Best Lawyers in Florida, United States for Banking and Finance Law
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John Giordano is regularly involved in complex business-related transactions. Mr. Giordano’s practice encompasses a broad range of areas, including federal and state securities law, corporate finance, mergers, acquisitions and tax law. Mr. Giordano has substantial experience in counseling clients, including start-up enterprises, in obtaining capital and advising clients about obstacles to successfully growing a business.
Emilio J. Alvarez-Farré is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Banking and Finance Law, Corporate Law, International Mergers and Acquisitions and Mergers and Acquisitions Law. Emilio J., who practices law in Miami, Florida, has been recognized since 2006. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Emilio J. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Ivan A. Colao practices in the area of corporate and securities laws, as well as in mergers and acquisitions, venture capital investments and loan transactions. Mr. Colao has represented public and private companies, businesses and individuals in various types of financings and commercial transactions. His experience includes securities offerings, corporate acquisitions, dispositions, mergers, reorganizations, syndication and finance, asset acquisitions and dispositions, venture capital inves...
Rob Barkin’s practice involves the representation of clients in all aspects of commercial real estate matters. Rob represents community, regional and national institutional lenders in construction and permanent loan transactions secured by real property as well as distressed asset loan restructuring and alternatives to foreclosure. Rob also represents institutional lenders in the disposition of assets including loan documents and real property acquired through the foreclosure or loan wo...
Carl A. Fornaris is Co-Chair of the firm's Financial Regulatory and Compliance Practice. With 20 years of legal experience, Carl concentrates his practice on the representation of financial services firms in all aspects of their business. In particular, he represents U.S. and non-U.S. firms on finance and corporate matters, and provides supervisory and compliance counseling for institutions regulated by the Federal Reserve, OCC, FDIC, FinCEN, CFPB, SEC, FINRA, Florida Office of Financial Regu...
Norberto E. Quintana is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Banking and Finance Law. Norberto E., who practices law in New York, New York, has been recognized since 2020. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Norberto E. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Marina Olman-Pal is a Co-Chair of the firm’s Financial Regulatory & Compliance Practice. She advises foreign and U.S. financial institutions on a broad range of regulatory matters including licensing, acquisitions, divestitures, compliance with Bank Secrecy Act (BSA)/anti-money laundering (AML) laws and regulations, and compliance with Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctions programs. Marina counsels a wide range of companies in the financial services sector including, dom...
Andres A. Fernandez is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Banking and Finance Law, Consumer Protection Law and Financial Services Regulation Law. Andres A., who practices law in Miami, Florida, has been recognized since 2022. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Andres A. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Richard W. Hawthorne is a partner at DMHD, where he focuses on real estate and banking law. He represents buyers and sellers in commercial and residential real estate transactions, landlords and tenants in commercial leasing and developers of multifamily housing and retail buildings. He also has significant experience representing buyers and sellers of debt obligations.Mr. Hawthorne previously worked for Arthur Anderson & Co. (Jacksonville, Florida) as a tax accountant, Foley & Lardne...
George Mencio, Jr. is the firm wide Co-Leader of the International and Cross Border Transactions practice group. He practices principally in the areas of corporate and international law, with emphasis on cross-border mergers and acquisitions and joint venture transactions, dispute resolution, and administrative matters relating to international trade and commerce and the transportation industry. His clients include multinational concerns in the transportation, tourism, mining and agricultural...
Ranked by Chambers USA , which lauds his reputation as a corporate lawyer “who serves his clients very well,” William Arnhols has more than three decades of experience navigating public and private debt transactions. He has negotiated complex billion dollar transactions, and frequently acts as borrower’s counsel for revolving credit and term loan facilities utilizing a variety of structures and in a broad range of industries.
Doug Waldorf is a shareholder of Grant Fridkin Pearson, P.A. and has practiced law in Southwest Florida since 1987, including more than a decade as in-house counsel for SunTrust Bank. He is board certified in real estate by The Florida Bar since 2002 and listed in The Best Lawyers in America© in both Banking and Finance Law (2016-2017) and Real Estate Law (2016-2017), as well as in Super Lawyers©. Mr. Waldorf represents institutional and private equity lenders in structuring, docume...
Gary Whitlock represents major financial institutions in a broad range of transactions. He routinely represents lenders making commercial and real estate loans, and has assisted his clients with loan restructurings and workouts. Gary also has significant experience working on loans to companies in the automotive sector, as well as representing clients with the acquisition of quarries. The typical transaction size is between $5 million and $25 million.
Joseph A. Probasco is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Banking and Finance Law, Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law and Real Estate Law. Joseph A., who practices law in Tampa, Florida, has been recognized since 2020. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Joseph A. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Brad Houser's primary practice areas include corporate and banking, with a focus on securities and mergers and acquisitions matters. He has extensive experience with real estate investment trusts (REIT's) and special purpose acquisition corporations (SPAC's). Brad formerly served as the chair of the firm's Miami Corporate practice. He began his career as an attorney at the Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington, D.C. and has over 25 years of experience in handling a wide variety of ...
Alberto M. Hernandez is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Banking and Finance Law, Corporate Law, International Mergers and Acquisitions and Mergers and Acquisitions Law. Alberto M., who practices law in Miami, Florida, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Alberto M. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Our Methodology
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
The Process
Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.