Islamorada Lawyers

Manny Arce is a civil trial lawyer whose practice focuses on personal injury claims including medical malpractice, wrongful death, auto accidents, premise liability, and defective products. He prides himself in his aggressive negotiation skills and impassioned advocacy on behalf of his clients.

Manny is a second generation Cuban-American who received his undergraduate degree at the Florida International University where he majored in Political Science. While attending F.I.U., he was nominated to the Honor Society of Pi Sigma Alpha.

He received his law degree from the University Of Miami School Of Law. While attending U.M., Manny was an active participant in multiple organizations....

Simona currently focuses her practice areas in real estate law, bankruptcy and general civil and commercial litigation.

Renzo Bosoni is the founding member of First Legal, a well established law firm focusing in the areas of probate administration, estate planning, trusts and will, guardianship and elder law. With a combined experience of over 30 years, the attorneys at First Legal have the necessary expertise and knowledge to handle the preparation of simple wills so you can pass on your assets to your loved ones to even the most difficult sets of issues, whether it be contested probate administrations, or complex estate planning needs.

Every client we meet has different needs and wishes about how they want their...

Javier A. Enriquez, a partner at Jeffrey & Enriquez, LLC, and a Florida Supreme Court Certified Family Mediator, concentrates his practice on, domestic and international, marital and family law, family law mediation, as well as civil and family appeals. Mr. Enriquez also has experience in election law, commercial litigation, and employment litigation.

A native of Miami, Mr. Enriquez graduated cum laude from the University of Miami School of Law, where he was also the Litigation Skills Program Marco A. Vasquez Scholarship recipient. Throughout his time at the University of Miami School of Law, he was the President of the Federalist...

Nadja A. Prias is a founding partner of Casais & Prias, PLLC. She is a Miami native and is fluent in both English and Spanish. Ms. Prias is the head of the firm’s Divorce, Family and Probate Law Department and brings extensive legal experience to her practice. Ms. Prias is a Florida Supreme Court Certified Family Law Mediator, a certified Guardian Ad Litem, has taken complex and highly contested cases to trial, and has prosecuted and defended domestic violence injunction cases. Clients can be assured, that they are working with someone who has their best interest in mind from the beginning...

Juan Lucas focuses his legal practice to representing individuals that have been injured during the course of their employment. The South Florida native graduated in 1993 from the University of Miami with a B.A. degree in International Finance and Marketing. He received his law degree in 1996 from Syracuse University College of Law. While attending law school, he was acknowledged in the Dean's List Honors, he represented Syracuse Law in National Moot Court Trial competitions, and an active member of the Latin American Law Students Association. After graduating law school, he worked for a litigation firm primarily representing the interests...

Jude M. Faccidomo is a founding partner and managing partner at Ratzan & Faccidomo, a Miami law firm providing misdemeanor and felony defense of Florida and federal criminal charges as well as representation of lawyers and other professionals in administrative license revocation and disciplinary hearings. As a former Assistant Public Defender in the Miami-Dade Public Defender’s office, Mr. Faccidomo gained extensive, invaluable experience handling jury trials involving a wide range of criminal matters. Mr. Faccidomo completed his undergraduate degree at Bard College in New York and earned his Juris Doctor law degree from Saint Thomas University School of Law in Miami....

Randy C. Botwinick has litigated and tried personal injury cases for 31 years in both New York and Florida. He strives to provide the utmost in personal attention and service to his clients as he realizes that his communication and rapport with clients is an important component in representing injured accident victims. It is through careful listening that lawyers become counselors and trusted advisors. With more than three decades of experience solely in the field of representing accident victims, Mr. Botwinick has honed a variety of systems that allows him to focus both on the variety of legal issues...

Eduardo J. Valdes has been practicing in the area of general litigation, including insurance defense and commercial litigation since 2003. His practice includes general association representation, as well as construction defect litigation and insurance defense. In his association representation, he has personally handled a wide range of litigation matters, including developer transition claims, contract disputes, enforcement of declaration/bylaws/rules by injunction actions, financial mismanagement claims, directors and officers liability defense, commercial lease disputes, employment grievances, constitutional issues, assessment collection, easement disputes, and mixed use development disputes. In addition, Mr. Valdes has prepared condominium documents for associations, negotiated and documented condominium loans...

Zachary T. Smith concentrates his practice in the areas of construction law and commercial litigation. He represents owners, design professionals, developers and other construction professionals on matters involving project development, construction defects, contract drafting and negotiation, as well as dispute avoidance and resolution.

Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Smith worked as a law clerk at a South Florida commercial litigation firm assisting partners with tasks such as drafting and composing motions, demand letters, notice letters and complaints. He also has extensive experience in conducting legal research and providing case law analysis.

During law school, Mr. Smith was a member of the...

