expert in litigation matters. She began her legal career as an Assistant State Attorney in Miami-Dade County under Katherine Fernandez Rundle. She later began practicing insurance defense with an emphasis on premises liability and bodily injury. While attending St. Thomas, she was a member of Black Law Students Association, the Catholic Lawyers Guild, the Appellate Moot Court and Trial Court Teams, and the Peter Faye Inns of Court. The most memorable part of law school was being extended the opportunity to serve as summer federal law clerk to the Honorable William Hoeveler in 1992. Subsequently, she served as a law clerk for the City of Miami Attorney’s Office and the Florida Department of Transportation. Julie is a native of Detroit, Michigan and the devoted wife and mother of three talented children. Judge Harris Nelson received her Juris Doctorate from St. Thomas University and BBA from the University of Michigan School of Business Administration. She is the recipient of the Not for Profit Pro Bono Award, Dade Legal Aid & Put Something Back (October 2019), South Florida’s 25 Most Influential and Prominent Black Women in Business and Industry (2017), and Pro Bono Award Dade Legal Aid & Put Something Back ( May 2017). Some of her Publications include: Co-Author, "The Past, the Present and the Future of Dynamic Breastfeeding Moms" FAWL Journal, Spring/Summer 2017, p. 32; Author, "Reflections of Greatness," FAWL Journal, Fall/Winter 2018; Author, "Meet the 2018-2019 President of the Florida Bar," FAWL Journal, Spring/Summer 2018; and Contributor, "Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives: What is the Bar Doing Now?," Florida Bar Journal, March/April 2019 It should come as no surprise that heart always remains with the children. She has served as Speaker promoting leadership and engagement at Charles D. Wyche Jr. School, Jose de Diego Middle School, Lillie C. Evans School, and Agenoria Pascal Elementary School. Currently, she takes pride in promoting reading to preschool and elementary school students around the country via monthly zoom sessions called Reading with Judge Julie. Memberships include: The Florida Bar, The Florida Bar; Diversity and Inclusion Committee, Member (2016-2018); The Florida Bar, Voluntary Bar Liaison Committee, Member (2017-2019);The Florida Association for Women Lawyers (FAWL), Miami-Dade Chapter; The Florida Association for Women Lawyers (FAWL), Journal Editor (2017-2018), Treasurer (2016-2017);The Federalist Society - Miami, Member; Dade County Bar Association, Executive Board (2019) and Board (2017-2019); Dade County Defense Bar Association, Past Member ;Gwen S. Cherry Black Women Lawyers Association, Vice President ( 2019) and Board (2018-2019); League of Prosecutors, Past Member; Medical Claim Defense Network (MCDN), Past Member; Wilkie D. Ferguson Bar Association, Member; University of Michigan Alumni Association, Past Board of Directors (Miami-Fort Lauderdale Club); American Bar Association, Member; National Association of Professional Insurance Investigators (NSPII), Past Member; and Claims and Litigation Management Alliance, Member. Judge Julie is a native of Detroit, Michigan. She attributes her success to her Mother, Father and Grandmothers. All placed emphasis on education first and foremost. She is a devoted wife and mother of three incredibly talented children.

Amber Kornreich is a Partner at Kornreich & Associates practicing exclusively Family Law. Recognized as the Lynn Futch Most Productive Young Lawyer of the Year in 2018 by The Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division, she is a passionate lawyer and leader in the Miami-Dade Bar and in local philanthropy, including as an Officer of the Miami-Dade Florida Association for Women Lawyers, as a Director of the Dade County Bar Association, and as President Emerita of The First Family Law American Inn of Court.

Amber exclusively practices marital and family law, representing high-profile business leaders, physicians, attorneys, CEOs, financial professionals, industry leaders, entrepreneurs, and their spouses.

She is the President Emerita of The First Family Law American Inn of Court, an invitation-only association of Family Lawyers dedicated to civility and professionalism in the practice of law.

Amber is a graduate of the National Family Law Trial Institute, the nation’s leading trial program for family law attorneys, in addition to the Advanced American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers Institute for Family Law Associates.

Her involvement with local bar associations is extensive, including service in the Miami-Dade Florida Association for Women Lawyers, where she is the current Secretary and Co-Chairs the Community Outreach Committee, and in the Miami-Dade Bar, where she is a Director on Group 1, a Director of the Young Lawyers Section, and Co-Chair of the Family Courts Committee.

Amber has been selected as a Dade Legal Aid Leadership Academy Fellow and serves as the Co-Chair of the Dade County Bar Association’s Dade Legal Aid Committee.

As a technology enthusiast, Amber leads the firm’s adoption of new technologies to more effectively represent clients. She serves as Secretary of the Florida Bar Family Law Section’s Publications Committee, edits and contributes to the Section’s newsletter and Commentator on topics such as the importance of using multiple screens for effective representation of clients on Court Hearings on Zoom and preserving the attorney-client privilege while working remotely. As COVID-19 changes the practice of law and business, she has spoken regularly at bar association and legal conferences on how to use technology to advocate for clients and serve the legal profession in virtual environments.

Bob was born September 23, 1938, in Brooklyn, New York. He received his B.A. Degree from Dartmouth College in 1959. He graduated from the Yale Law School in 1962, and was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1962 and to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1970.

Bob is one of Dade County′s premiere trial lawyers. He has been listed annually since 1987 in the Best Lawyers in America in two categories–Business Litigation and Criminal Law since 2003 and from 2003 he has been listed in Chambers and Partners as one of the top four commercial litigators in Florida. In 2006 he was listed #1 trial lawyer in Florida by Super Lawyers. He has received the Dade County Bar David Dyer Professionalism Award, the Bnai Brith Professionalism Award, the Florida Defense Lawyers Rodney Thaxton “Against All Odds”award, the American Bar Association Senior Section Pro Bono Award , the Florida Bar Tobias Simon Pro Bono Service Award in (2009-2010) and the Florida Bar Foundation’s Medal of Honor Award 2013.

In 2012, he was awarded the Florida Bar Criminal Law Section’s Selig I. Goldin Memorial Award, the Greater Miami Jewish Federation Theodore “Ted” Klein Special Recognition Award, named as one of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers by the National Trial Lawyers organization, inducted to the Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame and named a Public Justice Trial Lawyer of the Year finalist for outstanding contributions to the public interest through his work in the Checking Account Overdraft Class Action litigation.

He is Past President and Dean of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, a fellow and state chair of the American College of Trial Lawyers, a fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, Trial Lawyer Honorary Society, Past–President of the Peter T. Fay American Inns of Court and a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates. He has served on the American Bar Association Standing Committee on the Judiciary, as Chairman of the Southern District of Florida Judicial Evaluation Committee, served as a member of the Florida Federal Judicial Nominating Commission and the Florida State University Law School Board of Visitors. In addition to extensive involvement in the firm′s commercial practice, Bob handles the firm′s white–collar criminal defense work––an outgrowth of his background as an assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, as Special Counsel to the Dade County Grand Jury, and as a member of numerous commissions and task forces in the area of criminal law, including the U.S. Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Criminal Rules and Chairmanship of the Florida Bar′s Criminal Law Certification Committee. He served as General Counsel to Governor Robert Graham in 1980. Bob has lectured extensively throughout the United States on substantive issues, ethics, professionalism and civility. His 1994 article on civility has been reprinted in more than 20 legal journals and periodicals. Bob is extensively involved in community activities, with particular emphasis upon the prevention of drug and alcohol abuse by young people.

He is also listed in Florida Trend’s “Florida Legal Elite,” (2009, 2014); and “Legal Elite Hall of Fame”, (2009, 2016-2020) and Florida Super Lawyers – “Top 10″ and “Top 100″ (2006-2014; South Florida Legal Guide, “Top Lawyers”, (2007-2020); Best Lawyers in America – “Bet the Company Litigation”, “Commercial Litigation”, “Non-White-Collar Criminal Defense” and “White-Collar Criminal Defense” 2007-2020; Chamber’s USA’s Guide to Leading Lawyers for Business (2003-2020); Judicial Circuit Historical Society – “Legal Legends” (2007) and Miami Today “Gold Medal Award” (2008).

Gerald “Jerry” Kornreich is the Founder and Senior Partner of Kornreich & Associates and has practiced Family Law for over 45 years. He is the first and only lawyer in Miami-Dade County to have been Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Marital and Family Law eight consecutive times. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML), a Fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers (IAFL), National Board of Trial Advocates (NBTA) Certified, and has received numerous awards for professionalism, excellence in advocacy, and public service. He is a Past President of The First Family Law American Inn of Court.

Mr. Jacobs is a seasoned litigator with extensive trial and appellate experience in real estate litigation and complex commercial litigation. During his career, Mr. Jacobs acted as lead counsel in over 50 trials throughout South Florida and handled numerous appeals.

Before opening the firm, Mr. Jacobs practiced litigation with the firm of Camner, Lipsitz and Poller, P.A. in Coral Gables, Florida. He handled complex commercial disputes representing large institutional lenders, landlords, tenants, individuals and small to medium size businesses. He also oversaw the foreclosure department of the firm for five years and prosecuted commercial and residential foreclosures throughout Florida.

Mr. Jacobs began his career as a Prosecutor with the Miami-Dade County State Attorney’s Office. He handled complex criminal litigation involving violent crimes, drug trafficking, economic crimes, and sexual predators. Mr. Jacobs prosecuted over thirty jury trials to verdict, and obtained felony convictions as lead counsel in his last ten trials.

A substantial portion of Mr. Jacobs’ practice focuses on real estate litigation involving such disputes as: commercial and residential foreclosures, commercial and residential landlord-tenant disputes, partnership enforcement, quiet title actions, tax deed actions, and fraud.

Mr. Jacobs is married to his lovely wife, Michelle, an acupuncturist and doctor of oriental medicine. He has four children Dylan Drew, Alexa and Aiden.

Ricardo M. Corona is a member of the Florida Bars practicing law in the area of Civil Litigation, Personal Injury, Foreclosure Defense and Labor/Employment law. Ricardo M. Corona is the managing Associate of the Corona Law Firm P.A’s Broward office. He is licensed to practice law in the State of Florida, in the Southern District of Florida, the Middle District of Florida, and the Northern District of Florida.

Prior to becoming an attorney, Ricardo M. Corona graduated with Honors from the University of Florida, before earning his Juris Doctor from St. Thomas University School of Law.

As an attorney, Ricardo M. Corona has tried several jury trials to verdict in state and federal courts, tried hundreds of bench trials, obtained over one hundred dismissals in favor of defendants at dispositive hearings or trials, handled hundreds of evidentiary hearings and dispositive motions, and successfully briefed and argued cases in the appellate courts throughout the state of Florida, including the Florida Supreme Court.

Ricardo M. Corona meticulously prepares with an attention to detail and thoroughness when it comes to handling the difficult situations of his clients. Mr. Corona is a zealous advocate who practices with professionalism. His background, experience, and his ability to communicate makes him an attorney that you can trust will advocate for each of his clients as if it was his own case.

Education
St. Thomas University School of Law, Miami Gardens, Florida
J.D.
University of Florida


Honors: with Honors
Current Employment Position
Managing Associate
Practice Areas
Civil Litigation
Personal Injury
Foreclosure Defense
Labor/Employment Law
Bar Admissions
Florida
U.S. District Court Southern District of Florida
U.S. District Court Middle District of Florida
U.S. District Court Northern District of Florida

• Bachelor of Arts, Georgetown University, 1990
• JD, Fordham University School of Law, 1993
• Circuit Court Judge, 2007
• Assistant Public Defender, 11th Judicial Circuit, 1994-99; 2001-07
• Assistant Public Defender, 2nd Judicial Circuit, 1999-2001

• Circuit court judge, 1993 to present
• Bachelor of Arts University of Georgia
• JD, University of Georgia

• Bachelor of Science, University of Notre Dame, 1995 - Dean's List
• JD, Chicago-Kent College of Law, 2001 - Dean's List, Bar and Gavel Award
• Admitted to Florida Bar, 2001
• Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office 2001 - 2010
• County Court Judge, 2010 - 2018
• Circuit Court Judge, 2018 – Present

• Bachelor of Science, University of Miami
• Hofstra University School of Law
• Assistant State Attorney
• adjunct professor at Florida International University
• Circuit Court Judge, 2010 to present

• Circuit Court Judge
• Bachelor of Arts, Rutgers University, 1981
• JD, University of Florida, 1984
• Admitted to Florida Bar, 1985
• Assistant United States Attorney, 1/1991 to 6/2000
• Assistant State Attorney, 8/1984 to 1/1991

• Florida State College of Law
• Assistant Public Defender
• Circuit Court Judge 2008-present

Tattiana Brenes-Stahl chairs Katz Baskies & Wolf, PLLC’s probate, trust, and guardianship litigation practice. She represents individual, corporate, and charitable clients in will and trust contests and guardianship disputes at the trial and appellate levels. Tattiana has also represented U.S. based global clients in international litigation and in cross-border transactions.

Professional and Community Involvement

• The Florida Bar
  • Probate Rules Committee, appointment by The Florida Bar, 2013-2015
  • Inaugural Fellow, Florida Bar Leadership Academy, South Branch, 2013-2014
  • Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section
    • Executive Council
    • Past Vice Chair, Guardianship and Advance Directives Committee
    • Trust Law Committee
    • Probate & Trust Litigation Committee
    • Chair, Attorney Trust Officer Liaison Conference, 2017-2019
• Past President, Estate Planning Council of Broward County
• Member, Broward County Bar Association
• Alumni Interviewer, Harvard College
• Member, Harvard Club of Miami

Awards and Recognition

• Listed, Super Lawyers magazine, Florida Super Lawyers, "Rising Star," 2009, 2011-2015
• Listed, Super Lawyers magazine, Florida Super Lawyers, "Super Lawyer," 2016-Present

Previous Employment

• Greenberg Traurig, July 2008-March 2014
• Ruden McClosky, Attorney, September 2004-July 2008
• History Teacher, University School of Nova Southeastern University
• Recipient of the 2000 English Speaking Union Oxbridge Academic Teacher Fellowship to Oxford University, England

Clerkship

• Court Clerk, Broward Courthouse, Guardian Ad Litem Program, 2002

Articles, Publications & Lectures

• Speaker, “Hot Topics in Probate and Trust Litigation”, Elder Law Annual Update, Orlando, 2017
• Speaker, “Legislative Update”, Attorney Trust Officer Liaison Conference, the Breakers, 2016
• Panelist, “Probate Seminar”, Palm Beach County Bar Association’s Estate and Probate CLE Committee, 2016
• Panelist, “Probate Litigation and Legislative Update”, Boca Raton Estate and Tax Roundtable, South Palm Beach County Foundation, 2015
• Speaker, Real Property Probate and Trust Law Section of The Florida Bar/ Ask What the Section Can Do for You, Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad College of Law Outreach Law School Program, Law Students, 2015
• Speaker, “Probate Litigation and Legislative Update Panel," South Palm Beach County Estate and Tax Roundtable, December 10, 2015
• Panelist “Probate and Trust Litigation Update- 2013,” Boca Raton Estate and Tax Roundtable, Community Foundation of Palm Beach and Martin Counties, 2013
• Panelist "Fee Shifting in Trust and Estate Litigation: The Statutory and Common Law Grounds for Trumping the American Rule," The Florida Bar Litigation and Trust Law Symposium, 2013
• Co-Speaker, "Trust and Estate Litigation," Shepard Law Broad Center, Nova Southeastern University, Distinguished Speaker Presentation, 2012
• Co-Speaker, "Most Frequently Litigated Areas in Probate and Trust Litigation," Paralegal Association of Florida, Inc., 2011
• Speaker, “Probate and Trust Litigation," Paralegal Association of Florida, Spring Seminar & Annual Meeting, May 13, 2011
• Co-Author, "Bad Facts or Bad Folks: Avoiding Undue Influence Claims," The Florida Bar CLE Trust & Estate Symposium, 2006

Education

J.D., cum laude, Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad Law Center, 2004

• Class of 2004 Student Commencement Speaker
• Order of the Barrister Advocacy Award
• Moot Court Academic Editor
• Moot Court Evidence Traveling Team
• Nova Law Review Member
• Leo Goodwin Scholar: awarded a full-tuition merit scholarship

B.A., cum laude, Harvard University, 1994

• Full Harvard/Radcliffe scholarship for four years
• Elizabeth Cary Agassiz Certificate of Merit for excellent academic achievement
• Dean's list all four years

Admitted to Practice

• Florida

Languages

• Spanish, Fluent

John C Mullins Jr. Is a sole practitioner who has run his own firm in Miami since 2004. He is a civil litigator, and serves as outside general counsel to corporate clients.

