16 Attorneys Named "Best Lawyers"
Oct 15, 2007
Sixteen attorneys have been selected by their peers for inclusion in the 2008 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®, a widely used guide to the nation’s top legal talent. They are:
R. ALAN HIGBEE represents public and private companies and entrepreneurs in all facets of general business, corporate and securities matters, including public and private equity and debt offerings, mergers and acquisitions, business contracts, business transactions, joint ventures, corporate governance, and franchise matters. Mr. Higbee’s clients include both domestic and international persons and entities.
DANIEL O’KEEFE practices in the area of commercial real estate law, with an emphasis on representation of developers of master planned communities, subdivisions and apartment projects. Mr. O'Keefe's broad experience includes all aspects of acquisitions, financing, entitlement, construction and disposition of projects, including residential subdivisions, shopping centers, restaurants, hotels, apartment complexes, office and industrial properties. Mr. O'Keefe was appointed to the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council by Governor Jeb Bush and was recently re-appointed by Governor Charlie Crist.
PAUL L. SanGIOVANNI is Board Certified in Construction Law. Mr. SanGiovanni has more than 20 years of experience in commercial litigation with an emphasis in construction law, including construction contract preparation and negotiation, construction lien foreclosures, delay claims, and design/construction defect and mold claims. Mr. SanGiovanni is a Past President of the Orange County Bar Association and is active in several associations serving the profession and the community,
ANDREW M. BRUMBY'spractice encompasses commercial finance, bankruptcy, insolvency and creditors’ rights litigation. Brumby was the initial president of the Central Florida Bankruptcy Law Association and served on its Board of Directors from its inception through 1996.
JOHN H. DANNECKER practices in the field of commercial litigation, with particular emphasis in the areas of construction litigation, contract negotiation and defect and delay litigation, including mold and mildew-related disputes.
MICHAEL J. “MICKY” GRINDSTAFF's practice focuses on real estate transactions, land use and development. This includes the acquisition, zoning, permitting, development and sale of retail shopping centers, mixed-use developments, residential subdivisions, multi-family apartment complexes, and office buildings. He recently was appointed by U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) as statewide Chairman of the Federal Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC), which is responsible for reviewing applicants eligible to serve as United States district court judges, U.S. attorneys or U.S. Marshals.
ROD JONES concentrates on bank regulatory matters, including de novo bank formations, conversions, mergers and acquisitions, and bank holding company formations, with a particular emphasis on issues affecting community banks. Before joining Shutts & Bowen, he was the Director of the Division of Banking of the Florida Department of Banking and Finance from 1984 to 1989, where he was responsible for licensing and supervising more than 500 state-chartered financial institutions in Florida and reviewing applications to organize more than 100 new banks.
BOWMAN BROWN represents major domestic and foreign financial institutions, brokerage houses and insurance companies. He is listed in the Best Lawyers guide in three practice areas — Banking Law, Insurance Law, and International Trade and Finance Law — and has been listed in every edition since the book’s inception in 1983.
GARY J. COHEN's principal areas of practice include general corporate, business and tax planning, with a particular emphasis on representation of real estate and affordable housing clients and state and local taxation. Mr. Cohen represents developers in structuring the financing and development of affordable housing, including syndication of federal low-income housing tax credits, securing subordinate government financing, representation before state and local housing agencies and negotiation of non-profit/for-profit joint ventures.
KEVIN D. COWAN is involved in all phases of corporate and commercial real estate practice, including development, financing, sale, acquisition foreclosure, work-outs and leases. Cowan’s experience ranges from downtown office or anchor/tenant retail leases to $500 million mega yacht marina/mixed-use hotel/retail developments, commercial ground leases, large-scale condominium developments, and representation of institutions in the sale or acquisition of office complexes.
LUIS A. DE ARMAS was recognized in the areas of corporate, international trade and finance, and mergers and acquisitions and securities law. He has substantial experience structuring and negotiating mergers and acquisitions, including international transactions, and has been involved in a wide range of securities offerings. De Armas also represents many foreign institutions in their investments and operations in the United States.
LOUIS NOSTRO is certified by The Florida Bar as a specialist in the fields of Taxation and Wills as well as Trusts and Estates. Nostro serves as an adjunct professor at the Graduate Estate Planning Program of the University of Miami College of Law. His principal area of practice involves family wealth planning, which includes estate planning, estate and trust administration, charitable planning, executive compensation and taxation.
JOHN H. ROONEY, JR. has been selected for inclusion in the commercial arbitration section. A speaker of Portuguese and Spanish, Mr. Rooney has extensive experience in the field of arbitration. He is presently sitting on an International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) panel, and chairs an Inter-American Commercial Arbitration Commission panel conducted solely in Spanish. He has over twenty years of experience advising clients on international business matters.
J. DONALD “DON” WASIL has more than 25 years of experience in real estate, and is Board Certified by the Florida Bar in the area of Real Estate. He regularly represents owners, lenders and developers in commercial real estate developments and financings, including acquisitions, sales, workouts, and large multi-state transactions. He is also a Florida licensed real estate broker-salesperson, and represents most of the major title insurance underwriters in Florida.
JAMES A. FARRELL is Board Certified in Health Law by The Florida Bar, is Past-Chair of the Health Law Certification Committee, and serves on the Executive Council of the Florida Bar Health Law Section. He concentrates his practice in health law, particularly in the area of managed care and joint venture development. Farrell counsels hospitals, physicians, health maintenance organizations, and a wide range of other health care providers.
MARSHALL J. EMAS practices in the area of real estate, corporate, partnership and limited liability company law and related matters, including acquisition, development, operation, leasing and sales of residential, commercial, retail and office properties. Mr. Emas' focus includes development of commercial shopping center properties, ventures between developers and “anchor” and “big box” retailers, permitting activities, and preparation of site development agreements and operation and easement agreements.
