(Main Office)

Akerman is ranked among the Top 100 law firms in the U.S. by The National Law Journal NLJ 250 (2008) in number of lawyers and is one of the largest firms in Florida. With more than 500 lawyers and government affairs professionals, we serve clients from major business centers in Florida, New York, Washington, D.C., California, Virginia, Colorado, and Texas.

Statement of Practice

Automotive, Bankruptcy and Reorganization, Class Actions, Climate Change, Construction, Consumer Finance Litigation, Corporate, Economic Development, E-Discovery, Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation, Energy, Utilities, and Telecommunications, Environment and Natural Resources, Fiduciary Litigation, Financial Institutions, Forest Resources, Franchising, Government Affairs and Public Policy, Government Contracts, Green and Sustainable Development, Healthcare, Hospitality, Immigration Planning and Compliance, Insurance Regulation and Litigation, Intellectual Property, Labor and Employment, Land Use and Entitlements, Life Sciences, Litigation, Mergers and Acquisitions, Private Client Services, Private Equity, Products Liability and Mass Torts, Public Finance, Public-Private Partnerships, Real Estate, Real Estate Litigation, Regulatory and Administrative, Retail Leasing and Development, Securities, Securitization and Structured Finance, Securities Litigation, Senior Living, Sports and Entertainment, Taxation, Transportation and Public Infrastructure, White Collar Crime and Government Investigations.

Firm Affiliations

WORLD SERVICES GROUP (WSG)

Address

One Southeast Third Avenue
25th Floor
Miami, FL 33131, (Miami-Dade Co.)

Phone

Phone: 305-374-5600
Fax: 305-374-5095

Website

http://www.akerman.com

Firm/Affiliate Offices

OF COUNSEL

Michael M. Benchetrit (Of Counsel) admitted to bar, 1996, CT; 1997, U.S. Dist. Ct., East. Dist. of MI. (Not admitted in Florida). Education: York Univ. (B.A., Honors Program, 1991); Thomas M. Cooley Law School (J.D., 1995); Univ. of Guelph (M.A., 1996). Practice Areas: Corporate; Immigration.Email: Michael M. Benchetrit

J. Thomas Cookson (Of Counsel) admitted to bar, 1983, GA; 1985, NY; 1993, FL. Education: Univ. of Virginia (B.A., with honors and distinction, 1979); College of William & Mary School of Law (J.D., 1983). Practice Areas: Corporate; International; Mergers and Acquisitions; Private Equity; Venture Capital; Securities.Email: J. Thomas Cookson

Michael P. Gennett (Of Counsel) admitted to bar, 1996, FL; U.S. Dist. Ct., So. Dist. of FL. Education: Florida State Univ. (B.A., 1985); St. Thomas Univ. (J.D., 1996). (Board Certified Health Law Lawyer, Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization and Education). Practice Areas: Health Care Law; Corporate Law.Email: Michael P. Gennett

Jennifer Cohen Glasser (Of Counsel) admitted to bar, 1997, FL. Education: Columbia Univ. (B.A., 1990); George Washington Univ. (J.D., with honors, 1997). Practice Areas: Litigation; Municipal Liability; Insurance.Email: Jennifer Cohen Glasser

Bernard Jacobson (Of Counsel) admitted to bar, 1955, CT; 1957, FL. Education: Amherst College (A.B., 1951); Columbia Univ. (LL.B., 1954). Practice Areas: Corporate; Securities; Mergers and Acquisitions; Private Placements.Email: Bernard Jacobson

Jeffrey A. Kern (Of Counsel) admitted to bar, 1973, FL. Education: Univ. of Oklahoma (B.S., 1969); Memphis State Univ. (J.D., 1973); Univ. of Miami (LL.M. in Taxation, 1977). Practice Areas: Estate Law; Business Law; Contracts.Email: Jeffrey A. Kern

James A. Marx (Of Counsel) admitted to bar, 1988, FL; 1998, DC; 2003, NY. Education: Ithaca College (B.S., 1982); Univ. of Miami (J.D., 1988). Practice Areas: Corporate Law.Email: James A. Marx

Augusto E. Maxwell (Of Counsel) admitted to bar, 1990, FL. Education: Georgetown Univ. (B.S.F.S., cum laude, 1985); Columbia Univ. (J.D., 1990). Practice Areas: Land Use; Appellate; Local Government Law.Email: Augusto E. Maxwell

Charles Schuette (Of Counsel) admitted to bar, 1967, OK; 1970, FL. Education: Univ. of Oklahoma (B.B.A., 1964); Univ. of Oklahoma College of Law (J.D., 1967). Practice Areas: Real Estate; International Law.Email: Charles Schuette

Mary A. Swayze (Of Counsel) admitted to bar, 1989, FL; 1991, DC. Education: Rivier College (B.S., 1984); Univ. of Miami School of Law (J.D., 1989). Practice Areas: Family Law.Email: Mary A. Swayze

Jeffrey A. Trinz (Of Counsel) admitted to bar, 1978, FL. Education: Univ. of Miami (B.A., 1975; J.D., 1978). Practice Areas: Commercial Litigation.Email: Jeffrey A. Trinz

J. Alex Villalobos (Of Counsel) admitted to bar, 1989, FL. Education: Univ. of Miami (B.A., 1985); Florida State Univ. (J.D., 1988). Practice Areas: Land Use; Zoning.