“As the lead legal representative for Fontainebleau Miami Beach, Ms. Mora’s new role will include the continued development of strategic partnerships and negotiations of key corporate transactions which will be a large pa¬rt of the future success of this iconic property,” noted Goldfarb. “Mora’s labor and employment background in the industry will be an enormous asset to Fontainebleau at this very exciting time.”

Prior to her appointment at Fontainebleau Miami Beach, Mora gained 12 years of experience in the legal industry. Mora most recently served as counsel with a focus on labor and employment matters for Fortune 100 and 500 companies in the hospitality, airline, retail and pharmaceutical industries at Hunton & Williams LLP in Miami. Her previous affiliations also include two years at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius in Miami, where she represented Fortune 500 companies with commercial and employment disputes, in addition to four years as an associate participating in all phases of commercial state and federal litigation at Thelen, Reid & Priest in Washington, D.C.

Throughout her career, Mora has been recognized by Florida Super Lawyers as a “Rising Star” from 2009 – 2012, was selected by South Florida Legal Guide as a “Top Up & Comer” in South Florida from 2008 – 2012 and received the E. Randolph Williams Award for Outstanding Pro Bono Service in 2006, 2007 and 2010. Additionally, Mora is a graduate of the American Bar Association’s Leadership Development Program in 2012 and a graduate of the Miami-Dade County Chamber of Commerce Leadership Miami Program in 2007.

The above honors are further supported by her involvement in several professional associations including United Way Women’s Leadership, Kids and the Power of Work (KAPOW), the American Bar Association’s Section of Labor & Employment Law, the National Employment Law Council, and the Florida Bar. Mora received her Bachelor’s Degree from University of Miami, where she triple majored and graduated magna cum laude. She then enhanced her education background by gaining a Juris Doctorate from American University, where she graduated cum laude.

Experience
Trial Attorney
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Jan 2011 - Present · 11 yrs 3 mos


Associate
Hogan & Hartson
Sep 2006 - Jan 2011 · 4 yrs 5 mos


Law Clerk to the Honorable Patricia A. Seitz
Southern District of Florida
Aug 2004 - Aug 2006 · 2 yrs 1 moAug 2004 - Aug 2006 · 2 yrs 1 mo


Associate
Nixon Peabody
2003 - 2004 · 1 yr

Education University of Notre Dame
1996 - 2000

Managing Owner
The Norfus Firm, PLLC
Mar 2019 - Present · 3 yrs 1 mo

•  Bringing more than 15 years of strategic problem solving to employers around the world, we partner with employers on identifying and implementing solutions for their HR & Inclusion needs.
  We do not believe there are “one size fits all” solutions for HR & Inclusion initiatives and customize approaches to the needs of your business.
  Our primary services include:
• Internal Investigations
• HR Compliance Training
• Executive Coaching
• HR & Inclusion Strategic PlanningBringing more than 15 years of strategic problem solving to employers around the world, we partner with employers on identifying and implementing solutions for their HR & Inclusion needs. We do not believe there are “one size fits all” solutions for HR & Inclusion initiatives and customize approaches to the needs of your business. Our primary services include:
• Internal Investigations
• HR Compliance Training
• Executive Coaching
• HR & Inclusion Strategic Planning

Jane Maranhas is the Sr Director of Case Builder, DISCO’s solution to Deposition Management and Case Strategy. She has over 15 years of experience working within Legal Technology, first at LexisNexis focused on Litigation Solution software. Her work with clients across Law Firms, Corporations and the Federal Government was focused on Early Case Assessment, Document Review, and first generation discovery solutions. Now at DISCO, Jane is charged with delivering a new way to strategize, collaborate and win cases through the use of Lawyer Focused Technology applied to the most complex litigations across the US.

Charlton Copeland joined the University of Miami School of Law faculty in 2007. He teaches Civil Procedure I and II, Federal Courts, Administrative Law, and the Regulatory State. In addition, he has served as the Faculty Coordinator of the Florida Supreme Court Internship Program, and the Law School’s Washington, DC Externship Program, where he teaches Federal Policy Making: Legislation, Regulation and Litigation. He is a 2015 recipient of the Richard Hausler Golden Apple Award for the faculty member contributing the most to the student body both academically and through his or her extracurricular activities.

His scholarship has focused primarily on the ways in which federalism as a constitutional and political structure is mediated in: the relationship between federal and state courts, the jurisprudence of remedies for state violations of federal law, and the relationship between state and federal implementation of federal policy. In addition, he has written about the intersection between law and theology as they relate to religion’s role in American democracy and the framing of liberationist critiques of same sex marriage. He is a recipient of the 2013 Dukeminier Award and the Michael Cunningham Prize, from the Williams Institute at UCLA Law School, for the best law review articles published on sexual orientation and gender identity law issues in the previous year.

His current scholarly interests explore the relationship between race and American political institutions and structures, particularly how attention to race and American political institutions informs federal courts jurisprudence, and the implications of federalism’s survival of the demise of formal racial apartheid in America. He is also interested in the ways in which federalism shape the development of American public policy, particularly health policy.

In addition to his academic commitments, Professor Copeland has served the larger Miami-Dade community as a member of the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust, an independent county agency with advisory and quasi-judicial authority, from 2010-2014. He served as Chair of the Commission from 2012-2013. He has also served as Chair of the Law and Humanities Section of the American Association of Law Schools.

Prior to joining the Law School faculty, Professor Copeland served as a visiting assistant professor of law at Northwestern University Law School. He was an associate at Hogan & Hartson (now Hogan Lovells) in Washington, DC, where he focused on litigation (appellate and insurance) and regulatory (communications) matters. In addition, he served as a law clerk to Justices Richard J. Goldstone and Catherine O’Regan of the Constitutional Court of South Africa, and as a clerk to Judge R. Guy Cole, Jr., of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

Professor Copeland is a graduate of Amherst College, Yale Divinity School, and Yale Law School.

Melba Pearson is a civil rights and criminal law attorney who works in the Center for the Administration of Justice. She serves as the Center's Policy Director overseeing technical assistance, training, and community engagement efforts. Her primary assignment is the MacArthur Foundation-funded Prosecutorial Performance Indicators' project, which aims to improve prosecutorial offices' efficiency, effectiveness and fairness through research, technical assistance, and communications support.

Before joining FIU, Melba served as the Deputy Director for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Florida for three years. She was part of the leadership team who helped pass Amendment 4 in 2018 - the historic voting rights amendment which re-enfranchised people with felony convictions in Florida. Additionally, she worked heavily on criminal justice reform legislation, policing, and expanding voting rights. Before joining the ACLU, Melba was an Assistant State Attorney in Miami-Dade County for 16 years. After prosecuting a variety of crimes, she was selected to join the Domestic Crimes Unit, focusing on serious domestic violence crimes as well as homicides for close to four years. In her next assignment, Melba was integral to the re-launch of the Community Prosecution Unit, whose goal is partnering with the community to find creative solutions to prevent crime and provide outreach. She ended her prosecutorial career as the Assistant Chief in the Career Criminal/Robbery Unit, supervising junior attorneys while prosecuting homicides. In 2020, Melba was the progressive candidate for Miami-Dade State Attorney, garnering close to 154,000 votes as a first-time candidate from across party lines.

Melba is a frequent guest lecturer on a wide array of law enforcement concerns. She lectured nationwide to prosecutors on behalf of the National District Attorneys Association (NDAA). She also served as adjunct faculty for the University of Phoenix and Bryant and Stratton College, teaching law to undergraduate as well as master’s students. A prolific writer and blogger, she has published numerous popular and scholarly articles on topics including police encounters, domestic violence, crimes against women, criminal trial procedure, along with everyday legal issues. Publications that have profiled, featured or quoted her include The New York Times, The Baltimore Sun, Essence Magazine, The Huffington Post, The Miami Herald, and Ebony Magazine. She has also been a guest on national media regarding legal trends.

Melba is a highly sought-after public speaker known for her lively and engaging speaking style at corporate, industry and academic events. She has spoken on and moderated panels for the American Bar Association, the National Black Prosecutors Association, the (Miami) Dade County Bar Association, the National Association of Black Journalists, and the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys. In 2020, Melba edited and authored the book “Can They Do That? Understanding Prosecutorial Discretion” (ABA Book Publishing). Lastly, she is the author of a blog on the topics of real life and the law at The Resident Legal Diva.

Melba is extensively involved in various community groups, and has taken every opportunity to spread the messages of the dangers of domestic violence, as well as the importance of self-empowerment. She has taken on a leadership/mentoring role in several charity organizations. She is the Past President of the National Black Prosecutors Association (NBPA), and President of the NBPA Foundation; Co-Chair of the Prosecution Function Committee of the American Bar Association; as well as Past President of the Gwen S. Cherry Black Women Lawyers Association in South Florida. A New York native, Melba has called Miami home for over 20 years. After receiving her undergraduate degree in Metropolitan Studies at New York University, she completed her studies at Hofstra University (now Maurice Dean) School of Law.

Warren Trazenfeld, ESQ. graduated from the University of Florida School of Law in 1980 after receiving his bachelor’s of science degree in management, with high distinction, from Babson College in 1977. The focus of his civil trial practice is suing negligent attorneys and accountants. Mr. Trazenfeld authored articles in the January 1995 edition of The Florida Bar Journal entitled “Legal Malpractice: A Framework for Assessing Potential Claims” and the Fall 2002 Nova Law Review entitled “Legal Malpractice in Florida” and has spoken on the topic of legal malpractice at numerous seminars and conferences. He is a co-author of the treatise entitled “Florida Legal Malpractice Law”. In every edition since 1999, the South Florida Legal Guide has named Mr. Trazenfeld as one of South Florida’s best lawyers. He has also been selected as one of The Best Lawyers in America in the area of legal malpractice since 2005 and is board certified in legal malpractice by The American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys. Mr. Trazenfeld is rated “AV” by the Martindale Hubbell Law Directory. The “A” represents “legal ability”, and is the highest score given, defined by Martindale as “very high to preeminent”. The “V” score represents “adherence to professional standards of conduct and ethics, reliability, diligence and other criteria relevant to the discharge of professional responsibilities.” It is also the highest score given. Mr. Trazenfeld is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, a prestigious national group of U.S. trial lawyers who have won million and multi-million dollar verdicts, awards and settlements.

Debra Davis (“Debbie”), a Florida attorney and Certified Public Accountant, graduated from the University of Tampa with honors and studied at the Australian Graduate School of Management in Sydney, Australia. After working years in public accounting and private industry, Debbie earned her law degree with honors from the University of Florida College of Law. From 1996 to 2005, Debbie worked in the Tampa Office of The Florida Bar’s Lawyer Regulation Department, first as Branch Auditor of attorney trust accounts, then as Bar Counsel on several high-profile cases. Debbie has taught Ethics School and Practicing with Professionalism programs for The Florida Bar and lectured on ethics topics at local bar associations and law schools. Debbie is a member of the American Bar Association, Center for Professional Responsibility, Hillsborough County Bar Association, and the Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers. In 2005, Debbie became associated with the law firm now known as Smith, Tozian, Daniel and Davis, P.A. where she practices with her partners in the areas of legal ethics, Bar defense and Bar admissions.

Mark is the founder and president of Law Guard. In addition to handling civil and complex litigation matters, he assists the Florida Bar as inventory attorney. Mark graduated from the University of Miami School of Law, where he was president of the Corporate Law Society, president of the Entertainment and Sports Law Society and a vice chair on the Orientation Committee. Prior to establishing Law Guard, he worked for the law firm of Jacobson, Sobo & Moselle as its Director of Litigation Services. Mark has appeared in every circuit in Florida and filed appeals in all five district courts of appeals. He is a member of the Broward County Bar Association and serves on their Mentorship and Professionalism Committees and is on the executive board of the BCBA Solo & Small Firm Section. Mark is an active advisor with the Florida Bar’s Lawyers Advising Lawyers program. He has lectured for the BCBA, the Miami-Dade County Bar Association, the National Business Institute, the Sports Lawyers Association, the Florida Creditor’s bar Association and several law schools. Mark has also taught college level courses in business law and management, including Agency and Business Organizations; Civil Litigation; Constitutional Law; Contracts and Commercial Paper; Principles of Management; and Small Business Management. Among Mark’s accomplishments, while representing the New York Commissioner of Taxation and Finance, he created a process for enforcing tax warrants post 9/11, which the Commission adopted nationally, and filed several appeals all resulting in reversal of trial court rulings that were adverse to New York State’s claims.

Arlene Kalish Sankel has served as a Florida Bar prosecutor since 1990. In 1998, Mrs. Sankel was appointed Chief Branch Discipline Counsel with The Florida Bar, a position she holds to date. In addition to the management and supervision of the Miami branch of the bar, her duties include the presentation of disciplinary matters before grievance committees, judicial referees, and the Florida Supreme Court, as well as the presentation of matters before the Florida Bar Board of Governors. Mrs. Sankel has also served as an adjunct instructor of advanced legal research and writing at St. Thomas University School of Law and frequently speaks on the subject of ethics at various local bar associations and law schools. She is a graduate of New York University and Nova Law School.

