Sabrina Puglisi

Sabrina Puglisi is a Florida Board Certified Criminal Trial attorney since 2008. Prior to starting her own firm, Puglisi Law, in 2011, she has the unique experience of having worked for both the Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office and the Federal Defender’s Office for the Southern District of Florida where she gained invaluable experience as a trial attorney handling hundreds of different cases from pre-trial to trial. She was admitted to the Florida bar in 2000 and practices Federal and State Criminal law Defense.

Stuart Weissman

Stuart J. Weissman is a partner of Ratzan Weissman & Boldt. He focuses his practice on catastrophic negligence, medical malpractice, products liability, wrongful death, and commercial disputes. Mr. Weissman and RWB are frequently retained to handle cases throughout the state and the country. Beyond Florida, Mr. Weissman has handled cases in states including Alabama, Arkansas, California, Rhode Island, and Texas.

Stuart has obtained a multitude of six, seven, and even eight-figure settlements and verdicts. For example, alongside his partner, Stuart N. Ratzan, he obtained a $23 million verdict in a medical malpractice case in Charlotte County, Florida. The $23 million verdict in a medical malpractice lawsuit for a mother whose daughter was born with a severe brain injury is believed to be the largest civil jury verdict in the county’s history. For this achievement, the Daily Business Review recognized Mr. Ratzan and Mr. Weissman for their achievements by being finalists for the Daily Business Review annual Most Effective Lawyers recognition award.

Roger Slade

Roger Slade is a shareholder with the Miami law firm of Haber Law. Mr. Slade is an AV-rated commercial litigator with over 33 years of litigation experience.  Throughout his career, Mr. Slade has handled all types of litigation matters including business fraud, class-actions for both Plaintiffs and Defendants, real estate litigation, privacy litigation, commercial collection matters, employment discrimination claims, general business disputes and international family law matters. Mr. Slade was recently elected to Florida Super Lawyers for the tenth year in a row. Mr. Slade’s clients range from public companies, real estate developers, financial institutions to small businesses and individuals.

Mr. Slade is currently serving as the President of the Miami Dade Bar. He is also a frequent contributor to the Miami-Dade County Bar Bulletin and has authored numerous articles on litigation skills and trial practice. Mr. Slade was formerly an editor of the International Litigation Quarterly, a publication of the American Bar Association. Mr. Slade’s scholarship on litigation can now be found on his blog, which enjoys a substantial readership.

Charise A. Morgan-Joseph

Charise A. Morgan-Joseph is a Trial Attorney with Zurich, N.A., representing and protecting the interest of the company's insured in all phases of litigation in complex liability matters. A former Administrative Law Judge for the Department of Labor in Atlanta, Georgia, Ms. Morgan-Joseph graduated from Florida International University with a B.A. in Political Science and English Literature. She attended Mercer University School of Law, earning a Juris Doctorate degree, Certificate in Legal Writing, and the CALI Award for Appellate Practice and Procedure. She is licensed to practice in Georgia and Florida.

Ms. Morgan-Joseph currently serves as the Vice President of the Miami-Dade Bar, on the Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division Board of Governors, the Florida Bar Civil Procedure Rules Committee, and the Florida Bar Standing Committee on Professionalism. She is an avid world traveler, on a quest for adventure.

Retired Hon. Joseph P. Farina, retired Chief Judge of the 11th Judicial Circuit, is a highly regarded active and effective settlement neutral who managed the resolution of countless complex matters as a Judge for over thirty years. 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. Named by Dade County Bar Association Legal Luminary Mediation Award as "Best Mediator," Mr. Farina served as a Circuit Judge in the Circuit Civil Division of the 11th Judicial Circuit in Miami-Dade County, Florida prior to joining JAMS. 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.

Retired Hon. Melvia Green is an accomplished former jurist with over 20 years of progressive judicial experience at both the trial and appellate court levels. As a state trial judge for seven years, she served as the fact-finder in over 500 bench trials and presided over 375 jury trials of claims involving admiralty; breach of contract and complex commercial; insurance; business and property torts; consumer law; healthcare; construction; franchise; partnership disputes; trade secrets; privacy law; maritime; RICO; class actions;

foreclosures; commercial and residential landlord/tenant disputes; professional malpractice; employment; product liability; transportation; injunctions; 1983 actions; securities; and anti-compete actions.  As a state appellate judge for over 14 years, Judge Green extensively reviewed and evaluated trial court and administrative decisions for legal correctness and authored over 1,000 published legal opinions. As a result, she has acquired in-depth knowledge of various substantive and procedural areas of the law. Prior to judicial career, Judge Green served as a senior litigation attorney representing corporate clients in complex commercial, securities and tort actions before state and federal courts and arbitration proceedings.

Retired Hon. 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 Miami-Dade 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.

Ronald Ravikoff, Esq. has been a JAMS neutral since 2012 and has been on the American Healthcare Lawyers Association panel of neutrals since 2014. He is a Certified Florida Mediator and a member of the Florida Academy of Professional Mediators. Mr. Ravikoff has years of experience in mediation, arbitration, complex litigation, and dispute counseling. His dispute resolution practice focuses on complex commercial matters with a particular emphasis on matters involving healthcare, parallel civil and criminal proceedings including False Claims Act matters, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act matters, antitrust and trade regulation, class actions, financial institution litigation, securities litigation and regulatory proceedings, and trade secrets matters. He is a retired senior litigation partner of Akerman Senterfitt. Prior to Akerman, he was the Managing Partner of the Miami office of Zuckerman Spaeder for over 25 years. Mr. Ravikoff has handled numerous ADR matters both as an advocate and neutral – as an attorney, mediator, arbitrator and hearing neutral. He has distinguished himself for helping parties to successfully work through complex disputes without the need for litigation.

Patricia H. Thompson, Esq. arbitrates and mediates with JAMS Miami, concentrating her practice in complex, commercial litigation disputes as well as construction, employment, financial insurance and international business matters. Ms. Thompson is regularly listed by 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 the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and the American College of Construction Lawyers. Before joining JAMS in 2017, Ms. Thompson enjoyed a successful career for 40 years as trial lawyer and arbitrator. She has long been active in the ABA, chairing the Fidelity and Surety Law Committee of the Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section and co-chairing the Construction Litigation Committee of the Litigation Section. She is a frequent author and lecturer for both ABA sections, the Forum on Construction, and the Florida Bar Association.

Retired Hon. John W. Thornton, Jr., retired Judge 11th Judicial Circuit, joined 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 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.

Edith Osman served as the second female President of the Florida Bar. Prior to leading the Florida Bar, Edith was president of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers (FAWL) in Miami-Dade County and then statewide; the Florida Supreme Court Historical Society; the First Family Law American Inn of Court, and the Council of Voluntary Bar Presidents. As President of the Florida Bar, Edith created the Commission on the Legal Needs of Children, which issued a report that spurred the Florida Legislature to enact laws which greatly improved the legal representation for children in the state. Nationally, Edith serves in the ABA as State Delegate for Florida to the House of Delegates, a member of the Nominating Committee, and Chair of the Committee on Meetings and Travel. She has been a member of the ABA House of Delegates for 20 years, and served on the ABA Board of Governors for three years. Within our community she is on the Executive Committees of the Anti-Defamation League and Temple Beth A. The serves on the Boards of the University of Miami Law Alumni Association, the Holocaust Memorial of Miami Beach and Florida Women of Achievement. Edith’s practices in the area of matrimonial and family law, and mediation. She has significant experience representing clients in dissolution of marriage proceedings, resolving complex family law disputes, post-divorce modifications and enforcement proceedings, child custody and time-sharing disputes, equitable distribution of marital assets, negotiating and drafting pre- and postnuptial agreements, and paternity actions. Edith is a trained collaborative professional who works with teams of neutral mental health and financial experts to resolve family law cases out of court. Edith is a skilled Florida Supreme Court certified family and civil mediator. She enjoys using her collaborative skills to resolve controversial disputes. Widely recognized for her contributions, she has received the David W. Dyer Professionalism Award from the Dade County Bar Association; the Anti-Defamation League’s Jurisprudence Award; the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Daily Business Review; South Florida Business Journal’s Most Influential Women Award; the Greater Miami Jewish Federation’s Community Service Award; the Rosemary Barkett Outstanding Achievement Award from FAWL; the Henry Latimer Professionalism Award from the University of Miami School of Law; the In the Company of Women Award from Miami-Dade County; and Breaking the Glass Ceiling Award from the Ziff Museum. For the past 20 years, Edith has practiced at Carlton Fields. She is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubell and has been recognized as a top family attorney by Best Lawyers in America, Florida Trend’s “Florida Legal Elite”, South Florida Legal Guide’s Top Lawyers, Florida Super Lawyers, AVVO, Who’s Who in American Law. Ms. Osman graduated from the University of Miami School of Law, cum laude, while attending full time as a mother of a two-year-old and a six-year-old.

Judge Samantha Ruiz Cohen 

Samantha Ruiz-Cohen is a judge of the Florida 11th Circuit Court. Ruiz-Cohen began her legal career working in the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office, where she became a Division Chief, supervisor and Office Training Director. She has also taught as an adjunct professor at Florida International University. Ruiz-Cohen won re-election for judge of the Florida 11th Circuit Court outright in the general election on November 8, 2022, after the primary and general election were canceled. She was elected to the circuit court on August 24, 2010, and was officially sworn in to office in February 2011. She was re-elected to a new six-year term in 2016.

Judge Jack Helinger

Jack Helinger is a judge of the Florida 6th Circuit Court. Helinger worked as a lawyer prior to his appointment to the circuit court in 2006. He is also a former prosecutor of the State Attorney's Office. Helinger won re-election for judge of the Florida 6th Circuit Court outright in the general election on November 8, 2022, after the primary and general election were canceled. Helinger was appointed to the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court by Gov. Charlie Crist on December 5, 2008.

Judge Hope Bristol

Judge Bristol was elected to the bench in the 17th Judicial Circuit in 2005 and was assigned to the Unified Family Division/Dependency Division. She was the Chairperson of the Dependency Division for over 8 years and is currently the Administrative Judge for all of the Unified Family Court Divisions. She created and presides over an Early Childhood Court division in her Circuit which has been very successful as well as the Dependency Drug Court division and the Juvenile Drug Court Division and she has been instrumental in involving the 17th Judicial Circuit with the Model Court Initiative.

 She began her career as an Assistant State Attorney in Broward County where she worked for ten years. She was assigned to the Sex Crimes/Child Abuse Unit for the majority of her time in that office. Prior to being elected to the bench, Judge Bristol had a private family law practice for five years. Judge Bristol was appointed by the Supreme Court of Florida to the Steering Committee on Children and Families, and now serves as the Chairperson for that committee.  She recently stepped down from her assignment as the Dependency Court Improvement Panel chairperson, where she provided tireless leadership for several years. She is also appointed by the Supreme Court of Florida as a Mentor Judge for new judges to the 17th Judicial Circuit.  Judge Bristol is also a faculty member of the Florida Judicial College and also serves as the Co-chair for the Florida Courts Opioid Initiative.   

Judge Wesley Tibbals

In March 2015, Governor Rick Scott appointed Judge Wesley Tibbals to the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court, and he took the bench on May 8, 2015.  He is assigned to the Unified Family Court Division and, as of July 30, 2017, he is the administrative judge for the division.  Prior to this appointment, Judge Tibbals focused his career representing clients in both federal and state courts handling business disputes, contractual claims, products liability, and labor and employment issues.  In 2014, the Hillsborough County Bar Association recognized Judge Tibbals for his pro bono service with the Jimmy Kynes Award, the highest award for pro bono service in Hillsborough County.  Judge Tibbals earned both his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Florida and is proud to be a Florida Gator.

Judge Diana Tennis

After earning her JD from the University of Florida, Judge Tennis has had a flourishing career in the legal system from her time as a Circuit Judge in Osceola County to now in 2023, the Administrative Circuit Judge of Domestic Relations. 

Adriana Cioara 

Adriana Cioara is an attorney for The Ward Law Group, PL and manages the attorneys, investigators/intake department, along with LITIFY - the Firm’s case management software.  Adriana Cioara is a visionary who strategically implements effective techniques in order to bring sound business ideas to fruition. She is enamored with the business realm and has intertwined it with her true passion of the law as conduit to providing justice to the clients and establishing systems and process for the Firm.

Adriana Cioara earned her Juris Doctor (J.D.) in 2015 from Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School.  She received the Fitzgerald Student Award and Leadership Achievement Award, along with making the Dean’s List in 2014 and 2015.  In addition, Adriana Cioara worked with the following organizations: Christian Legal Society, Irish Association, Phi Delta Phi, Phi Alpha Delta, and the Student Bar Association.  She held positions as the American Bar Association Law Student Division as Treasurer, Vice President and Interim President.  Further, she participated in pro bono work for Service to Soldiers at Camp Grayling in Michigan, interned at The Sixty Plus, Inc., and externed with the Honorable Rosemarie Aquilina in the 30th Circuit Court for Ingham County, Michigan.  Adriana Cioara is currently admitted to the Florida Bar.

Jany Martinez-Ward

Jany Martínez-Ward is a Founding and Managing Partner of The Ward Law Group, PL, a Florida law firm representing victims of car accidents. She focuses her practice on providing legal representation to Hispanic clients that have become injured in a car accident as a result of the negligence of others. In 2018, The National Trial Lawyers Association recognized Jany as one of the top attorneys in the state and among the top 40 under 40 attorneys. Throughout her career, she has been committed to advocating on behalf of Hispanics and creating awareness of changing local, state, and federal laws and regulations regarding auto accidents, as well as providing legal representation when needed.

Angelica Jimenez

Attorney Jimenez has focused her practice on immigration. With experience in the areas of complex and general civil litigation, she has handled a wide range of matters, from defense litigation and residential transactions to Deportation Defense, Professional Work Visas (H1B), Labor Certifications, Investor Visas, Intra-Company Transfer for Executives (L1), Individuals with Extraordinary Ability Visa (O-1), Family

Petitions, Waivers, Religious Missionary Visas (R-1), Visa Extensions, Asylums, Fiancee Visas, etc. She has built her practice with the core principle that every client deserves individualized attention. Attorney Jimenez is dedicated to walking her clients through the often complex legal process, understanding the stress and confusion her clients face.

Suzette Russomanno 

Suzette L. Russomanno is a partner at the firm’s Miami office. She focuses her practice on commercial litigation, complex tort litigation, construction defect litigation, and medical malpractice defense. Russomanno is a trial attorney who defends companies against claims involving contractual disputes, catastrophic personal injuries involving a wide variety of negligence claims, and wrongful death claims. She has also litigated medical malpractice matters for hospitals, doctors, and other healthcare providers. Mrs. Russomanno has successfully tried cases to verdict, including obtaining favorable verdicts in favor of a Fortune 500 corporate client. She interned for the Honorable Jose E. Martinez, United States District Court judge for the Southern District of Florida, as well as for the Miami-Dade Office of the State Attorney.

Schuyler Smith 

Schuyler A. Smith is a partner in the firm’s Miami, Florida office. Ms. Smith concentrates her practice on commercial litigation matters, as well as, defending, significant personal injury, premises liability, and products liability lawsuits. She represents major hotels and resort chains, retailers, Fortune 500 companies, insurers, cruise lines, governmental entities, 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. Ms. Smith has been consistently recognized as a Florida Super Lawyers “Rising Star” since 2014 and has been recognized as a Best Lawyers by The Best Lawyers in America in 2022.

Allen Bonner

South Florida Appeals, P.A., based in Miami, Florida, is a solo appellate practice headed by attorney Allen Bonner.  Allen handles appeals and assists lawyers in civil cases of all sorts, including personal injury, wrongful death, product defect, commercial contract, class actions, and insurance and bad faith disputes. He is licensed to practice law in Florida, Georgia, and the District of Columbia. Allen was formerly a trial lawyer at the Miami public defender's office, an associate at Ver Ploeg & Lumpkin (now Ver Ploeg & Marino), and a partner at Colson Hicks Eidson, where he led the appellate division. 

Before becoming a lawyer, Allen graduated from Brown University magna cum laude and from Columbia University’s School of Law as a Harlen Fisk Stone Scholar, Charles Evans Hughes Fellow, and Jacob Berger Fellow. He also studied at Oxford University, England. Allen co-chairs the Miami Dade Bar Association’s Appellate Courts Committee and the Florida Bar Appellate Practice Section’s webinar programming. He has been published in the University of Miami Law Review, the ABA Appellate Practice Journal, and on the ABA’s “Sound Advice” podcast series.

Judge Bronwyn Miller

Judge Bronwyn C. Miller currently serves as a judge on the Third District Court of Appeal. She received her Juris Doctor cum laude from the University of Miami School of Law and Bachelor of Arts from Barnard College at Columbia University. Prior to her appointment to the bench, she was a prosecutor at the Miami-Dade County Office of the State Attorney from 1997-2005.  Judge Miller was a Division Chief in the Felony Unit and Training Director.  She also served as an adjunct professor at Florida International University.

Judge Miller has received the Alan R. Schwartz Professional Excellence Award, the Judge Steve Levine Award, the Miami-Dade Commission on the Status of Women in the Company of Women “Outstanding Woman in Government” Award, Millennium Movers “Celebration of Urban Professional Women” Mover and Shaker Award, the Women Who Rock Award, The Conference of County Judges Leadership Award, the South Florida Hispanic Chamber Community Service Award, and the Equal Justice Leadership Award.  She has been recognized by the Florida Senate for her work with the Miami-Dade County Grand Jury.

Judge Stephanie Williams Ray

Judge Ray graduated with honors from Florida State University College of Law in 1995. She began her legal career as an associate attorney at Ausley & McMullen, P.A. in Tallahassee, Florida where she gained experience in litigating complex commercial cases under the guidance of Senior Partner Dubose Ausley. In 2000, she accepted a position as the Associate/Assistant Dean at Florida State university College of Law. For the next eight years she worked with Dean Donald J. Weidner who taught her the leadership skills and work ethic that have provided the basis for her great professionalism and personal integrity today. These two special mentors, Duby Ausley and Don Weidner, were invited to speak at Judge Ray’s recent investiture.

Judge Ed Artau

Artau, of West Palm Beach, is the son of Cuban Americans whose family fled from Cuba to the United States to escape tyranny and pursue liberty. Artau has been a Judge for the Fifteenth Circuit since 2014 and previously served as the General Counsel for the South Florida Water Management District. He received his bachelor’s degree from Nova Southeastern University and his law degree from Georgetown University.

Chief Judge Brian D. Lambert 

Before he became a judge, Lambert had about 20 years of experience as a private practice attorney. In that time, he argued 25-30 jury trials, 40-50 non-jury trials, and 1 case for administrative bodies (government agencies) to completion. He spent the first 10 years mainly specializing in civil and probate cases, along with some criminal and domestic relations. After that he created his own firm, where he mostly worked in insurance defense, with some construction litigation.

Chief Judge Meredith L. Sasso

Judge Sasso was raised in Tallahassee, Florida. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Florida in 2005 and her law degree from the University of Florida in 2008, where she was a member of the Justice Campbell Thornal Moot Court Board. Judge Sasso began her career in private practice, representing clients in large loss general liability, auto negligence, and complex commercial claims in state and federal courts at trial and on appeal. She also served as a guardian ad litem, representing abused or neglected children. In August of 2016, Judge Sasso joined the Office of the General Counsel to Governor Rick Scott where she ultimately served as Chief Deputy General Counsel. In this role, she represented the Governor in litigation before the Florida Supreme Court, the First District Court of Appeal, and state and federal trial courts, among other duties. Judge Meredith L. Sasso joined the Fifth District Court of Appeal in January 2019, after being appointed by Governor Rick Scott.

A Sarasota native, Judge Susan H. Rothstein-Youakim graduated from Pine View School in 1987. She graduated in 1990 from Duke University with a B.A. in Russian, cum laude, and in 1993 from the University of Florida College of Law, where she was an Executive Articles Editor on the Florida Journal of International Law.

After law school, Judge Rothstein-Youakim moved to Tampa and began her career as a law clerk to the Honorable Charles R. Wilson, United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, who was then a federal magistrate judge.  In January 1995, Judge Rothstein-Youakim joined the Appellate Division of the United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida. There, she represented the United States and its client agencies in criminal, civil, and post-conviction appeals in the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, personally drafting more than 600 briefs and presenting approximately 60 oral arguments. She also served as an instructor at the Department of Justice's National Advocacy Center in Columbia, South Carolina.

In May 2016, Governor Rick Scott appointed Judge Rothstein-Youakim to the Second District Court of Appeal, and she began her service on the court on July 5, 2016. She is active in the Bruce R. Jacob-Chris W. Altenbernd Criminal Appellate American Inn of Court and received its Altenbernd Award for Excellence in 2015. She also serves as a mentor to students in elementary school, college, and law school.

Helen Wan

A little about me: I was born in California and raised in Virginia. I’m a graduate of Amherst College and the University of Virginia School of Law. Before becoming a writer, I practiced law in New York City for a lot of years. People ask whether my book is autobiographical. Well, like Ingrid (protagonist of THE PARTNER TRACK), I’m an Asian American woman, and I’m a lawyer. After law school I landed at a big firm in Manhattan, whose corporate culture felt utterly unknown and unknowable to me. I might as well have landed on the moon. What struck me most were the patterns I observed as to who was sinking and who was swimming, who sat where (and with whom) in the cafeteria, and why all of this seemed to be playing out this way.

Unlike Ingrid, who (this is not a spoiler!) battles it out for BigLaw partnership, I left BigLaw to join a media and entertainment firm, and later became Associate General Counsel at a large media and entertainment company. So while my book is decidedly fiction, it was very important to me to write as realistic, authentic, and unvarnished a portrayal of corporate life as possible — as experienced by a young woman of color trying to figure it all out.

Aaron Daniel

Aaron is a Board Certified Appellate Attorney who dedicates his entire practice to appeals and trial support.  Aaron has argued before all five Florida District Courts of Appeal, and regularly practices in the Federal Bankruptcy Courts, District Courts and the Circuit Courts of Appeals.  Aaron serves as Vice Chair of the Florida Bar's Appellate Court Rules Committee.

