Thought Leadership

In February 2002, Marshall Dennehey established an office in Fort Lauderdale with two attorneys. Nineteen years and three locations later, the office today is sixth largest in the firm and home to 32 attorneys. Situated just outside of downtown Fort Lauderdale, a stone’s throw from the beach with a spectacular view of the Atlantic Ocean, our office defends lawsuits throughout Southeast Florida, including in Miami-Dade, Broward, Monroe and Palm Beach Counties, as well as Collier and Lee Counties on the Gulf coast.

Much of the office’s growth can be attributed to Craig S. Hudson, who served in my position for several years. Craig recently moved to Philadelphia to lead the firm’s Professional Liability Department and join Marshall Dennehey’s Executive Committee. Craig, along with office manager, Sandy Doersam, fostered an environment of professionalism, collaboration and mutual respect for all, which is the hallmark of Marshall Dennehey’s culture. One great example of the opportunities offered here includes Jessie Harris, who joined us as a file clerk in 2011 and has since risen to legal assistant and, most recently, assistant office manager.

The attorneys in our Fort Lauderdale office are highly experienced in both casualty and professional liability matters. The casualty litigation group, managed by Alan (A.C.) Nash, represents a number of Fortune 100 companies in general liability, negligent security, product liability, hospitality and liquor liability, and a host of other matters. The professional liability group represents all manner of professionals when claims are made against them, including police forces throughout Southeast Florida in civil rights and municipal matters. Our roster of professional liability attorneys includes Andrew Marchese, one of the first Board Certified Condominium and Planned Development Law Attorneys in the state of Florida, and Kimberly Berman, one of just 205 Board Certified Appellate Attorneys in the state.

The office also has a robust insurance coverage, first party property and bad faith practice group that not only defends first party property lawsuits throughout the state, but assists insurance companies with their claims investigations, including routinely conducting examinations under oath. Shareholder, Danielle Robinson has developed a very successful Lemon Law practice representing vehicle manufacturers in Consumer Board Arbitrations with an amazing success rate. Lastly, one of the fastest-growing groups in the office is our PIP/SIU department, which litigates thousands of PIP/SIU cases on behalf of one of the nation’s largest insurance companies.

Over the last several years, our Fort Lauderdale attorneys have prevailed in jury trials. For example, we represented one of Southeast Florida’s largest property developers; obtained defense verdicts for insurance companies on first party property lawsuits; won a bench trial after seven years of litigating and defending a Board of Directors; successfully advised the general liability carrier and settled numerous claims arising out of the tragic massacre at the Pulse Nightclub; obtained summary judgment in federal civil rights actions against a large local police department; and prevailed in numerous third party coverage actions.

Probably the greatest attribute of the Fort Lauderdale office is our diversity. A large portion of our attorneys and staff hail from the Caribbean, Russia, the Middle East and Latin America, and almost half of our attorneys are women. The diverse backgrounds and experiences that our employees bring ensure that we have an inclusive workplace culture and enhances our law practice and representation of clients. In addition, the diversity around the office leads to remarkable debates and advocacy, especially in the Fall when the topic on everyone’s mind turns to football, and which is the best college football team in the state? UF, Miami or FSU?

One of our favorite office traditions is the downtown Fort Lauderdale Corporate Run, in which thousands of local businesses participate in a 5K (walking and running) to raise money for local charities. Ryan Burns, a shareholder in the casualty group, is the reigning office champion, having achieved the fastest race time for the past few years. On the flip side of that event, another favorite day of the year is our office Thanksgiving feast. Everyone brings a dish to share, and we get to taste delicacies and share in others’ family traditions.

The diverse and talented attorneys in Marshall Dennehey’s Fort Lauderdale office stand ready to assist you with all of your civil litigation needs. Please do not hesitate to email or call me should you have any questions at all about our legal services and how we may assist you.

*Michael is the managing attorney of the Fort Lauderdale, Florida office and co-chair of the firm’s Insurance Services Practice Group. He can be reached at (954) 847-4921 or mapacker@mdwcg.com.

_{Defense Digest, Vol. 27, No. 1, January 2021 is prepared by Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman & Goggin to provide information on recent legal developments of interest to our readers. This publication is not intended to provide legal advice for a specific situation or to create an attorney-client relationship. ATTORNEY ADVERTISING pursuant to New York RPC 7.1. © 2021 Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman & Goggin. All Rights Reserved. This article may not be reprinted without the express written permission of our firm. For reprints, contact tamontemuro@mdwcg.com.}