SHANELL SCHUYLER serves as the Director of the Attorney Consumer Assistance Program (ACAP) and Intake Department of The Florida Bar. She also supervises the Bar’s Grievance Mediation and Fee Arbitration Program, the Practice and Professionalism Enhancement Programs, and Diversion/Discipline Consultation Services. Shanell is a graduate of Florida State University, cum laude, with a B.S. in Finance, and Stetson University College of Law. She was in private practice with a South Florida law firm for eight years, then she opened her own practice in Tennessee. She relocated to Tallahassee in 2007, as a senior attorney in the Bar’s ACAP program. She became director of the ACAP/Intake Department in February, 2012. Shanell is an active member of the National Organization of Bar Counsel where she frequently speaks on topics pertinent to lawyer regulation.

Scott Merl is a Miami native and did his undergraduate work at the University of Florida before attending the University of Miami School of Law where he graduated in 2011. He started Scott Merl, P.A. in 2012 and focuses on Personal Injury and Family Law matters across Florida. Scott has been recognized as a Rising Star in Personal Injury by Super Lawyers since 2019. In addition to serving as President of the Miami-Dade County Bar Association’s Young Lawyers, Scott also is an active member of the Florida Bar Solo and Small Firm Section, Broward County Bar Association, and the University of Florida’s Warrington College of Business Florida Leadership Academy. In his free time he loves watching sports and spending time with his Wife, Nanci Schanerman and their children Seth and Hannah.

Nanci Schanerman is a Senior Counsel with the law firm of Clyde & Co US LLP. She focuses her practice on civil litigation matters, including complex products liability, class actions, premises liability, insurance defense, uninsured/underinsured motorist claims, and general liability cases. Nanci is a graduate of New York University and received her J.D. from the University of Miami School of Law.

ROBERT (“Beau”) E. BLUMBERG is a Partner with Deutsch, Blumberg & Caballero P.A., where he practices personal injury, medical malpractice, and product liability law. Mr. Blumberg is admitted to practice in Florida and before the United States District Court for the Southern and Middle Districts of Florida. He is a member of The Florida Bar (Member of the Rules of Judicial Administration Committee 2017- 2023, Chair of the Standing Committee on Technology 2021- 2022, and Grievance Committee “A” Member, 2020- 2023), American Bar Association, and Board of Directors of the Young Lawyers Section of the Dade County Bar Association (2020-2022). Mr. Blumberg earned his B.A. degree from the College of William and Mary and his J.D. degree from the William and Mary School of Law. In his free time, he travels and practices Ashtanga Yoga.

A newspaper reporter once wrote that Brian Tannebaum is “the lawyer that lawyers go to when they find themselves in hot water.” Brian serves as Special Counsel to Bast Amron, LLP where he chairs the firm’s Ethics, Professional Responsibility and White Collar Defense Group. A former Assistant Public Defender, he has spent the last two decades representing lawyers, judges, law students and law firms in ethics and criminal defense matters.

Brian is the Immediate Past Chair of the Innocence Project of Florida, and previously served as President of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and it’s Miami Chapter. He has served The Florida Bar as a Member of the Criminal Procedure Rules Committee and the Executive Council of the Criminal Law Section and currently serves as the liaison to the ABA Standing Committee on Professional Regulation for the Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers.

Brian is listed in Best Lawyers in America, is AV rated by Martindale Hubbell, and authored the book The Practice: Brutal Truths About Lawyers and Lawyering, published by the American Bar Association. He was awarded the Daily Business Review’s “Unsung Hero” award for his work petitioning the Supreme Court of Florida to allow law school graduates to practice during the COVID-19 Pandemic without taking the Bar Exam.

Brian is a graduate of Stetson University College of Law, The University of South Florida, and a Certified Sommelier.

Kimberly is a shareholder in the firm's Appellate Advocacy and Post-Trial Practice Group in the Professional Liability Department and is board certified in Appellate Practice by the Florida Bar. She has litigated numerous appeals in Florida state and federal appellate courts across a wide variety of subject matters in cases involving medical malpractice, construction defect, insurance coverage, bad faith, maritime, aviation and premises liability.

Kimberly has been appointed to the Board of Trustees for the Florida Supreme Court Historical Society. She also serves as Pro Bono Committee Chair and Executive Council of the Florida Bar Appellate Practice Section and previously as vice chair of the Legislative Committee and chair of the Programs Committee. She is a member of the Florida Bar, the Broward County Bar Association, the Dade County Bar Association, the Defense Research Institute, the Florida Defense Lawyers' Association, the Third District Court of Appeal Historical Society and the Rosemary Barkett American Appellate Inn of Court.

Former Florida Supreme Court Justice Raoul G. Cantero leads White & Case's Miami office and its Disputes practice. He is board-certified in appellate practice and is ranked Band 1 by Chambers USA in Florida Appellate Practice. He also focuses on cross-border disputes relating to Latin America and is a certified arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association and the International Centre for Dispute Resolution. Mr. Cantero has represented many global clients at the trial and appellate levels, specializing in complex, class-action, and high-profile litigation. In his 30 years as a lawyer, he has handled over 400 appeals. Justice Cantero is also his firm's Office Executive Partner in Miami, leading a contingent of 95 lawyers and over 100 support staff. From 2014-2019, he was Global Executive Partner for Diversity, in which position he oversaw the firm's recruitment, retention, and promotion of minority lawyers. In 2016, Law360 found that White & Case was the most diverse law firm in the US, with over one-third of its attorneys being minorities. In addition, AmLaw has ranked White & Case #1 in the diversity of attorneys for four consecutive years.

Elliot practices exclusively as an appellate attorney. He has experience representing clients in both state and federal courts, in a variety of substantive areas of the law. Elliot also provides litigation support during every phase of the litigation in order to optimize the client’s position and create efficient and effective strategies for trial counsel. Elliot has argued in every District Court of Appeal in Florida, as well as the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and the United States District Court for the Southern and Middle Districts of Florida. Previously, Elliot was a shareholder with the Greenberg Traurig law firm, where he served as the Administrative Head of the Appellate Practice Group. In 2011, Elliot established his own appellate boutique. Elliot graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1989 with a BA in English, and earned his law degree from Hamline University School of Law in 1993. Following his schooling, Kula moved to Miami and became a member of The Florida Bar in 1994.

An appellate specialist, Stephen is sought-after for critical appeals. He prides himself on clear, impactful writing and relishes oral advocacy. Board-certified in appellate practice, he has authored hundreds of briefs and has argued some 60 appeals. Chambers U.S.A. has praised his “extremely creative legal analysis skills” and “sharp intellect,” ranking him among the top appellate lawyers in Florida. While Stephen most frequently appears in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, based in Atlanta (and covering Florida), and in Florida’s Third District Court of Appeal, in Miami, he has handled appeals in every other Florida appellate district, including the Florida Supreme Court, where he has argued three cases. In federal court, he has also handled appeals in New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Chicago, and New Orleans.

Before joining the Podhurst Orseck in 2001, Stephen served as a Trial Attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. and served as a law clerk to Judge Rosemary Barkett on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and Judge Mark Wolf of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. He is a graduate of Harvard College (A.B., magna cum laude) and Harvard Law School (J.D., cum laude). He studied for a year in England as a Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholar and was the salutatorian of Miami-Palmetto Senior High School in 1988.

Experience
Miami-Dade County State Attorney's Office Graphic
Chief Assistant State Attorney (formerly Chief of Staff)
Miami-Dade County State Attorney's Office
Apr 2019 - Present3 years

Miami, Florida

As Chief Assistant State Attorney, I assist the State Attorney with legislative issues and oversee our Community Outreach Division, Media/Communications teams, four Felony Divisions, Gangs Unit, and Therapeutic (Problem-Solving) Courts (Drug Court, Veteran's Court, Mental Health Program, Baker Acts, and Jail Diversion). I also am the point person for issues relating to County Court Diversion and represent our office on various committees and issues. As Chief of Staff, I worked with the State…
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We Save Lives Graphic
Board Member
We Save Lives
Jan 2015 - Apr 20194 years 4 months

Washington D.C. Metro Area

We Save Lives was started by Candace Lightner, founder of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). It is a non-partisan non-profit organization devoted to supporting and promoting solution driven policies and programs that save lives by changing dangerous driving choices through viral awareness, education, advocacy and ongoing partnerships.

Institute for Behavior and Health Graphic
Board Member
Institute for Behavior and Health
Jan 2011 - Apr 20198 years 4 months

Rockville, Maryland

The Institute for Behavior and Health (IBH) is a non-partisan non-profit organization based in Rockville, Maryland. Founded and led by former United States Drug Chief and Founding Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Dr. Robert L. DuPont, IBH strives to identify and promote effective new strategies to reduce illegal drug use. My responsibilities included helping develop strategies, drafting articles, and public presentations.

National Partnership on Alcohol Misuse and Crime Graphic
Co-Founder, Chairman of the Board, and Chief Executive Officer
National Partnership on Alcohol Misuse and Crime
May 2008 - Apr 201911 years

The National Partnership on Alcohol Misuse and Crime (NPAMC) was an inclusive non-profit public-private partnership incorporated in Washington, DC. The partnership was committed to protecting the public, reducing recidivism, restoring lives, and maximizing resources by identifying, developing and promoting innovative programs that take advantage of emerging clinical, medical, technological and enforcement solutions for offenders who misuse alcohol. Seven Federal agencies, over a dozen…

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City of Miami Beach Graphic
Special Master
City of Miami Beach
Sep 2014 - Mar 20194 years 7 months

Miami Beach

As a red light hearing officer for the City of Miami Beach, I heard cases involving read light camera violations.

Rumberger, Kirk & Caldwell Graphic
Partner
Rumberger, Kirk & Caldwell
Jan 2011 - Mar 20198 years 3 months

Miami/Fort Lauderdale Area

Rumberger, Kirk & Caldwell (RKC) is a firm of almost 100 trial lawyers that handles a variety of disputes, primarily business and commercial litigation. RKC's Miami office was listed as a Metropolitan Tier 1 firm for personal injury and products liability litigation in U.S. News and Best Lawyers' 2015 "Best Law Firms" and as a Top Law Firm in the South Florida Legal Guide. I helped manage the retail and hospitality group based in Miami. I also represented clients and worked with stakeholders…

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The Justice Management Institute Graphic
Board Member
The Justice Management Institute
Jan 2013 - May 20152 years 5 months

Washington, DC

The Justice Management Institute (JMI) is a non-profit organization that seeks to improve the administration of justice through research and program evaluation, education and training, technical assistance and consulting services.

Alcohol Monitoring Systems, Inc. Graphic
Vice President of Industry Relations
Alcohol Monitoring Systems, Inc.
Jan 2007 - Dec 20104 years

Alcohol Monitoring Systems, Inc., (AMS) manufactures the Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitor (SCRAM), a bracelet worn above the ankle that measures alcohol use transdermally. The device is used to assess and monitor the wearer’s drinking habits. My responsibilities included serving as the company’s liaison to allied professionals, including prosecutors, defense attorneys, law enforcement officers, judges, legislators, government officials, treatment counselors, and forensic scientists.…

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Mothers Against Drunk Driving Graphic
National Director of Public Policy
Mothers Against Drunk Driving
Sep 2005 - Jan 20071 year 5 months

Supervised the Public Policy Department. Maintained liaison with Members of Congress, pertinent legislative committees, and consultants. Partnered with various advocacy groups and law enforcement associations. Lobbied in support of MADD’s initiatives, including the Sober Truth On Preventing (STOP) Underage Drinking Act, the first stand alone piece of Federal legislation funding underage drinking prevention and intervention programs to pass. Worked with multiple MADD chapters and affiliates…

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National District Attorneys Association's American Prosecutors Research Institute Graphic
Director of the National Traffic Law Center
National District Attorneys Association's American Prosecutors Research Institute
Jul 2004 - Aug 20051 year 2 months

Directed the National Traffic Law Center (NTLC), the national clearinghouse on impaired driving issues. Designed courses, conducted conferences and gave presentations to prosecutors, law enforcement officers and other traffic safety partners. Drafted model legislation, published monographs and other documents and provided technical assistance. Represented prosecutors at national meetings. Chairperson on the committee to revise the Train the Trainers (Faculty Development) curriculum.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and National Association of Prosecutor Coordinators Graphic
Prosecutor Fellow
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and National Association of Prosecutor Coordinators
Sep 2003 - Jul 200411 months

Advised the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and National Association of Prosecutor Coordinators (NAPC) on impaired driving issues. Represented NHTSA and NAPC at various regional and national meetings and conferences. Taught prosecutors, law enforcement officers and toxicologists around the country at various seminars and conferences.

Miami-Dade County (Florida) State Attorney's Office Graphic
Assistant State Attorney (Various Positions)
Miami-Dade County (Florida) State Attorney's Office
Aug 1992 - Jun 200411 years 11 months

Prosecuted everything from petit theft to first degree murder. At different times, I specialized in DUI, gangs, and/or scientific evidence. During my last three years, I supervised the County Court Division.

Recommended and established office policies. Supervised and trained over 50 attorneys and 35 certified legal interns per year. Oversaw the prosecution of all Miami-Dade County misdemeanor cases (other than domestic violence), including over 100,000 traffic cases and 6,000…

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Education
Georgetown UniversityGeorgetown University Graphic
Georgetown University
CertificateNon-Profit Leadership and Management
2007 - 2007

Obtained training in all aspects of non-profit leadership including fund raising, budgeting, working with volunteers, management, and strategic planning.

University of Miami School of LawUniversity of Miami School of Law Graphic
University of Miami School of Law
JDLaw
1989 - 1992

Activities and Societies: Class Rank: 35/384 (Top 10%) Honors: Iron Arrow (“The Highest Honor”), Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK) National Leadership Honor Society, University of Miami Law Review, Inter-American Law Review, Moot Court Board, Order of Barristers, Order of Coif, Society of Bar and Gavel, Mofsky Memorial Scholarship (For Service), Dean’s Honor Scholarship, Dean’s List

Helped found the Public Interest Law Group

Northwestern UniversityNorthwestern University Graphic
Northwestern University
BSSpeech Communications
1985 - 1989

Activities and Societies: Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity

Volunteer Experience
Please see above (included in the Experience section). Graphic
Various
Please see above (included in the Experience section)..

Our Profile in Passion for this month is a prosecutor who has been with the office for 20 years and is one of the most beloved members of our SAO family. When you mention her name, everyone smiles and says that she is amazing. Her joy is infectious and her dedication to those in the Drug Court Program is unsurpassed. It is our honor to select Akilah Bain for our Profile in Passion.

Akilah Bain was born in Miami at Mount Sinai Hospital. She is the oldest of three siblings and has a brother and sister. Her father, a psychologist who worked with individuals who had substance abuse issues, had a profound impact on Ms. Bain's career.

"When I was 8 years old, my dad told me a story. It was about a time that he was at work and his secretary said that there was a man there to see him but that would not go inside the office. My father went outside to the man who was sitting inside a car. The man was a well-known drug dealer in the neighborhood," said Ms. Bain.