Aaron grew up abroad in Africa and Europe, returning to his birthplace of Atlanta, Georgia to complete high school and attend Emory University.  Aaron’s early experience abroad drew him to the international city of Miami, which he now calls home.  Aaron graduated from the University of Miami School of Law magna cum laude in 2012. Aaron is author of the legal research newsletter The Bitcoin Brief, which examines legal issues surrounding Bitcoin from an appellate attorney’s perspective.

Abbigail Webb

General Counsel for a multistate privately held automotive dealership enterprise, with a background in litigation in the areas of business, consumer finance, and banking law. Expertise in dispute resolution and enterprise risk reduction. Economic empowerment and financial literacy teacher. Bitcoin technology advocate. Licensed and admitted in: Florida; the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeal; and United States District Courts for the Southern, Middle, and Northern Districts of Florida.

Jose Lemus

Jose Lemus is a seasoned entrepreneur and Bitcoin expert, known for his innovative contributions to the digital currency industry. As the Co-founder and CEO of IBEX, he has been instrumental in developing a fast, secure, and user-friendly platform that empowers individuals worldwide to receive Bitcoin payments with ease.

Today, Jose is committed to expanding IBEX's global reach by offering cutting-edge technology and seamless experiences to enterprises seeking to integrate cross-border, cross-currency payments, and micropayments into their products and services. IBEX provides LaaS (Lightning as a Service) infrastructure to clients worldwide, empowering them to deliver the benefits of Bitcoin and other digital currencies to their customers. By doing so, IBEX strives to extend financial services to the unbanked and underbanked, creating a more inclusive global economy.

Juan Gomez

Co-Founder of Lightsats, Juan is a part of Bitcoin class of '21 and an Affiliate Marketer for the past 10+ years with an immense interest in building some products on the lightning network. Born in Colombia, raised in Canada, and now based out of Miami.

Judge Robert Luck

Judge Robert J. Luck was appointed to the Third District Court of Appeal by Governor Rick Scott, and took his seat on March 6, 2017. Judge Luck served, before his appointment, on the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court of Florida from September 2013 to March 2017, and presided in the Criminal, Civil, and Appellate Divisions. Judge Luck, in his years as a trial court judge, tried seventy jury trials, and heard dozens of appeals from the county court and municipal agencies. Judge Luck was appointed to the circuit court in 2013, and elected by the voters of Miami-Dade County to retain his seat in 2016.

Prior to his service on the bench, Judge Luck was an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. Judge Luck, in his years as a federal prosecutor, was assigned to the Appeals, Major Crimes, and Economic Crimes Sections of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Judge Luck tried nineteen jury trials before the federal district court, and argued three appeals to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. In his final year in the Office, Judge Luck was a Deputy Chief in the Major Crimes Section.

Earlier in his career, Judge Luck was a legislative correspondent for two United States Senators, a law clerk and staff attorney to Circuit Judge Edward E. Carnes on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, and a part of the Greenberg Traurig firm’s appellate section. Judge Luck received his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law magna cum laude, and was asked to join the Order of the Coif. Judge Luck also served as Editor-in-Chief of the Florida Law Review. Judge Luck received his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Florida with highest honors.

Sandra Ramirez Loe

Sandra Ramirez Loe is a member of the Litigation Practice in Greenberg Traurig’s Miami Office.  Ms. Loe represents clients in arbitration as well as in federal and state courts throughout litigation and appellate proceedings.  Prior to joining Greenberg Traurig, served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Bronwyn C. Miller of the Third District Court of Appeal of Florida.  After her clerkship, she joined a national full-service law firm as an associate, where she represented clients in matters involving constitutional rights, fraud, post-acquisition disputes and breach of contract.  

During law school, Ms. Loe was selected to intern for the Florida Supreme Court, the State Attorney’s Office, and the Securities and Exchange Commission, as part of their honors legal program.  Additionally, while attending law school, she served on the executive board of several student associations, including as the founding deputy editor-in-chief of the World Arbitration and Mediation Review.  During her last year and prior to her clerkship, Ms. Loe also worked at a boutique firm in Miami, counseling and representing individuals and small businesses.

Judge Adalberto Jordan

Adalberto Jordan currently serves as a U.S. Court of Appeals judge for Eleventh Circuit. He was nominated by President Barrack Obama and was sworn in early in 2012.

Previously Jordan served as a U.S. District Court judge for the Southern District of Florida. From 1994 to 1999, he worked in the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Southern District of Florida, initially as an assistant U.S. attorney and eventually as a U.S. attorney and chief of the Appellate Division. He practiced law for five years at Steel, Hector & Davis in Miami, after serving as a judicial clerk for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Thomas Clark. Additionally, Jordan has taught as an adjunct law professor at the University of Miami for nearly 30 years.

Jordan earned his bachelor's and law degrees from the University of Miami.

Robert “Beau” Blumberg

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), appointed to the Florida Courts Technology Commission by the Florida Supreme Court 2022-2024, American Bar Association, Board of Directors of the Miami Dade Bar (2022-2024), and Board of Directors of the Young Lawyers Section of the Miami Dade Bar Association (2020-2024) and President Elect of the MDB YLS (2022-2023). 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. 

David Emas

Mr. Emas joined Falk Waas in 2019 and became a partner in 2021. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Emas served as an Assistant State Attorney in Miami-Dade County where he tried approximately 30 jury trials. He handles claims involving auto, trucking and rideshare liability, general and premises liability and medical malpractice matters. Mr. Emas has been recognized as a Rising Star by Florida Super Lawyer Magazine.

Mary Caroline Cravatta

Mary Caroline (“M.C.”) Cravatta is an associate and litigation attorney with Foley & Lardner LLP. M.C. is based in the Orlando office where she is a member of the Labor & Employment Practice Group.

M.C.’s practice represents management clients in connection with a wide variety of complex labor and employment matters. As a litigator, she practices in both state and federal court and regularly handles matters involving employment and civil rights issues arising under federal statutes (including Title VII, the Americans With Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and the Fair Labor Standards Act), equivalent state statutes, and common law causes of action. Additionally, M.C. litigates and counsels employers and other corporate clients regarding restrictive covenant law and related considerations. She handles both single-plaintiff lawsuits and complex, multi-plaintiff litigation, including class and collective actions.

M.C. understands that labor and employment issues involve real people and real business concerns. She enjoys collaborating with her clients to create effective and creative solutions that not only address their legal obligations and responsibilities, but also serve the best interests of their organizations as a whole.

Lauren Allen

Lauren M. Allen is an Associate in the Miami office of Shutts & Bowen LLP, where she is a member of the Class Action & Mass Litigation Practice Group.

Lauren focuses her practice in personal injury protection litigation matters, specializing in the interpretation and application of automobile insurance policies.

Prior to joining the firm, Lauren focused her practice on international commercial and civil litigation in both state and federal courts.  During law school, Lauren interned for the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and The Honorable John F. McCabe of the District of Columbia Superior Court. Additionally, she was a student attorney for the Civil Advocacy Clinic and a member of the Mock Trial Honor Society.

Erin Weinstock

Erin Weinstock focuses her practice in the areas of construction and casualty litigation. She represents contractors, developers, and design professionals in construction defect claims and disputes. Erin also represents clients in personal injury and premises liability matters.

While in law school, Erin worked as a legal intern for the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office.

Caitlin Ward
Caitlin Ward is a Product Marketing Manager at DISCO. Prior to joining DISCO, Caitlin practiced commercial litigation with a focus on healthcare and medical device litigation, as well as class action defense, at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips before transitioning to a trial firm where she represented clients in the fields of finance, energy, insurance, manufacturing, and law in a wide range of litigation matters, including white collar investigations, intellectual property, product liability, and malpractice. Caitlin earned her J.D. from the University of San Francisco, where she was the articles editor for the Intellectual Property Law Journal.

Edward G. Guedes

A Fellow of the prestigious American Academy of Appellate Lawyers and ranked by Chambers USA in appellate law, Ed Guedes is widely known for his representation of business and government clients in high-stakes appeals. His in-depth knowledge and experience were further recognized when he was nominated in 2008 to fill a vacancy on the Florida Supreme Court.

Ed is also Board Certified in Appellate Practice by the Florida Bar. He has litigated dozens of appeals before the Florida Supreme Court, Florida’s district courts of appeal and the U.S. Courts of Appeals in a wide variety of matters, including medical malpractice, premises liability, probate, First Amendment and constitutional litigation, family law, state and federal administrative rule-making and regulation, home rule authority and preemption, election law, civil rights, land use and zoning, intellectual property and labor and employment issues.

Ed’s clients span a diverse range of industries, from a national supermarket chain to local governments. He works with each client to develop cost-effective litigation strategies that clarify and shape the law, ultimately advancing their broader business goals.

Ed represented more than 40 city and county governments in defending a $200 million federal class action lawsuit involving red-light camera programs  across Florida. His successful strategy in numerous state court proceedings, which culminated in a unanimous Florida Supreme Court decision upholding the legality of the programs, led to a decisive dismissal of the class action. In another appellate victory, Ed represented the manufacturer of the breath-alcohol testing instrument used in Florida in a legal battle over the company’s source code. Ed’s strategic approach to trial court and appellate proceedings led to a change in existing case law in Florida and establishing new precedent, when the Florida Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision in his client’s favor.

Ed is regularly quoted in the media on his high-profile cases. As a Fellow of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers, he belongs to an exclusive group of only 350 attorneys who practice at the highest standards of appellate advocacy in the country.

When he is not practicing law, Ed can be found singing with the choir at Miami Beach’s St. Patrick’s Catholic Church.

Anne Flanigan

Anne R. Flanigan is a civil litigator, representing both public and private clients in a wide range of cases.

Her litigation practice includes federal civil rights matters, personal injury, contract disputes, and real property claims, and she actively practices in both federal and state court.

Anne also has an active trademark law practice that includes the registration and enforcement of trademarks for both municipal and private clients.

Prior to joining the firm, Anne served as a federal law clerk to the Honorable William J. Zloch of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. In law school, Anne received the Archibald R. Murray Public Service Award for her clinical work in the IP Law Clinic, her role as a high school debate coach with Legal Outreach, and for her work with the Queens District Attorney’s Office. She also served as an Associate Editor with the Fordham Intellectual Property, Media, and Entertainment Law Journal.

Anne is active in the local federal bar community, having been appointed to two federal magistrate selection panels and serving on the board of directors for the Broward Chapter of the Federal Bar Association.

Prior to attending law school, Anne was a cast member of Riverdance – The Show and is also a champion Irish dancer. She remains active in the arts community in a leadership role of the Broward Performing Arts Center’s young professionals group, which is committed to inspiring a new generation to support the performing arts.

Alicia Gonzalez

Alicia Gonzalez represents private and public sector clients in litigation involving real property and local governments. As a former lawyer for the Florida Department of Transportation, Alicia leverages her experience to represent clients in the areas of eminent domain and inverse condemnation. She also handles complex litigation involving acquisition and valuation of private property rights, governmental regulation of private property, and business disputes.

Prior to joining the firm, Alicia served as a Senior Attorney and an Assistant General Counsel for the Florida Department of Transportation. There she served as lead trial counsel in several multi-million dollar eminent domain and inverse condemnation lawsuits. She worked closely with Department officials to draft and negotiate      intergovernmental contracts for roadway projects, and advised the Department in property acquisition, access management, permitting, zoning, and forfeiture. Her work at the Department on large capital improvement and property acquisition projects provided Alicia with a strong background and the knowledge to counsel clients and litigate a wide range of issues including property acquisition, governmental operations, transportation planning, facility design, and project construction. Alicia’s work included collaborating  with transportation experts in many disciplines, including appraisal, engineering, land planning, construction, and architecture, and she has extensive knowledge about the critical roles of those areas of expertise in complex litigation.

While in law school, Alicia served as a summer intern for the Honorable Judge Shelby Highsmith of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.  She was appointed Articles Editor for the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) Quarterly Journal, and was awarded the Manuel and Ana Maria Benitez Award for Clinical Excellence for her work representing indigent immigrants in the George Washington University Immigration Clinic.

Alicia is a native of South Florida and is fluent in Spanish.

John A. Greco

Mr. Greco is the Deputy City Attorney over the Litigation and Appeals and Labor and Employment Divisions.  He is also Chief Appellate Counsel where he litigates and handles appeals in the areas of constitutional, governmental, land use, zoning, contract, tort, civil rights, labor and employment law.  He is Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Appellate Practice. Previously, Mr. Greco worked in private practice in the areas of insurance defense, insurance coverage, commercial and business litigation, and appeals. He also worked as an Assistant Attorney for the Miami-Dade County School Board and clerked at the Florida Second District Court of Appeal and the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida.

He is the author of the articles titled: "Appeals of Local Government Decisions: Constraints on Judicial Review Before, During, and After the Appeal" (Stetson Law Review); "Second-Tier Certiorari: Adverse Precidential Effect as a Predicate for Finding a 'Miscarriage of Justice' in Government Appeals" (FIU Law Review);  "The Fourth Amendment and Mass Demonstrations: Does the Dispersal of Protestors by Law Enforcement Constitute a 'Seizure'?" (IMLA Municipal Lawyer Magazine); "Zoning and Internet Adult Businesses: The Cases of Voyeur Dorm & Flava Works" (IMLA Municipal Lawyer Magazine); "Mootness and Federal Claims: Amending or Repealing City Ordinances in Response to Litigation" (IMLA Municipal Lawyer Magazine); "Excessive Force and Electric Stun Devices-Recent Jurisprudence on the Use of Tasers by Law Enforcement" (IMLA Municipal Lawyer Magazine); and " Litigation of the Narrow Exception to Sovereign Immunity for Known Hazards or Traps" (City, County and Local Government Law Section of Florida Bar Newsletter). He has lectured in the areas of appellate, civil rights, constitutional, governmental, zoning, land use, labor and employment law.

Sabrina Puglisi

Sabrina Puglisi is a Florida Board Certified Criminal Trial attorney since 2008. Prior to starting her own firm, Puglisi Law, in 2011, she has the unique experience of having worked for both the Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office and the Federal Defender’s Office for the Southern District of Florida where she gained invaluable experience as a trial attorney handling hundreds of different cases from pre-trial to trial. She was admitted to the Florida bar in 2000 and practices Federal and State Criminal law Defense.

Stuart Weissman

Stuart J. Weissman is a partner of Ratzan Weissman & Boldt. He focuses his practice on catastrophic negligence, medical malpractice, products liability, wrongful death, and commercial disputes. Mr. Weissman and RWB are frequently retained to handle cases throughout the state and the country. Beyond Florida, Mr. Weissman has handled cases in states including Alabama, Arkansas, California, Rhode Island, and Texas.

Stuart has obtained a multitude of six, seven, and even eight-figure settlements and verdicts. For example, alongside his partner, Stuart N. Ratzan, he obtained a $23 million verdict in a medical malpractice case in Charlotte County, Florida. The $23 million verdict in a medical malpractice lawsuit for a mother whose daughter was born with a severe brain injury is believed to be the largest civil jury verdict in the county’s history. For this achievement, the Daily Business Review recognized Mr. Ratzan and Mr. Weissman for their achievements by being finalists for the Daily Business Review annual Most Effective Lawyers recognition award.

Roger Slade

Roger Slade is a shareholder with the Miami law firm of Haber Law. Mr. Slade is an AV-rated commercial litigator with over 33 years of litigation experience.  Throughout his career, Mr. Slade has handled all types of litigation matters including business fraud, class-actions for both Plaintiffs and Defendants, real estate litigation, privacy litigation, commercial collection matters, employment discrimination claims, general business disputes and international family law matters. Mr. Slade was recently elected to Florida Super Lawyers for the tenth year in a row. Mr. Slade’s clients range from public companies, real estate developers, financial institutions to small businesses and individuals.

Mr. Slade is currently serving as the President of the Miami Dade Bar. He is also a frequent contributor to the Miami-Dade County Bar Bulletin and has authored numerous articles on litigation skills and trial practice. Mr. Slade was formerly an editor of the International Litigation Quarterly, a publication of the American Bar Association. Mr. Slade’s scholarship on litigation can now be found on his blog, which enjoys a substantial readership.

Charise A. Morgan-Joseph

Charise A. Morgan-Joseph is a Trial Attorney with Zurich, N.A., representing and protecting the interest of the company's insured in all phases of litigation in complex liability matters. A former Administrative Law Judge for the Department of Labor in Atlanta, Georgia, Ms. Morgan-Joseph graduated from Florida International University with a B.A. in Political Science and English Literature. She attended Mercer University School of Law, earning a Juris Doctorate degree, Certificate in Legal Writing, and the CALI Award for Appellate Practice and Procedure. She is licensed to practice in Georgia and Florida.

Ms. Morgan-Joseph currently serves as the Vice President of the Miami-Dade Bar, on the Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division Board of Governors, the Florida Bar Civil Procedure Rules Committee, and the Florida Bar Standing Committee on Professionalism. She is an avid world traveler, on a quest for adventure.

Ret. Justice Raoul Cantero

Former Justice Raoul G. Cantero was appointed to the Court on July 10, 2002, by Governor Jeb Bush. He is the first Justice of Hispanic descent to sit on the Court. Before his appointment, he was a shareholder and head of the Appellate Division of the law firm of Adorno & Yoss in Miami.  He specialized in civil and criminal appeals at all levels, and also has extensive experience in commercial litigation. He has been Board-certified in appellate practice since 1995. After joining the Adorno firm in 1988, Justice Cantero handled more than 250 appeals and more than 100 oral arguments. He handled appeals in all five District Courts of Appeal of Florida and in the Florida Supreme Court, as well as several in the United States Circuit Courts of Appeal and in the United States Supreme Court.

Chief Justice Carlos Muniz

Chief Justice Carlos G. Muñiz was appointed to the Florida Supreme Court on January 22, 2019. Prior to joining the Court, he served on the staff of Secretary Betsy DeVos as the presidentially-appointed, Senate-confirmed general counsel of the United States Department of Education. In addition to working as an attorney in the federal government and in private practice, Justice Muñiz had an extensive career in Florida state government. He served as the deputy attorney general and chief of staff to Attorney General Pam Bondi as deputy chief of staff and counsel in the Office of the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives; as general counsel of the Department of Financial Services; and as deputy general counsel to Governor Jeb Bush. After law school, he clerked for Judge José A. Cabranes of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and for Judge Thomas A. Flannery of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

Justice Charles Canady

Justice Charles Canady was appointed to the Florida Supreme Court by Governor Charlie Crist and took office on September 8, 2008. From November 1984 to November 1990, Justice Canady served three terms in the Florida House of Representatives, and from January 1993 to January 2001, he served four terms in the United States House of Representatives.  Throughout his service in Congress, Justice Canady was a member of the House Judiciary Committee.  For three terms, from January 1995 to January 2001, Justice Canady was the Chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution. Upon leaving Congress, Justice Canady became General Counsel to Governor Jeb Bush.  He was appointed to the Second District Court of Appeal for a term beginning November 20, 2002. He served as Florida's 54th Chief Justice from July 2010 through June 2012. He was elected by his colleagues to serve as Chief Justice for a second time starting July 1, 2018, and a third time starting July 1, 2020.      

Justice Jorge Labarga

Justice Jorge Labarga, began his legal career in 1979 as an Assistant Public Defender with the Public Defender's Office in West Palm Beach. In 1992 Justice Labarga participated in founding the law firm of Roth, Duncan & Labarga, P.A., in West Palm Beach, where he continued to specialize in personal injury litigation and criminal defense. Governor Lawton Chiles appointed Justice Labarga to the Circuit Court of the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit, in and for Palm Beach County, in 1996. In that capacity he served in the family, civil and criminal divisions. He also served as the administrative judge of the civil division.

Justice John Couriel

John D. Couriel is the 90th Justice of the Florida Supreme Court. Prior to his appointment, he was a partner at Kobre & Kim LLP, where he worked on cross-border disputes and investigations. He was previously an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, an attorney at Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, and law clerk to Judge John D. Bates of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He earned his J.D. from Harvard Law School and A.B. from Harvard College.

Justice Jamie Grosshans

Justice Jamie Grosshans, Justice Jamie R. Grosshans was appointed to the Florida Supreme Court on September 14, 2020. Previously she was appointed to the Fifth District Court of Appeal in 2018. Prior to her appointment to the appellate court, she served as an Orange County Court Judge in the Ninth Judicial Circuit of Florida where she presided over criminal and civil matters. During law school, she clerked for the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Mississippi. She has served on state court system advisory committees and has been involved in numerous activities with the Florida Bar and other legal organizations. Justice Grosshans regularly speaks to lawyers and law students on topics such as challenges in the practice of law, the role of judges, professionalism and respect in the legal profession, criminal law, and family law.                                  

Judge Jennifer D. Bailey 

Judge Jennifer D. Bailey has been a circuit court judge in Miami, Florida, the fourth largest state court jurisdiction in the country, for 30 years. She is the Administrative Judge for the 25-judge Circuit Civil Division, and handles a docket of Complex Business Litigation cases, and previously served in the Family and Criminal Divisions. During the pandemic, she served as leader of the Pandemic Digital Workgroup setting up Virtual Courtrooms for Miami’s state courts, managed the first hybrid jury trial in July 2020, and served on the Conference of Chief Justices/Conference of State Court Administrators’ Pandemic Rapid Response Team, Civil Courts and Technology subcommittees.

Judge Bailey serves on the Board of Governors of Directors of the National Center for State Courts and on the Board of Advisors for the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System (IAALS) and the NCSC Institute for Court Management. She is an executive committee member of the Florida Commission on Trial Court Performance and Accountability where she chaired the Data Quality Workgroup. She serves on the Workgroup on Improved Resolution of Civil Cases and the Court Statistics and Workload Committee of Florida’s Judicial Management Council.

Judge James Nutt

Judge Nutt was appointed as a Judge on Florida's 15th Judicial Circuit by Governor Rick Scott in December 2017. He previously served for 23 years as Counsel and the Litigation Practice Group Leader for the South Florida Water Management District. Early in his career he owned James E. Nutt, P.A. and worked with Searcy Denney, the Broward State Attorney and Broward County Attorney's Offices.