Jose A. Villalobos (Of Counsel) admitted to bar, 1976, FL; 1978, U.S. Dist. Ct., So. Dist. of FL; 1983, Trial Bar; 1991, TN. Education: Universidad de Villanueva (J.D., 1959); Biscayne College (B.A., Public Administration, 1975); Univ. of Florida (J.D., 1976). Practice Areas: Policy; Land Use; Zoning.

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James A. Bombulie (Associate) admitted to bar, 2006, Florida. Education: Grinnell College (B.A., 2003); University of Miami School of Law (J.D., magna cum laude, 2006).Email: James A. Bombulie

Sherica Bryan (Associate) admitted to bar, 2006, FL. Education: Univ. of Florida (B.S., 1998); Univ. of Florida College of Law (J.D., 2002). Practice Areas: Labor and Employment.Email: Sherica Bryan

Angela C. de Cespedes (Associate) admitted to bar, 2002, NY; 2003, FL. Education: Univ. of Miami (B.A., 1998); Boston Univ. (J.D., 2001). Practice Areas: Litigation; Commercial Litigation; Insurance.Email: Angela C. de Cespedes

Gregory Deutch (Associate) admitted to bar, 2006, FL. Education: Univ. of Michigan (B.A., English, 2001); Univ. of Miami School of Law (J.D., 2006). Practice Areas: Commercial Litigation.Email: Gregory Deutch

Jose F. Diaz (Associate) admitted to bar, 2005, FL. Education: Univ. of Miami (B.A., 2002); Columbia Univ. School of Law (J.D., 2005). Practice Areas: Litigation; Government Relations.

Daniel P. Faust (Associate) admitted to bar, 2004, FL. Education: Northwestern Univ. (B.A., 2001); Univ. of Miami School of Law (J.D., magna cum laude, 2004). Practice Areas: Corporate Law.Email: Daniel P. Faust

Ruben Seth Fogel (Associate) admitted to bar, 2007, NY. (Not admitted in Florida). Education: Yeshiva Univ. (B.A., 2003); New York Law School (J.D., 2006). Practice Areas: Corporate.

Andrew Frey (Associate) admitted to bar, 2005, FL. Education: Boston College (B.A., cum laude, 2001); Univ. of Michigan (J.D., 2004).

Brenda J. Goerks (Associate) admitted to bar, 2004, Florida. Education: University of Northern Iowa (B.S., magna cum laude, 2001); University of Nebraska College of Law (J.D., 2004). Practice Areas: Real Estate.Email: Brenda J. Goerks

Stacy Harrison (Associate) admitted to bar, 2007, FL. Education: Marshall Univ. (B.S., summa cum laude, 2004); Univ. of Miami School of Law (J.D., summa cum laude, 2007); Member, University of Miami Law Review.. Practice Areas: Litigation.Email: Stacy Harrison

Justin P. Hofmeister (Associate) admitted to bar, 2003, NE; 2008, FL. Education: Univ. of Nebraska at Lincoln (B.S., 1997); Creighton Univ. School of Law (J.D., 2003). Practice Areas: Real Estate.

Brian Theophilus James (Associate) admitted to bar, 2000, FL; U.S. Dist. Ct., So. and Middle Dists. of FL and U.S. Ct. of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit. Education: Univ. of Miami (B.B.A., Accounting, 1996); Univ. of Miami School of Law (J.D., cum laude, 2000). Practice Areas: Litigation.Email: Brian Theophilus James

Lisa Michelle Kömives (Associate) admitted to bar, 2006, FL. Education: Bryn Mawr College (B.A., cum laude, 1998); Univ. of Miami (J.D., cum laude, 2005). Practice Areas: Litigation.Email: Lisa Michelle Kömives

Mark Y. Liu (Associate) admitted to bar, 2006, FL. Education: Washington Univ. (B.S., 2000); Univ. of Iowa (J.D., 2005). Languages: Mandarin. Practice Areas: Corporate Law; Mergers, Acquisitions and Divestitures; Securities.Email: Mark Y. Liu

Mia R. Martin (Associate) admitted to bar, 2003, NY; 2007, FL. Education: Barry Univ. (B.S., 1996); Loyola Univ. School of Law, New Orleans (J.D., 2002). Practice Areas: Labor and Employment.Email: Mia R. Martin

Eric S. Matthew (Associate) born Los Angeles, California; admitted to bar, 2006, Florida and California. Education: University of California at Los Angeles (B.A., 2003); University of Miami School of Law (J.D., 2006). Practice Areas: Litigation.Email: Eric S. Matthew