"The drug dealer sought out my father who was known and respected in the community because one of his clients did not have cash, so she gave him her baby as payment for rocks of crack cocaine. He took the child because he feared for its safety. And then he went directly to my father to hand over the child so that authorities could intervene."

That story touched her in a profound way. She knew that she wanted to help and protect people whether it was as a doctor, a psychologist or a lawyer.

Ms. Bain attended the High School for Advanced Studies which is part of Miami-Dade College. She was in the Dual Enrollment Program which meant that she had 3-4 high school classes and the rest were college level courses for credit.

"At 17 years old, I finished high school but also had received an Associate Degree."

"I was also part of the Summer Law School Program at Florida State University. I had to miss the last couple of weeks of high school so that I could attend. I had a scholarship for that. It was an amazing experience!"

Ms. Bain earned her Bachelor's Degree in English Literature at FSU while working at the Law Library. Then at age 19, she started law school at the University of Miami where she was the youngest in her class.

"After law school, I didn't really know how to use my degree to help people, so I applied to various positions all in the public sector." Fortunately, Ms. Bain accepted the offer at the SAO and she became an Assistant State Attorney in August of 1999 when she was only 21 years old.

"Once I saw how State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle was open-minded, cutting-edge and implementing innovative programs to help people, I knew that this was the place for me."

Ms. Bain's passion for those who have substance abuse issues have led her to be assigned to Drug Court since 2005. "We have to remember that the people don't live in the Court; they live in the community. We change lives and it's not just individuals but the entire family that we impact. We try our best for longstanding changes."

"My aunt had substance abuse issues and participated in Drug Court. I saw her life completely turn around and she's been clean for 16 years now. I know first-hand that this program works."

Ms. Bain is the mother of three sons (ages 16, 15 and 12) who are her pride and joy. She credits her father's work later in his career with special needs children in helping her identify and address issues with her sons. Two of them are on the autism spectrum and the other had open heart surgery as a small child.

Even though most people would have their hands full with her career and family, Ms. Bain also finds the time to teach spinning at one of the premier local cycling studios. "I teach on average about six classes a week. I teach early morning, early evening and weekends. I enjoy the riders and it is a great way to release stress."

Ms. Bain's advice is to all her colleagues is very simple and heartfelt. "Stay positive and self-motivated. No one is happy when they come to Court, so keep that in mind. And most of all, know that you are doing the right thing."

Marie Jo is a pillar of the South Florida community. In addition to providing excellent legal services as an Assistant State Prosecutor, Ms. Toussaint makes time to invest in young lawyers, participate in local bar associations, and volunteer to help address legal issues in the community.

Education & Credentials
University Attended: University of Miami School of Law
Law School Attended: University of Miami School of Law, JD - Juris Doctor
Year of First Admission: 1988
Admission: 1988, Florida
ISLN: 911945513

Video Interview: https://immigrantarchiveproject.org/marie-jo-toussaint/

Elizabeth Hughes focuses her practice on fiduciary litigation, including litigation arising from estates, trusts and guardianships. Elizabeth has not only represented clients in related matters but has served and continues to serve as court appointed counsel, ad litem, estate curator, and guardian in Florida probate, trust, and guardianship matters. She has experience litigating and resolving will and trust contests, fiduciary fee disputes, determination of heir disputes, disputes over appointment of fiduciaries, removal of fiduciaries, surcharge actions, elective share disputes, and breaches of fiduciary obligations. She regularly assists individuals and clients serving as fiduciaries in reforming and construing wills and trusts, determining rights in wills and trusts, modifying trusts, as well as terminating trusts.

Elizabeth advises clients in all guardianship and mental health litigation proceedings including disputes over incapacity and appointments as guardian. With a degree in Health Science and Rehabilitative Services, she brings unique knowledge to her representation of both professional and non-professional guardians throughout guardianship administration and restoration proceedings. She has experience representing both petitioners and respondents in Florida Marchman Act proceedings, and has also served as private counsel for alleged incapacitated persons, as well as wards.

Elizabeth is currently attending Georgetown University Law Center, where she is working to earn her LL.M. in Taxation with an expected graduation date of Spring 2022. She has also served as the LL.M. advisor for the Georgetown Journal of International Law since 2019.

Related Professional Experience

• Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court, Probate Division, Attorney Case Manager, 2013-2014
• Judicial Intern to the Honorable Stephen T. Brown, Chief Magistrate Judge, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida, 2012

Published Work and Lectures

• Orange County Bar Association Seminar, Panelist, “2022
• Florida Guardianship Caselaw Update,” February 10, 2022
• Miami Dade Bar, Probate & Guardianship Committee, Moderator, “You Be the Judge: Probate & Guardianship Seminar,” January 19, 2022
• Florida Bar’s 2021 Annual Guardianship CLE, Speaker, “When Guardianships Get Tricky,” December 2, 2021
• The Florida Bar Real Property, Probate, and Trust Law Section, ActionLine, Author, “Sayonara Stepped-Up Basis? The Tax Policies Behind Why it Might Be Time for Stepped-up Basis to Step Aside,” Winter 2021
• Miami Dade Bar Bulletin, Author, “Announcing the Celeste H. Muir Excellence Award,” December 2021
• The Florida Bar Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section Probate Law Seminar, Speaker, “Annual Guardianship Case Law Update,” October 2021
• Professional Fiduciary Council of Florida Conference, Speaker, “Ethical Hot Spots Panel for Fiduciaries,” February 19, 2021
• Dade County Bar Association, Moderator, “You Be The Judge: Probate and Guardianship,” January 29, 2021
• Florida Bar Journal, Vol 94, No 6, Author, “Terrain, Taxes, and Land Trusts: Saving the Florida Panther Through the Use of Conservation Easements,” November/December 2020
• Coral Gables Estate Planning Council, Speaker, “The Power Struggle Between Guardians and Trustees,” September 22, 2020
• Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section of the Florida Bar 2020 Legislative Update, Speaker, “House Bill 505 and Standing to Pursue Causes of Action on Behalf of the Estate,” August 2020
• Dade County Bar Association’s (DCBA) Annual Bench and Bar Conference, Speaker, “The Future of Probate and Guardianship Administration and Litigation,” March 6, 2020
• 2020 Florida Bar Elder Law Section’s Annual Update, Speaker, “Battle of the Fiduciary Titans: Guardians vs. Trustees,” January 20, 2020
• The Florida Bar Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section Probate Law Seminar, Speaker, “Florida New Electronic Wills Legislation,” November 15, 2019
• Attorney Trust Officer Liaison Conference 2019, Speaker, “Battle of the Titans: Guardians v. Trustees,” August 23, 2019
• The Docket, A Sarasota County Bar Association Publication, CoAuthor, “The Realist Party in Interest: Trustees,” March 2019
• The Florida Bar Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section, Trust and Litigation Seminar, Speaker, “Expert Witness Testimony In Trust and Estate Litigation,” March 29, 2019
• ActionLine, A Florida Bar Real Property and Trust Law Section Publication, Co-Author, “The Real Party in Interest: Trustees,” Vol. XXXX, No. 2, Winter 2018-2019
• The Elder Law Advocate, Author, “2018 Changes To Florida’s Gun Laws and Their Impact On Incapacitated Persons,” Summer 2018
• Sarasota County Bar Association Estate Planning and Probate/Elder Law Joint Section Meeting, Speaker, “Guns, Guardianship’s, and Gun Trusts,” March 28, 2018
• Dade County Bar Association, Probate and Guardianship Seminar, Speaker, “Estate’s Role as a Party to Litigation,” October, 12, 2017
• The Florida Bar’s Continuing Legal Education Committee and the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section’s Seminar, Speaker, “When to Un-pack the Heat: Guardianships and an Individual’s Privilege to Keep and Bear Arms,” April 28, 2017
• Florida Bar Journal, Volume 91, No. 3, Co-Author, “Putting Conventional Probate Concepts to the Test: Parker v. Parker and the Decedent’s Estate as an Indispensable Party,” March 2017
• ActionLine, Author, “Settlements Involving Minors,” Vol.XXXVIII, No. 2, Winter 2017
• Dade Legal Aid Put Something Back, Speaker, “Wills on Wheels,” August 2016
• Real Property, Probate and Trust Guardianship, Power of Attorney & Advance Directive Committee, Speaker, Case Law Update, November 2015
• ActionLine, Author, “Changes to Health Care Surrogate Law,” Vol.XXXVII, No. 1, Fall 2015
• Florida Bar News, Featured, “Put Something Back Spurs Pro Bono Work” February 15, 2021

Affiliations

• The Florida Bar, Code & Rules of Evidence Committee, Member, 2018-current
• The Florida Bar, Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section Executive Council Member, 2017-current At Large Member, 2017-current
• Law School Mentoring and Programming Committee, Covice Chair, 2017
• Publications and ActionLine Committee, Co-vice Chair, current
• Guardianship, Power of Attorney, and Advance Directives Committee, Supreme Court Work Group Co-chair, current Minor Venue Subcommittee Chair, 2018
• Probate Law & Procedure Committee, Member
• Probate & Trust Litigation Committee, Member
• Parker v. Parker subcommittee Co-chair, 2016-2019
• American Bar Association, Probate & Fiduciary Litigation
• Committee Section of the Real Property, Trust and Estate, Member
• American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, Florida Fellows
• Institute, Class Member, 2016-2017
• Dade County Bar Association, Probate and Guardianship
• Committee, Member
• Chair, 2021-2022
• Co-Chair, 2020-2021
• Vice-Chair, 2016-2020
• Put Something Back program, Probate Attorney
• Estate Planning Council of Greater Miami, Member; Board of
• Directors, 2016-2017
• Junior League of Miami, Member, Women Who Make a
• Difference Committee, 2014-2015; State Political Affairs
• Committee, 2012-2014

Honors and Distinctions

• Super Lawyers Magazine 2020-2021, Listed in Florida as a
• “Rising Star” for Estate & Trust Litigation
• Florida Fellows Institute of the American College of Trust and
• Estate Counsel (ACTEC), Graduate, 2017
• Dade Legal Aid & Put Something Back, “Pro Bono Service
• Award,” 2018
• Affiliations
• Honors and Distinctions
• Dade Legal Aid Pro Bono Awards, “Probate Award,” 2017
• Dade County Bar Association, “Rising Star” Award, 2016

Samah (“Sam”) T. Abukhodeir was born and raised in Lake Wales, Florida. Following high school, Ms. Abukhodeir moved to Tallahassee, Florida, to pursue a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology with a Minor in Arabic and Child Development at Florida State University. Ms. Abukhodeir obtained her Juris Doctor from Florida International University College of Law, where she was on the Dean’s List and earned two CALI Excellence for the Future Awards in Islamic/Sharia Law and Judicial Externship. While in law school, Ms. Abukhodeir worked as a Graduate Assistant to Law Professor Cyra Choudhury and was a judicial intern for the Honorable Marisa Tinkler Mendez, Circuit Court Judge in the Criminal Division of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit in Miami-Dade, Florida, and the Honorable Maria M. Korvick, Circuit Court Judge in the Probate Division of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit in Miami-Dade, Florida. After law school, Ms. Abukhodeir returned to the 11th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida as a staff attorney/case manager for the Honorable Maria M. Korvick, the Administrative Probate Judge. Ms. Abukhodeir has taught Probate, Guardianship, and Estate Planning in the Medical Legal Guardianship Clinic at Florida International University College of Law. Additionally, she currently teaches Epistemology at the Honors College at Florida International University. Ms. Abukhodeir practices in the areas of Estates, Trusts, Guardianships, Estate Planning, Special Needs Planning, Elder Law, and Family Law. Ms. Abukhodeir is fluent in English and Arabic.

ASSOCIATIONS/MEMBERSHIPS

• Florida Bar Appointed Committee Member, Florida Probate Rules Committee (2019-2022)
• Florida Bar Appointed Committee Member, 11thJudicial Circuit Grievance Committee (2019-2022)
• Florida Bar Appointed Committee Member, Diversity and Inclusion Committee (2017-2021)
• Florida Bar Family Law Section, Member
• Florida Bar Elder Law Section, Member
• Real Property, Probate, & Trust Law Section, Member
• Florida State Guardianship Association, Board Member
• Dade County Bar Association Probate and Guardianship Committee, Vice Chair (2018-2022)
• Dade County Bar Association, Director (2018-2020)
• Junior League of Miami (2020-Present)
• National Association of Divorce Professionals (2020-Present)

SEMINARS/CONFERENCES/AWARDS

• 2019-2021 Aspen Institute Fellow
• 2018-2020 Florida Bar Real Property Probate and Trust Law Section, Fellow
• 2018-2019 Dade County Bar Association, Director
• 2018-2021 Super Lawyer Rising Star
• 2018-2021 Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Peer Rated for Highest Level of Professional Excellence
• 2018 The American Bar Association, “AMA: Perspectives from Millennial Lawyers”, Co-Speaker
• 2017-2022 Dade County Bar Association Probate and Guardianship Committee, Vice Chair
• 2017 Legal Elite Up & Comer, Florida Trend Magazine
• 2016-2021 FIU Elder Law Class, Guest Lecturer
• 2016 Elder Law Symposium, “Preparing for the Unknown: An Elder Law Attorney’s Tool Kit”, Miami, FL, Co Speaker
• 2014-2016 FIU Law Real Property, Probate, & Trust Law Panel Discussion, Co-Speaker

EDUCATION

Florida International University College of Law, Doctor of Jurisprudence, 2013
Florida State University, Bachelors Of Science, Psychology, Magna Cum Laude, 2010

ADMISSIONS:

The Florida Bar, 2013

Bertila A. Soto is a judge of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court, Criminal Division, in Florida. She was appointed by former Governor Jeb Bush in 2002 to replace the late Judge Steven Levine. She ran unopposed and was retained in the August 24, 2010 primary to a six-year term that ended on January 2, 2017.[1][2][3][4] She also ran unopposed in 2016 and was retained to a term that expires on January 2, 2023.[5]

Education

Soto received her B.S. degree from Florida International University in 1986 and her J.D. degree from the University of Miami in 1989.[1]

Career

Soto began her career in 1987 as a law clerk for the Law Offices of Osvaldo N. Soto, Esq. She began her career in the Dade County State Attorney's Office in 1989, first as a legal intern and, later that year, as an assistant state attorney in the Misdemeanor Division. In 1992, she joined Osvaldo N. Soto's firm as an associate. She then served on the Miami-Dade County Court from 1997 until she was appointed to the circuit court in 2002.[1][6]

Elections 2016

Soto ran unopposed and was retained to a new term.[7]

Elections 2010

Soto ran unopposed and was automatically retained to a new term.[3][8]

Main article: Florida judicial elections, 2010.

PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

• Circuit Court Judge, 11th Judicial Circuit of Florida, Juvenile Dependency and Criminal Divisions (2005-date)
• Attorney and Counselor at Law, Offices of Spencer Eig, P.A. (1999-2005)
• Assistant U.S. Attorney, Eastern District of Louisiana, New Orleans – Awarded “Outstanding” performance appraisal (1991-1994)
• Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Columbia (1988)
• Office of the Presidential Transition, The White House (1988-1989)
• Attorney, U.S. Department of Justice – Awarded “Outstanding” performance appraisal (1989-1999)
• Adjunct Faculty, Miami-Dade College (1995-1997)

EDUCATION

• Harvard Law School, Program on Negotiation (2014)
• University of Georgia, Juris Doctor (1985)
• University of Virginia, Bachelor of Arts, Foreign Affairs (1982)

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

• The Florida Bar
• The Bar Association of the District of Columbia

COMMUNITY SERVICE

Judge Spencer Eig featured in Time Magazine Crossword Puzzle – April 24, 2000
Emerging Wisdom School (Neytz haChochma), North Miami Beach – Past President

• Ad Hoc Committee on Executive and Legislative
• Structure, Dade County – Chaired blue-ribbon panel, elected by County Commission (1997)
• Zoning Appeals Board, Dade County – Member (1997-1998)
• Miami Beach Police-Citizens Relations Committee – Chairman (1998-2000)
• Miami Beach Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee – Member (2003)
• Miami Beach Youth Center Advisory Board – Member (2005)
• Agudah Israel of South Florida Commission on Civic Action – Chairman

Michael Christopher Grieco (born September 21, 1975) is an American attorney and politician. A Democrat, Grieco has served in the Florida House of Representatives since 2018, representing the 113th district. Grieco was born in New York City on September 21, 1975, and was raised on Long Island. He attended American University in Washington, D.C., receiving a bachelor of arts degree in 1997. In the same year, Grieco moved to Florida in order to attend the University of Miami, where he received a juris doctor degree in 1999.

After having been accepted into the Florida Bar, Grieco began his career as an assistant state attorney of Miami-Dade County, serving under Katherine Fernandez Rundle.[3][4] In 2006, Grieco moved to Miami Beach and began his own private practice as a criminal defense attorney, founding the law firm Michael Grieco Law Center.

In 2013, Grieco ran for the Miami Beach city commission, running in District 2 against incumbent Jorge Exposito. In the nonpartisan primary held on November 5, 2013, Grieco received 35% of the vote, placing second behind Exposito, who received 45% of the vote.[5] However, since no candidate received a majority of the vote, a runoff election was held on November 19, 2013, in which Grieco narrowly defeated Exposito, receiving 54% of the vote to Exposito's 46%.[6][7]

In 2017, Grieco ran for mayor of Miami Beach to replace term-limited mayor Philip Levine. Greico was an early frontrunner, alongside former state senator Dan Gelber.[8] However, on June 6, 2017, the Miami Herald reported that a political action committee named People for Better Leaders raised over $200,000 for the mayoral election.[4] Grieco initially denied any association with the PAC, and called the Miami Herald investigation fake news; however, the PAC was found to be tied to him via his handwriting on documents, and a string of donors, including high-profile Miami Beach vendors, developers, and lobbyists, who testified that Grieco solicited their donations.[3][4] The PAC was founded and led by Brian Abraham, a Coral Gables strip club manager, and Brian George, a bankrupted accountant, both associates of Grieco. Rundle, the Miami-Dade state attorney, began a criminal corruption probe regarding Grieco's association with the PAC.[3][9]

In late July 2017, Grieco dropped out of the mayoral election, opting instead to run for re-election to the city commission.[8] However, on September 25, Grieco dropped his bid for re-election as well.[10] During the investigation, prosecutors discovered that one of the people who donated to Grieco's PAC was Petter Hagland, a Norwegian millionaire who donated $25,000 to the PAC. The donation, made in the name of Tony Rodriguez-Tellaheche, a Miami Beach realtor and Grieco associate, violated both Florida law, which makes it illegal to donate money to a political campaign in another person's name, and federal campaign finance law, which disallows foreign nationals from financially contributing to American elections.[11]

On October 27, 2017, Grieco resigned from the Miami Beach city commission.[12] Later that day, he appeared in court and pleaded no contest to the misdemeanor charge of violating campaign finance law. Judge Samuel Slom sentenced Grieco to 1 year of probation, barred him from holding elected office during his probation period, and ordered him to pay a fine of $6,000.[13] On May 1, 2018, Grieco's probation was terminated 6 months early.

On May 4, 2018, just three days after the end of his probation, Grieco announced his candidacy for the 113th district in the Florida House of Representatives, seeking to replace retiring Democrat David Richardson.[14] Grieco easily defeated Republican J. P. Parker, a lawyer, in the general election receiving 62% of the vote to Parker's 38.[15]

In May 2020, allegations arose that while serving as the defense attorney for Quinton Dunbar, a Seattle Seahawks cornerback, regarding an armed robbery charge, Grieco allegedly paid off the victims and witnesses.[16][17] Grieco denied these allegations, and the Miramar Police Department and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement began an investigation regarding the alleged witness tampering. Both agencies found no clear evidence that Grieco had paid off the victims.[18] However, in July 2020, the Florida Bar opened an investigation into Grieco regarding both the witness tampering allegations and the previous campaign finance charge, which could lead to Grieco being disbarred.[18][19]

Grieco ran for re-election in 2020, and won a second term unopposed. On November 14, Grieco filed to run for Senate District 37 likely going against incumbent Ileana Garcia. The district will shrink to cover only a portion of Miami-Dade County’s coast, including parts of Miami, Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Sweetwater and West Miami

Senator Jason W.B. Pizzo is a proud father, husband, public servant and homeowner in a coastal community directly impacted by sea-level rise and climate change. After receiving his law degree at the University Of Miami School Of Law, he earned his reputation for compassion and determination as an Assistant State Attorney at the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office. In just under 5 years, he prosecuted over 35 jury trials to verdict, led a newly formed unit investigating cold cases throughout Miami-Dade, and successfully focused on crimes involving exploitation of the elderly, animal cruelty and violent crimes.

Additionally, he previously served as a clerk in the U.S. Attorney's Office. His honors include the M.A.D.D. Prosecution Award of Honor and the CALI Excellence for the Future Award for Criminal Procedure. Jason holds a Master's in Real Estate Finance and Development from Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP) and a B.A. from New York University. Jason's prior business experience also includes managing a private portfolio of development entities, for the acquisition, entitlement and construction of single-family, multi-family and commercial properties, where he is a partner.

Personal Life Jason remains an active member of the Florida Bar and the North Miami Beach community, where he resides with his wife April, who serves on the Eastern Shores Homeowner's Association, and his twin boys, Jack and Julian.

Carlos J. Martinez has dedicated his professional life to public service, using his legal talents in service of the poor. He arrived to Miami from Cuba on a 1969 Freedom Flight. Carlos learned the meaning of hard work and determination at an early age. Since he was 10 years old until he began working at gas stations, Carlos often helped his dad, Celedonio, after school. Carlos would mop floors and clean the Little Havana church where his father worked as a maintenance man and where his mother, Yara, was the church’s receptionist.

Carlos credits his parents and his religious upbringing for his passion for social justice and for helping the poor. “I am living my American dream. I am doing something I love. I am fortunate to work in an office with highly dedicated individuals where we can help people who are less fortunate and whose freedom and future well-being is in jeopardy. By serving as the Public Defender, I’m honoring my mother and father’s values and the sacrifices they made for us to live and prosper in a free country.”

At 16, Carlos was hired as a car wash attendant at an Exxon station. Within three years, Carlos was simultaneously managing six gas stations in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. He worked full-time to pay for his undergraduate college education. He attended Miami Dade College, the University of Texas-Austin and graduated from Florida International University with a B.A. in Political Science in 1985. In 1990, Carlos received his J.D. from the University of Miami.

Carlos represented indigent clients at the trial and appellate level in Miami-Dade, Florida and Bellingham, Washington. Before becoming the Public Defender, Carlos was a top administrator in the Public Defender’s office for 12 years and led litigation efforts, designed and implemented management and legal reforms, and drafted legislation and grant proposals.

He was elected public defender in 2008, and re-elected in 2012, 2016 and 2020 without opposition. Carlos is the first Cuban-American Public Defender and the only elected Hispanic public defender in the U.S. As public defender, Carlos manages an office of about 400 employees, handling approximately 70,000 cases each year.

“Fighting for individual rights and equal justice, for the downtrodden, the despised, the voiceless and the invisible, has not just given me great professional satisfaction, it has given meaning to my life,” Carlos said.

Carlos created volunteer initiatives such as the “Redemption Project” (helping former clients regain their civil and employment rights), “Play It Smart” (teaching young people how to interact with law enforcement), “Consequences Aren’t Minor” (educating adolescents and adults about the direct and collateral consequences of illegal behavior and arrest), the Equal Justice Roundtable (a faith community collaboration to address social injustice and improve public safety), a statewide public defender management training program, and Juvenile Justice CPR (Charting a Path to Redemption), a legal reform initiative designed to help troubled kids achieve the American dream. Carlos led the statewide effort to ban the indiscriminate shackling of detained children in juvenile courts. He has worked tirelessly to address the crisis of minority children being cycled from the schoolhouse to the jail house, and to protect the confidentiality of juvenile records.

Judge Daryl E. Trawick is a 1981 graduate of the University of Miami. He received his juris doctorate degree from Howard University in 1984, where he won national awards as a member of the school’s moot court team and served as Senior Associate Editor of the school’s law review. After graduating, Judge Trawick entered the United States Air Force as a military lawyer. He received numerous honors and awards during his service. He retired after 23 years of active and reserve duty as a Lieutenant Colonel in August 2006.

In January 1990, Judge Trawick became a federal prosecutor in the United States Attorney’s Office in Miami. While in that office, he prosecuted many cases, and served as Chief of the Special Prosecutions Section. In December 1997, Governor Lawton Chiles appointed Judge Trawick to the position of Miami-Dade County Court Judge, where he presided over domestic violence cases. In September 2000, Governor Jeb Bush elevated him to the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court, where he has served in the Criminal, Civil Family and Appellate Divisions of the court.

Judge Trawick has been an adjunct professor at St. Thomas University School of Law since 2004, teaching both Criminal Procedure and Military Justice. He has also served as an adjunct at Miami Dade College in the Paralegal Studies Program, where he has taught Fundamentals of Law, Legal Research, Legal Writing, Trial Preparation, Trial Practice and Appeals, Torts, and Business Law I and II.

Catherine McManus is an Assistant General Counsel with ten years’ experience in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court of Florida. She is assigned to the Appellate Division, and previously worked in the Complex Business Litigation Division. As an Assistant General Counsel, Catherine was honored to receive the G.E.M. (Going the Extra Mile) in 2018, as well as recognition for her volunteer work on the Circuit’s law library fundraisers. She earned her undergraduate degree from FIU on a full tennis scholarship, and was president and founder of the university’s Debate team. She earned her J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law, and was part of the school’s Moot Court team. She recently completed her LLM in taxation (online) at Boston University. In her free time, Catherine likes to spend time playing tennis and attending Toastmasters meetings.

Circuit Court Judge Maria de Jesus Santovenia received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Miami in 1983 and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1988. She was board certified in City, County and Local Government Law from 2005-2015.

Prior to taking the bench in January, 2013, she practiced for twenty-four years in both the private and public sectors, beginning her legal career as a judicial law clerk in Philadelphia. That experience inspired her to become a judge. Her legal practice focused primarily on complex commercial litigation. She also contributed to Everglades restoration in her representation of an Indian tribe and environmental interests in federal Clean Water Act suits. In addition to complex cases, she handled volume cases such as asbestos and foreclosure litigation. She also has significant appellate experience as an attorney both in Florida and Pennsylvania. Judge Santovenia also has quasi-judicial experience as a court-appointed arbitrator in Philadelphia where she heard civil cases with values up to $50,000.

She dedicated more than half of her legal career to public service as an assistant city attorney for the cities of Miami and North Miami Beach. She continues that public service as a Circuit Court judge having previously served in the Juvenile Delinquency Division for five years and in the Civil Division for 2.5 years. She currently serves in both the Appellate Division since May, 2020 and in the Civil Division since January 4, 2021.

Tom Kirkham, founder and CEO of IronTech Security provides cybersecurity defense systems and focuses on educating and encouraging organizations to establish a security-first environment with cybersecurity training programs for all workers to prevent successful attacks. Kirkham brings more than three decades of software design, network administration, computer security, and cybersecurity knowledge to organizations around the country.

Dr. Todd Giardina is a licensed psychologist and a proud team member of the Coral Gables Counseling Center (Coral Gables, FL). He has nearly 20 years of clinical experience, primarily focused on illness, wellness and healthy behavior change.

Dr. Giardina believes the first step in healing yourself is self-awareness, and taking responsibility for the problems in your life. He is like a personal fitness coach who will push you to meet your goals, help you stay on track, but ultimately it is your commitment towards your own healing that will make you physically, mentally, and spiritually stronger.

While not in session, Dr. Giardina spends time with his wife and partner of 20+ years and their amazing young daughter. He has a passion for fitness, wellness, and helping others reach a higher level of consciousness and unlock their full potential. Additionally, Dr. Giardina is also on the Board of Directors of Miami Bridge Youth and Family Services. He was born and raised in a suburb of New Orleans, Louisiana. He received his undergraduate education at the University of Texas at Austin, and completed his doctoral program at the State University of New York at Buffalo. He came to Miami to complete a postdoctoral fellowship at the Miami VA medical center.

Gayle combines her keen insight, professional training, and innate talents to create a fun and safe environment for her audiences and clients to explore their emotions and discover new possibilities for themselves that did not exist before. In 2018, Gayle left a 13-year career in the legal industry to follow her vision to help others . She is now a sought-after speaker, coach and healer.

Legal Ease Wellness was founded in order to address what Gayle found to be an epidemic within the legal profession: that of a high pressure, competitive environment which pays little or no attention to the mental, physical and emotional health and well-being of its workforce. Gayle holds certifications in Holistic Health Coaching, Massage Therapy, Sound Healing, and Reiki and combines these skills to create an unique approach which helps her clients to realize their full potential.

She has spoken for audiences from 3 to 1300 attendees at events such as:

• Paralegal Cruise www.paralegalcruise.com 2018 & 2019
• Florida Registered Paralegals Enrichment Committee 2020 & 2021
• Law Firms in New York and Florida 2018 & 2019
• Legal Ease Wellness Networking Event 2019
• New York City Paralegal Association 2019

Theodore Kypreos is a Shareholder and member of Jones Foster's Board of Directors. As an experienced trial and appellate attorney, Theo focuses his practice in the areas of probate and trust litigation, trust and estate administration, guardianship law, and fiduciary litigation. He represents corporate and individual fiduciaries, beneficiaries, and heirs in all probate, trust, and guardianship settings including will and trust contests, breach of trust actions, trustee removal and accounting actions, will and trust reformation and modification proceedings, contested guardianships, elective share proceedings, Florida homestead disputes, exploitation and tortious interference litigation, and matters relating to probate creditors’ claims.