Judge Nutt received his bachelor's degree from Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, Georgia in 1980 and earned both Masters in Business Administration and a Juris Doctorate degrees from Nova Southeastern University, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in 1990.

Judge Nutt stays active with the Palm Beach County Bar Association, Inns of Court and tries to support many other legal organizations.

He was born in Old Greenwich, Connecticut, moved to Coral Springs, Florida, in 1973 and spent much of his youth with his grandparents in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. He is married to Cheryl Kempf.

Eugene K. Pettis 

Eugene K. Pettis is the Co-Founder and Senior Partner of Haliczer Pettis & Schwamm, residing in the Fort Lauderdale office. For 37 years, Eugene has represented an impressive number of individual clients in civil trial matters and has also represented many corporate and public sector clients. He handles a range of complex cases, with a primary focus on representing plaintiffs in the areas of medical malpractice, personal injury and commercial litigation. 

Eugene has the historic and laudable designation as the first African American President of The Florida Bar. In his role at the helm of The Florida Bar, which governs nearly 100,000 attorneys, he provided visionary leadership and brought a passion for giving back to his profession and his community. Eugene spearheaded an assortment of initiatives while President, including the conceptualization of the still active William Reece Smith Leadership Academy, a multi-session training program designed to help a diverse and inclusive group of lawyers become better leaders. He has two daughters, the oldest a litigation attorney in Orlando and the youngest recently received her doctoral degree in child psychology.

Stuart Weissman

Stuart J. Weissman is a partner of Ratzan Weissman & Boldt. He focuses his practice on catastrophic negligence, medical malpractice, products liability, wrongful death, and commercial disputes. Mr. Weissman and RWB are frequently retained to handle cases throughout the state and the country. Beyond Florida, Mr. Weissman has handled cases in states including Alabama, Arkansas, California, Rhode Island, and Texas.

Stuart has obtained a multitude of six, seven, and even eight-figure settlements and verdicts. For example, alongside his partner, Stuart N. Ratzan, he obtained a $23 million verdict in a medical malpractice case in Charlotte County, Florida. The $23 million verdict in a medical malpractice lawsuit for a mother whose daughter was born with a severe brain injury is believed to be the largest civil jury verdict in the county’s history. For this achievement, the Daily Business Review recognized Mr. Ratzan and Mr. Weissman for their achievements by being finalists for the Daily Business Review annual Most Effective Lawyers recognition award.

Attorney Todd R. Falzone is the ultimate advocate for victims of catastrophic injury and wrongful death in Florida. Well-respected in his field of practice, Attorney Falzone’s cases have been featured in national periodicals and local media alike. From individual victims to bereaving families, Attorney Todd Falzone has established a reputation for providing tenacious, zealous advocacy for his clients. To date, Todd Falzone has obtained dozens of multi-million dollar settlements and verdicts for his clients in Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, the Florida Keys, and other surrounding areas. Since joining Kelley Uustal in March 2008, Mr. Falzone has personally obtained jury verdicts, either on his own or together with his partners at the Firm, which exceed $400,000,000.00.

Julie Braman Kane

Julie Braman Kane has decades of experience successfully representing plaintiffs in high- stakes litigation. A partner of Colson Hicks Eidson since 1999, she has secured multimillion- dollar verdicts and settlements, including a $38 million verdict in a medical malpractice and drug negligence case. An AV-rated trial lawyer by Martindale-Hubbell, a Chambers USA Recognised Practitioner, and Top Twenty Women in Law award recipient, Julie focuses her practice on representing plaintiffs in lawsuits when harmed by the negligence of other individuals or corporations. Her practice includes significant personal injury work, commercial litigation, multidistrict litigation and class action work including data breach litigation.

She currently serves as Lead and Liaison counsel in the In Re: Monat Hair Products Multidistrict Litigation, as Liaison counsel for the In Re: Mednax Data Breach MDL on the Executive Committee for Allergan Biocel MDL and on the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee for the In Re: 21st Century Oncology Customer Data Security Breach Litigation. She is committed to personal attention and works closely with each of her clients to inform and involve them in every step of their case, assuring they receive the highest quality representation possible. HONORS AND EXPERIENCEA champion of civil justice, Julie is a recent past President of the American Association for Justice (AAJ), the world’s largest trial bar and leading defender of civil justice.

Carlos M. Llorente is a partner in Hamilton, Miller & Birthisel’s Miami office. Carlos is a trial lawyer with extensive experience in handling complex civil litigation cases in state and federal courts throughout the eastern United States. With a career spanning almost four decades,  Carlos’ practice areas includes admiralty and maritime, commercial litigation, insurance, insurance fraud and SIU, medical malpractice, negligent security, personal injury, premises liability, product liability, professional liability, property and casualty, subrogation and transportation. Carlos is a skilled litigator, well known for his tenacity and effectiveness in defending claims. Before joining Hamilton, Miller & Birthisel, Carlos worked as a high exposure attorney for some of the nation’s most renowned major insurance groups. Carlos was a founding partner of his own law offices and served as Broward County Traffic Court Magistrate for 10 years. Carlos received his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida, College of Law and his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and English at the University of Miami. Carlos is a member of numerous legal and professional associations.

Michael Davis

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.

Magistrate Judge Lauren Louis

Graduating from Fordham University School of Law with her JD, Judge Louis is now the federal magistrate judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

Magistrate Judge Embry Kidd

Graduating from Yale University with his JD in 2008, Judge Kidd worked in various legal fields from the private sector to government, to now becoming Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida on July 25, 2019.

Magistrate Judge Zachary Bolitho

Mr. Bolitho’s experience includes government service, private practice, and academia,” the court said in announcing his hiring. “He has served as a law clerk to the Honorable David W. McKeague of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit; as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Tennessee; as an ex officio member of the U.S. Sentencing Commission; and as an Associate Deputy Attorney General and Chief of Staff to the Deputy Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice.”

Bolitho also worked as a litigator at Jones Day and Cranfill Sumner and as an associate professor at Campbell University School of Law where he was named “Professor of the Year” four times. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree, summa cum laude, from the University of Mount Union and his Juris Doctorate, summa cum laude, from Ohio State University, Moritz College of Law.

Benedict Kuehne

Known as the “Iron Lawyer” for his successes and accomplishments in complex, protracted trials and appeals, as well as for his significant achievements as an Ironman athlete (140.6 miles of swim, bike, and run), Ben Kuehne is a highly effective advocate in both trial and appellate courtrooms throughout the State of Florida and across the nation. Best for his significant representations as a white collar criminal defense lawyer, he is also one of the premier election law specialists in Florida, having represented Vice President Al Gore and the Gore/Lieberman Recount Committee as trial and appellate co-counsel in the 2000 election recount trial and the appeals to the Florida Supreme Court, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court. In another matter of first impression in 2012, Ben led a legal team who obtained the fifth highest verdict in the United States, $155 million, for the successful representation of an internationally accomplished educator who sued as a whistle blower for her wrongful termination.

Ben is a Past President of the Miami Dade Bar, a former member of the Board of Governors of The Florida Bar, a Past President of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers-Miami, a Life Member of its Miami Chapter, a Founding and Life Member and past board member of the statewide Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and a Charter Member of the Rosemary Barkett Appellate Inn of Court. He previously served as Chair of the Criminal Law Section, the Appellate Section, and the Council of Sections of The Florida Bar, was President of the Florida Council of Bar Association Presidents, and served as Chair of the Appellate Certification Committee and the Criminal Certification Committee of The Florida Bar. He is triple certified by The Florida Bar in Criminal Trial Practice, Appellate Practice, and Criminal Appellate Law, and by the National Board of Trial Advocacy as a Criminal Trial Advocate. He is also credentialed as a Certified Fraud Examiner (Life Member) and a Certified Legacy Advisor.

Helen Wan

A little about me: I was born in California and raised in Virginia. I’m a graduate of Amherst College and the University of Virginia School of Law. Before becoming a writer, I practiced law in New York City for a lot of years. People ask whether my book is autobiographical. Well, like Ingrid (protagonist of THE PARTNER TRACK), I’m an Asian American woman, and I’m a lawyer. After law school I landed at a big firm in Manhattan, whose corporate culture felt utterly unknown and unknowable to me. I might as well have landed on the moon. What struck me most were the patterns I observed as to who was sinking and who was swimming, who sat where (and with whom) in the cafeteria, and why all of this seemed to be playing out this way.

Unlike Ingrid, who (this is not a spoiler!) battles it out for BigLaw partnership, I left BigLaw to join a media and entertainment firm, and later became Associate General Counsel at a large media and entertainment company. So while my book is decidedly fiction, it was very important to me to write as realistic, authentic, and unvarnished a portrayal of corporate life as possible — as experienced by a young woman of color trying to figure it all out.

Gregory C. Ward

Attorney Greg Ward is the founder and managing partner of the Ward Law Group, one of South Florida’s largest car accident law firms. He is an experienced courtroom lawyer and negotiator who fights tirelessly to make sure car accident victims in South Florida receive the compensation they deserve for their physical injuries and financial losses.

Together with his wife and co-founder, Jany Martínez-Ward, Greg focuses on serving the Hispanic community throughout Florida and beyond, bringing quality legal service to a community that is often underserved. For over a decade he has been an advocate for Spanish-speaking car accident victims and their family members who need assistance with complex and intimidating legal issues.

Roger Slade

Roger Slade is a shareholder with the Miami law firm of Haber Law. Mr. Slade is an AV-rated commercial litigator with over 33 years of litigation experience.  Throughout his career, Mr. Slade has handled all types of litigation matters including business fraud, class-actions for both Plaintiffs and Defendants, real estate litigation, privacy litigation, commercial collection matters, employment discrimination claims, general business disputes and international family law matters. Mr. Slade was recently elected to Florida Super Lawyers for the tenth year in a row. Mr. Slade’s clients range from public companies, real estate developers, financial institutions to small businesses and individuals.

Mr. Slade is currently serving as the President of the Miami Dade Bar. He is also a frequent contributor to the Miami-Dade County Bar Bulletin and has authored numerous articles on litigation skills and trial practice. Mr. Slade was formerly an editor of the International Litigation Quarterly, a publication of the American Bar Association. Mr. Slade’s scholarship on litigation can now be found on his blog, which enjoys a substantial readership.

Sean Brown

Shawn Brown is an attorney in Tampa, Florida. Mr. Brown is Board Certified in Condominium & Planned Development Law by The Florida Bar. Prior to joining Kaye, Bender, Rembaum, P.L, Shawn was a partner in the Tampa law firm of Frazier & Brown, Attorneys at Law and the law firm of Redding & Brown, PLLC. Shawn was also a partner in the St. Petersburg firm of Lang & Brown, P.A. Mr. Brown is a graduate of Stetson University and Stetson University College of Law. Mr. Brown was a recipient of the United States Senator Max Cleland scholarship and served as an intern to United States Senator Connie Mack in his Washington D.C. office while attending American University. Mr. Brown is a former co-Vice Chair of the Condominium & Planned Development Committee and currently a co-Vice Chair of the Real Property Litigation Committee.  He is also a member of the Problem Studies Committee and Title Insurance Committee of the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section of The Florida Bar.

Mr. Brown is the co-Chair of the Real Property Litigation Committee’s Task Force on the Florida Rules of Procedure. He is also a member of the legislative subcommittees for the Condominium & Planned Development Committee, Real Property Litigation Committee, and  Real Property Finance & Lending.  These legislative subcommittees are tasked with reviewing and providing comments and edits to the legislation affecting community associations each legislative session.  Mr. Brown is also a member of The Florida Bar’s Condominium & Planned Development Certification Committee.  As a member of this Committee, he is tasked with reviewing and approving applications of attorneys seeking to become board certified in Condominium and Planned Development Law and in drafting the examination for attorneys who seek to become board certified in Condominium and Planned Development Law . Mr. Brown also served as a member of the Auxiliary Committee reviewing and editing different chapters in the 4th Edition of the Florida Condominium and Community Association Law published by The Florida Bar.

Jonathan Goldstein

Jonathan S. Goldstein is a Martindale Hubbell “AV” rated partner at Haber Law. His practice areas include Condominium and Homeowners Association (HOA) law, commercial litigation and construction litigation. Mr. Goldstein is Board Certified in the area of Condominium and Planned Development Law, a distinction bestowed upon a select group of attorneys recognized as being specialists in this practice area by the Florida Bar. Mr. Goldstein has represented community associations in all facets of general representation and collections, including but not limited to turnover and construction-related disputes, covenant enforcement, amendment drafting, meeting attendance, arbitration before the Division of Florida Condominiums, Timeshares and Mobiles Homes, lien foreclosures, and corporate governance. He also handles various types of commercial, real estate, landlord and tenant, and construction litigation matters.

Jonathan has been included as a “Rising Star” in the 2017, 2018, and 2019 Florida editions of Super Lawyer’s Magazine, and as an “Up and Comer” in the 2010 edition of Florida Trend’s “Legal Elite” publication. In addition, Jonathan is recognized by “Best Lawyers in America” 2023 for his work in Community Association Law. He has also been a lecturer and panelist for attorney continuing legal education credit. Mr. Goldstein is a member of the Florida Bar, the Florida Bar Real Property Probate & Trust Law Section Condominium and Planned Development Committee, and also serves as a founding co-chair of the Dade County Bar Association Condominium Law Committee. He is also a charitable contributor at the Young Founder level for the Mount Sinai Medical Center Foundation.

Michael Gelfand

MICHAEL J. GELFAND, dual Florida Bar Board Certified, in Real Estate Law and in Condominium and Planned Development Law, is also a Certified Circuit and County Civil Court Mediator, a Homeowners’ Association Mediator, an Arbitrator, and a Parliamentarian. Emphasizing a community association law practice, counseling associations and owners how to set legitimate goals and how to effectively achieve those goals, Michael is the senior partner of Gelfand & Arpe, P.A., located in West Palm Beach.

Michael was elected to and continues to serve on The Florida Bar’s Board of Governors after chairing the Bar’s Professional Ethics Committee. He also serves on the Condominium Law and Policy Life Safety Advisory Task Force.

Mr. Gelfand served as Chair of The Florida Bar’s Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section, the Bar’s largest substantive law section with over 10,000 members. He served as the Section’s Real Property Division Director, chaired its Legislative Review Committee, chaired its Condominium and Planned Development Committee, and leads its long-range strategic planning initiative. He also chaired the Palm Beach County Bar’s Community Association Law Continuing Legal Education Committee.

Serving many terms as Special Master for the City of Boca Raton and chairing the City’s Builders Board of Adjustment and Appeals, he received a City Proclamation for “interpretation and application, and his overall professionalism and dedication to the City.” A gubernatorial appointee to the Fifteenth Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission, he co-owned ARC Mediation, Palm Beach County’s largest mediation and arbitration firm.

Eric Ostroff

Eric Ostroff, Meland Budwick, P.A.’s Managing Partner, focuses his practice on business litigation and intellectual property litigation. Chambers USA describes him as having “a razor-sharp mind and gets to the heart of the issue without wasting time.” He is also described as an “outstanding attorney” who “wins praise for his extensive experience in commercial disputes, with a notable expertise in trade secrets cases.” Eric is the only attorney included in Chambers USA’s rankings of Florida commercial litigators and intellectual property lawyers. Businesses and individuals trust Eric to protect their interests in courts and arbitrations throughout Florida and across the country, often in bet-the-company cases. He regularly litigates a broad range of business disputes, including cases involving breaches of contract, business torts, officer/director fiduciary duties, business defamation, civil conspiracy, unfair competition, false advertising, real estate, and deceptive and unfair trade practices. He also represents plaintiffs and defendants in trademark and copyright infringement actions. Eric is an experienced trial lawyer who has tried many cases to verdict, before judges, juries, and arbitration panels.

Stuart Ratzan

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.

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.

Ken Turkel

Ken is a trial attorney with a national practice focusing on the prosecution and defense of complex business and civil litigation matters, as well as media and privacy rights litigation. Ken also represents clients in the sports and entertainment industries, both in the conventional legal arena and with respect to their licensing and endorsement deals.

Carmen Vizcaino

With the experience of over 50 jury trials under her belt, Carmen Maria Vizcaino is a member of the Florida Bar, the Bar for the Southern District of Florida, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court.  Her practice of over 20 years has included litigation in the areas of Criminal, Family and USDA Snap litigation. 

Carmen began her career by litigating landmark cases such as the State v. Hardy decision which extended Gideon’s right to counsel to jailed defendants in misdemeanor cases. In her over twenty years of practice Carmen  has litigated high-profile cases in both State and Federal Courts in South Florida routinely dealing with not merely the legal aspects of a case but also the public relations fallout from a case.  Carmen has worked on several national security cases in New York, Virginia and Florida and has litigated one of the first cases to arise under the then newly enacted Patriot Act.  Carmen also handles death penalty and sexual violent predator civil commitment cases, both are handled by only a select few Miami attorneys.  

Theresa Conduah

Theresa Conduah is a partner in the Intellectual Property practice group of Haynes and Boone, LLP and chair of its CBD and Hemp industry group.  Theresa counsels both Fortune 500 and startup clients on scaling IP portfolios, brand protection, and licensing matters. Theresa is also a registered patent attorney and focuses her practice on design patents.  Prior to returning to private practice, she served as in-house IP counsel at leading brands, including United Airlines, Toyota, and dosist (a cannabis brand). Theresa is a frequent speaker on intellectual property and diversity in the law.

Prior to attending Fordham Law School, Theresa worked for a clinical research organization and received her Master of Public Health degree from Johns Hopkins University and her undergraduate degree from Georgetown University.

Daniel Shapiro

After graduating from Cardozo School of Law, Daniel found a thriving career in the field from Roc Nation to Veda Farms and now currently working as Vice President of Corporate Counsel for less than a year.

Gregory Pizarro Jr.

Gregory Pizarro, Jr. is the co-founder and Managing Partner of Glenhouse Strategies. He is an Army veteran, international human rights activist, public speaker, political operative, and youth advocate. He brings in a decade of experience in management and consulting, helping corporations, non-profit organizations, government agencies, and elected officials reach their goals around the globe.

Prior to Glenhouse, he was a Global Information Security Executive at Bank of America, managing GIS' business operations to include the integration of risk concepts into strategic planning, risk identification, and mitigation efforts. Additionally, Gregory served in a multitude of roles in the US Army, including Chief of Internal Controls, Chief of Financial Policy, Plans, and Operations, and as an adviser to a Commanding General at Fort Hood. Today, Gregory continues to serve in the US Army Reserve as a Senior Adviser to the Comptroller.

John Blair

The City Manager is appointed by the Mayor and approved by the governing body. The City Manager coordinates the implementation of the governing body policy decisions and the initiation of all intergovernmental operations of the City. The City Manager is responsible for directing the various departments and providing guidance in the implementation of the mandates of the governing body.

Tiffany Ashley Disney

Tiffany Ashley Disney, J.D., MBA,, is a Licensing Associate at the University of Miami. She also graduated from the University of Miami School of Law with Cum Laude in 2016. Ms. Disney is currently the president of the Young Lawyers Division of the Miami Dade Bar. This is her fifth year being on the board. Ms. Disney is passionate about mentoring and helping others become involved in bar organizations. Recently, she has launched a mentoring program for young lawyers and law students to connect with a mentor of the legal community. In the past, she has been a mentor to recent UM Law graduates who are studying for the bar exam and has co-chaired the Miami-Dade FAWL Mentoring Committee.

Iris Elijah

Iris Elijah joined the Florida International University’s Office of the General Counsel in 2018. Iris provides primary legal support for all matters related to students including, but not limited to student organizations, Student Financials, student academic matters, Student Conduct, Title IX, and student international travel, the Police Department, and Public Records Requests. Iris also advises FIU officials in policy-making decisions, regulation and rule promulgation, and oversees outside counsel in related litigation when necessary.

Iris is deeply involved in her civic and legal community with serving as the Current President of the Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division of the Board of Governors, Executive Board member of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers, member of various Florida Bar committees, active member of several local bar associations and the Miami Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and a frequent volunteer with Make the Homeless Smile Miami.

Sharlene Stanford

Sharlene Stanford has the humble privilege to work as Legal Counsel for IDignity, a non-profit organization. In this role, she diligently represents clients in obtaining government issued identification documents, such as birth certificates, social security cards, and FL Identification/Driver Licenses. She handles complex cases such as Petition for Name Changes, Delayed Birth Certificates, assisting with Amendments/Corrections of Birth Certificates. Sharlene is a Florida native born and raised in Orlando. She graduated with her Bachelor of Arts with a major in Political Science from the University of Central Florida and a minor in Legal Studies.

Her recent community involvement includes serving on the Harbor House of Central Florida Young Professionals Board. She is a huge advocate for human rights, civil rights, women’s rights, and social justice. Promoting diversity, inclusion, and equality embodies her personal mission and she is very passionate about helping others. Outside of work, Sharlene loves mentoring law school students, traveling, and spending time with her family. She is the proud Auntie of her niece Sophia and nephew Sammy.

Robert “Beau” Blumberg

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), appointed to the Florida Courts Technology Commission by the Florida Supreme Court 2022-2024, American Bar Association, Board of Directors of the Miami Dade Bar (2022-2024), and Board of Directors of the Young Lawyers Section of the Miami Dade Bar Association (2020-2024) and President Elect of the MDB YLS (2022-2023). 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. 

Todd Baker

As a personal injury lawyer, Mr. Baker has had notable career, representing plaintiffs injured as a result of all manner of negligence including car accidents, slip and falls, negligent security and shootings, products liability, and others. He has obtained multiple 1,000,000+ jury verdicts, including Florida’s 3rd Highest Premises Verdict in 2019.Over the years he has amassed much recognition for his work in the legal field. Since 2017, he has been included on the list of Rising Stars®. Other credentials include the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum®, The Daily Business Review “On the Rise,” Best Lawyers Ones to Watch, Florida Legal Elite Up and Comer, South Florida Business and Wealth Up and Comer, and the Broward County Bar Association’s 40 Under 40.

