Miami-Dade Bar announces its 2026 Circle of Excellence Award honorees
119 of Miami-Dade’s top attorneys across 27 practice areas to be celebrated November 18 at the historic Biltmore Hotel
The Miami-Dade Bar On October 10 listed the honorees of its 2026 Circle of Excellence Awards, which recognize the attorneys who “set the standard for skill, integrity, and professionalism in their practice areas across Miami-Dade County.”
The Miami-Dade Bar said this year’s honorees were chosen after a “rigorous selection process lasting more than two months.” The bar said it gathered input from the general public, its members, and its committee leadership before a selection committee of past Circle of Excellence recipients made the final picks.
“The Circle of Excellence is a recognition by peers who know the Miami-Dade legal community best,” said Scott Merl, chair of the Circle of Excellence selection committee. “Every honoree on this list earned it through the respect of colleagues, clients, and the public. We can’t wait to celebrate them together at the Biltmore.”
Now in its fifth year, the Circle of Excellence continues a tradition the Miami-Dade Bar established in 2022 to honor legal professionals who demonstrate exceptional performance in Florida’s legal profession.
Highlights of the 2026 selection process included:
Anyone could nominate a deserving attorney, and nominees could submit additional supporting information. Nominations closed in August.
The bar collected input from the general public, from its members, and from its committee leadership.
Each practice area was reviewed to identify the attorneys who best exemplify skill, integrity, and professionalism.
Final selections were made by a committee composed entirely of previous Circle of Excellence Award recipients.
The 2026 Circle of Excellence Selection Committee was lead by by Scott Merl, and included Jordan Benatar, Clayton Chin Quee, Jr., Christopher Drury, Todd Ehrenreich, Adam Finkel, Melissa Jordon, Amber Kornreich, Dagmar Llaudy, Michael Mayoral, Scott Merl, Mahesh Nanwani, Maria Papasakelariou, Brittney Polo, Monique K. Pope, Alex Saiz, and Alexander I. Tachmes.
2026 Circle of Excellence Honorees
Alternative Dispute Resolution
Lance August Harke, Upchurch Watson White & Max
John S. Freud, Mediation Solutions, Inc.
Lewis Jack, Law Office of Lewis N. Jack, Jr., P.A.
Scott R. Schomber, Upchurch Watson White & Max
Caroline Soret, Diamond Mediation
Appellate
Kimberly Boldt, Ratzan, Weissman & Boldt
Jenna Fischman, Dinsmore & Shohl LLP
Thomas Kroeger, Colson Hicks Eidson
Eugene “Gene” Lindsey III, Gunster
Catherine McManus, 11th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida
William D. Mueller, Kula & Associates, P.A.
Rodolfo “Rudy” Sorondo, Private Resolutions, Inc.
Bankruptcy
Eric N. Assouline, Assouline & Berlowe, P.A.
Daniel Nagler, Dinsmore & Shohl LLP
Luis Salazar, Cole Schotz P.C.
Amanda Vasquez, Bast Amron LLP
Business Corporate
Elisa D’Amico, D’Amico Law Firm PLLC
Ian Illych Martinez, BMR Law Group
Eric Paul Gros-Dubois, EPGD Attorneys At Law
Maria Piva, Goldstein & Company
Alexis Sverdlik, Holland & Knight LLP
Brett Trembly, Trembly Law Firm
Business Litigation
Jacqueline Arango, Akerman LLP
Mark S. Auerbacher, Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC
Mark Cheskin, Hogan Lovells US LLP
Ariella Gutman, Haber Law
Elizabeth B. Honkonen, Sperling Kenny Nachwalter, LLC
Utibe Ikpe, Meland Budwick, P.A.
Julian A. Jackson-Fannin, Duane Morris
Russell Landy, Damian Valori Culmo
Jordi Martinez-Cid, Martinez-Cid Law
Veronica A. Meza, GrayRobinson, P.A.
Brandon Sadowsky, Kozyak Tropin & Throckmorton
Ashley Saul Robinson, Mark Ferrer & Hayden
Daniel Tropin, Heise Suarez Melville
Civil Litigation
Andrew S. Brenner, Boies Schiller Flexner LLP
Stephanie Casey, Colson Hicks Eidson
Reginald Clyne, Quintairos, Prieto, Wood & Boyer, P.A.
Alan T. Dimond, Greenberg Traurig, P.A.
Douglas E. Horelick, Clyde & Co. US LLP
Jeffrey Leavitt, Vedder Price
Romy Miller, Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP
Katie Mitchell, Kozyak Tropin & Throckmorton
Fernando A. Prego, Perez Mayoral, P.A.
