Florida Family Law News
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Dori Foster-Morales
Dori Foster-Morales is arguably the most influential marital and family law attorney in the State of Florida. Since 1998, she has been the Managing Partner of Miami-based Foster-Morales-Sockel-Stone LLC. In addition to her vast experience in complex and high-profile family law matters, she serves as acting President of the Florida Bar.
In 2017, Dori was awarded the Legal Luminaries award by the Dade County Bar Association as the Top Matrimonial and Family Lawyer in Miami-Dade County. Morales was also designated as Women Extraordinaire Winner from Business Leader Magazine.
She began her career at the United States Environmental Protection Agency where she worked both in Washington, DC, and New York City. When she returned to her hometown, she worked as an Assistant State Attorney for the Miami Dade State Attorney’s Office where she tried 65 cases to verdict.
Dori attended the University of Florida Fredric G. Levin School of Law where she graduated in 1989 and currently sits on the Board of Trustees. Dori also attended the University of Florida where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Economics with Honors in 1986.
Credentials
- Florida Bar President (2020-2021)
- Board Certified in Marital and Family Law by the Florida Bar and by the National Board of Trial Advocacy as a Family Law Trial Advocate.
- Fellow in the American and International Academies of Matrimonial Lawyers
- Fellow and Member of the Florida Bar Foundation
- Fellow in the American Bar Foundation
- Fellow in the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers Foundation
- Designated a top family lawyer by a variety of publications including Martindale Hubbell (AV Preeminent Rated), Super Lawyers, South Florida Legal Guide, Best Lawyers in America; and Florida Trend’s Legal Elite.
Bar Admissions
- Florida US District Court for the Southern District of Florida Florida Bar, 1990
- Family Law Section 1998
- Solo and Small Firm Section 2017
- Trial Lawyer Section 2017
- Dade County Bar Association, 2002
- Palm Beach County Bar Association, 2008
- Broward County Bar Association, 2008
- Florida Association for Women Lawyers (Miami-Dade Chapter), 2000
- Present Cuban American Bar Association, 1999
- Gwen S. Cherry Bar Association, 2016
Contact
Dori Foster-Morales
Foster-Morales Sockel-Stone
150 West Flagler Street, Penthouse II
Miami, FL 33130
(305) 577-4551
www.fostermorales.com
Andrew M. Leinoff
Andrew M. Leinoff is well known for representing Miami celebrities, athletes, and ultra-high net-worth individuals in complex marital and family law cases. He is the founding and managing partner of the South Miami-based law firm of Leinoff & Lemos, P.A.
One of Mr. Leinoff’s cases, Rose vs. Rose, was featured on ABC’s Primetime and received national attention. Mr. Leinoff has also authored “Protecting Children of Divorce,” The Florida Bar Journal, October 1985. In 2013, along with his wife Ellen, he established an endowed scholarship for students at the University of Miami School of Law.
He is the author of “Protecting Children of Divorce,” published in The Florida Bar Journal, and has been a guest lecturer at the University of Miami Law, the University of Florida Levin College of Law, and The Florida Bar.
Leinoff received his bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University in 1971 and his J.D. from the University of Miami School of Law in 1974.
Credentials
- Past president of the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and a certified arbitrator.
- Board Certified in Marital and Family Law
- Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers
- Recognized by Robb Report Worth Magazine’s Top 100 Lawyers In The US, Florida Super Lawyers, The Best Lawyers in America, South Florida Legal Guide – Top Lawyers, and Florida Trend Legal Elite
Bar Admissions
Mr. Leinoff is licensed to practice in Florida, the U.S. District Court, the Southern District of Florida, the U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court. He has appeared before the Florida Supreme Court and Third District Court of Appeals.
Contact
Andrew M. Leinoff
Leinoff & Lemos P.A.
7301 SW 57th Court, Suite 545
South Miami, FL 33143
(305) 661-1556
www.llpa.com
andy@llpa.com
Robert D. Orshan
Robert D. Orshan has been recognized as a premier family law attorney in Florida and has extensive experience litigating before state courts and resolving cases through mediation. Having been on the other side of the table, he channels a unique perspective into his work in divorce and family law. He is the founder and managing partner of Orshan, Spann & Fernandez-Mesa.
In December 2020, Robert Orshan was included in Marquis Who’s Who, a publication that covers the lives of today’s leaders and achievers from the United States and around the world, and from every significant field of endeavor.
His involvement in numerous civic and legal organizations include KidSide (a non-profit organization devoted to supporting Family Court Services), Cuban American Bar Association (CABA), Temple Beth Am, American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Dave and Mary Alper Jewish Community Center, Florida International University’s Law Center Dean’s Counsel and various other institutions.
Mr. Orshan has been invited to speak at organizations and conferences, including “Nuts & Bolts of Family Law Seminar” for Dade Legal Aid, “Do’s and Dont’s in Expert Testimony” for the Greater Miami Chapter of the American Society of Appraisers, and “Pre-Nuptial Agreements” at the Florida Board of Accountancy.
He graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Tulane University in 1977 and cum laude with a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Miami in 1980.