Mr. Baker is a highly active member of the professional legal community. Among his many other affiliations, he is the current President of the Broward County Trial Lawyers Association, immediate Past President of the Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division, former Florida Bar Governor, a past Chair of the Young Leaders Division for the Jewish Federation of Broward County, Past-President of the Broward County Bar Association, Young Lawyers Section, and co-chair of the 17th Judicial Circuit Professionalism Panel.

Sabrina Puglisi

Sabrina Puglisi is a Florida Board Certified Criminal Trial attorney since 2008. Prior to starting her own firm, Puglisi Law, in 2011, she has the unique experience of having worked for both the Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office and the Federal Defender’s Office for the Southern District of Florida where she gained invaluable experience as a trial attorney handling hundreds of different cases from pre-trial to trial. She was admitted to the Florida bar in 2000 and practices Federal and State Criminal law Defense.

Stuart Weissman

Stuart J. Weissman is a partner of Ratzan Weissman & Boldt. He focuses his practice on catastrophic negligence, medical malpractice, products liability, wrongful death, and commercial disputes. Mr. Weissman and RWB are frequently retained to handle cases throughout the state and the country. Beyond Florida, Mr. Weissman has handled cases in states including Alabama, Arkansas, California, Rhode Island, and Texas.

Stuart has obtained a multitude of six, seven, and even eight-figure settlements and verdicts. For example, alongside his partner, Stuart N. Ratzan, he obtained a $23 million verdict in a medical malpractice case in Charlotte County, Florida. The $23 million verdict in a medical malpractice lawsuit for a mother whose daughter was born with a severe brain injury is believed to be the largest civil jury verdict in the county’s history. For this achievement, the Daily Business Review recognized Mr. Ratzan and Mr. Weissman for their achievements by being finalists for the Daily Business Review annual Most Effective Lawyers recognition award.

Roger Slade

Roger Slade is a shareholder with the Miami law firm of Haber Law. Mr. Slade is an AV-rated commercial litigator with over 33 years of litigation experience.  Throughout his career, Mr. Slade has handled all types of litigation matters including business fraud, class-actions for both Plaintiffs and Defendants, real estate litigation, privacy litigation, commercial collection matters, employment discrimination claims, general business disputes and international family law matters. Mr. Slade was recently elected to Florida Super Lawyers for the tenth year in a row. Mr. Slade’s clients range from public companies, real estate developers, financial institutions to small businesses and individuals.

Mr. Slade is currently serving as the President of the Miami Dade Bar. He is also a frequent contributor to the Miami-Dade County Bar Bulletin and has authored numerous articles on litigation skills and trial practice. Mr. Slade was formerly an editor of the International Litigation Quarterly, a publication of the American Bar Association. Mr. Slade’s scholarship on litigation can now be found on his blog, which enjoys a substantial readership.

Charise A. Morgan-Joseph

Charise A. Morgan-Joseph is a Trial Attorney with Zurich, N.A., representing and protecting the interest of the company's insured in all phases of litigation in complex liability matters. A former Administrative Law Judge for the Department of Labor in Atlanta, Georgia, Ms. Morgan-Joseph graduated from Florida International University with a B.A. in Political Science and English Literature. She attended Mercer University School of Law, earning a Juris Doctorate degree, Certificate in Legal Writing, and the CALI Award for Appellate Practice and Procedure. She is licensed to practice in Georgia and Florida.

Ms. Morgan-Joseph currently serves as the Vice President of the Miami-Dade Bar, on the Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division Board of Governors, the Florida Bar Civil Procedure Rules Committee, and the Florida Bar Standing Committee on Professionalism. She is an avid world traveler, on a quest for adventure.

Marc Hurwitz 

Marc began government service with Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, and continued in the U.S. Department of State’s Human Rights Bureau. He then worked in the White House for three years, where he served as the aide to the Deputy National Security Advisor. Marc went on to become a counter-terrorism officer for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and later worked for the government in multiple overseas posts, earning several commendations for meritorious service. In 2008, Marc opened Crossroads Investigations to sub-contract for retired CIA Chiefs of Stations with corporate due diligence contracts. Crossroads has since expanded into a full-service Private Investigation and Due Diligence firm, named by the Daily Business Review as the top Private Investigation Agency in South Florida for the past 7 consecutive years. Marc is a Florida Board Certified Investigator, a National Board Accredited Investigator, and a Certified International Investigator. And, he is accredited by the Stave & Thief Society as a Bourbon Steward.

Jude Faccidomo

Jude is a former Assistant Public Defender with the Miami Dade Public Defender’s office and has extensive trial experience handling cases stemming from DUI to 1st degree murder. While at the Public Defender’s Office, Jude was recruited to join the firm of Jeffrey S. Weiner, P.A. where he spent five years handling high profile and complex criminal litigation. In 2013, Jude and Mycki partnered to create Ratzan & Faccidomo- a boutique law firm that quickly became one of the most prominent criminal defense law firms in the tri-county area.

In May of 2012 Jude was elected President of the Miami chapter of FACDL, at the time making him that organization’s youngest president in history. Jude is a past chair of the Dade County Bar Association’s Criminal Court Committee and currently serves as co-chair of the Miami Dade Jury Trial Task force where he works with the circuit’s Chief judge to facilitate jury trials amidst the COVID 19 pandemic. Most notably, Jude is the current president of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers for the State Florida, which is the largest voluntary criminal defense organization in Florida.

Judge Andrea Wolfson

On June 4, Governor Rick Scott announced the appointment of Judge Andrea Ricker Wolfson to the Eleventh Judicial Circuit. She is a county court judge for Miami-Dade County and previously served as an Assistant State Attorney/Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame, her master’s degree from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, and her law degree from Chicago-Kent College of Law. Wolfson fills the vacancy created by the resignation of Judge Antonio Marin.

Judge Daliah Weiss

Judge Weiss is a Judge of the  Florida 15th Judicial circuit criminal division. With  17 years of experience as a prosecutor in various difficult cases, she presides over a large volume of personal injury protection (PIP) and foreclosure cases, as well as landlord tenant and other small claims disputes. Additionally, every week she presides over Domestic Violence Injunction Hearings, an area for which she is uniquely qualified. She is a former member of the Professionalism Committee of the Florida Bar and a current member of the South County Bar Association. Throughout her career, Judge Weiss always enjoyed mentoring young lawyers.

The Honorable Samantha L. Ward is a Circuit Court Judge in Tampa (Hillsborough County). Elected in August 2008, she took the bench in January 2009 where she is currently assigned to a Circuit (Felony) Criminal division. She previously served in the Family Law Division. Prior to becoming a judge, she served as the Major Crimes Bureau Chief at the Office of the Public Defender in Tampa. She worked there for 15 years, handling the defense of homicide and death penalty cases, as well as assisting in the training and supervision of attorneys within the office. Prior to that, she was a prosecutor in Tampa for almost four years. Judge Ward is Florida Bar Board Certified in Criminal Trial Law and currently serves on The Florida Bar Criminal Procedure Rules Committee. She is active in the Hillsborough County Bar Association and Hillsborough Association for Women Lawyers and the Ferguson-White, Family Law, and Goldburg-Cacciatore Inns of Court. She is a board member of The Children’s Home, Inc. Judge Ward graduated from Florida State University College of Law in 1990 and the University of Florida in 1987.

Michael Ufferman

Michael Ufferman received his Bachelor of Arts from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and received his Juris Doctorate from the Florida State University College of Law (serving on the law review and graduating magna cum laude). After he graduated from law school, Michael clerked for five years for Justice Major B. Harding at the Florida Supreme Court. Michael has been in private practice since 2002 and is a board-certified criminal appellate lawyer (2006-present). 

Michael currently serves on The Florida Bar Rules of General Practice and Judicial Administration Committee and The Florida Bar Criminal Law Section Executive Council.  He previously served on The Florida Bar Criminal Law Certification Committee from 2015-2021 and as chair of the Committee from 2019-2020.  Michael also previously served on The Florida Bar Appellate Court Rules Committee from 2007-2013 and as chair of the Committee from 2012-2013.  Michael was on the board of directors of the Innocence Project of Florida from 2007-2014.  Michael served as President of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (FACDL) from 2015-2016. Michael is the author of the Florida Criminal Practice and Procedure treatise, 2022 ed. (Vol. 22, Florida Practice Series). 

Judge Kathleen Williams

Kathleen Williams is a former prosecutor and a former criminal defense attorney who has been a federal judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida since August 2011. After law school, Judge Williams worked briefly in private practice and then worked as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of Florida handling complex prosecutions of drug cartels. She then joined Morgan Lewis & Bockius as an associate handling white-collar criminal defense matters.

Williams later served as Chief Assistant Federal Public Defender for the Southern District of Florida and later took the helm as the Federal Public Defender for the Southern District of Florida where she managed and directed the work of 48 Assistant Federal Defenders, 16 investigators, and more than 50 support staff. In 1999, at the request of the chief judge of the Eleventh Circuit, Williams became the Acting Federal Public Defender for the Middle District of Florida while continuing to serve as the Defender for the Southern District of Florida.

Judge Timothy Corrigan

Timothy J. Corrigan (born February 21, 1956) is the Chief United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida. On November 2, 2020, United States District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan assumed the duties of Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida. Judge Corrigan, who is stationed in Jacksonville, succeeds Judge Steven D. Merryday of the Tampa Division, who served as Chief Judge from August 1, 2015 to November 1, 2020.

Judge Corrigan has embraced this new opportunity to serve the judiciary and the people of the United States. One of Judge Corrigan's primary initiatives as Chief Judge is to expand the Court's communications with members of the bar and the public. In doing so, Judge Corrigan hopes to promote public awareness of the Court's role in the community, keep members of the bar up to date on Court matters, and generally increase the Court's accessibility to the public.

Judge Kent Wetherell

Judge T. Kent Wetherell II graduated with his JD from Florida State University in 1995 and started into private practice with Hopping, Green, Sams & Smith until he excelled professionally to become a U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Florida.

Michelle Suskauer

Michelle R. Suskauer is Immediate Past President of The Florida Bar and a criminal defense attorney at Dimond Kaplan & Rothstein, P.A., in West Palm Beach. Suskauer has been practicing in Palm Beach County since 1991, with a focus in criminal law in both state and federal courts. She is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell and has been recognized in the annual Florida Super Lawyers Magazine as one of Florida’s top criminal defense attorneys and by Florida Trend Magazine as one of Florida’s “Legal Elite” in its annual statewide poll of attorneys. Suskauer is actively involved in the leadership of numerous local and state legal organizations.   

She has served on The Florida Bar Board of Governors for the 15th Judicial Circuit since 2010. She is past chair of the BOG’s Disciplinary Review Committee, the Communications Committee and the 2013 Annual Convention of The Florida Bar Committee. She has served as Chair of board’s Strategic Planning Committee and the Executive Committee for the past four years. Suskauer is past-president of the Palm Beach County Bar Association and the Florida Association for Women Lawyers, Palm Beach County Chapter, and she currently is president of the Board of Directors of the Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County.

Edith Osman served as the second female President of the Florida Bar.  Prior to leading the Florida Bar, Edith was president of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers (FAWL) in Miami-Dade County and then statewide; the Florida Supreme Court Historical Society; the First Family Law American Inn of Court, and the Council of Voluntary Bar Presidents. As President of the Florida Bar, Edith created the Commission on the Legal Needs of Children, which issued a report that spurred the Florida Legislature to enact laws which greatly  improved the legal representation for children in the state. 

Nationally, Edith serves in the ABA as State Delegate for Florida to the House of Delegates, a member of the Nominating Committee, and  Chair of the Committee on Meetings and Travel. She has been a member of the ABA House of Delegates for 20 years, and served on the ABA Board of Governors for three years.   Within our community she is on the Executive Committees of the Anti-Defamation League and Temple Beth A. The serves on the Boards of the University of Miami Law Alumni Association, the Holocaust Memorial of Miami Beach and Florida Women of Achievement.

Edith’s practices in the area of  matrimonial and family law, and mediation. She has significant experience representing clients in dissolution of marriage proceedings, resolving complex family law disputes, post-divorce modifications and enforcement proceedings, child custody and time-sharing disputes, equitable distribution of marital assets, negotiating and drafting pre- and postnuptial agreements, and paternity actions. Edith is a trained collaborative professional who works with teams of neutral mental health and financial experts to resolve family law cases out of court. Edith is a skilled Florida Supreme Court certified family and civil mediator.  She enjoys using her collaborative skills to resolve controversial disputes. 

Widely recognized for her contributions,  she has received the David W. Dyer Professionalism Award from the Dade County Bar Association; the Anti-Defamation League’s Jurisprudence Award; the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Daily Business Review; South Florida Business Journal’s Most Influential Women Award; the Greater Miami Jewish Federation’s Community Service Award; the Rosemary Barkett Outstanding Achievement Award from FAWL; the Henry Latimer Professionalism Award from the University of Miami School of Law; the In the Company of Women Award from Miami-Dade County; and Breaking the Glass Ceiling Award from the Ziff Museum.  

For the past 20 years, Edith has practiced at Carlton Fields.  She is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubell and has been recognized as a top family attorney by Best Lawyers in America, Florida Trend’s “Florida Legal Elite”, South Florida Legal Guide’s Top Lawyers, Florida Super Lawyers, AVVO, Who’s Who in American Law.  Ms. Osman graduated from the University of  Miami School of Law, cum laude, while attending full time as a mother of a two-year-old and a six-year-old.

Dori Foster-Morales 

Dori Foster-Morales exclusively practices in the area of marital and family law. She is both Board Certified in Marital and Family Law by the Florida Bar and by the National Board of Trial Advocacy as a Family Law Trial Advocate. Additionally, she is also a Fellow in the American and International Academies of Matrimonial Lawyers, a Fellow and Member of the Florida Bar Foundation, a Fellow in the American Bar Foundation and a Fellow in the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers Foundation. In 2017, Dori was awarded the Legal Luminaries award by the Dade County Bar Association as the Top Matrimonial and Family Lawyer in Miami-Dade County. 

Dori has been designated a top family lawyer by a variety of publications including Martindale Hubbell (AV Preeminent Rated), Super Lawyers, South Florida Legal Guide, Best Lawyers in America; and Florida Trend’s Legal Elite. She was also designated Women Extraordinaire Winner from Business Leader Magazine. Dori’s accolades are based on her vast experience in complex and high-profile family law matters. Moreover, her diverse legal background has contributed to her capacity as a family lawyer. She began her career at the United States Environmental Protection Agency where she worked both in Washington, DC and New York City. When she returned to her hometown, she worked as an Assistant State Attorney for the Miami Dade State Attorney’s Office where she tried 65 cases to verdict.

Helen Wan

A little about me: I was born in California and raised in Virginia. I’m a graduate of Amherst College and the University of Virginia School of Law. Before becoming a writer, I practiced law in New York City for a lot of years. People ask whether my book is autobiographical. Well, like Ingrid (protagonist of THE PARTNER TRACK), I’m an Asian American woman, and I’m a lawyer. After law school I landed at a big firm in Manhattan, whose corporate culture felt utterly unknown and unknowable to me. I might as well have landed on the moon. What struck me most were the patterns I observed as to who was sinking and who was swimming, who sat where (and with whom) in the cafeteria, and why all of this seemed to be playing out this way.

Unlike Ingrid, who (this is not a spoiler!) battles it out for BigLaw partnership, I left BigLaw to join a media and entertainment firm, and later became Associate General Counsel at a large media and entertainment company. So while my book is decidedly fiction, it was very important to me to write as realistic, authentic, and unvarnished a portrayal of corporate life as possible — as experienced by a young woman of color trying to figure it all out.

Artemis Malekpour

Artemis Malekpour is a partner in the litigation consulting firm of Malekpour & Ball.  With a background in psychology and psychiatric research, she specializes in focus groups, case strategy, damages and jury selection.  Artemis earned her undergraduate degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Master’s in Healthcare Administration from UNC’s School of Public Health.  After several years of working in the Department of Psychiatry at UNC Hospitals, she went on to receive her law degree with honors from Duke University (though she still proudly bleeds Carolina blue). 

Artemis has consulted on a wide variety of cases across the country.  Through years of conducting jury research, observing deliberations and moderating discussions, she has a knack for identifying potential landmines, analyzing each case from the decisionmakers’ perspective.

David Ball

David Ball, Ph.D. (Durham, NC), a jury researcher who’s considered the nation’s most influential trial consultant, has guided criminal defense and civil plaintiff’s cases for 32 years. He’s written four best-selling advocacy books including David Ball on Damages and (with partner Artemis Malekpour and Courtney and Nick Rowley) Damages Evolving, teaches CLEs and public defenders’ offices coast to coast and for the JAG Corps at Camp Lejeune and Fort Bragg, and has taught for Federal District 1 judges. Trained in science, engineering, and research as well for the professional theater, he spent decades directing, writing, and producing for the professional stage, TV, and film.

His theater students hold Oscars, Obies, and Emmies in acting, directing, and writing, and his book Backwards & Forwards has long been the most widely used training text for theater and film. He received NCAJ’s Charles L. Becton trial-advocacy teaching award and taught students at such law schools as Duke (Senior Lecturer), UNC, Campbell (as Adjunct), Loyola (Los Angeles), and the University of Minnesota. He’s part of a research project into criminal juror decision-making funded in part by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and conducted by Duke University’s Institute for Brain Sciences (DIBS). Drawing on the neurosciences and decades of his own research and testing, David’s Rule-Out Method of criminal advocacy has been creating prosecutorial dismay.

Daniel Smith

Daniel Salomon Smith is the Founding Member of Salomon Smith PLLC.  Prior to starting the firm, Mr. Smith worked at a nationwide law firm based in South Florida, representing the interests of Fortune 500 companies (including insurance companies), international businesses, publicly traded companies, government entities, community associations, as well as a variety of other employers, small business, and individuals.

More recently, Mr. Smith’s practice shifted its focus towards the representation of real estate developers and investors (large and small), joint venturers, and the injured.  Mr. Smith was born and raised in Miami Beach, Florida. Before returning home to South Florida, Mr. Smith attended business school at both the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He then earned a merit scholarship to attend law school at the University of Florida. Mr. Smith is a cost-effective and business-minded pragmatist focused on a “lean and keen” business model to best achieve results for his clients.

David Levin

David is a shareholder in Baker Donelson's Fort Lauderdale office and has developed substantial experience successfully representing a broad range of private and institutional clients in state and federal court, and has tried cases throughout the state, including to jury verdict as a first chair. He has developed particular experience in property and general liability litigation, defending both insurers and insureds in all aspects of the claim and litigation process, as well as advising on coverage matters.

David recently obtained two defense verdicts, one for an insurance carrier and another for a policyholder. He regularly defends financial institutions in consumer protection claims, and prosecutes and defends complex commercial and residential foreclosures. David has become a trusted advisor to insurance and banking professionals, providing guidance and recommendations in pre- and post-suit matters, and has served as an expert witness in various capacities.

David has represented insurance underwriters and third-party administrators, adjusters, insureds, medical providers, product manufacturers, motor carriers and other transportation-related companies, property and business owners, as well as private professionals in all phases of commercial and tort litigation. He also has experience in construction litigation and complex business litigation across many different industries.

Ron Haynes

Ron was born in Nashville, Tennessee but has called Tampa his home since 1972. He was admitted to the bar in 1998 in Florida and has been dedicated to helping the citizens of Florida with their insurance claims ever since. Ron was inspired to help people with their insurance claims by his father who was an all-lines adjuster and eventually a public adjuster for many years. He started his career with Wilson and Terrana P.A. in Tampa handling residential and commercial claims for building damage including but not limited to sinkhole, hurricane, fire, lightning strikes, theft, collapse, water damage, vandalism and any other issue that causes damage to buildings that was covered by an insurance policy. He opened his own practice in 2004 continuing to represent the citizens of Florida with insurance claims in both state and federal court until joining Christopher Logori and Associates in 2018.

Ron has focused his practice on property insurance claims ever since and handled hundreds of losses, claims, and lawsuits in an effort to protect people and to do his best to make sure they receive what they deserve in both state and federal court across the state of Florida. Ron has assisted people through all aspects of the claims process from the submission of the claim, through examinations under oath, through the appraisal process if it is demanded, through mediation and ultimately through trial. Ron is also a Florida Civil Court mediator and has mediated many claims for the Florida Department of Financial Services when individuals have problems with their homeowner’s insurance claims.

Matthew Lavisky

Matthew J. Lavisky is a Partner in the Tampa office. He focuses the majority of his practice on the defense of bad faith and other extra-contractual matters, first-party property claims, and insurance coverage disputes. Matt represents insurers in state and federal trial and appellate courts throughout Florida and in other states.

Matt is active in defense organizations. He serves as the President Elect for the Florida Defense Lawyers Association and was honored with the President’s Award in 2019 and the James A. Dixon Young Lawyer of the Year Award in 2013. Matt was the chair of the first annual Florida Insurance Network Symposium sponsored by FDLA. He also served for six years as chair of the editorial board for the Trial Advocate Quarterly, FDLA’s legal journal. Matt has presented at FDLA conferences and webinars.

He also is involved in the Defense Research Institute. In 2019, Matt received the G. Duffield Smith Outstanding Publication Award. He currently serves as the chair of Bad Faith Substantive Law Group, has published in For the Defense, and presented at the Insurance Coverage Practice Symposium.  He is the Vice-Chair of DRI’s 2023 Insurance Coverage and Claims Institute. Matt is an AV peer-rated attorney by Martindale-Hubbell and recognized in Best Lawyers. He also is a graduate of the 2014 International Association of Defense Counsel Trial Academy held at Stanford University.

Aaron Warner

Aaron Warner has extensive experience in civil litigation, where he has gained a reputation as a professional and aggressive attorney who advocates for his clients in the strongest way possible. Aaron has recovered millions of dollars for his deserving clients throughout the State of Florida.

Mr. Warner began his career gaining valuable legal experience at a civil litigation firm practicing in a variety of areas of law, which included representing businesses, insurance companies and their insureds in personal injury and property damage cases. He has spent the majority of his career helping those who have suffered injuries due to the negligence of others, while also assisting homeowners and companies resolve claim disputes with their insurance carriers.