Michael O. Mena (Associate) admitted to bar, 2005, FL. Education: Univ. of Miami (B.A., magna cum laude, 2001); Columbia Univ. (J.D., 2004). Languages: Spanish. Practice Areas: Litigation.Email: Michael O. Mena

Ian L. Minkin (Associate) admitted to bar, 2001, CA; 2002, OR; 2003, IL; 2007, FL. Education: Univ. of Southern California (B.S., 1996); Boston Univ. (J.D., 1999; LL.M., 2000). Practice Areas: Tax Law; Employee Benefits; Executive Compensation.Email: Ian L. Minkin

Amy Moniz (Associate) admitted to bar, 2003, MA; 2006, FL. Education: Bentley College (B.A., magna cum laude, 1999; M.B.A., with distinction, 2000); University of Miami School of Law (J.D., cum laude, 2003). Practice Areas: Real Estate.Email: Amy Moniz

Natalie E. Norfus (Associate) admitted to bar, 2004, OH. (Not admitted in Florida). Education: American Univ. (B.A., magna cum laude, 2001); George Washington Univ. (J.D., 2004). Practice Areas: Labor and Employment.Email: Natalie E. Norfus

Thomas Davis Roddenberry (Associate) admitted to bar, 2002, FL. Education: Duke Univ. (B.A., 1999); Cornell Univ. (J.D., 2002). Practice Areas: Corporate; Securities.Email: Thomas Davis Roddenberry

Ryan Roman (Associate) (Admission pending). Education: Amherst Collete (B.A., cum laude, 2003); University of Michigan School of Law (J.D., 2006).Email: Ryan Roman

Larry W. Ross II (Associate) admitted to bar, 2006, Florida. Education: University of Oklahoma (B.S., 1996); Texas Christian University (M.B.A., 2003); University of Miami School of Law (J.D., 2006).Email: Larry W. Ross II

Christina C. Russo (Associate) admitted to bar, 2004, Florida. Education: University of Florida (B.S., 2001); Emory University School of Law (J.D., 2004). Languages: Spanish. Practice Areas: Corporate; Mergers and Acquisitions; Securities.Email: Christina C. Russo

Michael Sayre (Associate) admitted to bar, 2005, Florida. Education: Univ. of Findlay (B.S., with honors, 2002); Univ. of Florida College of Law (J.D., 2005); Managing Editor, Florida Law Review.. Practice Areas: Litigation.Email: Michael Sayre

Robin Schafer (Associate) admitted to bar, 2005, NY. (Not admitted in Florida). Education: Univ. of Texas at Austin (B.A., 2001); Columbia Univ. (J.D., 2004). Practice Areas: Corporate.

Andrew Schwartz (Associate) admitted to bar, 2003, PA; 2004, NJ; 2005, FL. Education: Univ. of North Carolina at Greensboro (B.A., 1999); Syracuse Univ. (J.D., 2003); Villanova Univ. (LL.M., Taxation, 2004). Practice Areas: Corporate Law.Email: Andrew Schwartz

Daniel W. Schwartz (Associate) admitted to bar, 2004, FL. Education: Vanderbilt Univ. (B.A., 2000); Emory Univ. School of Law (J.D., 2004). Practice Areas: Corporate.Email: Daniel W. Schwartz

Sarah Campbell Smith (Associate) admitted to bar, 1999, FL. Education: Florida State Univ. (B.S., 1994); Stetson Univ. College of Law (J.D., 1999). Practice Areas: Environmental Law.Email: Sarah Campbell Smith

Shannon Elisabeth Sullivan (Associate) admitted to bar, 2007, NY. (Not admitted in Florida). Education: Indiana Univ. (B.A., 2001); New York Univ. School of Law (J.D., 2006). Practice Areas: Corporate.Email: Shannon Elisabeth Sullivan

Wendy Vargas (Associate) admitted to bar, 2002, FL. Education: Univ. of Pennsylvania (B.S., cum laude, 1998; J.D., cum laude, 2002). Practice Areas: Real Estate.Email: Wendy Vargas

Jennifer Taylor Williams (Associate) admitted to bar, 1999, FL. Education: Univ. of Florida (B.A., with high honors, 1996); George Washington Univ. Law School (J.D., 1999). Practice Areas: Labor and Employment.Email: Jennifer Taylor Williams

LEGAL SUPPORT PERSONNEL

Lauren K. Fernandez admitted to bar, 2008, Florida. Education: Univ. of Pennsylvania (B.A., 2004); Georgetown Univ. Law Center (J.D., 2008). Practice Areas: Litigation.Email: Lauren K. Fernandez

Alexandra Mora (Admission pending). Education: Vanderbilt Univ. (B.A., 2004); Univ. of Florida College of Law (J.D., 2007). Practice Areas: Litigation.Email: Alexandra Mora