When Kendall Coffey and Robert Burlington long ago formed Coffey Burlington, they had a specific vision for the law firm they wanted to establish: “One of the dynamics that makes us different from most law firms is that we have a non-traditional business model,” says Burlington, who serves as the firm’s managing partner.
Equity partner Dan Blonsky added: “Typically, law firms have more associates than partners, with the work being brought in by the senior level attorneys and then pushed down to younger lawyers to pull the laboring oar throughout the litigation. But we recognized early on that clients are more comfortable with seasoned lawyers, especially in high-stakes complex litigation. And in almost all instances, clients want to work directly with the lawyer who is going to be trying their case.”
At Coffey Burlington, the majority of the firm’s lawyers are partners, including several who have been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America©, along with Burlington: Kendall Coffey (2019 Miami “Lawyer of the Year”, Professional Malpractice – Defense); Albert Caruana (2015 and 2018 Miami “Lawyer of the Year”, Family Law); and Andrew Marks (2018 Miami “Lawyer of the Year”, First Amendment Litigation). The firm as a whole has also been ranked Tier 1 in Miami in several practice areas by U.S. News – Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms.”
“The success obtained for our clients over the past 30 years is the direct result of our focus on deploying a high degree of experience in bet-the-business litigation,” note equity partners Paul Schwiep and Susan Raffanello. “For us, growth hasn’t been defined by expansion, but by the depth of talent we’ve been able to develop as a litigation boutique. And that experience is what has attracted such a variety of businesses, institutional clients, and referring lawyers to our firm,” adds Kevin Kaplan, equity partner.
Coffey Burlington serves clients in state and federal courts throughout Florida and elsewhere, including Fortune 500 companies, law and accounting firms, financial institutions, developers, entrepreneurs, investors, homeowners, and condominium associations. In addition to its business, commercial litigation, and federal white-collar criminal defense practices, the firm has a high net worth divorce and family law practice, which is led by two time Miami Family Law “Lawyer of the Year” winner Albert Caruana, together with Melissa Jacobs and Fernando Tamayo.
Coffey Burlington is also known for its support of charitable organizations throughout the community.