Born and raised in South Florida, Mr. Warner is a graduate from the University of Central Florida, having received a B.S. in Legal Studies. Upon graduation from the University of Central Florida, Mr. Warner attended the University of Miami School of Law and obtained his Juris Doctorate degree.

John Morgan

Morgan was born on March 31, 1956, in Lexington, Kentucky, the eldest of five children, to Ramon Morgan and Patricia Morgan. When Morgan was fourteen years old, his family moved to Winter Park, Florida. Morgan began working in various jobs at an early age, as his family struggled financially. In 1974, he entered the University of Florida, where he earned a bachelor's degree in arts in 1978. He took an 18-month hiatus selling ads to pay for his studies at the University of Florida Levin College of Law. He received his Juris Doctor in 1982. While at university, he was the elected president of the Florida Blue Key society. Morgan met his wife, Ultima Degnan, while studying law. They were married in May 1982. Morgan and Ultima Ann Degnan have four children.

After graduating from law school in 1982, Morgan began his legal career at the law firm of Billings, Morgan (no relation) and Cunningham in Orlando. He left in 1985 to co-found the law firm Griffin, Morgan & Linder, a partnership that lasted three more years. According to Florida Trend, the partners differed in their views on marketing, in particular, Morgan insisted on advertising on television, which at the time was a controversial practice for lawyers.

The firm bills itself as "America's Largest Injury Law Firm." Morgan & Morgan is headquartered in Orlando. As of 2022, the law firm had over 3,000 employees, including 800 lawyers in 49 states. In 2018, the firm received over two million phone calls and signed up 500 new cases each day. That year, the firm collected $1.5 billion in settlements and spent $130 million nationwide on advertising. Morgan was one of the first lawyers to advertise in phone books and television commercials.

Elizabeth Hughes

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. Elizabeth has almost a decade of experience handling contested emergency temporary guardianship proceedings for clients as well as experience with adversary elderly exploitation injunction matters in Florida. 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.

Samah Abukhodeir

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.

Anthony Dieguez

Anthony graduated from the University of Florida College of Law in 1972. Anthony has over 45 years of experience in a wide variety of legal areas. He is licensed to practice both in Florida and in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Anthony is the founder of the Miami Lakes Bar Association.

Cady Huss

Ten years into my legal practice, I decided I wanted to do things different. I wanted to create a firm focused on problem solving and dispute resolution. A firm where clients and lawyers’ mental health and wellness come first. A place where young lawyers can be coached in the creation of balanced and fulfilled lives. I believe in learning and growing every day. I am constantly trying to evolve the practice of law from one of competition to one of respect for one another and our clients. I believe that our role as lawyers is first and foremost, to counsel.

I am a former Chair of the Florida Probate Rules Committee, a member of the Executive Council of the Real Property, Probate, and Trust Law Section of the Florida Bar, and a Vice-Chair of the Probate and Trust Litigation Committee. I regularly write and speak on matters related to estate and trust administration and litigation, as well as collaboration, mediation, and better business practices. I am an Adjunct Professor at Stetson College of Law and a member of the Pinellas Fellowship of Women Lawyers. I am a graduate of CoachU and seeking my International Coaching Federation accreditation for career coaching.

Judge Jorge Cueto

Jorge’s hometown is Miami, FL, where he went to school from elementary through high school. He graduated from LaSalle High School, where he met his high school sweetheart, to whom he is still married after 42 years. They have 3 adult daughters and one granddaughter. Jorge attended Boston University and University of Miami, and obtained his degrees in Chemistry/Biochemistry and his juris doctor degree. Later, he completed the Certified Public Accountant curriculum at College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, and obtained the ISO Quality Auditor Certification from DePaul University in Chicago. He speaks 6 languages.

Judge Cueto worked in law enforcement for 16 years and retired with the rank of commander. Among his diverse assignments, he served as Staff Counsel for the Public Safety Committee of the Board of Commissioners of Miami-Dade County, Florida. After retiring from law enforcement, Jorge worked as executive vice president and corporate legal counsel for a corporation in the Midwest for several years.

Subsequently, he served as an assistant state attorney in the Public Corruption Unit of the Miami Dade State Attorney’s Offices. Jorge was elected to the circuit bench in August 2008. He initially served in the criminal division for 3 years. He was assigned to the civil division for 7 years. Presently, he serves in probate division.

Jason Neufeld, Esq.

Jason Neufeld, Esq. is the founding partner of Elder Needs Law, PLLC which focuses on a variety of Elder Law matters including: Estate Planning (he can help you with your Wills, Trusts, Power of Attorney) and Medicaid-Planning (Jason can legally and ethically protect your income and assets and get Medicaid to pay for some or all of your home-health care, ALF or nursing home expenses).

Jason is an “AV” preeminent rated attorney by Martindale-Hubbell, and is consistently recognized as a top lawyer among his peers in Super Lawyers Magazine and Florida Trends Legal Elite (2012-2021).  Jason wrote the book:

“How to Get Medicaid to Pay for Some or All of Your Long-Term Care Expenses: Without Having to Wait Five Years, Without Having to Sell Your House, and Without Having to Go Broke First.”

He is on the board of the Academy of Florida Elder Law Attorneys and Co-Chair of the Broward County Bar Association Elder Law Section.

Sabrina Puglisi

Sabrina Puglisi is a Florida Board Certified Criminal Trial attorney since 2008. Prior to starting her own firm, Puglisi Law, in 2011, she has the unique experience of having worked for both the Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office and the Federal Defender’s Office for the Southern District of Florida where she gained invaluable experience as a trial attorney handling hundreds of different cases from pre-trial to trial. She was admitted to the Florida bar in 2000 and practices Federal and State Criminal law Defense.

Stuart Weissman

Stuart J. Weissman is a partner of Ratzan Weissman & Boldt. He focuses his practice on catastrophic negligence, medical malpractice, products liability, wrongful death, and commercial disputes. Mr. Weissman and RWB are frequently retained to handle cases throughout the state and the country. Beyond Florida, Mr. Weissman has handled cases in states including Alabama, Arkansas, California, Rhode Island, and Texas.

Stuart has obtained a multitude of six, seven, and even eight-figure settlements and verdicts. For example, alongside his partner, Stuart N. Ratzan, he obtained a $23 million verdict in a medical malpractice case in Charlotte County, Florida. The $23 million verdict in a medical malpractice lawsuit for a mother whose daughter was born with a severe brain injury is believed to be the largest civil jury verdict in the county’s history. For this achievement, the Daily Business Review recognized Mr. Ratzan and Mr. Weissman for their achievements by being finalists for the Daily Business Review annual Most Effective Lawyers recognition award.

Roger Slade

Roger Slade is a shareholder with the Miami law firm of Haber Law. Mr. Slade is an AV-rated commercial litigator with over 33 years of litigation experience.  Throughout his career, Mr. Slade has handled all types of litigation matters including business fraud, class-actions for both Plaintiffs and Defendants, real estate litigation, privacy litigation, commercial collection matters, employment discrimination claims, general business disputes and international family law matters. Mr. Slade was recently elected to Florida Super Lawyers for the tenth year in a row. Mr. Slade’s clients range from public companies, real estate developers, financial institutions to small businesses and individuals.

Mr. Slade is currently serving as the President of the Miami Dade Bar. He is also a frequent contributor to the Miami-Dade County Bar Bulletin and has authored numerous articles on litigation skills and trial practice. Mr. Slade was formerly an editor of the International Litigation Quarterly, a publication of the American Bar Association. Mr. Slade’s scholarship on litigation can now be found on his blog, which enjoys a substantial readership.

Charise A. Morgan-Joseph

Charise A. Morgan-Joseph is a Trial Attorney with Zurich, N.A., representing and protecting the interest of the company's insured in all phases of litigation in complex liability matters. A former Administrative Law Judge for the Department of Labor in Atlanta, Georgia, Ms. Morgan-Joseph graduated from Florida International University with a B.A. in Political Science and English Literature. She attended Mercer University School of Law, earning a Juris Doctorate degree, Certificate in Legal Writing, and the CALI Award for Appellate Practice and Procedure. She is licensed to practice in Georgia and Florida.

Ms. Morgan-Joseph currently serves as the Vice President of the Miami-Dade Bar, on the Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division Board of Governors, the Florida Bar Civil Procedure Rules Committee, and the Florida Bar Standing Committee on Professionalism. She is an avid world traveler, on a quest for adventure.

Brian Andrews

Mr. Andrews is a veteran public affairs and crisis communications consultant that helps clients find positive outcomes when the odds are stacked against them. The News Directors are involved in all aspects of managing the crisis and fixing the problems that led up to it. In addition, they perform candid assessments inside organizations so leadership is prepared for what's next. The company focuses on crisis management and strategic communications for local governments and multinational companies. From A-Z (active shooters to coronavirus to zika), the team have lived through it all. They use all available platforms and methods to reach target audiences with important factual information.

Prior to his life in crisis management and government affairs, he worked as both an investigative journalist and news executive. Based in Miami for most of his career in news, making a brief stop off in Latin America to run English language news operations for RCN, one of Colombia's largest private media groups. In addition to years in local TV in Miami and New York City, he has also served as a correspondent for national broadcast & cable networks, reporting from all over the world.

Katie Phang

Katie S. Phang is a trial attorney and media relations and crisis management consultant. Her practice focuses on commercial litigation, family law, real estate litigation, hospitality litigation, and criminal defense & special investigations. Katie has been awarded the AV-Preeminent Rating in Litigation, Bankruptcy, Criminal Law, & Family Law, and has been recognized as a Super Lawyer and Top Lawyer in Corporate and Business Law for several years.  She recently authored and edited the 10th Edition of the “Florida Practitioner’s Guide: Civil Trial Preparation”.

Katie also provides strategic communications guidance through times of crisis. In addition, Katie also provides media training for television, radio, and digital media appearances through group or individualized sessions.

Katie serves as an Adjunct Professor of Litigation Skills at the University of Miami School of Law and is a recent Past-President of the Miami-Dade Chapter of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers.

Katie has provided legal analysis for network and cable news since 2005. Currently a Legal Contributor for NBC News/MSNBC, Katie leverages her significant trial experience to provide analysis and commentary on the latest legal issues across the globe.                      

Carlos represents clients in high-stakes civil and criminal matters in state and federal courts throughout the United States.  He also devotes a significant portion of his practice to advising clients involved in crisis situations. Throughout his career, Carlos has had the opportunity to represent clients in unique, often precedent-setting, matters.  Carlos represented a former Venezuelan spy who sued under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act to collect on a multi-million-dollar reward offered by Peru for information leading to the capture and arrest of its fugitive spy chief, Vladimiro Montesinos.  He has also litigated cases against other foreign states, most recently, Honduras, where he represents nearly one hundred American investors in an expropriation action.  He defended an alleged orchid smuggler charged with violating the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Florida.  Carlos also represents a group of student athletes as part of a team challenging SUNY Albany’s discriminatory practices against female student athletes.

​In addition to his litigation matters, Carlos also maintains an active crisis management practice.  He advised the chief executive officer of a technology company during a long-running investigation into procurement practices at a U.S. port of entry.  Carlos also counseled a physician in a high-profile criminal prosecution alleging the commission of a string of hate crimes.  More recently Carlos worked with officials at the Town of Surfside, Florida to provide crisis management and strategic communications advice in the wake of the collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium.

David Friedland brings nearly three decades of legal experiences, entirely focused on intellectual property law, to Friedland Vining. David’s practice encompasses all aspects of intellectual property, including domestic and international acquisition and enforcement matters involving trademarks, patents, copyrights, trade secrets, and related rights. Over the years, David’s practice has evolved to encompass the challenging gamut of intellectual property issues presented by the Internet, especially as they relate to the enforcement of clients’ rights in jurisdictions that were once unreachable but today are accessible via the click of a mouse. Today, with over 25 years of experience, David’s practice is a good match for clients of all sizes, from start-up entrepreneurs to Fortune 100 companies.

Rosa Jimenez 

Rosa Jimenez, Intellectual Property Specialist, Travel + Leisure Co.

At Travel + Leisure Co., Rosa Jimenez is responsible for the management and protection of the company’s global intellectual property portfolio, trademark clearance and registration, trademark enforcement and protection, as well as intellectual property due diligence arising from corporate transactions.   Prior to joining Travel + Leisure Co., Rosa was the Intellectual Property Manager of SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, Inc., where she managed trademark and copyright matters of 11 amusement parks across the U.S. She has over 23 years of experience as a trademark professional.

Ms. Jimenez holds a Bachelor of Arts in Legal Studies from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and a Masters of Legal Studies from Arizona State University. She was born in Puerto Rico and speaks English and Spanish.

Ernie Rubi 

Ernie Rubi is a Board Certified Intellectual Property lawyer serving as Associate Vice President and Assistant General Counsel at Royal Caribbean Group, where he oversees all intellectual property aspects for the cruise operator and its joint venture partners, globally. In addition to his IP responsibilities, Ernie and his team are also responsible for globally managing commercial litigation, entertainment, marketing, IT, Digital and Artificial Intelligence legal matters. In 2021 Ernie received the General Counsel Impact award from the Daily Business Review. Before joining Royal Caribbean Group, Ernie’s private practice experience focused on IP and commercial litigation, as well as IP prosecution. While in private practice he was ranked by SuperLawyers. He graduated cum laude from FIU College of Law, where he attended part-time while working as a Chief Network Engineer of a global internet exchange point.

Susan Crane

Susan L. Crane is Group Vice President, Legal – IP, Brands & Marketing at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Inc., where she heads the Intellectual Property practice.  Wyndham is the world’s largest franchisor of hotels and is the owner of such well-known brands as WYNDHAM, RAMADA, HOWARD JOHNSON, DAYS INN, SUPER 8 and LA QUINTA.  Susan’s advises the company on all aspects of trademark, copyright, domain name, marketing, social media and patent issues.  Susan has been with Wyndham and its predecessors, Wyndham Worldwide Corporation and Cendant Corporation, since 2000.

Judge Milena Abreu

Judge Milena Abreu is a judge for the Miami Dade County Court in Florida. She was elected to the bench in 2018, prior to which she worked for the Death Penalty Unit at the Office of Criminal Conflict and civil regional counsel for the third region of Florida. Hon Judge Abreu earned her J.D from Loyola University New Orleans School of Law in 1998. She began her legal career with the Miami-Dade County Public Defender's office and later became a senior attorney. She then entered into private practice.                            

Judge Michael Bagge-Hernandez

Michael C. Baggé-Hernández serves as a County Court Judge in the Hillsborough County Court in Hillsborough County, Florida. He was appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2019, and he was elected without opposition in 2022. Prior to taking the bench, Judge Baggé-Hernández served for 10 years as an Assistant United States Attorney, five (5) years in the District of Puerto Rico and five (5) years in the Middle District of Florida. During his time at the United States Attorney’s Office, he prosecuted many different types of cases, including transnational organized crime, crimes committed on the high seas, narcotics crime, crime related to the Immigration and Naturalization Acts, violent crime, white collar crime, fraud, and money laundering, among others.

Additionally, Judge Baggé-Hernández litigated civil and criminal asset forfeiture cases on behalf of the United States, and represented the United States in federal appellate court.  In 2018, the United States Department of Justice Organized Crime and Gang Section selected Judge Baggé-Hernández for a “first of its kind” detail as a Resident Legal Advisor to the United States Embassy in San Salvador, El Salvador. Prior to that, Judge Baggé-Hernández served as an Assistant State Attorney in Hillsborough County, Florida. As a native Spanish speaker, Judge Baggé-Hernández has participated in many trainings given by the US Department of Justice’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training (OPDAT) and the American Bar Association’s Rule of Law Initiative, which involved  travelling  throughout Latin America and training, in Spanish, lawyers, law enforcement, judges, and law students whose countries are changing from the inquisitorial system to accusatorial system. Additionally, he has participated in various lectures, trainings, and talks to judges, law enforcement, law students, and lawyers, on a variety of law-related topics.

Judge Jacqueline Woodward

Jacqueline Woodward is a County Court Judge for the 11th Judicial Circuit of Florida, in the Criminal Division. Judge Jackie Woodward practiced law in Miami for over 20 years before her election as a County Court Judge in 2018. She attended Wellesley College, graduating with degrees in political science, French studies and mathematics in 1991. After she graduated from Northeastern University School of Law, she moved to Miami, Florida where she began her legal career at the Public Defender's Office. She worked in private practice for more than 20 years and also worked for the Office of Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel.

Larry Pascal

Larry Pascal serves as the chair of the Americas Practice Group and co-chair of the International Practice Group. Larry brings more than 25 years of experience to his work advising companies on cross-border transactions, workouts, and disputes. He has extensive experience in the real estate, energy and infrastructure, agribusiness, financial services, technology, and aviation sectors.

Recently, Larry has acted on behalf of diverse clients on matters relating to Mexico, Colombia, and Chile. He advised Toyota in connection with the development and construction of its new automobile manufacturing plant in Mexico. He has also acted on behalf of Ecopetrol, the Colombian national oil company, in the sale and disposition of an ethanol plant. He also advised Chilean asset manager Toesca in its $150 million DIP loan to Chilean airline LATAM Airlines Group. Although he has deep experience in Latin America, he also recently expanded his geographical scope to Asia Pacific, acting for large Asian companies in the semiconductors and chemical sectors. He has also recently advised developers of racket sports with their investments in the U.S.

Edgar Klee

Edgar Klee is a partner in the Tax Practice Group at Haynes and Boone, S.C. and administrative partner of Haynes and Boone's Mexico City office. He focuses on offering sophisticated corporate tax advice on international taxation, tax counseling for individuals, legal structuring, customs and foreign trade, and general tax litigation.

Fernanda Ruizesparza

Fernanda Ruizesparza is an associate of Haynes and Boone in the foreign trade and tax department. She has consulted domestic and international companies in the food and drink (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) sectors as well as the chemical, pharmaceutical, beauty product, and textile industries. Fernanda has participated in matters concerning PEMEX and CFE, including: contract negotiation, enforcement of compliance, filing lawsuits against undue interpretation and breaches of said contracts. Her practice also extends to administrative issues, including the shipping sector, aeronautics, fines determined by labor, environmental authorities, etc.

Regarding tax issues, her consulting starts when the authorities begin exercising their powers of verification, in order to duly carry out the audit, remove or reduce observed contingencies, settle conclusive agreements and challenge credit determinations before administrative authorities, or judicial and administrative courts. Furthermore, Fernanda has participated in tax recovery procedures for unduly paid taxes and those generated as a credit balance resulting from daily or exceptional company operations. On the matter of foreign trade, her consulting includes tariff classification, verifying and processing import/export permits, classifying taxes, application of Free Trade Agreements, securing incentives, procedures related to bonded warehouses, authorized or granted under concession, applying for and obtaining the IMMEX program permit.

Helen Wan

A little about me: I was born in California and raised in Virginia. I’m a graduate of Amherst College and the University of Virginia School of Law. Before becoming a writer, I practiced law in New York City for a lot of years. People ask whether my book is autobiographical. Well, like Ingrid (protagonist of THE PARTNER TRACK), I’m an Asian American woman, and I’m a lawyer. After law school I landed at a big firm in Manhattan, whose corporate culture felt utterly unknown and unknowable to me. I might as well have landed on the moon. What struck me most were the patterns I observed as to who was sinking and who was swimming, who sat where (and with whom) in the cafeteria, and why all of this seemed to be playing out this way.

Unlike Ingrid, who (this is not a spoiler!) battles it out for BigLaw partnership, I left BigLaw to join a media and entertainment firm, and later became Associate General Counsel at a large media and entertainment company. So while my book is decidedly fiction, it was very important to me to write as realistic, authentic, and unvarnished a portrayal of corporate life as possible — as experienced by a young woman of color trying to figure it all out.

Sowmya Bharathi

Sowmya Bharathi is a first-chair trial attorney with extensive and broad federal court experience. Before joining Akerman, Sowmya handled complex trial matters as a supervisor at the Federal Public Defender’s Office in the Southern District of Florida. There, she tried 24 federal cases to jury verdict, many of which involved cutting edge matters of statutory interpretation and constitutional issues, as well as myriad experts. Sowmya tried an intricate multi-week bank and wire fraud case, defending a former pharmaceutical CEO against allegations by the FDIC and shareholders of a fraud exceeding $140 million. She served as second chair on three potential death penalty cases, conducting nuanced and far-ranging investigations and presenting to the Attorney General’s Capital Section – work that contributed to obtaining agreed settlements in high-profile and emotionally-charged cases. She has more recently tried and litigated matters involving media disclosures and the First Amendment.

Eugene Stearns

Gene Stearns, a trial lawyer since 1972, serves as Chairman of the Firm's Board of Directors and Chairman of its Litigation Department. His trial experience for over four decades has been in jury and non jury trials in federal and state courts in Florida and other jurisdictions (a substantial percentage of which were tried to verdict and final judgment), and extensive arbitration and administrative law proceedings. He has briefed and argued appeals to Florida's appellate courts including the District Courts of Appeal, the Florida Supreme Court, and in the federal system to the United States Courts of Appeals for the Fifth, Eleventh, Ninth and Third Circuits; and he has successfully argued before the United States Supreme Court in a matter that, when decided, ended almost a decade of disagreement among the federal circuits involving federal diversity jurisdiction.

Sean Domnick

Sean C. Domnick is an experienced civil trial lawyer and shareholder in the law firm of Domnick Cunningham & Yaffa. He has a statewide and national practice devoted solely to trial work and has dedicated his practice to seeking justice for clients who have suffered catastrophic injury. He is a national leader in the plaintiff’s bar and currently serves as President-Elect of the American Association for Justice.

Mr. Domnick has earned Florida Bar Board Certification, which is the highest level of recognition by the Florida Bar for competency and experience within civil trial law. His considerable jury trial experience and demonstrated knowledge of the law have resulted in several high-profile cases that have attracted local, state, and national attention. His legal accolades include recognition in The Best Lawyers in America©, Florida Super Lawyers, and inclusion on Florida Trend’s Legal Elite list. He is also the 2015 recipient of the BJ Masterson Award, an award distinguishing attorneys who display the highest degree of ethical professionalism.  Mr. Domnick serves as a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates and the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, two prestigious and highly selective organizations that are only accessible to distinguished members of the trial bar.