Theo served as the 2014-2015 President of the Palm Beach County Bar Association, and he is a frequent lecturer for both the PBCBA and The Florida Bar on topics related to probate, trust and guardianship law. He is consistently recognized by peer and industry publications, including The Best Lawyers in America and Florida Super Lawyers, and holds an AV Preeminent® Rating from Martindale-Hubbell, the highest peer rating based upon legal ability and ethical standards

Marcus is in his 12th season with the Miami Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium, having joined the organization in 2010 after clerking for the Honorable Alan S. Gold (S.D. Fla.). In his time with the Dolphins organization, Marcus’ has focused on transformative capital projects, including the modernization of Hard Rock Stadium (2015), the Miami Open tennis campus (2018), the Baptist Health Training Complex (2020), and the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix (2021). Marcus resides in Miami with his wife, Lara Bueso Bach, who is also an attorney (Weil Gotshal & Manges) and currently serves as president of the Miami-Dade FAWL Foundation.

Vered is the Principal Attorney of Yakovee Law, a boutique sports and entertainment law firm with offices in Marina del Rey, California and Miami, Florida. Vered previously served as Vice President and Associate General Counsel for the Miami Heat and Associate Team Counsel for the Boston Celtics. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Sports Lawyers Association and on the Governing Committee of the ABA Forum on the Entertainment and Sports Industries. She teaches Sports Law at the University of Southern California.

Brandon serves as Deputy General Counsel at Inter Miami CF. He manages the daily legal operations for Inter Miami, DRV PNK Stadium, and related properties and companies, including the Inter Miami CF Academy and the Fort Lauderdale CF USL team. In addition to his work at Inter Miami, Brandon currently serves on the Florida Bar YLD Board of Governors and formerly served as Co-Chair of the American Bar Association YLD Entertainment & Sports Industries Committee. Prior to working at Inter Miami, Brandon worked in various in-house counsel roles over a 6.5-year span with the Miami Dolphins & Hard Rock Stadium. During his time with the Dolphins, Brandon was a key contributor to some of the organization’s largest deals, including the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix Circuit Rights Agreement and the Hard Rock Stadium Naming Rights Agreement.

Jan L. Jacobowitz is a legal ethics, social media, and technology expert who is the founder and owner of Legal Ethics Advisor. Jan provides legal ethics consulting, expert testimony, opinion letters, and CLE training to law firms and legal organizations. Recently, she has been involved in cases involving issues such as attorney fees, conflicts of interest, the unauthorized practice of law, and innovative collaborations to provide legal services.

For over a decade, she was the Director of the Professional Responsibility and Ethics Program (PREP) at the University of Miami's School of Law. Under Jan’s direction, PREP was a 2012 recipient of the ABA’s E Smythe Gambrell Award---the leading national award for a professionalism program. She continues to teach as a Lecturer at Miami Law.

Jan is a Past President of the Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers (APRL) and the co-chair of its Future of Lawyering Committee (FOL). As a co-chair of FOL, Jan participates in the ongoing national conversation concerning rethinking attorney regulation to address issues of access to legal services, the unauthorized practice of law, and lawyers partnering with nonlawyers.

Jan is also a member of APRL’s advertising committee and one of the co-authors of APRL’s 2015 Report on the Regulation of Lawyer Advertising and the Committee’s 2016 Supplemental Report, both of which laid the groundwork for the ABA’s recent revisions to the Model Rules of Professional Conduct pertaining to attorney advertising. Jan was previously APRL’s liaison to the ABA’s Standing Committee on Professionalism and served recently as the liaison to the ABA’s Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility. She was APRL’s 2019-2020 liaison to the ABA’s Center for Professional Responsibility Coordinating Counsel.

Jan is the co-author of the book, Legal Ethics And Social Media, A Practitioner's Handbook, and is among the first law school faculty throughout the country to teach Social Media and the Law. Jan also co-developed and teaches Mindful Ethics: Professional Responsibility for Lawyers in the Digital Age, which served as the catalyst for the book that she co-authored, Mindfulness & Professional Responsibility—Incorporating Mindfulness into the Law School Curriculum. Jan served as one of five members of the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and the Public Trust from 2018-2020. She was the Vice Chairman of Broward County’s Committee on Oversight of the Inspector General from 2011 until May 2018.

In 2018, Jan was nominated and then invited to become an American Bar Foundation Fellow, which is “a global honorary society of attorneys, judges, law faculty, and legal scholars whose public and private careers have demonstrated outstanding dedication to the highest principles of the legal profession and to the welfare of their communities. Membership in the Fellows is limited to one percent of lawyers licensed to practice in each jurisdiction. Fellows are recommended by their peers and elected by the Board of the American Bar Foundation.”

Jan has presented at hundreds of Ethics CLE Seminars and has been a featured speaker or panelist on topics such as Legal Ethics in Social Media and Advertising, Lawyer’s First Amendment Rights, Cultural Awareness in the Practice of Law, Cybersecurity, Mindful Ethics, Litigation Funding, eDiscovery, Conflicts of Interest, the Unauthorized Practice of Law, and Attorney Fees. She has also authored law review and journal articles in many of these areas.

Prior to devoting herself to legal education and legal ethics consulting, Jan practiced law for over twenty years. She began her career as a Legal Aid attorney in the District of Columbia; prosecuted Nazi war criminals at the Office of Special Investigations of the U.S. Department of Justice; and was in private practice with general practice and commercial litigation firms in Washington and Miami. Jan has a J.D. from George Washington University and a B.S. in Speech from Northwestern University. She is an active member of the Florida Bar, the D.C. Bar and the California Bar. She is also a certified civil court mediator. Jan and her family have made South Florida their home for the past 35 years.

Allen Bonner specializes in Florida and Eleventh Circuit appeals involving catastrophic personal injuries, product defects, breach of contract, and insurance coverage and bad faith. He studied at Oxford University and Brown University, graduating magna cum laude from Brown, before enrolling at Columbia University’s School of Law, where he was named a Harlan Fisk Stone Scholar, Jacob Berger Fellow, and Charles Evans Hughes Fellow. Allen was also an editorial board member for Columbia’s Human Rights Law Review. He is AV Preeminent rated by Martindale-Hubbell and has been recognized as one of South Florida’s 40 Under 40 Outstanding Lawyers by the CFF and as a Super Lawyers Rising Star by Super Lawyers Magazine.

Allen currently co-chairs the Miami Dade Bar’s Appellate Courts Committee and the Florida Bar Appellate Practice Section’s monthly webinar programming. He has been published in the University of Miami Law Review and has contributed work to ABA Appellate Practice Journal, the ABA “Sound Advice” Series, and to the Daily Business Review. His past and present pro-bono work includes serving as a volunteer appellate lawyer for the Mercer Law School’s Habeas Corpus Project and the Georgia Public Defender’s Standards Council; as a volunteer lawyer for the National Center for Refugee and Immigrant Children; as a legal panel member for the Greater Miami Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union; and as a fundraiser and event committee member for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Allen is licensed to practice law in Florida, Georgia, and the District of Columbia.

Michael T. Davis is a partner and attorney for Kuehne Davis Law, P.A., where his focus is primarily on complex state and federal litigation (civil and criminal trials, and appeals). Practice areas including criminal appellate, appellate practice, and civil rights are also part of Michael's docket. He is Board Certified in Appellate Practice by The Florida Bar. As an alumna from Stetson University on both the undergraduate and graduate levels, Davis decided to first pursue a degree in Political Science in the College of Arts and Sciences. After four successful years and having the privilege to serve as the Student Body President for his respected college, Davis decided to continue his profession and education at Stetson University College of Law. As a law student, Davis thrived in moot court competitions and had the honor to be elected as the Student Body President for the University’s College of Law. After earning his Juris Doctor, Davis became a federal law clerk to U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington in the Middle District of Florida, and then served as Assistant Public Defender for the Appellate Division in Miami-Dade County. During this time, he perfected his craft by practicing and arguing in trial and appellate courts including The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, the Florida Supreme Court, and the Third and Fourth District Courts of Appeal. Davis was part of the Trial Team that secured a jury verdict of not guilty on all charges for Miami Lakes Mayor Michael Pizzi, who had been indicted for federal public corruption charges, in a case that resulted in Pizzi's suspension being revoked, all charges dropped and legal fees dismissed. Michael T. Davis is a member of both The Florida Bar and the New York Bar. He serves as Vice President of the Miami-Dade Chapter of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, President-Elect of the Virgil Hawkins Florida Chapter of the National Bar Association, Secretary of the Stetson University Board of Trustees Board of Trustees, and sits on the Board of Directors for both the Dade County Bar Association and his church (Bread of Life Community Church).

County: Leon
Circuit: 02
Admitted: 09/29/1999
Law School: Florida State University College of Law, 1999
Practice Areas:
• Administrative • Appellate Practice • City/County/Local Government • Civil Litigation • Commercial Litigation • Constitutional • Criminal • Family • Government Administration and Regulation • Health Administration • Insurance • Law and Government/Procurement • Personal Injury Federal Courts: • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit • U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Florida • U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida State Courts: Florida
Firm: Law Offices of Mark V. Murray
Firm Size: 1
Firm Position: Private Law Practice

Dwayne Robinson is a partner at Kozyak Tropin & Throckmorton, and focuses his practice on complex litigation.

Dwayne is a trial-tested lawyer who has represented clients in dozens of appeals in federal and state court, including at oral argument before the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and Florida’s Third District Court of Appeal. Dwayne brings a practical and thoughtful approach in his representative matters. He has represented clients who have matters simultaneously pending in trial court and appellate court in the same or related cases, assisting them with advancing their litigation goals on multiple fronts. He interacts with clients daily, timely, and plainly. He proudly served as part of a litigation and appellate team that secured a victory before the United States Supreme Court.

Dwayne is a member of The Florida Bar; the Southern, Middle, and Northern Districts of Florida, the United States Court of Appeal for the Eleventh Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court Bar. Prior to law school, he was editor-in-chief of The Independent Florida Alligator at the University of Florida, then the largest daily independent, student-run newspaper in the country. He later worked for The Palm Beach Post, covering local government, politics, and the Florida legislature.

Dwayne received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and his Bachelor of Science in Journalism from University of Florida, where he also minored in Business Administration. He later received his Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from University of Florida Levin College of Law, earning the distinction of membership in the Order of the Coif. There, Dwayne served as Editor-in-Chief of the Florida Law Review. Thereafter, Dwayne clerked on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit with the Honorable Ed Carnes.

Prior to joining Kozyak Tropin & Throckmorton, Dwayne was a senior associate at a large local firm, where he focused on commercial litigation matters involving corporate governance disputes, foreign sovereign immunity, employment claims, and federal statutory causes of action.

Dwayne is a committed member of the community. He serves on the Board of Directors for The Lotus House women’s shelter in the Overtown district of Miami. He also served as governor on The Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division Board of Governors, representing Miami’s Seat 3 and as Vice President for the Wilkie D. Ferguson, Jr. Bar Association. He is past chairman of The Florida Bar’s Media & Communications Law Committee.

Elaine D. Walter is Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Appellate Practice. Elaine was born in Detroit, Michigan, and grew up in Western Pennsylvania. Elaine moved to Miami attending the University of Miami School of Law, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude. Elaine leads the firm’s appellate practice group and focuses on appeals and trial support. Before landing at Boyd Richards Parker & Colonnelli, Elaine was a staff attorney at the Florida Supreme Court. Elaine’s prior experience also includes working at a small Miami firm focusing on appeals in land use, planning, and zoning cases, briefly working at an international law firm, and practicing all appeals at a mid-sized firm that did predominately insurance defense work. Elaine is regularly recognized by Super Lawyers Magazine for appellate practice and rated AV Pre-Eminent by Martindale Hubbell. She is a member of The Florida Bar Appellate Practice Section’s Executive Committee, sitting as Chair of the Continuing Legal Education and Finance Committee. Elaine was also appointed by The Florida Bar’s President to the Appellate Court Rules Committee, currently acting as Chair of the civil rules sub-committee. As a Board Member of the Florida Defense Lawyers Association, Elaine helps to set policy for that defense-related organization and is a frequent brief writer for its Amicus Curiae Committee.

Yvette Lavelle is an associate at the Miami office. Yvette was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. After receiving her Bachelors of Arts in Political Science at Albion College she headed to Washington, D.C. where she worked as a Legislative Assistant to Congressman John D. Dingell. After spending nearly three years on the Hill, Yvette moved to San Diego, California to attend the University of San Diego School of Law where she wrote for the California Regulatory Law Review and provided free legal aide to low income residents with domestic violence claims and landlord/tenant disputes through the San Diego County Council.

While the West Coast has its charm, there is no place quite like Miami, Florida. In 2007, Yvette was barred in the State of Florida and began her employment with the Firm. Having spent nearly a decade with the Firm, Yvette’s practice has been focused primarily on federal claims alleging various civil rights violations, claims against employers alleging violation of employment and labor laws and professional malpractice claims against lawyers, psychologists, engineering firms, and Construction Engineering Inspectors (“CEI’s”) in their capacities as representatives of the Florida Department of Transportation, and Appeals.

Eric S. Kay is an attorney at Kozyak Tropin & Throckmorton. His practice focuses on complex litigation, class actions, and appeals.

Eric has experience litigating matters at the trial and appellate levels. He represents both plaintiffs and defendants in a wide variety of substantive areas, including business litigation, fraudulent and deceptive trade practices, products liability, and local government matters.

Eric has briefed numerous appeals before the federal courts of appeals, the Florida Supreme Court, and Florida’s district courts of appeal. In 2020, he was named by the Daily Business Review as one of South Florida’s Most Effective Lawyers in the appellate field for obtaining a reversal of an adverse liability ruling on behalf of a certified class of more than 97,300 Miami-Dade County homeowners whose residential citrus trees were taken and destroyed without compensation by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Prior to joining the Kozyak Tropin & Throckmorton, Eric served as a law clerk to Judge D. Michael Fisher of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and to Judge James I. Cohn of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

Eric received his J.D., magna cum laude, from Georgetown University Law Center, where he was elected to the Order of the Coif. He graduated with a B.A. in History and Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia. Eric currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Dade County Bar Association.

Ms. Williams enrolled in Law School after her brother's painful trial and incarceration. He is the Only Son of five children. Previously, she had over 20 years health care experience beginning in the Army and is still a Registered Nurse. She earned academic recognition in Trial Practice and other areas of Law, and was chosen by her graduating class as Commencement Speaker. After two standing ovations from Faculty, Law graduates, and the entire assembly for her speech "Lead Through Service," Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi stood before the entire assembly and offered her a job (hear the speech below).Ms. Williams' work has been featured on ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS, USA Today, The Grio, WOAK1380AM. She and her Team bring over 100 years of combined Trial and Appellate experience.