Tania Varela, Weiss Serota Helfman Cole + Bierman
Construction Litigation
Jackeline “Jackie” Rodriguez, Hamilton, Miller & Birthisel
Criminal Law
Dianne Carames, Puglisi Carames Law
Cristina Diamond, Office of the State Attorney
Susan Dmitrovsky, Kuehne Davis Law, P.A.
Howard Srebnick, Black Srebnick
Daniela Torrealba, Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office
Entertainment, Arts and Sports
Environmental and Land Use
Carlos L. Diaz, Greenberg Traurig, P.A.
Ben Fernandez, Bercow Radell Fernandez Larkin & Tapanes
Michael Goldstein, The Goldstein Environmental Law Firm, P.A.
Carter N. McDowell, Bilzin Sumberg
Family Law
Jordan B. Abramowitz, Abramowitz & Associates
Laura Davis Smith, Davis Smith & Jean, LLC
Gerald Kornreich, Kornreich & Associates
Andy Leinoff, Leinoff & Lemos, P.A.
Alexandra Mesa, Dade Legal Aid
Vanessa Vasquez de Lara, Vasquez de Lara Law Group
General Counsel / In-House Counsel
Michel Morgan, Universal Property & Casualty Ins. Co.
Government / Nonprofit
Lotoya K. Brown, Dade Legal Aid
Joseph “Joe” Egozi, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Florida
Jeffrey Pierce, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Florida
Geoffrey Valdes-Alba, Dade Legal Aid
Health Law
Sabrina Gallo, Greenberg Traurig, P.A.
Immigration Law
Maggie Arias, Arias and Pereira, PLLC
Isadora Velazquez-Rivas, Isa Law PA
Insurance Law
Ingrid Benson-Villegas, Walton Lantaff Schroeder & Carson LLP
Jae Lynn Huckaba, Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP
Joshua D. Lerner, Rumberger Kirk
John Murray, The Murray Law Firm, P.A.
Geoffrey M. Schuessler, Cole, Scott & Kissane, P.A.
Intellectual Property
Tiffany-Ashley Disney, University of Miami
Tyler J. Litwak, Malloy & Malloy, P.L.
Elizabeth Milian, Brand Builder Legal
David R. O’Steen, Assouline & Berlowe, P.A.
International Law
Labor and Employment Law
Nina Teresa Martinez, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman
Mark Neuberger, Foley & Lardner LLP
Kelly Pena, Littler Mendelson
Audrey-Jade Salbo, Jackson Lewis P.C.
Mergers & Acquisitions
Kyle Bady, White & Case LLP
Eli D. Gordon, Holland & Knight LLP
Jessica Rivero, Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP
David E. Wells, Winston Taylor LLP
Personal Injury
Tiffany Batten Andris, Cole, Scott & Kissane, P.A.
Garret Biondo, The Biondo Law Firm, P.A.
Robert “Beau” Blumberg, Deutsch Blumberg & Caballero, P.A.
Sean Cleary, The Law Offices of Sean M. Cleary
Dan Dolan, Dolan Dobrinsky Rosenblum Bluestein, LLP
Alaina Fotiu-Wojtowicz, Brodsky Fotiu-Wojtowicz, PLLC
Igor Hernandez, Cornish Hernandez Gonzalez, PLLC
Michael Levine, Stewart Tilghman Fox Bianchi & Cain, P.A.
Douglas McCarron, The Haggard Law Firm
Guy Kamealoha Noa, SteinLaw
Skip Pita, Pita Weber Del Prado
Jocelyn Santana, Goldberg & Rosen
Andrew Yaffa, Grossman Yaffa Cohen, P.A.
Probate and Guardianship
Giovanna “Gia” Abreu O’Connor, Fowler White
Leslie Marenco, Trust Counsel, P.L.
Real Property
Erik Andrew Perez, Perez Mayoral, P.A.
Manuel Crespo, Greenspoon Marder LLP
Securities Litigation
Josh Bautz, Nelson Mullins
Matthew C. Dates, Stearns Weaver
Peter Homer, Homer Bonner
Tax Law
Megan D. Ferris, Cole Schotz P.C.
Transportation / Maritime Law
Scott Mebane, Mase Mebane, P.A.
J. Michael Pennekamp, Fowler White
Workers’ Compensation
Ivan P. Morales, Morales & Cerino, PA
Barry A. Stein, De Cardenas, Freixas, Stein & Zachary, P.A.
The honorees will be celebrated at the 2026 Circle of Excellence Awards Ceremony, the Miami-Dade Bar’s biggest event of the fall. It brings together the county’s legal community, judiciary, and leaders for an evening of recognition at one of South Florida’s most iconic venues.
Date: Wednesday, November 18, 2026
Location: The historic Biltmore Hotel, Coral Gables
Tickets and sponsorships are still available.