Sarah Zabel

Sarah Zabel (former Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge) is the owner of MAZE Resolutions PA. A full service alternative dispute resolutions firm. Services includes; civil and family mediation, arbitration, special magistrate, private judge, neutral umpire, co-mediation, nonbinding arbitration, pre-suit mediation, and elder law. She served on the Miami-Dade Circuit Court Bench for nearly 16 years. Sarah Zabel served in the Civil Division, Family Division, Juvenile Division, Criminal Division and Eleventh Judicial Circuit Appellate Panel.

Before the Bench she was in Private Practice. Her practice included civil, family and employment litigation. She also was an assistant state attorney with the child support enforcement office. She is a graduate of Nova Law. Her Bachelor of Science Degree in Communication is from Florida State University. She was treasurer, secretary and Past President of Miami-Dade FAWL. Her professional activities include; Dade County Board Member for the Miami-Dade Commission for Women, Member of the Women’s Chamber of Commerce Mentor for the Women of Tomorrow, an organization for at high risk school girls, Member of Miami-Dade FAWL on Leadership, and the Committee Member of the Florida Bar Committee on Professionalism.

Sarah Zabel established Miami Shine which is now a statewide youth advocacy group for youth who are transitioning out of the Foster Care System. She Created a Pro Bono Pilot Project for pro se litigants in the Family Division where pro se litigants would be represented by lawyers through the Collaborative Law Process.

Sashi Bach

Sashi represents clients in high-stakes commercial disputes and professional malpractice matters, leveraging her deep understanding of her clients’ legal and business issues to deliver successful outcomes in and out of court. Sashi has experience in numerous areas, including professional malpractice, corporate governance, derivative shareholder actions, class actions, commercial real estate disputes, and fraud. She brings a unique perspective that comes from representing both plaintiffs and defendants through all stages of litigation, from pre-filing dispute resolution through appeal.

For over a decade, Sashi has defended one of the largest law firms in the world in its legal malpractice and legal ethics matters, obtaining case-ending summary judgment rulings in multiple cases. Sashi is committed to pro bono work, having contributed to the decades-long case on behalf Florida’s children on Medicaid, which “may have changed more lives than any U.S. litigation of the past decade” (Lawdragon, 2016) and resulted in improved access to medical and dental care for a class of 2 million Florida children. Sashi is co-administrative partner for the firm’s Fort Lauderdale office where she has worked for more than 20 years. Prior to joining the firm, Sashi served as an Assistant County Attorney at the Miami-Dade County Attorney's Office, where she represented Miami-Dade County in civil litigation.

Heloiza Correa

Heloiza A. Correa, P.A. was established in 2016 by its founding partner Heloiza A. Correa, Esq., a University of Miami School of Law Alumni, in order to provide quality legal and litigation services to its clients.  Heloiza A. Correa began her legal career at the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office as a prosecutor in March 2010.  During her tenure as a prosecutor, Heloiza A. Correa received multiple promotions and recognitions, including an award by MADD for her work with next of kin of victims of drunk driving cases. 

After three and a half years of proudly serving her community, Heloiza A. Correa gained extensive litigation experience, handling matters from its inception through jury verdicts.  As a prosecutor, she successfully tried a wide range of cases, from misdemeanors to serious felonies, including first degree murder cases resulting in 32 jury trials to verdict and over 60 bench trials. Her ability to handle a large case load and provide quality representation to the people of the State of Florida proved to be an asset after she transitioned into civil litigation.

Now in her own firm, Heloiza A. Correa’s experience and work philosophy allows her clients to receive quality work at all points of their legal representation: from demand letters to trials. With Heloiza A. Correa, P.A., clients do not have to worry about switching attorneys if their matters are not resolved prior to trial. Heloiza A. Correa’s ability to connect to her clients and understand their situations comes together with comfort and experience in the courtroom gives our clients the upmost confidence in their legal representation.

Sara Kay

Sarah E. Kay, Esq., BCS assists Florida’s families in the Tampa Bay area through guardian ad litem services, as a Florida Supreme Court Certified Family Law Mediator, and as a Collaborative Attorney through her firm Kay Family Law PLLC in Tampa.  Sarah assists solo and small firms providing contract research, writing, and consulting services.  Speaking, writing, and consulting on family law matters, particularly ones involving persons with disabilities or special needs, are among Sarah’s passions.

The multiple advanced degrees and certifications Sarah has earned reflect her love of life-long learning.  Sarah’s Board Certification in Marital & Family Law by The Florida Bar reflects her specialized knowledge, skills, and proficiency in that area and her professionalism and ethics in practice.  She is also a Fellow in the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (“AAML”), a selective organization founded to provide leadership that promotes the highest degree of professionalism and excellence in the practice of family law.   Additionally, Sarah holds a Master in Education from Worcester State University in Massachusetts, a Master in Business Administration from Stetson University, a Certificate in Special Education Advocacy from William & Mary Law School, and a Juris Doctor, magna cum laude from Stetson University College of Law.

Neisen Kasdin

Neisen Kasdin serves as co-office managing partner of Akerman’s Miami office. A former mayor of Miami Beach and leader in the revitalization of South Beach, he brings extensive civic experience to his work on urban revitalization and the development of complex, large-scale, multi-use projects.

Respected as a leader in urban development, he served as vice chair of the board of directors for the Miami Downtown Development Authority and was responsible for leading the creation of Miami’s Downtown Master Plan. Many of his clients’ projects – from Brickell City Centre to Miami’s Design District and the Faena District – have been groundbreaking, transforming Miami’s urban spaces with a blend of retail, office, and residential properties. In addition to large-scale projects, Neisen has represented clients in developments in emerging Miami neighborhoods such as Little Haiti and Wynwood.

Neisen is recognized by Chambers USA and The Legal 500 as a leading land use and zoning lawyer in Florida. Clients value his attention to detail and thorough knowledge of building codes and government agencies, as well as his deep understanding of what a neighborhood needs, what is achievable, and what challenges may arise in the future.

Jarrett Bingemann

Jarrett Bingemann represents residential homebuilders, master planned community developers, commercial property owners, and institutional investors on all aspects of the evaluation, acquisition, sale, and development of properties throughout Florida and the Southeastern United States.

In addition, Jarrett has experience concerning the evaluation, remediation, and the institutional closure of former golf courses and environmentally impacted properties throughout Florida.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Tufts University.

Travis Luther
Travis Scott Luther is the Founder of Luther Media, LLC whose companies have included TrialLine , ValetAds, Queen Anne Pillow Company, and Law Father. He is also the former frontman of the band Ultra Find. Luther has parlayed his marketing and storytelling expertise into a successful writing career. Forbes.com called Luther a “Retirement Abroad Authority” with the release of The Fun Side of the Wall, an Amazon #1 new release. He is also the host of the Travis Luther Travis Luther Podcast.

Luther is a former Entrepreneur in Residence for the University of Colorado Denver and a former Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship at MSU Denver’s College of Business. He is also the President-Elect of Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) Colorado and served as the 2019 National Chair for EO’s Global Student Entrepreneurship Awards (GSEA) Program (which resulted in the Disney+/NatGeo Documentary Own the Room).

He currently sits on the MSU Denver Alumni Board of Directors and MSU Denver Foundation Board. Luther formally served on the Executive Board of Scholars Unlimited, a Denver non-profit focused on improving child literacy among low-income and at-risk grade school children, where he founded and endowed their children’s computer coding program, CodeSpire. He is a frequent lecturer and author and his insights have been featured in major publications, including the Wall Street Journal. In his free time he plays guitar and enjoys international travel. Click a link here to learn more about Travis Luther’s speaking, music, writing, and entrepreneurship.

Judge Chiaka Ihekwaba

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 with the Miami Dade State Attorney’s office for 19 years where she was a Felony 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 Jacqueline Woodward

Jacqueline Woodward is a County Court Judge for the 11th Judicial Circuit of Florida, in the Criminal Division. Judge Jackie Woodward practiced law in Miami for over 20 years before her election as a County Court Judge in 2018. She attended Wellesley College, graduating with degrees in political science, French studies and mathematics in 1991. After she graduated from Northeastern University School of Law, she moved to Miami, Florida where she began her legal career at the Public Defender's Office. She worked in private practice for more than 20 years and also worked for the Office of Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel.

Sabrina Puglisi

Sabrina Puglisi is a Florida Board Certified Criminal Trial attorney since 2008. Prior to starting her own firm, Puglisi Law, in 2011, she has the unique experience of having worked for both the Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office and the Federal Defender’s Office for the Southern District of Florida where she gained invaluable experience as a trial attorney handling hundreds of different cases from pre-trial to trial. She was admitted to the Florida bar in 2000 and practices Federal and State Criminal law Defense.

Stuart Weissman

Stuart J. Weissman is a partner of Ratzan Weissman & Boldt. He focuses his practice on catastrophic negligence, medical malpractice, products liability, wrongful death, and commercial disputes. Mr. Weissman and RWB are frequently retained to handle cases throughout the state and the country. Beyond Florida, Mr. Weissman has handled cases in states including Alabama, Arkansas, California, Rhode Island, and Texas.

Stuart has obtained a multitude of six, seven, and even eight-figure settlements and verdicts. For example, alongside his partner, Stuart N. Ratzan, he obtained a $23 million verdict in a medical malpractice case in Charlotte County, Florida. The $23 million verdict in a medical malpractice lawsuit for a mother whose daughter was born with a severe brain injury is believed to be the largest civil jury verdict in the county’s history. For this achievement, the Daily Business Review recognized Mr. Ratzan and Mr. Weissman for their achievements by being finalists for the Daily Business Review annual Most Effective Lawyers recognition award.

Roger Slade

Roger Slade is a shareholder with the Miami law firm of Haber Law. Mr. Slade is an AV-rated commercial litigator with over 33 years of litigation experience.  Throughout his career, Mr. Slade has handled all types of litigation matters including business fraud, class-actions for both Plaintiffs and Defendants, real estate litigation, privacy litigation, commercial collection matters, employment discrimination claims, general business disputes and international family law matters. Mr. Slade was recently elected to Florida Super Lawyers for the tenth year in a row. Mr. Slade’s clients range from public companies, real estate developers, financial institutions to small businesses and individuals.

Mr. Slade is currently serving as the President of the Miami Dade Bar. He is also a frequent contributor to the Miami-Dade County Bar Bulletin and has authored numerous articles on litigation skills and trial practice. Mr. Slade was formerly an editor of the International Litigation Quarterly, a publication of the American Bar Association. Mr. Slade’s scholarship on litigation can now be found on his blog, which enjoys a substantial readership.

Charise A. Morgan-Joseph

Charise A. Morgan-Joseph is a Trial Attorney with Zurich, N.A., representing and protecting the interest of the company's insured in all phases of litigation in complex liability matters. A former Administrative Law Judge for the Department of Labor in Atlanta, Georgia, Ms. Morgan-Joseph graduated from Florida International University with a B.A. in Political Science and English Literature. She attended Mercer University School of Law, earning a Juris Doctorate degree, Certificate in Legal Writing, and the CALI Award for Appellate Practice and Procedure. She is licensed to practice in Georgia and Florida.

Ms. Morgan-Joseph currently serves as the Vice President of the Miami-Dade Bar, on the Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division Board of Governors, the Florida Bar Civil Procedure Rules Committee, and the Florida Bar Standing Committee on Professionalism. She is an avid world traveler, on a quest for adventure.

Phillip Joseph

Phillip Joseph chairs Ball Janik LLP’s national construction litigation practice, and is licensed in multiple states to better serve his clients.  Before joining Ball Janik, Mr. Joseph clerked for a federal court judge, where he was involved in many federal trials and proceedings.  He has over 30 years’ experience as a commercial litigator whose primary focus is construction and real estate litigation, specializing in representing a wide-range of owners with construction defect issues.  He has also handled design and construction disputes, community association disputes, real estate disputes, commercial landlord/tenant, and collections. Mr. Joseph has received the AV® Preeminent™ Rating from Martindale–Hubbell®. He is the recipient of several honors, including selection to The Best Lawyers in America for Litigation – Construction and for Community Association Law since 2017. Mr. Joseph has lectured widely and authored articles on construction defect and real estate litigation issues, including speaking to numerous community association organizations, including CAI and to the College of Community Association Lawyers at their annual convention. He was also the editor of the Real Estate Disputes CLE for the Oregon State Bar.

Evan Small

Evan J. Small is a partner in Ball Janik LLP’s Construction Defect practice group. Mr. Small’s practice is devoted to assisting clients solve complex construction problems with a focus on representing owners in prosecuting construction defect and insurance coverage claims throughout Florida.  Mr. Small is a Florida Bar Board Certified Specialist in Construction Law, designated by the Florida Bar as an expert in Construction Law.  Mr. Small was selected by his peers to the Florida Rising Stars list (2016-2018) the Florida Super Lawyers list (2019-2022) for construction litigation, published in Super Lawyers Magazine. Mr. Small was also recognized in The Best Lawyers in America list in Construction Law and Litigation – Construction.

Gabriel Coelho

Gabriel Z. Coelho is Special Counsel in Ball Janik LLP’s Construction practice group. Mr. Coelho’s practice concentrates on representing owners in construction disputes and construction defect matters. Prior to joining Ball Janik, Mr. Coelho focused his practice in the defense of general contractors in multimillion-dollar construction and construction defect disputes. Gabriel’s previous representation of general contractors gives him a unique advantage and perspective in assisting our firm’s practice of representing owners in the prosecution of construction claims. Mr. Coelho was born in Brazil, and is fluent in Portuguese and conversational in Spanish.

Joseph R. Fitos

Joseph R. Fitos is a litigator with a longstanding career handling complex business and construction disputes. His calm, measured, and detailed approach has led to an AV Rating as a litigation attorney representing a wide range of clients, including engineers, architects, developers, owners, contractors, and insurers. He brings a wealth of experience in a broad range of construction disputes, as well as claims involving catastrophic injuries. As special counsel in Ball Janik’s Construction Defect and Litigation practice groups, Joseph focuses his practice on complex construction litigation, commercial litigation, and construction-focused transactional law protecting clients’ assets and investments. Prior to joining Ball Janik, Joseph was a tenured equity shareholder in a full-service Florida law firm’s Orlando office. He is a member of the Holy Family Catholic Church and a board member of the Roper YMCA.

Amber Kornreich

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 Immediate Past President of The First Family Law American Inn of Court.

Amber is passionate about promoting the professional practice of Family Law and advancing thought leadership. She previously served as Secretary of the Florida Bar Family Law Section’s Publications Committee, was a Guest Editor of the Family Law Section Commentator, and has published numerous articles on professionalism, ethics, and technology, including: The Walls Really Do Have Ears: Guarding the Attorney-Client Privilege While Working at Your Smarthome, Revisiting the Code of Professionalism and Civility: Professionalism in the Virtual Age, Kindness and Professionalism, and Family Law in the Metaverse.

Brittany Bonner

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.

Brittany graduated magna cum laude from the University of Florida in 2005 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. She was also a Dean’s Merit Scholar at the University of Miami School of Law, where she received her law degree in 2008. At the University of Miami, Brittany received recognition for her achievements in Litigation Skills and Advanced Evidence. Brittany is licensed to practice law in Florida, New York, and Georgia. She has been recognized as one of South Florida’s 40 Under 40 Outstanding Lawyers by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Judge Victoria del Pino

Gerald Kornreich

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. Kornreich has handled thousands of Family Law Cases including taking over 200 cases to trial. He has practiced family law since 1975 and has represented high profile business leaders, physicians, attorneys, CEOs, celebrities, entertainers, professional athletes, supermodels, financial advisors, accountants, industry leaders, entrepreneurs, and their spouses.

Mr. Kornreich is known for his reputation for professionalism, civility, and pro bono service. He was the Recipient of the Tobias Simon Award, the highest pro bono award given in Florida, presented at The Florida Supreme Court. He has received the Judge Richard Yale Feder Professionalism Award; the Richard Milstein Excellence Award from the Dade County Bar Association; The Florida Bar “Sand Beneath my Feet” Professionalism Award; the Judge Theodore Klein Award, one of the highest honors bestowed by The Miami-Dade Florida Association for Women Lawyers; The Ray Pearson Guardian Ad Litem Award; the “W” Award by the YWCA; and Dade Legal Aid’s Extraordinary Service Award. He has been listed in Best Lawyers in America, Super Lawyers, South Florida Legal Elite, and is AV Rated by Martindale-Hubbell.

Catherine Rodriguez

Catherine M. Rodriguez is a founding partner of Filler Rodriguez, LLP in Miami Beach, Florida. Ms. Rodriguez practices exclusively in the areas of marital and family law. Prior to dedicating her practice to family law Ms. Rodriguez acquired extensive trial experience as a commercial litigator representing numerous businesses and parties in complex business lawsuits. She has tried numerous jury trials and bench trials. In 2000, she worked with the legal team that personally represented President George W. Bush in Bush V. Gore, 531 U.S. 98 (2000), the United States Supreme Court decision that settled a recount dispute in Florida’s 2000 presidential election. In 1998, as a former Broward County prosecutor and County attorney, she brandished a tough new zoning ordinance that ordered seven sex businesses out of the county.

In 2021, Ms. Rodriguez was admitted as a Fellow to the prestigious American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML). The AAML is an organization of the most dedicated and professional family law lawyers who are recognized by both the bench and the bar as the leaders in the field. The AAML has a stringent vetting process to admit Fellows which includes peer reviews, judicial references, written testing and verbal panel test.

Adam Finkel

Before entering into private practice, Adam spent almost six years working for the Miami-Dade County State Attorney’s Office.  Mr. Finkel was a member of the Gang Unit and was asked to serve in the county’s specialized Gun Violence Unit, as the lead attorney prosecuting hundreds of violent criminals.  In order to investigate crime and prepare for trial, Mr. Finkel worked closely with local law enforcement, as well as Federal agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Department of Homeland Security.  Though obtaining many guilty verdicts and prevailing at trial against some of the county’s most heinous gang members, Finkel also worked within the community to help troubled youths enroll in college.

Inspired by his experience at the State Attorney’s Office, Adam became involved with Empowered Youth, a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of inner-city, at-risk youth. The program serves young men between the ages of 12 and 21, most of whom have been referred to us by the Department of Juvenile Justice. Finkel was a Dean’s List student at Syracuse University, graduating cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Relations and a minor in Political Science.  He earned his juris doctorate from Brooklyn Law School with an academic achievement scholarship.  During law school, he appeared in Kings County, New York Criminal Court as a student Assistant District Attorney, was a judicial intern for a New York State Supreme Court justice, and served as a law clerk for the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

Gary Lesser

Gary S. Lesser is the President of The Florida Bar, after ten years of service on the Florida Bar Board of Governors. Gary was appointed Chair of Florida Bar Legislation three years in a row, and also served as Chair of the Professional Ethics Committee, and served on the Strategic Planning, Disciplinary Review, Communications and Board Review on Professional Ethics Committees. He was admitted to the Florida bar in 1992, after earning his J.D from the Miami University school of Law. 

Gary is the Firm’s Managing Partner and is one of Florida’s leading personal injury attorneys, handling a large number of high profile personal injury cases over the years, including automobile injury, wrongful/accidental death, premises liability, gun liability, negligent security, product injury, and other related injury cases. Gary has lectured at seminars all over Florida on the topics of personal injury and various ethics issues. He has been interviewed by local and national media regarding personal injury cases, important ethical/legal issues, and his service to the community.

Roland Sanchez-Medina Jr. is a partner who focuses his practice in the areas of corporate and securities law, including mergers and acquisitions, corporate structuring/restructuring, board governance, domestic and international commercial transactions, commercial and residential real estate transactions, tax and estate planning, and other general transactional services.

Prior to forming the Firm, Mr. Sanchez-Medina was a partner at the national law firm of McDermott, Will & Emery, where he was a member of the Corporate Department, and was a senior associate at the national law firm of Holland & Knight.

Helen Wan

A little about me: I was born in California and raised in Virginia. I’m a graduate of Amherst College and the University of Virginia School of Law. Before becoming a writer, I practiced law in New York City for a lot of years. People ask whether my book is autobiographical. Well, like Ingrid (protagonist of THE PARTNER TRACK), I’m an Asian American woman, and I’m a lawyer. After law school I landed at a big firm in Manhattan, whose corporate culture felt utterly unknown and unknowable to me. I might as well have landed on the moon. What struck me most were the patterns I observed as to who was sinking and who was swimming, who sat where (and with whom) in the cafeteria, and why all of this seemed to be playing out this way.

Unlike Ingrid, who (this is not a spoiler!) battles it out for BigLaw partnership, I left BigLaw to join a media and entertainment firm, and later became Associate General Counsel at a large media and entertainment company. So while my book is decidedly fiction, it was very important to me to write as realistic, authentic, and unvarnished a portrayal of corporate life as possible — as experienced by a young woman of color trying to figure it all out.

Scott Dimond

Scott M. Dimond represents companies and individuals in complex commercial and securities matters. Often described as a “lawyer’s lawyer,” Scott is frequently retained by general counsel and executives in sophisticated business disputes, and he advises national clients about the nuances of litigating in state and federal court in Florida as both lead and local counsel. A consistent record of successful results – including winning one of the top jury verdicts in Florida in 2021 in a matter in the Complex Business Division — has earned Scott a national reputation as a highly-skilled, intelligent, strategic, and aggressive advocate for clients across a range of industries, including real estate, finance, telecommunications, hospitality, law, construction, and healthcare.

Scott has particularly deep expertise in the securities sector, having represented both the industry and, now, investors and financial advisors. He regularly represents claimants in securities arbitration actions before the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and represents financial advisors in matters against banks and broker-dealers. He also has extensive federal and state receivership experience, having been appointed by numerous federal courts as a Receiver for both the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and by state-court judges to act as a Receiver in matters pending in the Miami-Dade County Complex Business Division.

Alvin K. Brown

Alvin K. Brown is a National Security, Cybersecurity, and Compliance attorney serving the State of Florida. He provides legal counseling, investigation, compliance program development, risk mitigation, and crisis management services to clients in the legal, business, and government sectors.

