(Main Office)

Established in 1930, Welbaum, Guernsey, Hingston, Greenleaf, Gregory, Black, Rune & Thomas, LLP ("Welbaum Guernsey") has evolved into one of the area's most respected law firms.

Located in the greater Miami area, Welbaum, Guernsey offers clients representation in both state and federal courts and all levels of appeal.

Welbaum, Guernsey's practice emphasizes building construction and suretyship. In this area, the firm represents general contractors, subcontractors, architects, engineers, material suppliers, sureties, and real estate developers. Our attorneys provide individualized counseling in all phases of construction projects, from contract negotiations and drafting to claims prevention and litigation. The firm also provides legal services in the areas of real estate, family law, trusts and estates, negligence, and personal injury matters.

Statement of Practice

Building Construction Law. General Civil Practice. Fidelity and Surety Law, Insurance, Officers and Directors Liability, Professional Malpractice Law, Banking Law, Products Liability Law, Asbestos Litigation, Real Estate Law, Ad Valorem Tax Law, Eminent Domain, Probate Law, Family Law, Divorce.

Representative Clients:

ACE USA
Alan W. Smith, Inc.
Alliance Construction Inc.
American Safety Casualty Insurance Company
American States Insurance Co.
Andrade Gutierrez Construction, Inc.
Archdiocese of Miami
Atlantic Interiors, Inc.
Aurora Mechanical Contractors
Aurora Plumbing Company
Beauchamp Construction Co., Inc.
Bovis Lend Lease
Case Credit
Cazo Construction Corp.
Clark Contractors, Inc. of Miami
CNA Surety
Coastal Construction Co.
Coastland Construction Co.
Colony Group
Coltec Engineering, Inc.
Commercial Union Insurance Co.
Copeland Steel Erectors, Inc.
Crawford Tracey Corporation
Credit General Insurance Co.
Cumis Insurance Society, Inc.
Engineered Mechanical Services, Inc.
Fastrac Electric
Federal Insurance Co.
Fireman's Fund Insurance Co.
Gancedo Technologies, Inc.
GCA, Inc.
General Casualty Insurance Co.
Groupe Pacific
Hanover Insurance Co.
Highland Insurance Group
Home Indemnity Co.
Jetro Holdings, Inc.
JJW Construction, Inc.
Kalex Construction & Development, Inc.
Landscaping Associates
Lexington National Surety
Liberty Bond Service
Lotspeich Company, Inc.
Lotspeich Company Southwest, Inc.
Morrow Steel Company
Monumental Life Insurance
Motorist Mutual Insurance Company
National Title Insurance Company
New Holland Credit
Old Republic Insurance Co.
Pro-Max Paint Corporation
P.T.E. Strand Co., Inc.
Related Companies
Risk Management Enterprises, Inc.
Rogers Construction Co.
Rose Engineering Contractors
Rovel Construction, Inc.
Safeco Insurance Cos.
SDC Construction Services
Sentry Insurance Co.
Siemens Building Technologies
St. Paul Fire & Marine Insurance Co.
State Farm Fire & Casualty Co.
Strand Co.
Stryker Electrical Contracting, Inc.
The Hartford
The PMA Group
Travelers
Tiger & Son Roofing Co.
Universal Surety of America
Utica Mutual Insurance Co.
Westchester Fire Insurance Co.
Western Surety Co.
Yacht Club Southeastern, Inc.

Address

Penthouse
901 Ponce de Leon Boulevard
Coral Gables, FL 33134, (Miami-Dade Co.)

Phone

Phone: 305-441-8900
Fax: 305-441-2255

Website

http://www.welbaum.com

MEMBERS OF FIRM

R. Earl Welbaum (Member) born Miami, Florida, February 4, 1932; admitted to bar, 1959, Florida, U.S. District Court, Northern, Middle and Southern Districts of Florida and U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth and Eleventh Circuits. Education: University of Miami (B.B.A., 1954); Stetson University; University of Miami (J.D., 1967, replaced LL.B. conferred, 1959). Omicron Delta Kappa. Law Clerk, Chief Judge, District Court of Appeals, Third District of Florida, 1959-1961. Listed: Best Lawyers in America, 2008; Chambers USA; America's Leading Lawyers for Business; Who's Who Legal, 2007. Member: Miami-Dade County Bar Association; The Florida Bar; International Association of Defense Counsel (Chairman, Fidelity and Surety Committee 1988-1989; Vice Chairman, Architects, Engineers and Construction Litigation Committee, 1990—). Fellow: American Bar Foundation. Practice Areas: Surety Law; Building Construction Law; Insurance; Commercial Litigation.Email: R. Earl Welbaum