Dannie McMillon is a compassionate and dedicated advocate who is concerned about issues that affect the quality of life for children, youth and their families. She is on a mission to educate, empower and engage families. She gained much of her experience through her PTA involvement at the local, County Council, State, and National PTA Levels. She is a past Miami-Dade County Council PTA/PTSA President and former Florida PTA Secretary.

Her passion also flows through Community Involvement that includes: Bible Baptist Church, MDCPS Title I immediate Past DAC Chair, NAACP Miami-Dade Branch, Alpha Gamma Chapter of Eta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., Sisters N Sync, Miami-Dade County Black Affairs Advisory Board, Beta Tau Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., and League of Women Voters.

Serving as the NAACP Miami-Dade Branch Education Chair, Dannie’s task includes promoting parental involvement in education; seeking to eliminate segregation and other discriminatory practices in public education; investigating the effects of standardized and high stakes testing practices; teacher certification and stimulating better school attendance.

Dannie is married to Ellis, they have three sons and five grandchildren.

Scott D. Owens is a graduate of SUNY at Buffalo and New England School of Law and the founder of Scott D. Owens, P.A., which since 2011 has recovered millions of dollars on behalf of consumers throughout the United States. Scott has devoted his legal practice to defending consumers against intrusive and often fraudulent methods employed by retailers, debt collectors, and telemarketers. His deep commitment to pro-consumer litigation was spurred by his previous career at a debt collection law firm, where he witnessed how deceptive and aggressive business practices burden the lives of average citizens. In 2011, Scott was featured on the front page of the Sun-Sentinel in an article titled Ticked off at debt collectors calling their cellphones, Floridians are fighting back. He has litigated class actions in both state and federal courts for more than ten years, focusing on violations of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA), Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), and Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). Some of Scott’s more prominent settlements include: a TCPA class action, which recovered $12 million dollars in monetary damages; a FDCPA class action obtaining more than $5 million in debt relief and monetary compensation; and a $30.9 million-dollar FACTA settlement (the largest cash fund ever for a FACTA class action and the eighth largest settlement in Florida in 2017). In the past six months, Scott has been appointed as lead counsel on four class actions with settlements ranging from $2 million - $20 million dollars. Scott has been an active member of the National Association of Consumer Advocates (NACA) since 2007 and currently serves on the Partners’ Council of the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC).

Judge Lisa Walsh is a circuit court judge, currently presiding in the criminal division of the 11th Judicial Circuit of Miami-Dade, Florida, and has previously served in the civil and dependency divisions. From 2008-2011, Judge Walsh was a county court judge assigned to the civil division. Before becoming a judge, she practiced law for sixteen years, in both the trial and appellate state and federal courts, and also served as a Special Master for the City of Miami Beach. Judge Walsh received an “AV Preeminent” rating from Martindale-Hubbell and was named in Super Lawyers and Florida Trend Legal Elite.

Judge Walsh was the 2015-2016 President of the National Association of Women Judges, and served on NAWJ’s board for five years prior to assuming presidency. She is an adjunct professor of appellate advocacy at St. Thomas Law School. She has been part of the faculty and administration of Florida’s Advanced Judicial College, Florida Judicial College, and the Florida Circuit Court Conference education committee since 2008.

Prior to becoming a judge, Judge Walsh was the President of Miami-Dade Florida Association for Women Lawyers, Vice-Chair of a Florida Bar Grievance committee, a member of the Board of Directors for Legal Services of Greater Miami, where she was awarded for her commitment to equal justice, and a member of the Florida Bar Criminal Executive Council and the Appellate Rules Committee. Judge Walsh is the recipient of the 2018 Florida Bar Young Lawyer’s Division Outstanding Jurist Award, the 2018 MDTLA Judge Steven Levine Award, the 2017 Dade County Bar Association President’s Award as Outstanding Community Leader and the 2010 Judge Alan Schwartz Judicial Excellence award. She has received the “Devorah Judge” Award by the Miami Jewish Legal Society. She was named “Outstanding Woman in Government & Law” by the Miami-Dade Commission for Women, received the 2015 Mattie Belle Davis Award from Miami-Dade FAWL and the 2015Alumni Leadership Award by the University of Miami Law School. Judge Walsh has mentored for Educate Tomorrow and Big Brothers/ Big Sisters.

Judge Walsh obtained her undergraduate degree from Northwestern University and her law degree from the University of Miami School of Law. She is married to attorney David Rosendorf and is the proud mother of two children.

Ed focuses his practice on international commercial litigation and arbitration in which he is board-certified by the Florida Bar. He brings wide experience in litigating and arbitrating disputes involving various issues, including distribution agreements, joint venture agreements, and energy and construction disputes, and he has handled numerous investor-state arbitral disputes. In addition, Ed serves as an arbitrator, and is a member of the commercial panel of arbitrators for the American Arbitration Association and a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. An accomplished appellate lawyer, Ed has handled over 100 appeals in state and federal courts including the U.S. Supreme Court. Ed served as the inaugural chair of the Florida Bar Board Certification Committee for International Litigation and Arbitration. Ed had been fundamental in having the Florida Bar adopt this new certification, thought to be the first to recognize that area as board-certified specialty. Ed also serves as Revenue Officer of the Section of International Law of the American Bar Association, and formerly served as the Division Director for Disputes. He is a former co-chair of the International Litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution Committees of the Section of Litigation of the ABA. He is the former chair of the Florida Bar International Law Section and of the Appellate Rules Committee as well. Ed received the Best Lawyers™ 2015 International Arbitration - Commercial "Lawyer of the Year" award in Miami, has been awarded Legal Luminary in International by the Dade County Bar Association, and is noted in Legal 500 USA and Legal 500 Latin America. Ed is a 1990 graduate of the University of Florida College of Law (Order of the Coif and valedictorian), where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the Florida Law Review. Ed has been elected to the Board of Directors of the Miami International Arbitration Society.

Mr. Squires is based in Miami, Florida, yet works globally, and has lived in Panama, several States in the United States, Indonesia, the Netherlands, Mexico, and Brazil. He mediates multimillion-dollar domestic and international claims. Co-counsels International matters and petroleum industry related Personal Injury and Products Liability, and discrete Family Law issues. Court appointed Receiver and Mediator in Federal and State Court, and Guardian Ad Litem Foreclosures and Guardianships (including Guardian of The Property). Represent Brazilian Airliner Cross-Border (Chapter 15 Bankruptcy) bankruptcy representation in the United States, supervise and direct multistate litigation, and airline contract negotiations. Negotiated major mezzanine private bank and United States Small Business Administration loans including escrow payments. Led corporate restructurings, and served as Closing Agent for major commercial and residential closings including 1031 exchanges.

At ConocoPhillips, successfully worked and led Acquisitions, Executive, Operations, Engineering levels in Upstream and Downstream Oil & Gas, New Ventures, Power Generation, Technology, Music businesses. In 2000 and 2001, was Director of Content Management Universal Music Latin America, Squires lived and worked in the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Venezuela. After serving as President of Conoco Mexico, Ltd. 1994 – 1996, he ran a global energy and business – consulting firm from 1996 through 2001, dealing with sub-Saharan African and Latin American businesses and energy opportunities. ConocoPhillips recruited him in 1985, to work as Assistant Drilling Manager in Ventura, California. Squires held various Engineering, Operations, Management, Acquisitions, Business Development, and Executive positions in the United States, Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Middle East. Starting in 1980, Squires worked at ExxonMobil as Offshore Drilling Engineer in New Orleans, Louisiana. He designed and led complex offshore production and exploration drilling programs and procedures.

At ConocoPhillips, attended night Law School at Oklahoma City University Law School and University of Houston Law Center, earning a Juris Doctor from Oklahoma City University School of Law in 1993. At ExxonMobil, attended night MBA studies. Born and raised in the Republic of Panama, he came to the United States in 1976 to Engineering School; graduating from Texas A&M University — Bachelor of Science, Mechanical Engineering in 1980. Squires worked at the Panama Canal Company in early to mid 1976. Earned a Bachiller en Ciencias y Letras, Colegio San Agustín, Panamá 1975. He is a native Spanish speaker fully bilingual in English, fluent in Portuguese, French, and Italian; generally, speaks Dutch, Afrikaans, Hebrew, Japanese, and Greek. He is a Rokudan (6th Dan) in Tomiki Ryu Aikido co-founder of the International Aikido Alliance. Member Temple Adath Or in South Florida, recognized as Distinguished Member 2017. Oklahoma City University Law School recognized him as Outstanding Alumnus 2014. In 2011, the 11th Judicial Circuit of Florida and Dade Legal Aid recognized his firm with the Pro Bono Small Firm Award. He was Co-Chair of an 11th Judicial Circuit of Florida Grievance Committee. Recognized as a: Super Lawyer, Top Florida Lawyer, Top 100 Bet-The-Company Litigator.

Ryan Reetz, the managing partner of the Miami office, is a board certified specialist in international litigation and arbitration. He represents clients as trial counsel in both international and domestic commercial and regulatory disputes. His international disputes practice focuses on cases involving one or more foreign companies, persons, or governments, as well as disputes involving other interests of foreign countries, such as enforcement of foreign judgments or arbitral awards, international discovery, and service of process abroad. His practice also includes class actions, complex commercial litigation, and regulatory matters.

In addition to acting as counsel, he has served as an arbitrator in international commercial disputes. Mr. Reetz frequently writes and lectures on arbitration and litigation topics. He teaches transnational civil litigation and arbitration as an adjunct professor at Emory University School of Law, and taught the same subject at the University of Miami School of Law from 2003 to 2010. He also serves as a visiting professor at the University of Navarra School of Law in Pamplona, Spain, and was a 2015 Scholar-in-Residence at New York University School of Law. Mr. Reetz is also an instructor for trial skills programs of the National Institute for Trial Advocacy and has lectured at the Swiss Arbitration Academy and at a number of law schools, including Doshisha University, Marmara University, Istanbul Bilgi University and Istanbul Kültür University.

He is the coauthor (with Pedro J. Martinez-Fraga) of Public Purpose in International Law: Rethinking Regulatory Sovereignty in the Global Era, published by Cambridge University Press. Mr. Reetz currently serves as chair of the Florida Bar's International Litigation and Arbitration Board Certification Committee. He previously served as Chair of the Miami International Arbitration Society in 2017, and also chaired the Florida Bar International Law Section from 2013-2014. He is active in numerous other professional organizations, including the American Law Institute, where he has served on member consultative groups for the Restatement of the Law, The U.S. Law of International Commercial Arbitration and the Restatement (Fourth), The Foreign Relations Law of the United States, among others.

Carlos Federico Osorio Montealegre is an attorney based in Miami, Florida, founder of Osorio Internacional. He has earned an advanced specialization from The Florida Bar in international law and presently serves as Chairman of The International Law Section of The Florida Bar (2018-2019). He is tri-lingual (English, Spanish and Portuguese) and has practiced as an attorney in Miami since 2002, focusing mainly on international disputes of many kinds, from international commercial disputes, trust disputes, shareholder battles, marital disputes, intellectual property disputes, to frauds, currency frauds and assisting in criminal investigations. He litigates in State and Federal Court and has been admitted to practice in numerous Federal District Courts in the United States. The common factor in his practice is that he attends quite often to the high-net-worth entrepreneur and family businesses from Latin America and Europe and forms close relationships with his clients, stressing practicality and loyalty.

Mr. Osorio is quite comfortable working with his clients’ trusted advisors – accountants, lawyers and financial advisors – in foreign languages, and forms strong referral relationships, both domestically and internationally. Mr. Osorio is a litigator by training, but is also comfortable working in the role of outside general counsel and negotiator.

Mr. Osorio was a shareholder at a Miami-based international law boutique for close to a decade. He is a graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy (Cum Laude), Dartmouth College (Cum Laude), and the University of Miami School of Law (Cum Laude). While studying at Dartmouth College he learned Portuguese. Mr. Osorio is originally from Nicaragua and came to the United States very young as a result of the Nicaraguan Civil War. His direct ancestor is General Francisco Morazan, the only man to serve as President of the short-lived Central American Federation. He has very strong ties to Nicaragua and the Nicaraguan Community and serves on the Board of Directors of The American Nicaraguan Foundation (ANF) as well as serving on the Advisory Board of The Fabretto Foundation, both charities focused on assisting the poor in Nicaragua.

Mr. Osorio enjoys building fellowship with clients and colleagues throughout the world, with an emphasis in Latin America and Europe. His clients range from Mexico to Chile and beyond, and a typical day involves dialing many long-distance prefix codes and switching languages all day. He believes that Miami is an excellent base of operations, but his mindset is to be as international as possible.

Dirk Lorenzen is an attorney who represents clients in the Coral Gables, Florida area. Dirk Lorenzen is recognized by peers and was selected to Super Lawyers for 2006 - 2007, 2012 - 2022. This selection is based off of an evaluation of 12 indicators including peer recognition and professional achievement in legal practice. Dirk Lorenzen chose to pursue a career in law after completing undergraduate studies. He attended University of Miami School of Law and graduated in 1989. Dirk Lorenzen passed the bar exam and was admitted to legal practice in 1989. He represents clients with Family Law issues in Florida. He also represents clients with Appellate issues. Being selected to Super Lawyers is limited to a small number of attorneys in each state. As one of the few attorneys to garner the distinction of Super Lawyers, Dirk Lorenzen has earned the respect of peers as one of the top-rated attorneys in the nation.

Michelle Estlund is the founder and principal attorney of Estlund Law, P.A., located in Miami, Florida. Her practice focuses exclusively on criminal and INTERPOL defense cases, with an emphasis on the exposure of human rights violations and politically motivated and corrupt prosecutions. The majority of the charges faced by her clients are “white collar,” or financial crimes. She regularly advises international journalists, human rights organizations, and other attorneys on issues related to INTERPOL. Ms. Estlund has successfully represented multiple Red Notice subjects before INTERPOL, as well as having Red Notices modified or corrected. She has also achieved the removal of Yellow Notices for minors who were invalidly listed as missing or kidnapped. She writes extensively about INTERPOL matters on her blog, the Red Notice Law Journal.

Evelina Libhen is a Vice-Chair of the Miami Dade Bar’s ADR Committee. She is a Chair of the Florida Bar Eleventh Judicial Circuit Grievance Committee (C), a Supreme Court certified family mediator and a volunteer program mediator/arbitrator for the Florida Bar. Evelina has over twenty years of experience representing foreign clients in the U.S., both in litigation and in transactional matters. She has acquired substantial knowledge of EB-5-related frauds, helping clients recover misappropriated assets. Her commentary is often sought by the Russian media. She is a Forbes contributor and appeared on various TV and radio networks.