Alvin K. Brown is an attorney and data protection and privacy consultant with over 20 years of Department of Defense (DoD) and Intelligence Community (IC) experience working on National Security, Cybersecurity, Data Protection, and Privacy matters.  During his career, Alvin has served in operations, management, policy, compliance, and legal positions at the Central Intelligence Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency, Office of Naval Intelligence, U.S Special Operations Command, U.S. Central Command, and U.S. Special Operations Command Central. Alvin earned a Juris Doctorate (JD) and Master of Law (LL.M) in International Law from Stetson University College of Law and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Interdisciplinary Social Science from the University of South Florida.

Alice Sum

Alice Sum is a Trial Attorney with the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission in its Miami Regional office.  Prior to joining the SEC, Alice was in private practice for twenty years, handling complex business litigation.  Alice is a member of The Florida Bar Board of Governors representing the 11th Circuit and serves on the 17th Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission, nominated by the Bar and appointed by the Governor.  Alice is also a member of the Board of Directors for the Dade County Bar Association.  

Lilly Ann Sanchez 

A shareholder of The LS Law Firm, Lilly Ann Sanchez is a former federal prosecutor and a trial attorney with more than 30 years of experience. Before forming the firm, Ms. Sanchez was Chair of Fowler White Burnett’s White Collar Criminal Defense Group. She handles the full range of white-collar offenses and has significant experience in securities fraud, money laundering, antitrust, public corruption, and health care fraud.

From her past work in the public sector, Ms. Sanchez brings to her practice an exceptional background of trial law and administrative experience. She also provides insight into trial strategy and negotiation tactics. Before joining Fowler White Burnett, Ms. Sanchez worked as Deputy Chief of the Major Crimes Section of the United States Attorney’s Office in Miami. Prior to that post, she served as Assistant U.S. Attorney for the United States Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of Florida and the District of Columbia

Susan Aprill

Susan Aprill's practice encompasses a wide range of civil litigation matters with particular emphasis in recent years on business disputes and employment matters, including claims by independent contractors against employers. Susan is called upon by clients to craft arguments and develop strategies that benefit both legal and business interests.

Susan has practiced civil litigation since 1982, including general commercial, employment, consumer and probate litigation. In the past decade, she has served as court-appointed receiver for businesses, including a medical billing service, mobile home parks, and a luxury rental property in foreclosure. She has also served as a court-appointed arbitrator on a panel deciding a complicated medical practice break-up, and has been appointed a special master and mediator in various matters. She recently prevailed in an international arbitration saving her clients in a "bet the company" suit challenging their right to pursue a contract previously enjoyed by a former business affiliate. She has recently represented libel plaintiffs against television and print media defendants.

Nikki Weisburd

Nikki Weisburd, Esq., is the Senior Child Advocacy Attorney and Pro Bono Coordinator with Dade Legal Aid’s Child Advocacy Project in partnership with the GAL program and supported by funding from The Florida Bar Foundation.  A seasoned veteran, she oversees cases, recruitment, and mentors dozens of attorneys for over 20 years advocating for greater access to justice for foster youth in need.

Karen Ladis

Karen Ladis, Esq. Executive Director of Dade Legal Aid has served as a moderator and panelist on pro bono and dependency for decades. In her role as director she oversees all aspects of the program.

Dana Viggiano

Dana Viggiano, Esq.,  is an attorney who handles GAL cases serving as the eyes and ears of the court for all children in dependency for nearly 15 years. Her unique perspective brings forth many years of experience serving both in and outside of the Children’s courthouse.

Kristen Feuer

Kristen Feuer, Esq., is an Attorney ad Litem representing older foster youth who are medically fragile and aging out of dependency. A former GAL attorney she provides a unique perspective on how to talk to foster kids.

Judge Zachary James

Judge Zachary James serves in the criminal Division and has also served in Domestic Violence Court. A graduate of University of Miami School of Law; he is a co-chair of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Pro Bono committee. When in private practice, he handled numerous child advocacy pro bono cases for Dade Legal Aid’s Child advocacy project and continues to support its mission.

Judge Angelica D. Zayas

Judge Angelica D. Zayas is a Circuit court judge in the GRACE Court. A graduate of University of Miami School of Law, Cum Laude, she sits in the GRACE Court.

Stephanie Grosman

Stephanie Grosman, Esq., a former board member of the MDB and YLS board, helps to recruit, train and supervise pro bono attorneys who accept GAL appointments in family law and unified family court. She brings over 15 years of collaborating and experience and works on special projects.

Judge Roy Altman

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.

David Tenner

David Tenner is an arbitrator, a mediator, and a special master appointed by state and federal trial courts. His trial practice focused on the representation of businesses and individuals in both state and federal court and in arbitrations. He tried complex business, intellectual property, and tort cases to both judges and juries. He also tried complex claims in both domestic and international arbitrations. He represented a broad range of clients; from Fortune 500 companies to closely-held businesses to individuals.

David has been listed in Best Lawyers in America (Arbitration, Mediation, and Commercial Litigation) from 2017 to 2022, becoming one of a handful of attorneys listed in all three fields.  Mr. Tenner has been recognized by his peers on the Colorado Super Lawyers list in the area of business litigation from 2009 to 2011 and from 2012 to 2022, where he is listed in the area of alternative dispute resolution. He received his AV rating from Martindale Hubbell in March 1993, becoming Denver’s youngest AV-rated attorney.

Thomas Icard

Tom Icard focuses his nationally recognized practice on construction related matters, from review of contract documents to claims negotiation and complex, multi-party litigation (Best Lawyers in America Sarasota metro area “Construction Lawyer of the Year” in 2016, 2018 and 2021). He is also regularly engaged as a neutral in alternative dispute resolution (ADR) proceedings in construction cases and in a broad range of other civil disputes (2012 Best Lawyers in America, Tampa metro area “Mediation Lawyer of the Year”).

Tom is a Diplomate of the Florida Academy of Professional Mediators, as well as a member (by invitation) of the Florida Circuit Civil Mediator Society and the National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals. He has served as a single arbitrator and as the chief arbitrator on a panel of three in matters involving major property damage claims, insurance coverage, securities and other business disputes. He also has experience as a court appointed Special Master in federal proceedings.

Judge Hogan Scola retired from the bench in March 2020 after having served over 17 years in the Circuit Court of the 11th Judicial Circuit. Her last assignment was in the Extended Trials Division, handling longer and more complex cases such as tobacco and asbestos litigation, products liability, medical malpractice, and professional liability cases. After retirement Judge Hogan Scola worked with JAMS in Miami handling mediations, arbitrations, and special magistrate work in both State and Federal cases. Judge Hogan Scola graduated from the University of Miami School of Law in 1982. She began her legal career as an Assistant State Attorney in the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office. Subsequently, she became a trial attorney in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida. Judge Hogan Scola was the training director in both the State Attorney’s Office and US Attorney’s Office. As a Judge, taught extensively to judges, lawyers, and law students and mentored young lawyers and law students. She continues to teach Advanced Trial Advocacy for The Florida Bar.

Vanessa Singh Johannes

Vanessa Singh Johannes is an experienced trial attorney whose practice focuses on complex criminal and civil matters. For a decade, she served as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida, trying dozens of federal jury trials and handling appellate matters before the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. In private practice, she has represented clients in a variety of white collar matters involving fraud, antitrust, and environmental issues.

In her distinguished career as a federal prosecutor, Vanessa investigated, indicted, and tried cases involving crimes such as fraud and money laundering, espionage, arms trafficking, child exploitation, human trafficking, and violent crimes. She also handled investigations into affirmative civil rights violations. Vanessa has deep working knowledge and experience with all phases of government investigations — from grand jury inquiries to weekslong jury trials. During her tenure in the Miami U.S. Attorney’s Office, Vanessa served in the Special Prosecutions, Civil Rights, Major Crimes, and Appellate units. More recently, she also served as the district’s Project Safe Childhood Coordinator, assisting federal agents and child exploitation prosecutors with training and case preparedness, as well as investigating and intaking all of the child exploitation cases in Miami. Vanessa earned the prestigious Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service in 2018 for her work prosecuting Christopher Glenn, a U.S. citizen and Department of Defense contractor, who committed cyber espionage, theft of classified materials, and sex trafficking of minors in Honduras. 

Christopher Lomax

Chris is the Managing Attorney at Lomax Legal. He began his career with the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice over a decade ago, and soon established a stellar reputation for taking on and winning complex, difficult cases in jurisdictions across the nation. Chris investigated and successfully prosecuted law enforcement officers who violated people’s Constitutional rights, as well as individuals who committed hate crimes and human trafficking offenses. Before long, Chris was handling high profile cases of national importance, tirelessly pursuing and securing justice on behalf of the American people.

Following his tenure with the Department of Justice, Chris made the strategic decision to pursue a clerkship with Chief Judge Carl E. Stewart of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. As a federal appellate law clerk, Chris was immersed in a rigorous intellectual experience that provided him an invaluable and unparalleled opportunity to sharpen his skills as a uniquely versatile advocate.

This additional training catapulted Chris to the next phase of his career, where he focused his practice on complex civil litigation at Jones Day, a prestigious law firm that consistently ranks as one of the top 10 law firms in the world. His work at Jones Day included representing Fortune 500 corporations in high stakes complex litigation and white collar investigations, and earning the trust of clients across industries. In addition to his full-time legal practice, Chris serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Miami School of Law and is on the teaching faculty for Harvard Law School’s Trial Advocacy Workshop.

Charlton Copeland

Charlton Copeland joined the 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.

Melba Pearson

A New York native, Melba Pearson has called Miami home for over 20 years. After receiving her undergraduate degree at New York University, she completed her studies at Hofstra University (now Maurice Dean) School of Law. Ms. Pearson  is a civil rights and criminal law attorney who works in the Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy at Florida International University (FIU). She serves as the Director of Prosecution Projects, overseeing technical assistance, training, and community engagement efforts around the field of prosecution. Her primary assignment is as co-manager of the MacArthur Foundation-funded Prosecutorial Performance Indicators' project, which aims to improve prosecutorial offices' efficiency, effectiveness and fairness through data, research, technical assistance, and communications support. 

Before joining FIU, she served as the Deputy Director for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Florida for three years.  Ms. Pearson 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. Prior to the ACLU, Ms. Pearson 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, Ms. Pearson 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. Ms. Pearson was the progressive candidate for Miami-Dade State Attorney in 2020.

Matthew Lundy, Esq. is the managing member of Matthew Lundy Law - QDRO Law, a multi-jurisdictional QDRO law firm. He is licensed to practice law in Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Mr. Lundy has a great deal of experience in analyzing and interpreting state and federal law related to retirement account division in family law cases, including but not limited to the Internal Revenue Code and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.

He has written several articles on the subjects of retirement account division and the use of QDROs and similar orders in family law cases that have been published both state and nationwide. Mr. Lundy also has lectured on the subject of retirement account division to judges, family law practitioners, and other family law professionals throughout the country. He earned his B.A. degree from Duke University, and his J.D. degree, with honors, from the University of Florida, Levin College of Law.

Sabrina Puglisi

Sabrina Puglisi is a Florida Board Certified Criminal Trial attorney since 2008. Prior to starting her own firm, Puglisi Law, in 2011, she has the unique experience of having worked for both the Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office and the Federal Defender’s Office for the Southern District of Florida where she gained invaluable experience as a trial attorney handling hundreds of different cases from pre-trial to trial. She was admitted to the Florida bar in 2000 and practices Federal and State Criminal law Defense.

Stuart Weissman

Stuart J. Weissman is a partner of Ratzan Weissman & Boldt. He focuses his practice on catastrophic negligence, medical malpractice, products liability, wrongful death, and commercial disputes. Mr. Weissman and RWB are frequently retained to handle cases throughout the state and the country. Beyond Florida, Mr. Weissman has handled cases in states including Alabama, Arkansas, California, Rhode Island, and Texas.

Stuart has obtained a multitude of six, seven, and even eight-figure settlements and verdicts. For example, alongside his partner, Stuart N. Ratzan, he obtained a $23 million verdict in a medical malpractice case in Charlotte County, Florida. The $23 million verdict in a medical malpractice lawsuit for a mother whose daughter was born with a severe brain injury is believed to be the largest civil jury verdict in the county’s history. For this achievement, the Daily Business Review recognized Mr. Ratzan and Mr. Weissman for their achievements by being finalists for the Daily Business Review annual Most Effective Lawyers recognition award.

Roger Slade

Roger Slade is a shareholder with the Miami law firm of Haber Law. Mr. Slade is an AV-rated commercial litigator with over 33 years of litigation experience.  Throughout his career, Mr. Slade has handled all types of litigation matters including business fraud, class-actions for both Plaintiffs and Defendants, real estate litigation, privacy litigation, commercial collection matters, employment discrimination claims, general business disputes and international family law matters. Mr. Slade was recently elected to Florida Super Lawyers for the tenth year in a row. Mr. Slade’s clients range from public companies, real estate developers, financial institutions to small businesses and individuals.

Mr. Slade is currently serving as the President of the Miami Dade Bar. He is also a frequent contributor to the Miami-Dade County Bar Bulletin and has authored numerous articles on litigation skills and trial practice. Mr. Slade was formerly an editor of the International Litigation Quarterly, a publication of the American Bar Association. Mr. Slade’s scholarship on litigation can now be found on his blog, which enjoys a substantial readership.

Charise A. Morgan-Joseph

Charise A. Morgan-Joseph is a Trial Attorney with Zurich, N.A., representing and protecting the interest of the company's insured in all phases of litigation in complex liability matters. A former Administrative Law Judge for the Department of Labor in Atlanta, Georgia, Ms. Morgan-Joseph graduated from Florida International University with a B.A. in Political Science and English Literature. She attended Mercer University School of Law, earning a Juris Doctorate degree, Certificate in Legal Writing, and the CALI Award for Appellate Practice and Procedure. She is licensed to practice in Georgia and Florida.

Ms. Morgan-Joseph currently serves as the Vice President of the Miami-Dade Bar, on the Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division Board of Governors, the Florida Bar Civil Procedure Rules Committee, and the Florida Bar Standing Committee on Professionalism. She is an avid world traveler, on a quest for adventure.

Charise A. Morgan-Joseph

Charise A. Morgan-Joseph is a Trial Attorney with Zurich, N.A., representing and protecting the interest of the company's insured in all phases of litigation in complex liability matters. A former Administrative Law Judge for the Department of Labor in Atlanta, Georgia, Ms. Morgan-Joseph graduated from Florida International University with a B.A. in Political Science and English Literature. She attended Mercer University School of Law, earning a Juris Doctorate degree, Certificate in Legal Writing, and the CALI Award for Appellate Practice and Procedure. She is licensed to practice in Georgia and Florida.

Ms. Morgan-Joseph currently serves as the Vice President of the Miami-Dade Bar, on the Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division Board of Governors, the Florida Bar Civil Procedure Rules Committee, and the Florida Bar Standing Committee on Professionalism. She is an avid world traveler, on a quest for adventure.

Amanda Oliver

As Senior Vice President and General Counsel for NASCAR, Amanda Oliver oversees day-to-day legal operations for the auto racing sanctioning body and leads a team of eight attorneys and 12 staff members. Amanda is responsible for all legal matters related to litigation, real estate, digital and privacy, sponsorships and marketing, gaming and esports, international broadcasts and production, as well as the legal needs of 15 racetrack facilities across the country.

Frank Silva

Frank Silva is responsible for all of Shoma Group’s legal matters, including acquisition, financing, development, and disposition of residential and commercial real estate. An experienced legal practitioner, Mr. Silva provides invaluable guidance throughout Shoma Group’s affiliated companies.

Prior to joining Shoma, Mr. Silva was a Shareholder at Akerman Senterfitt. The primary focus of his practice was commercial litigation, construction defect litigation and class action litigation. His additional practice areas included mass torts, medical liability litigation, condominium and homeowner association matters, professional liability claims, and alternative dispute resolution. 21st Century Schools Bond Advisory Committee for Miami-Dade County Public Schools, and the Advisory Board for St. Thomas School of Law. Mr. Silva holds the highest possible Martindale-Hubbell rating – AV Preeminent – in both legal ability and ethical standards, reflecting the confidential opinions of members of the Florida Bar and Judiciary.

Paul Bances

Paul has worked for PayPal for the past 3 years and is currently the Vice President of Global Market Development in the Blockchain, Crypto & Digital Currencies department. With over 20 years of experience in Legal Financial Services and a JD from Boston University School of Law, Mr. Bances is a first rate expert in the field.

Jennifer Guy

After she received her JD from George Mason University (Antonin Scalia Law School), Jennifer has worked for many powerhouses like Verizon, McGuireWoods LLP, and even the US District Court. She has worked for Hilton’s legal team for the past six years and is currently the Senior Counsel of Dispute Resolution in Virginia.  

Chief Judge Laurel Isicoff

CURRENT POSITION

U.S. Bankruptcy Court - Miami, FL 33128 USA

CLASS: XVII (2006)

CIRCUIT: ELEVENTH

EDUCATION

Barnard College, New York, New York, B.A., cum laude (1978)

New York University School of Law (1979-80)

University of Miami School of Law, J.D., cum laude (1982)

PROFESSIONAL CAREER

Shareholder, Kozyak Tropin & Throckmorton (1992-06)

Associate, Squire Sanders & Dempsey (1984-91)

Judicial Clerk, Hon. Daniel S. Pearson, Florida 3rd District Court of Appeal (1982-84)

AFFILIATIONS

The Florida Bar (1982)

American Bankruptcy Institute (2001)

Bankruptcy Bar Association of the Southern District of Florida, Past President (1985)

Dade County Bar Association (1984)

Florida Association of Women Lawyers, Former Director (1984)

Cuban American Bar Association (2002)

Gwen S. Cherry Black Women Lawyers Association (2004)

University of Miami, Iron Arrow Honor Society (2002)

11th Circuit Court of Appeals (1992)

Southern District of Florida (1984)

Middle District of Florida (1985)

National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges

PUBLICATIONS

"Clogging and Workouts A Brief Overview," The Florida Bar Business Section 1997

"Consensual Use of Cash Collateral, A Practical View," Southeastern Bankruptcy Law Institute 2004

"Surrender, Redeem or Reaffirm- A Brief Overview of the Chapter 7 Requirements," Behind the Bench, Vol. 13, Issue 2 June 2006

"Securitized Residential Loans in Bankruptcy," Franklin and Nealon Co-author (with Charles W. Throckmorton)

"Mortgage and Asset Backed Securities Litigation Handbook," West 2009

"Credit Card Transfers, Preferences or Protected: Survey of a Failed Challenge," 5 Fla. Int'l. U. L. Rev. 123 2009 Author with Terry Ryan

AWARDS

Bankruptcy Bar Association of the Southern District of Florida, Second Annual President's Pro Bono Award (2001)

University of Miami Law Women Honoree, Women Who Make a Difference: "Spirit of Service" (2002)

Listed in Best Lawyers in America, (2002-06)

South Florida Legal Guide Published by Florida Media Affiliates, Voted one of the Top Lawyers in South Florida (Bankruptcy) (2004-06)

Voted one of Florida's Trends, Florida's Legal Elite (Bankruptcy) (2005)

Listed in Chambers USA Client's Guide Chambers & Partners Bankruptcy, America's Leading Lawyers for Business (2005)

Recipient of Trail Blazer Award, Committee of One Hundred (2006),

Recipient of Mattie Belle Davis Award, Florida Association of Women Lawyers (Miami-Dade Chapter), (2006)

Recipient of Breaking the Glass Ceiling Award, Jewish Museum of Florida, (2010)

Recipient of the Devorah Award, Miami Jewish Legal Society, (2011)

Chief Judge Caryl E. Delano

The Honorable Caryl E. Delano was appointed as a bankruptcy judge of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida, Tampa Division, on June 25, 2008.

She graduated from the University of South Florida, B.A., cum laude, in English in 1976. She attended Indiana University School of Law – Indianapolis and Emory University School of Law, receiving her J.D. from Indiana University in 1979.

Judge Delano practiced before the state and federal courts of California for 14 years. In 1994, she returned to her hometown of Tampa, where she most recently practiced law with the firm of Addison & Delano, P.A. She concentrated her practice on bankruptcy and commercial litigation. She is a member of The Florida Bar, The State Bar of California, the Business Law Section of The Florida Bar, the American Bankruptcy Institute, the Federal Bar Association, the Hillsborough County Bar Association, and the Tampa Bay Bankruptcy Bar Association.

Judge Delano was appointed by the United States Circuit Court for the Eleventh Circuit, which appoints all bankruptcy judges in Florida, Georgia, and Alabama.

Judge Delano graduated from Tampa Catholic High School in 1973. She and her husband have three children.

Chief Judge Karen K. Specie

Judge Specie was appointed to the bench on July 25, 2012. She serves as the Chief, and only, bankruptcy judge for the Northern District of Florida, presiding over cases in Tallahassee, Gainesville, Panama City and Pensacola.

Judge Specie began her legal career with a law firm on the 28th Floor of the RCA building in mid-town Manhattan, New York, representing creditors in commercial litigation and bankruptcy. From there she relocated to Tampa, where she practiced with then Fowler, White, Boggs, et. al.  She since has practiced solo and as a shareholder with firms in Gainesville; just prior to taking the bench, Judge Specie was Of Counsel to Akerman LLP as part of its Bankruptcy and Reorganization practice group in Jacksonville, Florida. While in private practice, Judge Specie focused on commercial litigation and commercial and consumer bankruptcy cases throughout Florida and the Southeast.

Judge Specie has taught Bankruptcy and Secured Transactions as an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law, where she still teaches Advanced Bankruptcy. She has served as a Chapter 7 Panel Trustee for the Northern District of Florida; is a founder of the Federal Bar Association for North Central Florida; and has been a member of the Bankruptcy/UCC Committee of the Business Law Section of The Florida Bar since the early 1990s.