Robert A. Hingston (Member) born Waukesha, Wisconsin, March 21, 1949; admitted to bar, 1974, Florida, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida, U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida, U.S. Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit, U.S. Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit and U.S. Claims Court. Education: Ripon College (B.A., 1971); University of Florida (J.D., 1974). Council Member/Vice-Mayor, Village of Pinecrest, Florida, 1996-2006; Village of Pinecrest Planning and Zoning Board, 2008. Co-Author: "Alternative Dispute Resolution," Chapter, Florida Construction Law and Practice, 2ed., The Florida Bar. Co-Author and Lecturer: "Florida Construction Law: What Do You Do When...?" National Business Institute, 1993 and 1997; "Construction Payment Remedies in Florida," National Business Institute, 1999 and 2000; "Florida Law for Design Professionals," Lorman Educational Services, 2000 and 2001; "Construction Lien Law and Strategies in Florida," National Business Institute, 2001; "Construction Insurance, Bonding, and Liens in Florida," Lorman Educational Services, 2005 and 2006; Understanding Structural Engineering for the Construction Industry in Florida," Lorman Educational Services, 2005; "Resolving Construction Disputes in Florida: Effective Use of Mediation, Arbitration, and Other Processes," National Business Institute, 2005; "Resolving Problems and Disputes on Construction Projects," National Business Institute, 2006; "Construction Change Orders," National Business Institute, 2007. Lecturer, "Basic Construction Law," The Florida Bar, 1992. Member, National Panel of Arbitrators (Construction), American Arbitration Association, 1982—. Member: Miami-Dade County (Construction Law Committee Chairman, 1994) and American (Member: Fidelity and Surety Committee, Tort and Insurance Practice Section, 1979; Construction Committee, Litigation Section, 1981—; Forum Committee, Construction Industry, 1984—) Bar Associations; The Florida Bar. Practice Areas: Surety Law; Fidelity Law; Building Construction Law; Insurance and Commercial Litigation.Email: Robert A. Hingston

John H. Gregory (Member) born Miami, Florida, March 14, 1956; admitted to bar, 1983, Florida, U.S. District Court, Southern and Middle Districts of Florida and U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit. Education: Loyola University (B.B.A., magna cum laude, 1978); Tulane University (LL.B., 1982). Member, American Arbitration Association. Co-Author and Lecturer: "The Law of Performance Bonds," Chapter 6, Liability of the Performance Bond Surety (Fidelity & Surety Law Committee, Tort Insurance Practice of the American Bar Association 2000). Co-Author and Lecturer: "Construction Insurance, Bonding, and Liens in Florida" (Lorman Educational Services, 2005 and 2006). Member: Coral Gables Bar Association, Dade County Bar (Member, Board of Directors, Young Lawyers Section, 1984, 1985) and American Bar Association (Member: Fidelity and Surety Committee, Tort and Insurance Practice Section and Construction Committee, Litigation Section); The Florida Bar (Member, Forum Committee on Construction Industry); Dade County Volunteer Lawyer; Federal Trial Bar. Practice Areas: Surety Law; Fidelity Law; Building Construction Litigation; General Commercial and Insurance Litigation; Arbitration.Email: John H. Gregory

Robert J. Black (Member) born Miami, Florida, February 9, 1951; admitted to bar, 1976, Florida; 1977, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida. Education: University of Miami (B.A., 1973); Cumberland School of Law (J.D., cum laude, 1976). Member, Real Property Council, Dade County. Member: Coral Gables, Dade County and American Bar Associations; The Florida Bar (Member, Sections on: Family Law; Real Property, Probate and Trust Law) . Practice Areas: Family Law; Real Estate; Probate; Guardianship; Commercial Litigation; Business Law; Divorce.Email: Robert J. Black

Michael Jay Rune, II (Member) born Dallas, Texas, June 10, 1970; admitted to bar, 1995, Texas; 1996, Florida and U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas; 1997, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida. Education: University of Texas (B.A., cum laude, 1991); Cumberland School of Law, Samford University (J.D., 1995). Cumberland Presidential Scholar. Associate Editor, Cumberland Law Review. Co-Author: "Liability of Performance Bond Surety," in the Law of Performance Bond (ABA 1999). Co-Author and Lecturer: "Construction Insurance, Bonding, and Liens" (Lorman Educational Services, 2005-2007). Contributor to IADC Annual Survey of Private Construction Bonds. Member: Coral Gables, Miami-Dade County and American Bar Associations; The Florida Bar; State Bar of Texas; International Association of Defense Counsel; The Bankruptcy Bar Association, Southern District of Florida. Practice Areas: Construction Litigation; Fidelity and Surety; Commercial Litigation; Bankruptcy.Email: Michael Jay Rune, II