Marcia G. Cooke is a native of Detroit, Michigan. She received her law degree from the Wayne State University Law School in Detroit, Michigan, and is a graduate of the Georgetown University Edmund G. Walsh School of Foreign Service. Judge Cooke is an experienced trial attorney and lawyer and has held a variety of positions in the public and private sectors. She has served as a legal services attorney and a public defender, and as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of Michigan and with a private law firm.

Judge Cooke has also served as a United States Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of Michigan. Relocating to Florida in 1992, Judge Cooke served as an Executive Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida for seven years. In 1999, Governor Jeb Bush appointed her to serve as the Chief Inspector General for the State of Florida, responsible for promoting accountability, integrity, efficiency and ethical behavior in the agencies under the jurisdiction of the Executive Office of the Governor. At the time of confirmation to the Federal Bench in 2004 , she was an Assistant Miami-Dade County Attorney.

Relocating to Florida in 1992, Judge Cooke served as an Executive Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida for seven years. In 1999, Governor Jeb Bush appointed her to serve as the Chief Inspector General for the State of Florida, responsible for promoting accountability, integrity, efficiency and ethical behavior in the agencies under the jurisdiction of the Executive Office of the Governor. At the time of her nomination to the Federal Bench, she was an Assistant Miami-Dade County Attorney.

In addition to her other responsibilities, Judge Cooke is an adjunct professor at the University of Miami School of Law teaching litigation skills, is an adjunct professor at St. Thomas University School of Law, and has also served as an adjunct professor at Wayne State University Law School. She is a long-time faculty member of the National Institute of Trial Advocacy (NITA), has taught at trial practice and litigation programs throughout the country, and lectured on issues related to trial practice and litigation. She serves on the Georgetown University African American Advisory Board. Judge Cooke is a member of the Board of Governors and served as the national President of the Georgetown University Alumni Association. She was elected to the University’s Board of Directors in 1998.

On April 4, 2019, Judge Altman was confirmed to a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. At 36, he became the youngest federal district court judge in the country—and the youngest federal judge ever appointed in the Southern District of Florida. Judge Altman received a BA from Columbia University, where he played quarterback on the football team and pitched for the baseball team—earning All-Ivy honors. Judge Altman received his JD from the Yale Law School, where he was projects editor of the Yale Law Journal. After law school, the Judge clerked on the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals for the Honorable Stanley Marcus.

Judge Altman then became a federal prosecutor at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Miami, where he twice received the Director of the Executive Office of U.S. Attorneys’ Award for Superior Performance by a federal prosecutor. In 2013, Judge Altman was named “Federal Prosecutor of the Year” by the Miami-Dade Chiefs of Police and the Law Enforcement Officers’ Charitable Foundation. In 2014, Judge Altman became a partner at the Miami law firm of Podhurst Orseck, where he represented the victims of airplane crashes and bank fraud conspiracies.

TBA

Juan Antonio “Tony” Gonzalez serves as the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. Prior to assuming this role, Mr. Gonzalez served as the District’s Acting U.S. Attorney and, before that, the First Assistant United States Attorney. Mr. Gonzalez has been an Assistant United States Attorney in South Florida since 1998. He is a career prosecutor who has held various supervisory positions with the office. From 2002 to 2009, Mr. Gonzalez served as Deputy Chief of Narcotics in charge of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force (HIDTA). In 2009, Mr. Gonzalez assumed the position of HIDTA Operations Coordinator for both the Miami-Dade and Broward County HIDTA Units and, in 2011, he took the dual roles of HIDTA Operations Coordinator and Deputy Chief of Narcotics in charge of HIDTA.

He continued in those roles until 2019, when he was selected to serve as First Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. Throughout his federal career, Mr. Gonzalez has investigated and tried an array of complex, high-profile cases. In United States v. Battle, et al. for example, following a six-month trial, Mr. Gonzalez secured RICO conspiracy convictions and a $1.4 billion forfeiture verdict against members of a criminal enterprise charged with various murders, arsons, acts of illegal gambling, money laundering, and narcotics trafficking.

Other notable cases prosecuted by Mr. Gonzalez include securing a money laundering conviction and significant sentence against Spanish drug lord Alvaro Lopez Tardon, and United States v. Solorzano et al., where he prosecuted a complex international money laundering investigation involving the Venezuelan parallel market. Mr. Gonzalez also participated in the investigation and ultimate guilty plea of Luis Gustavo Moreno Rivera, the Colombian Attorney General’s Director of Anticorruption; was part of the prosecution team obtaining convictions in the billion-dollar NTR/Elemetals gold money laundering prosecutions; and was the lead prosecutor securing the conviction of French national Gal Vallerius a.k.a. Oxymonster, the senior moderator of the Dark Web drug marketplace Dream Market.

Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mr. Gonzalez began his career as a prosecutor at the Miami-Dade County State Attorney’s Office. Mr. Gonzalez spent most of his seven years in the State Attorney’s Office in the Racketeering/Organized Crime and Public Corruption Unit where he specialized in long-term, wiretap investigations of corrupt police officers and organized crime figures. In that unit, Mr. Gonzalez spent four years as a cross-designated Special Assistant US Attorney (SAUSA) for the Southern District of Florida. As a SAUSA, Mr. Gonzalez successfully tried several organized crime cases in federal court.

Mr. Gonzalez is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist and frequently lectures domestically and abroad in the areas of international money laundering, narcotics trafficking and trans-national organized crime. Mr. Gonzalez received his law degree from the University of Miami School of Law in 1991, and his undergraduate degree (Bachelor of Arts in Psychology) from the University of Miami in 1988. Under the Vacancies Reform Act, Mr. Gonzalez served as the Acting United States Attorney from March 28, 2021 to October 23, 2021. Mr. Gonzalez assumed the role of United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida on October 24, 2021, after U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland appointed him to the position.

MICHAEL CARUSO has been the Federal Public Defender for the Southern District of Florida since 2012. He joined the office in 1997. After graduating from the University of Florida College of Law, Mr. Caruso served as a law clerk to the Honorable William J. Zloch, United States District Judge for the Southern District of Florida.

Sarah I. Zabel is a former judge of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court, Civil Division, in Florida. She served on the bench from 2003 to 2018. Zabel, who holds her bachelor’s degree from Florida State University and law degree from Nova University, got her start at MDC. After graduating from law school, she worked as an assistant division chief for Florida’s Child Support Enforcement Program. She later ran her own private practice, specializing in family and civil law, and was a certified circuit court mediator for the family and civil court.

Maria Espinosa Dennis is a judge for the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court, Family Division in Miami-Dade County, Florida. She was elected to the Circuit Court bench in 2000. Judge Espinosa Dennis graduated with her B.S. in political science and government from Florida International University in 1981. She went on to earn a JD from the University of Miami School of Law in 1984. Before joining the bench, Espinosa Dennis had served as an assistant state attorney. While on the Circuit Court, she has presided in the Family Division, where she serves as an assistant administrative judge.

David Young is a judge for the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court, Family Division in Miami-Dade County, Florida. He was first elected to the Circuit Court bench in 2000. After serving for seven years on the Circuit Court, Judge Young took a hiatus from his judicial position t host his nationally syndicated court tv show called Judge David Young. His show ran for 4 seasons, earned Emmy award nominations for two of those years and later re-elected to a seat on the Circuit Court in 2016.

Judge Miesha Shonta Darrough is currently a Miami-Dade County Court Civil Judge at the Dade County Courthouse. Prior to her appointment, Judge Darrough was an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida for five years. During her time at the Miami office, she served as Special Counsel to the U.S. Attorney. She also worked in the Appellate, Major Crimes, and Economic Crimes divisions where she investigated and prosecuted numerous federal cases. Before joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Judge Darrough worked for the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office where she served as a Felony Division Chief and prosecuted hundreds of cases.

Judge Scott Janowitz is a County Court judge in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida. He was appointed to the County Court bench by Governor Ron DeSantis in April 2020 and is currently an Associate Administrative Judge in the county civil division, presiding at the Coral Gables Branch Courthouse. Judge Janowitz is a born and raised native of Miami. He obtained his Bachelor of Science degree from Carnegie Mellon University where he majored in Economics. He worked as a technology and business consultant for 3 years but then decided to attend law school and received his JD from the University of Miami School of Law in 2005. Judge Janowitz started out his legal career spending 3 years at the Broward State Attorney’s Office. In 2009, Judge Janowitz went into civil practice doing property insurance defense at Berk, Merchant & Sims. In 2015, Judge Janowitz founded the law firm of Janowitz & Barreto, practicing property insurance and criminal defense. The firm merged into Geyer Fuxa Tyler in 2019, where he practiced until his appointment.

The firm was established by Roy Weinfeld after his extensive experience with two prestigious Miami law firms. Mr. Weinfeld sought to bring his fine training in the areas of commercial and creditors’ rights litigation to better service his diverse clientele. The firm aims for excellence in its aggressive litigation approach yet tempers it with high standards of decorum in the courts and among counsel. Statement of Practice Summary: Creditors' Rights in Bankruptcy, Collections, Evictions, Foreclosures, and Replevins Year Established: 2000 Roy L. Weinfeld, P.A. has represented institutional and private lenders, equipment floor and floor plan finance companies, auto finance companies, commercial, residential property owners and management companies, and small businesses.

She is a Senior Staff Attorney at Legal Services of Greater Miami where she has been representing tenants in residential evictions since 2009.

Jose Arrojo is the Executive Director of the Miami-Dade County Commission on Ethics and Public Trust. The Ethics Commission is an independent County Charter agency and the principal ethics entity for Miami-Dade County and its 34 municipalities. The Commission is charged with interpreting and enforcing County and municipal ethics ordinances that govern the conduct of local elected officials, employees, board members, and government lobbyists.

Mr. Arrojo previously served as Chief Assistant State Attorney and direct report to the elected State Attorney in one of the largest prosecutor's offices in the nation. Amongst his duties, he supervised high profile and sensitive investigations and prosecutions involving allegations of misconduct by elected officials and public employees, including law enforcement officers. In time away from government, Mr. Arrojo focused his practice on the representation of local government employees in labor & employment, civil rights, and work-related misconduct cases, before administrative forums, and the state and federal courts. He served as counsel to police, corrections, and general employee unions.

Mr. Arrojo lectures extensively on local government ethics and criminal justice matters and he has held adjunct faculty and instructor positions with Barry University, Miami-Dade College, and the University of Miami. He has been active in voluntary Bar activities with the Florida Bar, the American Bar Association’s Criminal Justice Section, and the American Prosecutors Association, and has held leadership positions within those entities. Mr. Arrojo received his law degree from The Florida State University College of Law and his undergraduate degree from the University of Miami. He admitted to the Florida Bar, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, and the U.S. Circuit Court for the Eleventh Circuit.

Miriam Soler Ramos was appointed Coral Gables City Attorney in 2017. Ramos is the chief legal officer and general counsel for the City, serving as counsel to the City Commission, City Officials, and City Departments, providing legal opinions and interpretations on behalf of the City, and supervising the City Attorney’s Office and outside counsel. She is Board Certified by the Florida Bar in City, County, and Local Government Law.

Prior to her appointment as City Attorney, Ramos served as the Deputy City Attorney and City Prosecutor beginning in March 2015. In this role, she worked closely with the City Clerk and the City Attorney. Additionally, she advised the City Commission and City departments on agenda items and upcoming projects. As the City Prosecutor, she prosecuted cases before the Code Enforcement Board, oversaw the City’s Police Legal Advisors, and supervised the Justice Advocate Program. She also served as counsel to the Historic Preservation Board, the Forfeiture Asset Fund Committee, and oversaw outside counsel along with the City Attorney and issued legal opinions interpreting the City Code.

Ramos has more than 18-years of government experience including nine in local government ethics. Before joining the City, she served as Deputy General Counsel and Deputy Advocate for the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust (COE). During her tenure at the COE, she participated in numerous panel discussions, provided training, and appeared on radio and television discussing ethics in government. Notably, she was invited by the U.S. Department of State to speak on corruption-fighting initiatives. Ramos led in the drafting and issuing of many ethics inquiries and opinions. She also led prosecutions for violations of the Miami-Dade County Ethics Code and other ordinances under their jurisdiction.

She also served as an Assistant State Attorney in Miami-Dade County. During her time as a prosecutor, she served in the Career Criminal Unit as well as the Domestic Crimes Unit. Her time at the State Attorney's Office provided her with the opportunity to gain invaluable trial experience while representing the citizens of the State of Florida. Ramos holds a Bachelor of Science in Communications and Political Science and a Juris Doctor from the University of Miami. While in law school, she was a founding member of the Citizens' Health Rights Education Project at the Center for Ethics and Public Service.

As an active participant in legal organizations in 2020, Ramos was elected to serve as President Elect of the Cuban American Bar Association (CABA) where she has served as a Director since 2015. She serves on the Executive Council of the City, County and Local Government Law Section as well as the Law Certification Committee of the City, County and Local Government Law Section. Additionally, she serves on the Government Relations Committee of the Dade County Bar Association and is a member of the Florida Association of Women Lawyers, the League of Prosecutors, Coral Gables Bar Association, and the City Attorney Committee for the Miami-Dade League of Cities. She also served two terms on the Florida Bar’s Professional Ethics Committee, Diversity and Inclusion Committee (Vice Chair for 2017-18) and Special Committee on Parental Leave, and currently serves on the Mental Health and Wellness Committee. And is on the Board of Directors for the University of Miami Law School Alumni Association.

Committed to her community, she has been a mentor in Take Stock in Children, a member of the Educational Excellence School Advisory Council, and served on the board of the Children's Home Society, Miami Chapter for six years. Throughout the years she has been recognized for her leadership including receiving the 40 Under 40 Outstanding Lawyers of Miami-Dade County Award in 2013 and the University of Miami Law Alumni Leadership Award in 2017. She has been named to the Legal Elite- Government & Non-Profit Attorneys for 2018, 2019 and 2020.

Mr. Wysong serves as the Police Legal Advisor for the City of Miami Police Department. In that capacity, he handles matters which affect the Police Department and provides counsel and advice to the Chief of Police and his staff, litigates contraband forfeiture cases, prepares legal bulletins for dissemination to the sworn police officers, and provides advice and counsel to the City's Emergency Operations Center in times of emergency. In addition to those duties, Mr. Wysong also reviews contracts and agreements relating to the Police Department and drafts legislation relating to quality of life issues. Mr. Wysong also supervises the General Government Division of the Office.

Education: Juris Doctorate (1993), St. Thomas University School of Law; Bachelor of Arts (1988), St. Thomas University.

Michael A. Genden was a well-respected trial attorney for 22 years before taking the bench as a Circuit Court Judge in Miami-Dade County. During his 24 year judicial career, Michael served for 13 years in the civil division and most recently for 4 years in the probate division. During his time on the bench, Michael would often mediate difficult cases at the request of his fellow judges. Michael brings a wealth of legal, judicial and mediation experience to the firm’s panel of distinguished neutrals.

Michael is available to mediate in any of our South Florida offices and in the attorneys’ offices upon request.