Judge Specie currently serves on the Executive Council of the Florida Bar Business Law Section, is a Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy, and is a member of ABI, INSOL, IWIRC, and NCBJ. In 2018, Judge Specie chaired the committee that organized and presented the Bankruptcy Roundtable at the Eleventh Circuit Judicial Conference.

In addition to traveling throughout the Northern District to perform her judicial duties, Judge Specie routinely speaks at CLE programs for various organizations such as The Florida Bar, the Alabama Bar Association, the Jacksonville Bankruptcy Bar Association, and the Northern District of Florida Bankruptcy Bar Association. Judge Specie received her B.A. from the University of South Florida and her J.D. from Florida State University College of Law.  Judge Specie’s interests include family, travel and horses.  She and her husband of 38 years have raised three children who are all enjoying their own careers and are very much enjoying their relatively new roles as grandparents.

Dain de Souza

Dain is an experienced litigator whose practice focuses, among other things, on business disputes, commercial and corporate litigation, and special situations. He also has significant experience handling a full range of bankruptcy, regulatory and investigation, and distressed situation disputes, transactions, and restructuring matters—leveraging deal-side and courtroom experience to achieve client objectives.

As a veteran trial and appellate litigator, Dain has successfully handled litigation proceedings at every level—representing clients in matters in state and federal trial and bankruptcy courts through the US Supreme Court. Dain also has substantial experience representing debtors, creditors, lenders, and other parties in all aspects of complex chapter 11 reorganizations and litigation.

With his background in special situations, Dain helps clients find practical solutions to legal and business risks. In connection, he also handles internal investigations, regulatory and enforcement proceedings, and compliance matters, including with respect to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, financial services laws and regulations, and distribution, logistics, and data management. 

Prior to joining the firm, Dain practiced for years with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP in Delaware and Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP in South Florida. He also served as a law clerk to the Honorable Christopher S. Sontchi in the US Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.

Dain is admitted to practice before the US Supreme Court, the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida, the US District Court for the Middle District of Florida, and the US District Court for the District of Delaware.

Sabrina Puglisi

Sabrina Puglisi is a Florida Board Certified Criminal Trial attorney since 2008. Prior to starting her own firm, Puglisi Law, in 2011, she has the unique experience of having worked for both the Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office and the Federal Defender’s Office for the Southern District of Florida where she gained invaluable experience as a trial attorney handling hundreds of different cases from pre-trial to trial. She was admitted to the Florida bar in 2000 and practices Federal and State Criminal law Defense.

Abbigail Waxman

Abbie Waxman is the Assistant United States attorney from the US Department of Justice since Oct 2020. Prior to that, she worked as the assistant public defender at the Miami Dade Public Defender's office. She earned her J.D from Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad College of law. She was recognized as the top Government and non-profit attorney by the Florida trend.                          

George Tragos

Attorney George E. Tragos is the founding partner at the Law Offices of Tragos, Sartes & Tragos. He has defended clients in numerous high-profile cases for more than 40 years. George is a board-certified criminal trial law attorney as well as a former state and federal prosecutor.

His legal abilities and experiences are exceptional, and his certification is the Florida Bar’s highest level of recognition. There are few attorneys in Florida who can match the knowledge and competence that George E. Tragos possesses.

Denis DeVlaming

Denis DeVlaming is a Board certified specialist in criminal trial Law. He has also been approved by the Florida Bar to give continuing legal education seminars on every aspect of Criminal Trial.  He graduated from Stetson University College of Law in 1972 with a Juris doctor degree. He accepted an appointment as a Florida Assistant State Attorney where he prosecuted in the Sixth Judicial Circuit from 1972 through 1975. Thereafter, he started his own law practice and has specialized in criminal defense ever since.

Daniel T. Murdock

Daniel T. Murdock is an associate in Dechert’s privacy and cybersecurity practice group. Mr. Murdock helps clients address a range of privacy and cybersecurity concerns, including security breach incident response, investigations, product counseling and litigation. Prior to joining Dechert, Mr. Murdock was an attorney in the Boston office of an international law firm and a law clerk for the Honorable D. Brooks Smith, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. 

Hilary Bonaccorsi

Ms. Bonaccorsi has extensive experience assisting clients in the asset management industry. She advises U.S. registered investment advisers on their obligations under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act and the SEC’s privacy and information security regulations, and provides strategic advice to asset managers regarding how to evaluate their obligations under state and federal law. She also works closely with clients to develop compliance programs related to the development and purchasing of alternative data sets and the risks related to web scraping.

Ms. Bonaccorsi counsels clients across sectors on their obligations under the California Consumer Privacy Act, FTC and state consumer privacy laws, the EU General Data Protection Regulation and CAN-SPAM. She is well-versed in complex privacy issues arising in the ad-tech and fin-tech industries and has worked hand-in-hand with clients to develop and implement comprehensive global privacy programs. She works with Dechert’s global data privacy practice to deliver time-sensitive advice to clients regarding how to comply with breach notification laws in the wake of data breaches. Ms. Bonaccorsi also conducts privacy due diligence in connection with commercial transactions.

Helen Wan

A little about me: I was born in California and raised in Virginia. I’m a graduate of Amherst College and the University of Virginia School of Law. Before becoming a writer, I practiced law in New York City for a lot of years. People ask whether my book is autobiographical. Well, like Ingrid (protagonist of THE PARTNER TRACK), I’m an Asian American woman, and I’m a lawyer. After law school I landed at a big firm in Manhattan, whose corporate culture felt utterly unknown and unknowable to me. I might as well have landed on the moon. What struck me most were the patterns I observed as to who was sinking and who was swimming, who sat where (and with whom) in the cafeteria, and why all of this seemed to be playing out this way.

Unlike Ingrid, who (this is not a spoiler!) battles it out for BigLaw partnership, I left BigLaw to join a media and entertainment firm, and later became Associate General Counsel at a large media and entertainment company. So while my book is decidedly fiction, it was very important to me to write as realistic, authentic, and unvarnished a portrayal of corporate life as possible — as experienced by a young woman of color trying to figure it all out.

Elan Hersh

Elan Hersh is a Partner in Akerman’s Litigation Practice Group and leads Akerman’s eDiscovery Services team. Elan advises clients on electronic discovery (eDiscovery), information governance, litigation readiness and response, cross-border discovery issues, and data privacy. Elan leverages his unique knowledge of the technical and legal dimensions of eDiscovery to advise clients on defensible and cost-effective strategies for data preservation, collection, review, and production, with an emphasis on controlling the scope of discovery and implementing cost-shifting strategies. Elan represents clients in all aspects of eDiscovery throughout the country in both state and federal court, and represents foreign corporations who are defending lawsuits in the United States.

Corey Douglas

Before graduating from Barry University with his JD in 2018, Corey worked for various institutions like Acorn Legal Solutions, Advanced Discovery, Consilio LLC, and now as Director at ELIJAH.

Jessie Torres

Jessie G. Torres is a Partner in Berger Singerman’s Miami office and a member of the Dispute Resolution team and the firm's Director of eDiscovery and Litigation Support. Jessie is a proven, creative eDiscovery professional with nearly seven years of eDiscovery and managed review experience; he has led multiple eDiscovery projects relating to document review. Jessie has managed teams of attorneys working on multiple eDiscovery projects, where he coached attorneys, trained review managers, and interacted with clients daily. Also, Jessie has performed deposition preparation, budget planning and general department management; he is a Relativity Certified User and is fluent in Spanish.

Anely Nunez

Anely Nunez is an Analytics and Review Attorney at Zenith Talent, supporting Google. She has been a board member of WiE Miami Chapter since its inception and has spent the past eight years practicing eDiscovery with a focus on analytics and review workflows. As an attorney with significant experience managing high-volume, eDiscovery cases and document review projects she has helped clients manage their reviews efficiently and effectively. She currently serves as the Social Media Director of the WiE Miami Chapter and is CEDS-certified, a Brainspace Certified Analyst, and Relativity Analytics Specialist.

Emily Bartkowicz

With over 17 years working for Akerman LLP, Emily has expert level experience in various roles that helped develop her skills as a current Litigation Support Manager.

Miranda Soto

Miranda Soto is Florida Bar Board Certified in Civil Trial Law and has tried approximately 70 cases to verdict. She specializes in high-stakes litigation and complex commercial cases on behalf of private equity, hedge funds, high-end insurance companies, law firms and other sophisticated businesses in cases involving commercial and business disputes, professional and legal malpractice claims, product liability, complex fraud matters, public policy matters, cases of first impression, high-stakes personal injury cases, franchisee/franchisor litigation, trust and estate litigation and premises liability at the state and federal levels. Miranda also handles tobacco, addiction and smoking-related injury litigation. Additionally, she has a strong reputation as a lawyers’ lawyer and often serves as a consultant on legal and accounting malpractice claims.

Understanding her clients’ business is at the core of Miranda’s solution-based approach. She knows that learning the ins and outs of her clients’ business is crucial in order to provide the best legal advice possible. As legal issues often extend to the company as a whole, Miranda focuses on minimizing disruptions to the business that can and do arise from legal challenges. Her goal is to leverage all possible opportunities for a quick resolution.

Todd Michaels

Todd Michaels Esq, a lifelong Miami-Dade resident, joined The Haggard Law Firm in 2009. In May 2014, he was named a partner. Todd handles a wide array of the firm’s cases involving wrongful death and catastrophic personal injury, representing clients who were injured through the negligence of others. His practice primarily involves negligent security throughout the State of Florida and nationwide.  Todd has been a frequent speaker on various aspects of negligent security law to different legal and security industry groups and has had articles relating to negligent security cases published.  In addition to his negligent security work, Todd also handles rideshare (Uber/Lift) liability, premises liability, aviation, pool drowning, auto accident and other injury cases.

Todd was lead counsel in the negligent security case of Snell vs. Family Food Saver. The trial resulted in a verdict of $5.7 million for the Snell family. It was the largest premises liability verdict in the State of Florida that year. Michaels has been twice named Most Effective Lawyer by the Daily Business Review and has been named several times to the Best Lawyers in America and Super Lawyers lists, including the Top 100 Super Lawyers. among several other annual honors. In 2019 he was recognized as a BRONZE EAGLE Award Winner by the Florida Justice Association The prestigious honor is bestowed to those who have shown an extraordinary contribution to the FJA EAGLE Program. Michaels is also an FJA Board Member, Fellow, and  Executive Committee Member, among other positions.

Eric Rosen

Eric began his legal career as a prosecutor at the Office of the State Attorney in Broward County, Florida, where he tried dozens of jury trials and countless bench trials to verdict. Mr. Rosen left public service to pursue his passion for helping people who have suffered due to someone else’s misconduct. Mr. Rosen then rose through the ranks to become a partner at a prominent South Florida personal injury and wrongful death firm. For over a decade, Eric dedicated his practice to catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases. After unparalleled success, Mr. Rosen pursued his dream of opening his own law firm and established Rosen Injury Law, P.A., As a Fort Lauderdale accident lawyer, he expanded his practice to not only include catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases, but to also help those who have suffered a range of injuries that may not be life threatening, but still result in serious pain, inconvenience and loss of enjoyment of life.

In addition to his law school education and his career in both public and private practice, Eric is also a graduate of the renowned Trial Lawyers College established by Gerry Spence; one of the country’s premiere trial schools. This is an intensive three-and-a-half-week trial skills program held in Dubois, Wyoming, by top litigators and trial instructors from around the country. While there, Eric immersed himself in new trial techniques for jury selection, opening statement, direct and cross examination, and closing arguments. He incorporates those skills to this day.

Carter Andersen

Carter Andersen focuses his practice on helping people achieve success and solve problems. Mr. Andersen has extensive experience handling complex civil litigation matters. He regularly handles business, commercial and contract disputes, real estate disputes, employment litigation, professional malpractice matters, and other litigation matters. Mr. Andersen has assisted numerous clients with business transactions, including commercial finance, secured lending, and mergers and acquisitions.  Mr. Andersen also has extensive experience in complex public financings within Florida and represents parties to bond validation lawsuits. Mr. Andersen is certified as a Mediator by the Florida Supreme Court and the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida. Before joining Bush Ross, he practiced commercial litigation, antitrust litigation, and white-collar criminal defense with Jones Day in Washington, D.C.

Mr. Andersen was elected to serve on the Board of Governors of The Florida Bar, is a Past President of the Hillsborough County Bar Association and served for twelve years on the Judicial Nominating Commission for the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit of Florida (after being appointed three separate times by Florida Governors). Mr. Andersen is a member of Christ the King Catholic Church, has served as a volunteer at Academy Prep Center of Tampa, and served on the Board for Tampa Bay Little League. He also served as the President of the Christ the King Catholic School Dads Club from 2008 to 2010 and on the School Advisory Board for Christ the King Catholic School from 2012 to 2015.

Erik Alexander

A 28-year banking and finance veteran, Erik C. Alexander is known as an effective communicator and team builder whose practice serves the needs of law firms and individual attorneys in the Miami-Dade market and adds significant value to the legal community with industry expertise support of Truist’s dedicated full-service legal specialty team.

Erik helps advise businesses, individuals, and families and believes in collaboration and building the right team to provide prudent advice to clients in an effort to address their established goals and objectives. He sees clients’ success as a personal responsibility and strives for transparent, honest, and rewarding results.

Jay Pelham

As president of both Kaufman Rossin Wealth and Kaufman Rossin Insurance Services, Jay Pelham leads the wealth management and insurance affiliates of CPA and advisory firm Kaufman Rossin, where he serves as client services principal. For more than 30 years, Jay has worked with high-net-worth individuals and families in the South Florida market to address their financial needs.

His dedication to fostering client relationships, extensive experience in the financial services industry, and continued philanthropic efforts in our community make him ideally suited for the advisor role. During the course of his career, he has led wealth management and private banking teams for both Fortune 500 companies as well as privately owned boutique providers. Through his years at SunTrust, BankUnited, and Gibraltar Private, Jay led private banking services, where relationships are paramount. As president of TotalBank, he led the bank through organizational change, financial improvement and its ultimate sale.

Jay is a current member and past president of the Financial Planning Association of Miami Dade, and a board member for United Way of Miami Dade and the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce. Previously, he served as chairman of the board of HistoryMiami Museum and as a board member for Zoo Miami Foundation. He has been a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioner for more than 15 years.

Mike Cramer

After graduating Southern Illinois University in 1989 Michael spent 6 years in US Navy serving as part of U.S. Submarine Forces Pacific.  He then started working in the finance industry, obtaining an MBA as well as the CFP® and CEPA® designations . After working for various organizations, Mr. Cramer started at Truist as a Financial Planning Strategist in 2017 and is now a Senior Vice President and Advice and Planning Strategist as part of Truist Wealth’s Advice and Planning Group. In this position, he helps educate clients on options and answer financial issues including - personal cash flow analysis, portfolio modeling, estate planning, risk management, and business planning.

Eric M. Woodling

Eric Woodling is a Senior Vice President at McGriff serving South Florida.  McGriff is a subsidiary of Truist Insurance Holdings and is currently the 6th largest insurance agency in the United States and 7th in the world. Eric serves as a Commercial Property & Casualty Advisor and focuses on superior customer service. Eric’s coverage knowledge in risk management has enabled him to effectively deliver solutions, even in the most challenging insurance marketplace.  He prides himself on being a resource and building upon controls in place to support the client’s risk management strategies.

He works to help clients understand their risk and contain costs that drive insurance premiums.  This is accomplished by overseeing clients' initiatives, concentrating on claims management, and the integration of loss prevention efforts.

Raluca C. Kotowski

As the Emerging Markets, Financial Wellness Leader for Miami Dade County at Truist Bank, Raluca Kotowski is focused on bringing CARE to life in the South Florida communities, by delivering distinctive solutions that accelerate financial wellness, advance financial inclusion initiatives, and enable financial confidence. With over 13 years of retail banking experience, Raluca collaborates with different organizations to bring access to Truist financial tools and resources in the community, such as: financial education seminars and exclusive banking benefits needed to help clients create better banking habits and reach their short and long-term financial goals.

Judge Bronwyn Miller

Judge Bronwyn C. Miller currently serves as a judge on the Third District Court of Appeal. She received her Juris Doctor cum laude from the University of Miami School of Law and Bachelor of Arts from Barnard College at Columbia University. Prior to her appointment to the bench, she was a prosecutor at the Miami-Dade County Office of the State Attorney from 1997-2005.  Judge Miller was a Division Chief in the Felony Unit and Training Director.  She also served as an adjunct professor at Florida International University.

Judge Miller has received the Alan R. Schwartz Professional Excellence Award, the Judge Steve Levine Award, the Miami-Dade Commission on the Status of Women in the Company of Women “Outstanding Woman in Government” Award, Millennium Movers “Celebration of Urban Professional Women” Mover and Shaker Award, the Women Who Rock Award, The Conference of County Judges Leadership Award, the South Florida Hispanic Chamber Community Service Award, and the Equal Justice Leadership Award.  She has been recognized by the Florida Senate for her work with the Miami-Dade County Grand Jury.

Dennis Kainen

Dennis G. Kainen has been with Weisberg Kainen Mark, PL for over twenty-five years. He is A-V rated by the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory and has been listed in the Martindale-Hubbell Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers. In addition to maintaining a very active law practice, Mr. Kainen has managed to be involved in professional, civic, and charitable activities locally, state-wide, and nationally. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Kainen was an assistant federal public defender for the Southern District of Florida from 1982 to 1985.

Colin Giuseppe Cox

Colin Giuseppe Cox is an associate in the International Practice Group of Haynes and Boone and is licensed to practice in both Florida and Texas. His practice focuses on a variety of international corporate matters and cross-border projects, including cross-border investments, financing, project development, and negotiations. He regularly assists clients in domestic and international mergers and acquisitions, private equity, and capital market transactions, and he has particular experience with projects involving Latin America and Europe. Colin has lived and worked extensively in both regions and speaks French, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish.

Additionally, Colin also represents clients before the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) and assists them in assessing whether CFIUS has jurisdiction over their transactions.

Colin’s practice covers a large range of industries, and he has extensive legal and business experience in the real estate, banking, capital markets, energy, aviation, hospitality and CBD/hemp sectors. He has represented clients for a variety of foreign markets, including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, France, Germany, Greece, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Portugal, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

Rebeca Sanchez-Roig

Rebeca Sánchez-Roig is  the managing partner of Sánchez-Roig Law, P.A. She is a former Deputy Chief Counsel who spent 17 years as a federal prosecutor with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement.  Ms. Sánchez-Roig represented the United States government in removal proceedings including political asylum, adjustment of status, cancellation of removal, human smuggling, terrorism, persecutors, Russian organized crime, sexual predators, drug traffickers, and other special interest cases. 

Ms. Sánchez-Roig managed federal court cases, including habeas corpus litigation, petitions for review, and federal torts actions.  She served as liaison between the United States Attorney’s Office, Office of Immigration Litigation, Agency programs, and federal operational units.  Ms. Sánchez-Roig was also the designated Presidential Pardon attorney responsible for rendering the Agency’s position on requests for pardons submitted by criminal non-citizens under the Executive Pardon Program. She was a senior litigator on special interest cases requiring extensive trial preparation, and a member of numerous national committees. During her time in government, Ms. Sánchez-Roig was the recipient of copious awards including the DHS Assistant Secretary’s Outstanding Achievement in Diversity Management Award in 2008, for extraordinary performance of duties and achievement of special accomplishments.

Ms. Sánchez-Roig regularly advises criminal defense attorneys in negotiations, motions to vacate, and pre-trial on the immigration consequences of criminal charges and convictions. She is experienced in immigration through international adoptions and has served as a Victim’s Rights Advocate for victims of crimes in Florida.

Herman J. Russomanno III, Esq.

Herman J. Russomanno III, Esq., is a Partner at the law firm of Russomanno & Borrello, P.A., where he has practiced for the past 17 years.  Before joining the law firm of Russomanno & Borrello, P.A. and while in law school, Herman was a legal intern for the Honorable William M. Hoeveler in the United States District Court Southern District of Florida.  After graduating law school, Herman served as a Federal Court Law Clerk for the Honorable James Lawrence King in the United States District Court Southern District of Florida. 

Herman is a Past-President of the Dade County Bar Association, is routinely named a top attorney by Florida Super Lawyers, served on the Executive Council for The Florida Bar’s Trial Lawyer Section, served on the Federal Court Practice Committee of The Florida Bar, was named one of the Top 40 Outstanding Lawyers in Miami, Florida under the Age of 40, and had the privilege of being selected a Fellow for the inaugural 2013-2014 class of The Florida Bar's Leadership Academy. 

David Rothman, Esq.

More than 30 years ago, I decided to become a lawyer. Not just any lawyer, but a criminal defense lawyer. I wanted; no, I needed to make a difference. I was passionate about fighting for people accused of crimes. I relished the opportunity to stand up against the government on behalf of a client. When I graduated law school, I became a prosecutor so that when I started my own criminal defense law firm, I would have the experience to be a better lawyer, anticipating what a prosecutor would think and do in any case. Thereafter, along with a couple of other prosecutors, we formed our own law firm. Ever since, we have vigorously defended our clients in state and federal courts.

Along the way, I achieved Board Certification status, something only a small percentage of criminal trial lawyers ever earn. It allows me to hold myself out as an expert; a specialist in criminal trial work. Today, the only thing that has changed is that I have handled thousands of criminal cases. It remains important to me to represent each of my clients with complete dedication, passion, and preparation.

Jeffrey T. Foreman, Esq.

Jeff Foreman is a shareholder in Kenny Nachwalter, P.A., resident in the firm’s Miami office. Jeff has spent his entire career practicing complex business litigation and has extensive experience trying both jury and non-jury cases for plaintiffs and defendants in federal and state courts and before arbitration tribunals.

Jeff has represented both Fortune 500 companies and small to large businesses in a wide range of complex business disputes, including contract, business tort and shareholder derivative litigation; class action defense; commercial and large scale residential project litigation; design and construction disputes; multi-state contract and insurance agency litigation; Federal Constitutional claims; professional liability litigation; civil RICO, fraud and conspiracy claims; and employment-related disputes, among others. Jeff is a member of the Florida Bar and has been admitted to practice in the United States District Courts for the Southern and Middle Districts of Florida as well as before the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.