Bradford A. Thomas (Member) born Lima, Ohio, April 2, 1953; admitted to bar, 1978, Florida and U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida; U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida; U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh and Fifth Circuits; U.S. Supreme Court. Education: Ohio Northern University (B.A., 1975; Getty Scholar); University of Miami (J.D., 1978). Associate Editor, Payment Bond Manual (1991), published by Fidelity and Surety Law Committee, Tort and Insurance Practice Section, American Bar Association. Arbitrator, American Arbitration Association, 1997. County/Circuit Court Mediator, Certified by Florida Supreme Court, 2005. Member: Dade County and American (Member: Sections on Tort and Insurance; Fidelity and Surety Law Committee) Bar Associations; The Florida Bar. Practice Areas: Trials and Appeals; Surety and Fidelity Law; Construction Law; Personal Injury; Products Liability Law.Email: Bradford A. Thomas

ASSOCIATES

Rick L. Yabor (Associate) born Coral Gables, Florida, August 8, 1967; admitted to bar, 1999, Florida; U.S. District Court, Middle and Southern Districts of Florida; U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh and District of Columbia Circuits.. Education: Florida International University (B.B.A., 1990); University of Mississippi (J.D., cum laude, 1999). Moot Court Board, Trial Director. Articles Editor, Journal of National Security Law. Assistant State Attorney, 1999-2001. Member: Miami-Dade County and American Bar Associations; The Florida Bar; Latin Builder's Association. Languages: Spanish. Practice Areas: Commercial Litigation; Surety Law; Fidelity Law; Insurance Law; Building Construction Law; Real Estate Litigation; Criminal Law.Email: Rick L. Yabor

Hung Viet Nguyen (Associate) born Saigon, Vietnam; admitted to bar, 2002, Florida and U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida. Education: University of Texas at Austin (B.A., 1998); University College of London (Summer Abroad, 2000); University of Miami (J.D., cum laude, 2002). Staff Attorney, Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida, 2003-2004 (Probate Division). Member: Asian Pacific American Bar Association of South Florida (President, 2007-2008); Asian American Advisory Board of Miami-Dade County (Second Vice-Chair, 2007-2008); Dade County Bar Association (Probate Committee); Coral Gables Bar Association; The Florida Bar (Member, Young Lawyers Division; Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section). Languages: Vietnamese. Practice Areas: Construction Litigation; Commercial Litigation; Probate; Guardianship; Trusts.Email: Hung Viet Nguyen

Melissa J. Gomberg (Associate) born Houston, Texas, August 9, 1981; admitted to bar, 2007, Florida. Education: Florida State University (B.S., magna cum laude, 2003); St. Thomas University School of Law (J.D., cum laude, 2007). Phi Beta Kappa; Golden Key Honor Society; National Society of Collegiate Scholars. Member: Dade County Bar Association; The Florida Bar (Member, Young Lawyers Division). Languages: Spanish. Practice Areas: Construction Litigation; Probate; Guardianship; Commercial Litigation.Email: Melissa J. Gomberg

Maribeth Sitkowski, Esq (Associate) born Miami, Florida, September 1980; admitted to bar, 2006, Florida. Education: University of Michigan (B.A., 2002); St. Thomas University School of Law (J.D., 2006). Competitor and Board Member, International Moot Court, St. Thomas University School of Law. Member: Academic All American, University of Michigan; U.S. Water Polo Coaches Association, University of Michigan; Academic All-Big Ten Conference Honors, University of Michigan. Academic Support Instructor, Torts, St. Thomas University School of Law. Member: The Florida Bar; American Bar Association. Practice Areas: Construction Litigation; Commercial Litigation; Probate; Real Estate Litigation.Email: Maribeth Sitkowski, Esq

OF COUNSEL

W. Frank Greenleaf (Of Counsel) born Griffin, Georgia, September 21, 1946; admitted to bar, 1973, Alabama; 1974, Florida, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida and U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit and Eleventh Circuits. Education: Michigan State University (B.A., 1968); University of North Carolina (M.A., 1970); University of Alabama (J.D., 1973). Omicron Delta Kappa; Order of the Coif; Phi Delta Phi; Phi Beta Kappa. Law Clerk to U.S. District Judge James H. Hancock, Northern District of Alabama, 1973-1974. Member: Coral Gables, Dade County and American (Member, Tort and Insurance Practice Section) Bar Associations; Alabama State Bar; The Florida Bar. Languages: French, Spanish. Practice Areas: Surety and Fidelity Law; Insurance and Commercial Litigation; Probate Law.Email: W. Frank Greenleaf