Susan Raffanello

Susan E. Raffanello (née Mortensen) joined Coffey Burlington in 2004, and has been a shareholder with the firm since 2008.  She has represented clients in complex commercial litigation before state and federal trial and appellate court, arbitration panels, mediators and professional board.  Her areas of practice include contract disputes, real estate litigation, construction claims and litigation, securities litigation, and intellectual property litigation.

Representative Experience

• Successfully litigated ground-breaking architectural copyright claim in federal court, prevailing on summary judgment and obtaining an affirmance by the Eleventh Circuit in published opinion, Oravec v. Sunny Isles Luxury Ventures, 527 F.3d 1218 (11th Cir. 2008) & 469 F. Supp. 2d 1148 (S.D. Fla. 2006)
• Represent variety of high-profile developers of condominiums in disputes pertaining to construction defects and contractual claims
• Successfully represented Defendant in Cedeno v. Intech Group, Inc., 733 F. Supp. 2d 471 (S.D.N.Y. 2010), involving RICO claim pertaining to the alleged unjust imprisonment and coerced sell of banks in Venezuela
• Over 12 years of experience in handling all phases of litigation in a wide range of complex commercial litigation disputes

Legal Public Service

• Judicial Clerk, Honorable Deanell Reece Tacha, Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit

Professional and Community Involvement

• President of Voices for Florida Keys Children, Inc. an organization dedicated to bettering the lives of the abandoned, abused and neglected children throughout the Florida Keys by supporting the Guardian Ad Litem program

Awards and Recognition

• Named a “Super Lawyer” in “Florida Super Lawyers Magazine”
• Top score on Florida Bar in Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties, 2003

Articles and Presentations

• Speaker, Intellectual Property Roundtable 2006
• Various presentations to Developers regarding condominium purchaser lawsuits & potential construction defect claims
• Speaker, Association of Corporate Counsel South Florida Chapter’s Fourth Annual CLE Conference (2013), “Stop the Email Madness; Or At Least Minimize Its Harm.”  The presentation discussed the dangers in the failure to have and adhere to email protocols within the workplace, the implications that email has on the statute of frauds, and what every company must know about the electronic discovery rules. 

Personal

• Raised in Worland, Wyoming
• Married, two children