Marc A. Smiley concentrates his practice in the areas of community association representation, community association litigation and construction defect litigation. He provides a full range of legal services to the firm’s community association clients including, but not limited to, providing advice and guidance on general matters relating to associations, assisting with the transition of developer to unit owner control, amendment drafting and administering association elections as well as counseling associations’ boards of directors on contracts, corporate governance, covenant enforcement, resolution of disputes and issues with unit owners, developers, contractors, service providers, and other vendors. Mr. Smiley enjoys advising clients on...

Austin D. Murray joined the firm in 2017 and concentrates his practice in the areas of commercial litigation, community association law and construction law. In the construction sector, Mr. Murray represents construction professionals such as owners, developers and design professionals on all facets of a construction project. He assists clients with the drafting and negotiation of construction contracts, and litigates construction defect disputes and other related issues. Mr. Murray also represents condominium and homeowners associations in the general representation of their communities, counseling boards of directors and property managers on the day-to-day operation of their association.

Prior to joining the firm...

Lindsey is a skilled and knowledgeable Real Estate, Construction and Business Law Attorney. Her practice areas include construction litigation, community association disputes and general commercial litigation matters. Lindsey represents clients such as general contractors, architects, community associations, subcontractors, real estate developers, investors, landlords and lenders in both business and real estate litigation. She is passionate about law and dedicated to diligent advocacy for her clients, both in and out of court. Lindsey earned her B.A. from the University of Michigan and her J.D. from the University of Miami School of Law. She is admitted to practice in Florida, Illinois, the U.S....

Mr. Ketelhohn is a shareholder of the firm who concentrates his practice in construction litigation. His experience includes representation of condominium associations, homeowner associations, developers, general contractors, subcontractors and design professionals on matters involving construction defects, construction liens, delay claims and other litigation and dispute resolution. He has successfully resolved numerous complex construction cases, obtaining multi-million dollar settlements in many of these cases on behalf of his clients.

Alton C. Hale, Jr. has focused his practice on helping victims and organizations with legal disputes of the upmost consequences involving insurance claims, business litigation, construction defects, catastrophic injuries and wrongful death.

Mr. Hale served as an assistant state attorney in Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River and Okeechobee counties in Florida’s Treasure Coast. He honed his trial skills as the lead attorney in more than 60 jury trials while serving as a prosecutor in the state’s Nineteenth Judicial Circuit.

Mr. Hale served as an Assistant State Attorney in Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River and Okeechobee counties in Florida’s Treasure Coast. He honed...

Louise R. Caro is a Partner in the firm and is the Managing Attorney for our Miami, Florida office. Her practice focuses on plaintiff’s mass tort litigation, concentrating on helping people harmed by exposure to hazardous soil, water and air contaminants. She has represented clients harmed by a multitude of environmental pollutants and toxins such as arsenic, lead, and dioxin, in soils and public water supply wells.

Maria Victoria Arias has been with the firm since 1997. Focusing in the area of community association law, she represents condominium and homeowners associations throughout the state. Ms. Arias assists clients with a broad range of community association matters including, but not limited to, drafting and negotiating vendor contracts, drafting amendments to the governing documents, covenant enforcement, preparing for and attending Board and owner meetings, advising on budget assessments, insurance and special assessments, and providing legal opinions and guidance on the day-to-day operations of the community association. Her vast experience in this realm allows her to make sure her clients’...

I was born and raised in Miami, Florida to a Nicaraguan mother and Dominican father. I graduated summa cum laude from Florida State University with a major in International Relations with a concentration in Political Science and minors in both Psychology and Economics. I then graduated from Fordham Law School in New York, where I represented clients detained in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba through Fordham's International Justice Clinic and served as secretary of the Latin American Law Student Association. Upon graduating from law school, I practiced law in New York for several years defending pharmaceutical and insurance companies. Although I found...

I am a multilingual Swiss-native attorney in South Florida, representing clients from around the world for various matters from transnational disputes to local business litigation in Miami. I speak English / Je parle Français / Biraz türkçe Konu?uyorum / Hablamos Español I grew up in Switzerland, have lived in several nations, and am now settled in beautiful South Florida. I have studied in Hague, Netherlands under the academic programs of the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court. I have clerked for various international law firms, and I have certifications from the International Chamber of Commerce. My learning never stops!...

Jacqueline Garcell is a senior partner and active trial attorney in maritime law for Lipcon, Margulies & Winkleman, P.A. She routinely handles passengers’ personal injury, sexual assault and wrongful death claims, as well as non-maritime personal injury claims. Ms. Garcell is the fastest attorney to ever make partner at the firm, having been promoted to the partner position after being with us for a decade. Ms. Garcell has helped settle hundreds of cases on behalf of both cruise ship passengers and crew members. She achieved one of the Top 50 Personal Injury Verdicts in Florida in 2017 — this rare and...

