Andrew B. Blasi

John L. McManus concentrates his practice on representing businesses in complex commercial litigation in Florida federal and state courts. He has experience in representing financial institutions, insurers, specialty finance companies, and their officers or directors in a wide variety of litigation and arbitration disputes. John represents buyers, sellers, and private equity groups in disputes involving mergers, acquisitions, and ongoing business operations. These disputes typically involve p...

Elissa Weiss concentrates her practice on all aspects of commercial real estate transactions, including industrial, office, and retail leasing and development, as well as the acquisition and disposition of office buildings in various states such as Florida, North Carolina, Texas, and Georgia.

Leslie Tomczak serves as managing partner of Akerman’s Fort Lauderdale office. She is a construction attorney, Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Construction Law, whose practice focuses primarily on the representation of lenders, developers, owners, landlords, contractors, subcontractors, architects and other design professionals, in a wide range of complex construction contract, project administration, lien, and construction litigation matters. Leslie is also a LEED® Accredited...

With over 20 years of litigation and trial experience, Phillip Howell provides clients with early, accurate case assessments, always focused on trial outcomes and mediation strategy. He practices in commercial and insurance litigation with an emphasis on first-party insurance, maritime, construction defect, and professional negligence defense. A licensed Florida CPA, Phillip uses his accounting background to quickly analyze expert findings and financial issues. He also handles complex transac...

Philip J. Morgan is a Florida Bar board certified specialist in real estate law, concentrating his practice on commercial and residential transactions and the title insurance of those matters. He focuses primarily on working with lenders to successfully close commercial loans secured by real estate or other assets, in addition to loan workouts and foreclosures. As a member of the firm since its inception in 1975 and the managing partner since 1998, Mr. Morgan has received national recognition...

Sarah Baggett is on speed dial for clients facing complex legal issues in bad faith, cybersecurity, liability, and regulatory and compliance. She has litigated and tried cases across Florida, beginning her career in liability defense, including her first trials. Sarah now focuses on developing and overseeing strategies for both litigation and compliance, with a specialty in platform-based businesses. Many of her clients—individuals and businesses—are long-term relationships built ...

Catherine C. Darlson is an experienced litigator who has spent her entire career exclusively representing victims injured by medical malpractice, car and truck accidents, unsafe premises and roads, and dangerous and defective products. In addition, she has handled complex commercial, class action, and insurance bad faith claims, and has represented individual whistleblowers in fraud claims against pharmaceutical and other corporations. She is committed to providing passionate, fearless, and c...

Brian combines his competitive spirit with compassion, consistently aiming to deliver optimal results for his clients. After earning his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Florida State University in 2009 (achieving Dean’s List five semesters), Brian graduated in the top 25% of his law school class at Florida International University College of Law in 2012. During law school, Brian earned the CALI Book Award for the top grade in six of his law school classes, including awards for Fe...

S. Elysha Luken is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Construction Law. S. Elysha, who practices law in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which S. Elysha is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Jennifer Kramer is a partner in the Real Estate Practice Group and a member of the firm’s Hospitality Sector Team. Jennifer works with clients in all facets of commercial real estate transactions, with a strong concentration in the representation of clients in the hospitality sector, including owners, operators, lenders, and developers of hotels, resorts, condominiums, fractional ownership regimes, and mixed-use community developments throughout the United States and abroad. She handles...