New COO Sonja Chaves to oversee, enhance operations at rapidly growing firm
Miami, FL –Weiss Serota Helfman Cole & Bierman, a premier business and government law firm based in Miami, hired its first Chief Operating Officer to support the firm’s continued growth. COO Sonja Chaves will serve as Weiss Serota’s highest-ranking administrator following the firm’s extensive national search to identify top candidates for the new position.
Chaves comes to Weiss Serota after spending more than a decade as Chief Financial Officer of a 200-employee, multi-office accounting firm, where she managed financial and administrative operations.
Weiss Serota celebrated its 30th anniversary in April 2021. The firm has added more than a dozen attorneys since the onset of the pandemic, bringing its current attorney count to more than 80 in four offices.
“Our firm’s consistent growth, in terms of its expanding client base, talent pool, and new practice areas, brings the challenge of balancing additional operations and innovation with maintaining the family atmosphere, character and warmth created by the founders 30 years ago,” Weiss Serota Partner and Firm Managing Director Mitch Burnstein said. “Sonja is perfectly suited to carry out this mission and brings valuable professional service management experience to the role.”
Chaves’ direct reports include all team members in the Administrative, Finance, Human Resources, Internet Technology and Operations departments.
“With a three-decade track record of success and an incredible team, all components are in place for a well-oiled machine with new efficiencies,” Chaves said. “For me, this is an exciting opportunity to impact a law firm from operational and administrative standpoints. Even the most effective of organizations can be fine-tuned to achieve even greater results.”
Chaves earned a B.A. in Accounting, M.S. in Accounting and MBA from Michigan State University. She is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).
