MIAMI – Sept. 29, 2015 – International law firm Greenberg Traurig, P.A. has been selected as the top Litigation Department of the Year in Real Estate by the Daily Business Review. The firm will be honored at the third annual Litigation Department of the Year Awards ceremony to be held Nov. 17 in Miami.
Greenberg Traurig’s top ranking in the Real Estate Litigation category recognizes the work done by attorneys on four major cases during 2014:
- Miami litigation attorneys Alan T. Dimond and Timothy A. Kolaya handled the high-profile litigation challenging the city of Miami referendum on Bayside’s renovation, lease extension and permission for the SkyRise Miami Tower on the property. Dimond and Kolaya successfully defeated claims that the changes sought for the Bayside lease were improperly presented to the voters of the City of Miami on the ballot during a referendum special election, and exceeded limits in the City charter. Greenberg Traurig obtained final judgments in both cases, which have also been affirmed on appeal, in favor of Bayside.
- Dimond and Kolaya also obtained a victory for longtime client the Astor Companies in a lawsuit involving the plans for relocating the Coral Gables Trolley Garage. The City of Coral Gables sought to avoid its obligations with the developer under a land swap agreement. In this matter involving significant community debate and publicity, the attorneys led the case to a successful settlement, granting the developer the necessary increase in development rights needed for construction of its Merrick Manor condominium project.
- Litigation shareholders Lorie M. Gleim (West Palm Beach) and Jerry Stouck (Washington D.C.), secured a significant court victory for client William “Bill” Cooley related to the issue of real estate tax liabilities for government-owned and operated marinas in Florida. A circuit court judge concluded it was “unfair and unconstitutional” for city-owned marinas in Fort Pierce, Florida to be exempt from paying ad valorem property taxes given that they were being used for commercial purposes. The ruling helped level the playing field by requiring the competing marinas to pay taxes.
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A multi-office team including litigation shareholders Lance Coburn (Las Vegas); Mark E. Ferrario (Las Vegas) and Michael G. Murphy (Orlando) represented CityCenter Land LLC and related entities, the owner of one of the largest ever mixed use resort-hotel-casino-retail-residential development projects, in one of the largest construction cases in the country. The central part of the case involved claims relating to defective construction of a 48 story condo-hotel tower. After five weeks of jury selection, the case was resolved before opening statements.
“We are pleased to once again be recognized as one of the top litigation firms by the Daily Business Review, which speaks to the dedication of our attorneys and the clients who entrust us with their important business matters,” said Matt Gorson, co-chairman. “Throughout the firm’s history, Greenberg Traurig has been known for successfully helping developers and others to overcome any challenges or legal roadblocks.”
Greenberg Traurig in 2013 was recognized in South Florida as the first winner of the DBR Litigation Department of the Year in the large-firm category. The firm’s Tampa office was recognized in 2014 as the Litigation Department of the Year winner in the real estate category.
Greenberg Traurig's Litigation Practice comprises more than 600 litigators across a global platform. The exceptionally broad practice serves both domestic and international clients in the following areas: antitrust and competition, appellate, commercial litigation, class actions, construction, eDiscovery and eRetention, environmental, FCPA and global anti-corruption, fiduciary litigation, financial services, IP litigation, international dispute resolution, labor and employment, media and entertainment, products liability including pharmaceutical and medical device and health care litigation, real estate litigation, securities and shareholder litigation, technology, trial practice, and white collar criminal defense.