Carol L. Finklehoffe is a partner at Lipcon, Margulies and Winkleman, P.A. who has been practicing for 30 years in both the state and federal courts throughout Florida, California and Massachusetts. Ms. Finklehoffe is an “AV” rated trial attorney who is a certified specialist in Maritime and Admiralty law. The main concentration of her practice relates to complex personal injury, resort law, wrongful death, sexual assault and medical malpractice. Ms. Finklehoffe is also a skilled maritime lawyer who has developed an expertise in cases involving cruise ship passengers and maritime crew members on various types of commercial and private vessels. Ms....

Brandon Stein is a Florida based trial attorney born in Queens, New York, and was raised in East Brunswick, New Jersey. Being the son of an accountant that owns a large firm in New Jersey, owning and operating a business is something that was engrained within Brandon Stein from a very young age.

As owner and founder of SteinLaw, Brandon Stein focuses his practice on personal injury, wrongful death, car accident and slip and fall litigation, as well as a variety of other civil litigation areas. While SteinLaw is based out of Florida, Attorney Stein handles cases all around the country.

Being...

Michelle has concentrated in the area of plaintiffs’ civil trial practice since the beginning of her legal career. Her experience includes land-based and admiralty/maritime personal injury, wrongful death, and class action litigation. Michelle works closely with her clients and will always take the time to address their concerns and provide an honest assessment of their cases.

Michelle was co-lead counsel in a jury trial in Broward County resulting in one of the top 100 personal injury verdicts in Florida in the year 2017. She is fluent in Spanish.

Co-founder William R. Trueba, Jr.’s practice centers on the domestic and international enforcement of intellectual property rights. Will is also a U.S. Registered Patent Attorney, with a background in electrical engineering. He has represented clients in patent infringement lawsuits involving various technologies, including fertilizers, highway construction equipment, software, lasers, marine equipment, HVAC systems, nutritional supplements, pharmaceuticals, pet products, baby products, hunting equipment, motion detectors, super capacitors, farming methods and others. He has also represented clients in the enforcement of copyrights involving motion pictures, music, artwork, photographs, software, and jewelry among others. Will has also assisted clients with...

Leysi Jimenez practices in the areas of Immigration, Family Law, Foreclosure, and Criminal Justice. Ms. Jimenez obtained a Bachelor of Science Magna Cum Laude in Criminal Justice at the Florida International University, and also a Juris Doctor Cum Laude at the Nova Southeastern University, Shepard Broad Law Center. She has been representing clients at mediation, temporary hearings, and trials. Ms. Jimenez has also managed and prepared cases, attended court hearings, and drafted motions to reopen cases. She speaks fluent Spanish.

I was born in Havana, Cuba and was raised in Miami, Florida. In 2005, I graduated from Florida International University with a major in Criminal Justice and a minor in Political Science. Thereafter, I had the privilege to work alongside two prominent attorneys who practice probate, maritime, and personal injury law. That experience inspired me to continue my studies and pursue my lifelong dream of becoming an attorney. In 2010, I entered the Corporate MBA program at Florida International University and graduated in the fall of 2011. I received my Juris Doctor Degree from Florida International University College of Law...

Jaime’s practice focuses primarily on trademark, copyright, entertainment and internet law. Jaime counsels clients on the acquisition of new trademarks, conducts clearance investigations and renders availability and infringement opinions, and provides legal advice regarding trademarks and related unfair competition issues. Jaime is experienced in the filing and prosecution of trademark applications at the state, federal and international levels, as well as the defense of related proceedings such as oppositions and cancellations of registrations. Jaime also assists clients in developing global IP portfolios and policies to secure, maintain and enforce trademark rights. Since 2009, Jaime has been named a...

Ernest L. Chang is an experienced Criminal Defense Trial Lawyer, having practiced exclusively in the field of Criminal Defense since his admission to the Florida Bar in 1990. Mr. Chang obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Florida and his Juris Doctor degree in law from Nova Southeastern University. Mr. Chang has also appeared pro hac vice, in other jurisdictions, most recently in the State of Arizona. Past experiences include prosecuting Felony trials as a Certified Legal Intern with the Miami-Dade County State Attorney’s Office, Former Public Defender with the 18th Judicial Circuit and Criminal Defense with...

Melissa Paniagua was born in New York City and raised in Miami, Florida. In 2015, She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Legal Studies with a Minor in Philisophy at Florida Gulf Coast University. After college, she moved back home to Miami and went on to obtain her Juris Doctor from St. Thomas University School of Law where she graduated Cum Laude.

While in law school, Ms. Paniagua was a Moot Court board member, part time law clerk at a family law firm and a judicial intern for the Honorable Daryl Trawick, former Circuit Court Judge in the Family...