Qualifications
- Best of the Best Attorneys; Top 10 Family Law Attorneys, 2021
- 20th Anniversary; Martindale-Hubbell, 2020
- 40th Anniversary; Martindale-Hubbell, 2020
- Super Lawyer; SuperLawyers, 2010-2021
- AV Preeminent 5.0 out of 5.0 Peer Review Rated; Martindale-Hubbell, 2011, 2020
- AV Preeminent Attorney; Martindale-Hubbell, 2013, 2015-2020
- AV Preeminent Attorney – Judicial Edition; Martindale-Hubbell, 2011, 2017-2019
- America’s Most Honored Professionals – Top 1%; The American Registry, 2016-2019
- Lawyers.com AV Preeminent; Lawyers.com, 2018-2019
- Top Attorneys in Florida; Miami Herald, 2013-2015, 2017-2019
- 35th Anniversary; Martindale-Hubbell; 2015
- Top Rated Lawyer in Family Law; Martindale-Hubbell; 2015
- Top Rated Lawyer in Litigation; Martindale-Hubbell; 2015
- America’s Most Honored Professionals – Top 5%; The American Registry, 2014-2015
- 15th Anniversary – AV Preeminent for 15 Years; Martindale-Hubbell; 2014
- Top Lawyers in South Florida; South Florida Legal Guide, 2007-2011
Bar Admissions
- Florida Bar, 1980
- U.S. District Court Southern District of Florida, 1981
Contact
Robert D. Orshan
Orshan, Spann & Fernandez-Mesa
150 Alhambra Circle, Suite 1150
Coral Gables, FL 33134
(305) 853-9161
www.orshanlaw.com
andy@llpa.com
Deborah S. Chames
Deborah Chames is a seasoned family attorney known for handling complex and high-conflict divorces. She has developed a staunch reputation as a strong advocate for her clients. In July 2015, she was named Partner at Kluger, Kaplan, Silverman, Katzen & Levine.
In February 2016, Deborah Chames was honored by Emunah of America, one of Israel’s leading social action organizations, as “Woman Who Makes A Difference,” a recognition reserved for a select type of woman that consistently demonstrates acts of loving and kindness. Deborah Chames’s commitment to philanthropy is well known in Florida and the State of Israel.
Ms. Chames graduated from Touro College Women’s Division, with a B.A. in 1977 and from the University of Miami School of Law, J.D. in 1980.
Qualifications
- Best Lawyers in America, U.S. News, and World Report, Family Law, 2013-2021
- Super Lawyers, Florida Super Lawyers Magazine, 2014-2020
- South Florida’s Top Rated Lawyers – Commercial Litigation, Martindale Hubbell Legal Leaders, 2012
- Top Lawyers in South Florida, South Florida Legal Guide, 2006-2019
- Pro Bono Service Award, August 1994 and August 2001
- National Association of Professional and Executive Women, Exclusive Member of 2007-2008 Registry for “Women of Excellence”
- Alumni Honoree at the 20th Anniversary Dinner of Touro College
- Board Member of Yeshiva Toras Emes and Toras Chaim since 2014
- Executive Board Member of Yeshiva Toras Emes and Toras Chaim since 2017
- Member of the Editorial Board of the Orthodox Union Jewish Action Magazine
Bar Admissions
Florida Bar, 1980
Contact
Deborah S. Chames
Kluger, Kaplan, Silverman, Katzan & Levine, P.L.
201 S. Biscayne Blvd., 27th Floor
Miami, FL 33131
(305) 379-9000
www.klugerkaplan.com
Catherine M. Rodriguez
Catherine M. Rodriguez is an American marital and family law attorney known for her international and high-net-worth clientele. She is a founding partner of Filler Rodriguez, LLP in Miami Beach.
In 2000, as a former litigator, she worked with the legal team that personally represented President George W. Bush in Bush V. Gore, 531 U.S. 98 (2000), the United States Supreme Court decision that settled a recount dispute in Florida’s 2000 presidential election. In 1998, as a former Broward County prosecutor and County attorney, she brandished a strict new zoning ordinance that ordered seven sex businesses out of the county.
She is the daughter of a Cuban immigrant and the first member of her family to graduate college. She has been recognized as one of the most prominent women to attend the Academy of the Sacred Heart.
Rodriguez attended Universidad Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain, and graduated cum laude from Tufts University in 1988. She obtained her law degree from the University of Florida in 1991.
Qualifications
- Board Certified in Marital & Family Law by the Florida Bar
- American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) – Fellow
- AV Preeminent Rated by Martindale-Hubble
- Florida Bar Family Law Rules Committee- Appointed by the Florida Bar president in 2020
- Florida Bar Family Law Section
- Legislation Committee
- Equitable Distribution Committee
- Sub-Committee on Business Valuation 61.075 Valuation legislation
- Children’s Issues Committee
- Sub-Committee Chair on Relocation Statute 61.13001 Glitch Fix legislation
- Publications Committee
- Guest Editor of the Commentator, Summer 2018
- Co-Author of Domestic Violence Claims is Now Subject to §57.105 Sanctions, Attorney’s Beware! Summer Commentator 2018
- Secretary, Publications Committee
- Broward County Hispanic Bar Association, 1994 – 1997 (Board Member)
- Broward County Hispanic Bar Association, 1999 – 2000 (Board Member)
- Inns of Court, 2000 – 2003
- Boys and Girls Club Advisory Board, 2001 – 2003
- Florida Bar Grievance Committee, 2001 – 2003 (Chair)
- Broward County United Way Board, 2003
- Unlicensed Practice of Law Committee, 2004 – 2005
- AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell
- Certificate of Appreciation, U.S. Department of State
- Broward Lawyers Care Pro Bono Program, 1991 – 2004
Bar Admissions
- Florida Bar, 1991
- U.S. District Court Southern District of Florida, 1994
- U.S. District Court Middle District of Florida, 2006
- U.S. Court of Appeals 11th Circuit, 2011
Contact
Catherine M. Rodriguez
Filler Rodriguez, LLP
1688 Meridian Avenue, Suite 900
Miami Beach, Florida 33139
(305) 672-5007
www.fillerrodriguez.com
crodriguez@fillerrodriguez.com
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