Practice Areas

Our legal system can provide great clarity, but also uncertainty for civil litigants. We have represented major companies and individuals in commercial and contract disputes. We have been lead counsel in business and shareholder matters, securities, banking, employment, and trademark cases. We also have represented officers and directors of both large and small companies in a variety of cases involving alleged breaches of fiduciary duty and corporate malfeasance. Our knowledge of the legal community makes us well suited to lead and work alongside any team of advocates.

The firm represents both corporations and individuals in a wide range of matters during their preliminary phases, grand jury investigations, and trial. Our partners include former top federal prosecutors who understand the seriousness and complexity of criminal and quasi-criminal investigations, and have experience in responding to allegations of health care fraud, mail and wire fraud, RICO, deceptive trade practices, FCPA, securities fraud, bank and mortgage fraud, antitrust, and environmental violations. Increasingly, companies find themselves simultaneously defending in multiple forums, including class actions, SEC investigations, federal grand jury proceedings, and a variety of administrative, state or federal inquiries. We are suited to help develop and coordinate the strategies and defenses in complex parallel proceedings.

The firm has represented large companies and businesses, as well as officers and directors, in their efforts to keep their houses in order. Whether under Sarbanes-Oxley or the anti-fraud and anti-kickback provisions by which the business community is expected to abide, the firm has represented numerous entities before governmental agencies including the SEC, the Office of the Attorney General, and HHS. We have led internal audits for health care providers, and spearheaded internal investigations into fraud, waste and abuse for a variety of businesses. We believe companies need to be proactive in responding to compliance and abuse allegations, as the government often credits corporations that diligently respond to issues that arise.

The firm represents parties as both relators and defendants in federal qui tam lawsuits alleging violations of the False Claims Act and other laws.  On the relator side, our experience as federal prosecutors and civil litigators allows us to guide clients through the often-challenging process of developing claims and presenting them to the federal government with the goal of persuading the United States to intervene in cases.  Those same skills allow us to help clients who have been sued build the best legal, factual, and procedural defenses available.

Our firm has developed expertise in helping clients deal with the multifaceted financial aspects of criminal investigations.  Our work includes assisting defendants in litigating and resolving asset forfeiture claims and restitution demands by the government in court and administrative proceedings. In addition, we assist victims and innocent third parties in efforts to recover funds through judicial and administrative avenues. As with many of our other practice areas, our success in this field relies on our government experience and our familiarity with both criminal and civil law.

Our lawyers have extensive experience representing technology and media companies and individuals in a wide variety of matters. We have advised on and litigated defamation; privacy rights; intellectual property matters, including trademark and copyright; and related common-law claims. Our clients have included leading national and international content providers and distributors, television networks, and print publications as well as some of their top executives.

Our attorneys have played leading roles in some of the most important public affairs lawsuits affecting our state and county. For example, we have represented a group of organizational and individual plaintiffs in the ground-breaking challenge to Florida’s congressional and state senate redistricting under the constitutional Fair Districts Amendments, arguing novel and critical issues in the Florida Supreme Court, appellate court, and trial court. We also regularly provide legal advice to candidates in some of the most high-profile state and county elections. By way of other examples, we have represented the Miami-Dade County Property Appraiser in an action to establish the constitutional nature of the elected office, the Town Clerk of Miami Lakes in a legal action to determine the Town’s mayor, and a number of interested parties as amici curiae in a federal First Amendment challenge to a Florida law prohibiting doctors from inquiring about firearms in their patients’ homes.

Our lawyers have the ability to represent both plaintiffs and defendants in class actions and multidistrict litigation. Having litigated some of the largest and most complex class actions in the nation, we have the experience and skill to manage multistate and nationwide class action litigation involving securities claims, consumer fraud, torts, and corporate governance litigation. We are also well suited to serve as local counsel and liaison counsel for class actions being litigated in the federal and state courts in Florida.

Most lawyers lack the background to appreciate the impact that a crisis—even of short duration—can have on a business’s reputation and bottom line. Companies need a plan to win not just in the courtroom, but also in the court of public opinion, where a media cycle can be as damaging as an adverse verdict. Not only are we equipped to represent you in the courtroom or a negotiation, but we have unique media and public affairs experience that allows us to manage high-profile investigative, governmental, and transactional matters that implicate a company’s or an individual’s reputation.

Our backgrounds in government allow us to provide critical assistance to local governments when the need for special counsel arises. We have represented local government entities and officials in a wide range of lawsuits and provided comprehensive counsel in areas such as employment, charter review, land use, Section 1983 defense, public forum speech, torts, and contract actions.

Miami is a central location for sophisticated and complex international arbitrations, and we are well-equipped to represent clients in the most challenging of these cases. We have extensive experience working with clients from South America, Europe, and elsewhere, and are well-versed in the unique rules and practices for such matters. Our procedural knowledge, appreciation for international business practices, and strong trial skills combine to make us an excellent fit.

The firm has the experience and skill to represent parties in a wide range of employment cases, including actions brought under the federal and state anti-discrimination and restrictive covenant statutes. We have tried employment cases before a number of different courts and know how to present the important facts and arguments to judges and juries.

Our extensive experience in government and in the courtroom puts us in a unique position to represent parties who need the justice system to help redress violations of their civil rights. We have represented plaintiffs in federal actions under Section 1983 and understand how to overcome the obstacles that often prevent deserving people from vindicating their rights.

The firm has experience in receiverships as both the Receiver and as counsel to Receivers. The purpose of a Receiver is to protect and recover assets. Too often inordinate amounts of funds recovered for victims or injured parties end up being spent on legal and administrative fees. Our belief is that in order to maximize the return for the real victims, a Receiver should utilize a team specifically assembled for the task at hand. This means more return for those who have truly been victimized.