Thirty Berger Singerman Attorneys Recognized in the 2020 Edition of Best Lawyers In America
August 14, 2019
Nearly 40% of Firm’s Attorneys Receive National Recognition and
Five Lawyers Receive “Lawyer of the Year” Designation
Berger Singerman, Florida’s business law firm, is pleased to announce that 30 of the firm’s attorneys were recognized in the 2020 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.
In addition, several partners received the esteemed “Lawyer of the Year” designation, which is given to a select group of individuals in high-profile specialties in large legal communities. Only one attorney per specialty in each community is honored. Fort Lauderdale partner Leonard K. Samuels was named the Employment Law Lawyer of the Year. In Miami, Michael J. Higer took home the Lawyer of the Year award for Intellectual Property Litigation, while several Tallahassee-based attorneys were recognized in their respective specialties: Melanie Ann Hines for Criminal Defense - White Collar; Brian G. Rich for Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law; and Daniel H. Thompson for Water Law.
The growing list of Berger Singerman attorneys honored as the Best Lawyers in America includes:
Hugo Acebo (Miami) - Family
Daniel H. Aronson (Miami) – Corporate; Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity; Mergers and Acquisitions; Securities/Capital Markets; Venture Capital
Paul A. Avron (Boca Raton) – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Business Reorganization
Robert W. Barron (Fort Lauderdale) – Corporate and Real Estate
James. L. Berger (Fort Lauderdale) – Real Estate
Mitchell W. Berger (Fort Lauderdale) – Commercial Litigation
Howard J. Berlin (Miami) – Bankruptcy and Creditor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization
Franklin H. Caplan (Fort Lauderdale) – Real Estate
Anthony J. Carriuolo (Fort Lauderdale) – Commercial Litigation
Leslie Gern Cloyd (Fort Lauderdale) – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization
James D. Gassenheimer (Miami) – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization; Commercial Litigation
Gavin C. Gaukroger (Fort Lauderdale) Commercial Litigation
Martin J. Genauer (Miami) – Corporate
Jordi Guso (Miami) – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization; Bankruptcy Litigation; Commercial Litigation
Michael J. Higer (Fort Lauderdale) – Commercial, Intellectual Property and Real Estate Litigation
Melanie Ann Hines (Tallahassee) – Administrative/Regulatory and Criminal Defense: White Collar
Ilyse M. Homer (Miami) – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization
Lewis M. Killian Jr. (Tallahassee) – Business Reorganization
Charles H. Lichtman (Fort Lauderdale) – Commercial, Securities and Bankruptcy Litigation
Dawn M. Meyers (Fort Lauderdale) – Environmental
Daniel D. Mielnicki (Boca Raton) – Tax
Sheldon S. Polish (Fort Lauderdale) – Tax and Trusts and Estates
S. Daniel Ponce (Miami) – Commercial and Real Estate Litigation
Brian G. Rich (Tallahassee) – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization
Leonard K. Samuels (Fort Lauderdale) – Commercial and Labor and Employment Litigation; Employment Law (Individuals and Management); Labor (Management)
Marc Stephen Shuster (Miami) – Real Estate
Frank Scruggs (Fort Lauderdale) – Commercial Litigation and Employment (Management)
Paul Steven Singerman (Miami) – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization; Bankruptcy and Bet-the-Company Litigation
Daniel H. Thompson (Tallahassee) – Administrative and Environmental; Environmental Litigation; Water Law
Nancy K. Watkin (Miami) - Trusts and Estates
“We are proud of our 30 team members who have been recognized as amongst the Best Lawyers in America. Their recognition is the direct result of their commitment to passionate client service and the results they consistently obtain for our clients,” said Paul Steven Singerman, co-chair of Berger Singerman. “We remain committed to further expanding our deep bench of existing talent with the top practitioners in their respective practice areas and fostering a collaborative environment that motivates our team to continue to provide our clients and referral sources with best-in-class service.”
Since its inception in 1981, Best Lawyers has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. It is based on an intensive peer-review survey in which approximately 62,000 leading attorneys cast over 8.3 million votes on the legal abilities of other lawyers in their practice areas. The publication now covers 182 metropolitan regions and 146 practice areas, and Corporate Counsel magazine has called Best Lawyers "the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice."
Berger Singerman’s 30 attorneys recognized by Best Lawyers follows other prestigious awards and recognitions that the firm has received, including being named a top Florida law firm by Chambers USA for 16 consecutive years. Additionally, the firm’s Dispute Resolution team was recognized for the past two years by the Daily Business Review as an honoree in the “Midsize Litigation Department of the Year” category. The firm has also been ranked in The National Law Journal’s “Midsize Hot List” and as a top Florida law firm by U.S. News and World Report “Best Law Firms”.