APPELLATE LAW

The Appellate Department is headed by an attorney who is Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Appellate Practice Law. The Firm has successfully represented clients in complex appellate litigation across all civil areas of the law at every level of the Florida, federal and state appellate court systems.  We provide unique insight into how appellate judges review cases as well as how the appellate court system is administered. Our lawyers are qualified to represent clients in appeals to all five of Florida's district courts of appeal, the Supreme Court of Florida, the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit Court, and the Supreme Court of the United States.

The Firm also provides strategic counseling and advice to trial lawyers and their clients on issues before an appeal is eminent. Other aspects of litigation support include assisting trial counsel with pre-trial motions, jury instructions, objections during trial and post-trial motions. We are also frequently involved in evaluating the prospects of an appeal and assisting in appellate mediation.     

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BANKING AND FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS

The Firm represents international, national, regional and community financial institutions in structural areas such as organization and chartering, mergers, acquisitions, governance and regulations. The Firm has also represented the subsidiaries of major national and international financial institutions in structuring real estate transactions and development activities. For many years, the Firm has had a substantial lending practice in areas including asset-based and real estate lending, tax-exempt lending, participations and lender relations, and collection and litigation. The Firm also represents borrowers in complex lending situations involving national and international lenders, mezzanine lending, securitization, and other complex loan transactions.

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CONDOMINIUM AND HOMEOWNERS' ASSOCIATION

Representing developers and unit owners, the Firm provides a full range of services in condominium and homeowners’ association law, including drafting association governing documents, filing registrations with the Division of Condominiums, handling the transition of the association from developer to owner control, and advising the board of directors after turnover of control. The Firm has extensive experience with residential, non-residential, and mixed use associations.

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CORPORATE

The Firm serves the requirements of local, state and national business entities from choice of entity, formation and jurisdiction qualification to ongoing financial, governmental and tax requirements, including mergers, acquisitions, and leveraged buyouts, creditor rights and asset protection. The Firm also has an active practice dealing with not-for-profit entities. The Firm represents creditors in all areas with special emphasis on bankruptcy and insolvency proceedings. The Firm advises its creditor clients on debt structuring, work-outs, insolvency and collections.

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ENVIRONMENTAL

The activities of the Environmental Department include the representation of applicants for environmental permits, analysis and advice in the evaluation of environmental problems relating to real estate or business operations, developments of regional impact, and the representation of clients in regulatory enforcement actions and permit matters before federal, state and local government, the Army Corps of Engineers, and water management districts.

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EQUESTRIAN/EQUINE LAW

The Firm has a very active practice in the areas of equestrian and equine law which are of special emphasis in its Wellington, Florida office, located in the heart of the world's greatest concentration of equine facilities and events. The Firm’s services in these areas range from the acquisition, zoning and development of new equestrian facilities to the formation and structuring of entities sponsoring worldwide competition.

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ESTATE PLANNING

The Estate Planning Department provides a full range of advice to individuals requiring sophisticated estate planning and tax advice to maximize benefits to heirs and minimize taxation. In this regard, the Firm prepares wills, trusts and business entities that reflect sound estate planning practices.

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GOVERNMENTAL

The Firm has a long history of representing clients in governmental and administrative matters at the local, state and federal levels. This representation includes informal resolutions of matters with agency staff, participation in rule-making proceedings, and administrative litigation, where necessary, including appellate work. The Firm also represents various governmental entities ranging from municipalities to special districts in general or specialized areas.

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LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT

The Labor and Employment Department provides day-to-day advice to the Firm’s clients on legal issues affecting the workplace, including all areas of employment discrimination, Americans With Disabilities Act and Family and Medical Leave Act compliance issues, sexual harassment policies, overtime and other wage and hour issues, contract disputes, occupational safety and health issues, collective bargaining and union organizing, and other concerns arising from the hiring, retention and termination of employees. The Department also litigates labor and employment claims in Federal and State Court, before the Florida Public Employees Relations Commission and National Labor Relations Board, in arbitration and before other administrative tribunals.

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LITIGATION

The Litigation Department is comprised of attorneys and support staff whose collective experience allows the Department to effectively and efficiently meet all litigation needs of the business client. As a result of their substantial trial experience in the state and federal court systems, its lawyers are able to aggressively advance our client's interest in such diverse areas as eminent domain and inverse condemnation, employment law and probate litigation and guardianship matters. The Litigation Department also represents our business clients in collection and creditor's rights matters, including in bankruptcy courts, and in the bringing or defense of contract disputes.

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PROBATE, TRUST AND GUARDIANSHIP ADMINISTRATION

The Firm provides representation in all probate, trust and guardianship proceedings. Such representation includes the filing of pleadings, post guardianship and post mortem estate and taxation planning, preparation and filing of estate tax returns, and close coordination with accountants, brokerage and insurance professionals.

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PROBATE, GUARDIANSHIP AND FIDUCIARY LITIGATION

The Firm provides a full range of services in probate and guardianship fiduciary litigation including the bringing and defending of actions in all state and federal courts and, where necessary, the handling of appeals. Such actions include: estate and trust litigation: will and trust contests and defense of fiduciaries and beneficiaries, will and trust construction, trust modification, revocation and termination, elective share disputes, homestead disputes, creditor representation, actions to determine distribution of trust income or principal, and surcharge and removal litigation. Guardianship Litigation: competency actions, appointment of guardian and surcharge and removal litigation.

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PUBLIC FINANCE

The Public Finance Department advises issuers of tax-exempt obligations, governmental officials, investment bankers, commercial bankers, trustees and other persons and institutions involved in matters relating to the issuance of debt by public bodies. The Firm is listed as a nationally-recognized bond counsel in The Bond Buyer's Directory of Municipal Bond Dealers of the United States (the "Red Book"). The Firm serves as counsel to all types of issuers, including special districts and authorities. The Firm also represents conduit borrowers of bond proceeds such as hospitals and other health care facilities, housing developers and manufacturers.

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REAL ESTATE

Representing developers, land owners, investors and lender groups, the Firm’s Real Estate Department handles complex situations with intricate contingencies, land use, environmental and regional impact requirements. The Firm also maintains a consumer real estate department staffed by attorneys and nationally certified legal assistants to handle transactional real estate matters for developers, financial institutions and individual buyers, sellers, lenders and borrowers. The Firm is uniquely qualified to manage a project from inception to acquisition, through all governmental approvals, development and sales or leasing to the ultimate users.

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TAXATION

The Tax Department works closely with the Corporate Department in formulating, acquiring and restructuring business entities with complex tax considerations including local, national, and multi-national companies. Another area of special emphasis is tax-exempt organizations.

On an individual client level, areas of general tax advice include international taxation, estate administration, will and trusts, as well as financial and estate planning guidance and up-to-date knowledge of changing tax laws.

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ZONING AND LAND USE LAW

The Firm’s Zoning and Land Use Department includes lawyers with prior experience as in-house and as outside counsel representing major developers and governmental entities in all aspects of zoning and land use planning and regulatory approvals including local zoning, comprehensive plan, land use, and annexation matters to developments of regional impact. The Land Use Department's staff includes a full-time land use planner who has developed strong working relationships with the staffs of various governmental entities before which we appear on behalf of our clients.

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