Florida SuperLawyers recently revealed its list of “SuperLawyers” and “Rising Stars” for 2013; each year, the magazine rates outstanding attorneys from more than seventy practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The selection process for SuperLawyers includes independent research, peer nominations, and peer evaluations. This year, SuperLawyers recognized twenty WSH attorneys. Ten of the WSH attorneys selected were honored as Florida “SuperLawyers”:
Gary L. Brown (Construction Litigation) – Gary chairs our Construction Group. Board Certified by the Florida Bar in Construction Law, Gary handles both complex and routine matters in construction litigation. Gary was recognized as a “Top Up & Comer” by South Florida Legal Guide in 2011.
Jamie A. Cole (Government) – Jamie represents private and public clients in all areas of the law with an emphasis on complex litigation and governmental matters. In addition to his extensive litigation and trial experience, he also serves as City Attorney for both Miramar and Weston, and as special counsel in various Palm Beach and Broward municipalities. Among his many accolades, he has been recognized as a “Top Lawyer” by South Florida Legal Guide since 2005, and a member of the “Florida Legal Elite” for four years by Florida Trend. Most recently, he was a finalist for “Top Deal Maker of the Year” in Mixed Use Real Estate by the Daily Business Review and an Ultimate Broward CEO.
Edward G. Guedes (Appellate) – Ed is an AV rated attorney and is Board Certified by The Florida Bar in the field of Appellate Practice. Ed has held leadership positions in The Florida Bar Appellate Court Rules Committee and the Dade County Bar Association’s Appellate Court Committee.
Stephen J. Helfman (Land Use & Zoning) – Steve is one of three Founding Members for the Firm. He is the Village Attorney for both Indian Creek and Key Biscayne. Steve also serves as Town Attorney for Golden Beach. He is a member of the Florida Planning & Zoning Association, and has served as a member of the Coral Gables Planning & Zoning Board.
Gilberto Pastoriza (Land Use & Zoning) – As Chair of WSH’s Private Land Use and Zoning Group, Gil has successfully represented numerous private and public sector clients in obtaining all types of governmental approvals for the development of their properties. Gil also has extensive experience dealing with code enforcement issues and the mitigation of code enforcement liens and fines. In 2013, South Florida Legal Guide recognized Gil as a “Top Lawyer.”
Michael S. Popok (Business Litigation) – Michael focuses his practice on commercial and municipal litigation. Formerly the Chair of our Litigation Division, Michael is an AV rated attorney; BestLawyers recognized Michael as one of the Best Lawyers in America 2012 – Municipal Litigation. South Florida Business Journal has acknowledged Michael as a Leading Lawyer in Business Litigation since 2008.
Clifford A. Schulman (Land Use & Zoning) – Cliff chairs the Firm’s Environmental Law Group. Cliff has been recognized as a “Top Lawyer” in South Florida and a member of Florida Trend’s “Legal Elite.” In 2011, Cliff was named “Lawyer of the Year” in Environmental Law.
Joseph H. Serota (Business Litigation) – One of the Firm’s Founding Members, Joe is an experienced trial and appellate attorney with numerous reported opinions to his credit. Florida Trend has recognized Joe as one of Florida’s “Legal Elite” since 2004. In 2012, Florida Trend inducted Joe into the “Legal Elite Hall of Fame.”
Susan L. Trevarthen (Government) – As Chair of WSH’s Public Land Use and Zoning Practice Group, Susan handles land use, planning and zoning matters for municipalities, including Aventura, Cooper City, Cutler Bay, Homestead, Islamorada, Key Biscayne, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Miramar, North Bay Village, and Weston. Susan’s practice includes extensive constitutional law in her field, including regulatory takings cases and land use and zoning decision raising First Amendment issues.
Richard Jay Weiss (Government Relations) – Founding Member Richard Jay Weiss an AV rated attorney who serves as City Attorney for Homestead and Village Attorney for Bal Harbour. He has been identified as one of the Top 1% of Lawyers in South Florida Legal Guide for the past nine years. South Florida Business Journal previously named him one of the “Best of the Bar.” Most recently, Richard was named Lawyer of the Year – Government Relations (South Florida) by BestLawyers. He has been a recipient of Florida Trend’s “Legal Elite” since 2004.
The following WSH attorneys were recognized by Florida SuperLawyers as “Rising Stars”:
Jonathan Cohen (Real Estate) – Jonathan chairs WSH’s Real Estate Group, and is a transactional real estate attorney with extensive experience in the development and leasing of regional malls, open air lifestyle centers, power centers, local grocery anchored strip centers, and office complexes.
Chad S. Friedman (Land Use & Zoning) – A member of WSH’s Private Land Use and Zoning Practice Group and Public Land Use and Zoning Practice Group, Chad focuses his practice on representing developers and governmental entities in the areas of land use and zoning. He has extensive experience representing municipalities in the drafting, adoption, and implementation of land development regulations.
Eric P. Hockman (Business Litigation) – A member of WSH’s Litigation Division, Eric focuses his practice on business dispute litigation and construction litigation. Eric has represented large insurance companies in bad-faith and coverage disputes. He also serves on the Dade County Bar Association Board as a Director for Group 1, and was appointed to the Florida Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Aviation Law.
Joshua D. Krut (Real Estate) – Josh serves as the Chair of our Community Association, Club & Resort Practice Group. He serves as outside general counsel to a number of community associations, including condominium associations, hotel-condominium associations, homeowners’ associations, cooperatives, timeshares, equity clubs, and privately held hotels and resorts. He is also an experienced transactional real estate attorney.
Matthew H. Mandel (General Litigation) – Matt serves as the Chair of our Litigation Division. He has extensive litigation and trial experience at the State and federal level. He also has extensive appellate experience, and has several published decisions to his credit relating to issues such as municipal zoning, police liability, First Amendment, and Whistleblower claims.
Matthew J. Pearl (Government) – Matt represents local governments, community redevelopment agencies, special districts and private sector entities. A member of WSH’s Local Government Law Division, Matt routinely drafts legislation and administrative polices on a broad range of issues and provides legal counsel regarding commercial contract disputes, procurement procedures, business taxes, utility regulation, and compliance with State and local ethical guidelines, sunshine and election laws.
Anthony L. Recio (Land Use & Zoning) –Tony focuses his practice on private sector land use and zoning. He represents developers, investors, owners and private lenders throughout South Florida at the municipal, county and State level. In 2008, Real Estate Florida Magazine recognized Tony as a “Top Real Estate Lawyer.”
Brett J. Schneider (Employment and Labor) – Brett chairs WSH’s Labor and Employment Law Group. He is Board Certified by the Florida Bar in Labor and Employment Law. He has successfully represented employers in all phases of litigation, up to and including trial, on matters arising under Federal, State and local laws. He also represents employers in collective bargaining negotiations, impasse hearings, unfair labor practice proceedings, and labor arbitration. In 2009, South Florida Legal Guide recognized Brett as a “Top Up and Comer.”
Alison F. Smith (Employment and Labor) – A member of WSH’s Labor and Employment Law Group, Alison has extensive experience in labor and employment arbitration and litigation. She is a member of the Florida Association of Women Lawyers (Miami-Dade Chapter), and serves as the President of the Caribbean Bar Association in Broward County.
Samuel I. Zeskind (General Litigation) – Sam focuses his practice on general litigation. Specifically, he has extensive experience in construction litigation, commercial litigation, and contract disputes before both Federal and State courts in Florida.
Author(s): Brooke P. Dolara
