Administrative Law
All of our practice areas are accretive to each other. This is particularly true of our administrative law practice. We bring to this unique practice area the same rigorous substantive and procedural expertise that defines our litigation and appellate practices. We regularly handle matters before a variety of administrative agencies and bodies. We practice under the Florida and federal administrative procedure acts (both collectively the “APA”). We also routinely practice before commissions, boards, and bodies not subject to the APA. Furthermore, we frequently practice before special magistrates, hearing officers, and the legislative arms of local government that have been delegated specific administrative decision-making authority.
Appellate Practice
All of our lawyers are appellate lawyers – and, each us is as comfortable in the appellate courts as we are in the trenches of the trial court. We love the issues – we are passionate about the research – we are devoted to text – and, we worship the Bluebook. We take extraordinarily complex matters and relate them for appellate purposes in simple and compelling terms. Our appellate practice reinforces our litigation and administrative practices and the inverse of that statement is equally true. By doing all, we are better at each.
Commercial Litigation
We litigate commercial matters in state and federal court both jury and non-jury. We possess extensive experience litigating business disputes, contract disputes, real property disputes, business torts, and matters of real property and municipal law. We litigate commercial matters from the point of initial conflict, to the trial court, and through the conclusion of the appellate process.
Constitutional Law
We frequently litigate constitutional questions arising under the state and federal constitutions relating to the use, development, regulation, and ownership of land. We do so on behalf of significant stakeholders such as county government, municipal government, and real estate developers.
Entitlement Litigation
We possess extensive experience litigating entitlements granted or denied by local government relating to the use, development or regulations of land. We have litigated just about every form of local government approval or permission including but not limited to historic preservation certificate of appropriateness, special exceptions, planned unit developments, comprehensive plan amendments, zoning changes, text amendments to zoning codes, text amendments to comprehensive plans, small scale comprehensive plan amendments, large scale comprehensive plan amendments, and, comprehensive plan consistency challenges.
Historic Preservation
We possess deep respect for and experience with the discipline known as historic preservation. We have handled consequential certificate of appropriateness proceedings before local historic preservation boards, we have appeared before historic preservation special magistrates, and we have litigated matters relating to preservation in the appellate courts. We have advocated for and against designations, challenged and defended designations, and represented historic preservation officers in challenges to their decision-making.
Real Estate Disputes
Dirt cases are different – they just are. Our litigation practice is keenly focused on disputes relating to the use, development, regulation, finance, and disposition of real estate. Whether it is lender on lender violence within a debt stack, litigating special servicer disputes arising within a securitization trust, or trying cases about ownership and development rights, our litigation practice benefits from our deep understanding of the forces that impact real estate. This understanding allows us to develop strategies that align with our client’s strategic business objectives.
Alternative Dispute Resolution
Our firm possesses trial experience spanning more than three decades and 1000 cases – jury and non-jury. We understand the vagaries of litigation. We possess a vast reservoir of judicial decision-making experience that distinguishes our alternative dispute resolution practice from most.
Zoning Law
Our experience litigating matters of zoning and land use law distinguishes us in a very important way from those other fine law firms with extraordinary land use departments. Because we so palpably understand the substantive, procedural, and structural underpinnings of zoning and land use law, we are able to litigate zoning and land use matters in a way that uniquely aligns our clients’ strategic business objectives with the unique facts of every land use case.
Land Use Law
Our experience litigating matters of zoning and land use law distinguishes us in a very important way from those other fine law firms with extraordinary land use departments. Because we so palpably understand the substantive, procedural, and structural underpinnings of zoning and land use law, we are able to litigate zoning and land use matters in a way that uniquely aligns our clients’ strategic business objectives with the unique facts of every land use case.