News & Events

Susan Raffanello and Scott Hiaasen obtained an important win for client Edgardo DeFortuna when the Miami-Dade Circuit Court summarilly dismissed the lawsuit against him arising out of the Jade Ocean luxury condominium tower.

Judge William Thomas ruled that the plaintiffs had no evidence to support their claims that Mr. Defortuna and his company Fortune International Group misled them about their investment in the project.

“All the allegations of any fraud or misconduct have been established as false,” said Susan Raffanello, partner at the Coffey Burlington law firm who represents Defortuna. “Fortune will be seeking its attorneys’ fees and costs for having to fight this six-year meritless litigation.”

A copy of the full article can be found here.

ABC News published article titled "Michael Cohen pleads guilty to lying to Congress: Sources" discussing Cohen's latest admission of misstatements made to Congress in closed-door testimony last year about his contacts with Russians during the presidential campaign.

“The potential significance of Cohen’s cooperation is immense,” said Kendall Coffey. He continued, “it cannot be determined if Cohen’s cooperation will lead to other criminal allegations,”  “but for most high-powered business people with complex business interests, having one’s personal attorney become a star witness for the prosecution is the worst possible legal nightmare.” Coffey concluded Cohen's “cooperation has already created the most serious federal allegations to date concerning President Trump, and more may be coming."

To read the full article click here.

USA Today published article titled "Robert Mueller: Probe dumps Paul Manafort as a witness for lying, but about what?" analyzing the unusual collapse of Paul Manafort's plea agreement with special prosecutor Robert Mueller.

"He will face a markedly harsher sentencing outcome,' said Kendall Coffey, a former U.S. attorney in Miami. "One can only speculate if in the back of Manafort's mind he still holds out hope for a pardon."

A copy of the full Daily Business Review article can be found here.

Coffey Burlington is featured in Best Lawyers' article.

When Kendall Coffey and Robert Burlington long ago formed Coffey Burlington, they had a specific vision for the law firm they wanted to establish: “One of the dynamics that makes us different from most law firms is that we have a non-traditional business model,” says Burlington, who serves as the firm’s managing partner.

Equity partner Dan Blonsky added:  “Typically, law firms have more associates than partners, with the work being brought in by the senior level attorneys and then pushed down to younger lawyers to pull the laboring oar throughout the litigation. But we recognized early on that clients are more comfortable with seasoned lawyers, especially in high-stakes complex litigation. And in almost all instances, clients want to work directly with the lawyer who is going to be trying their case.”

At Coffey Burlington, the majority of the firm’s lawyers are partners, including several who have been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America©, along with Burlington: Kendall Coffey (2019 Miami “Lawyer of the Year”, Professional Malpractice – Defense); Albert Caruana (2015 and 2018 Miami “Lawyer of the Year”, Family Law); and Andrew Marks (2018 Miami “Lawyer of the Year”, First Amendment Litigation). The firm as a whole has also been ranked Tier 1 in Miami in several practice areas by U.S. News – Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms.”

“The success obtained for our clients over the past 30 years is the direct result of our focus on deploying a high degree of experience in bet-the-business litigation,” note equity partners Paul Schwiep and Susan Raffanello.  “For us, growth hasn’t been defined by expansion, but by the depth of talent we’ve been able to develop as a litigation boutique. And that experience is what has attracted such a variety of businesses, institutional clients, and referring lawyers to our firm,” adds Kevin Kaplan, equity partner.

Coffey Burlington serves clients in state and federal courts throughout Florida and elsewhere, including Fortune 500 companies, law and accounting firms, financial institutions, developers, entrepreneurs, investors, homeowners, and condominium associations. In addition to its business, commercial litigation, and federal white-collar criminal defense practices, the firm has a high net worth divorce and family law practice, which is led by two time Miami Family Law “Lawyer of the Year” winner Albert Caruana, together with Melissa Jacobs and Fernando Tamayo.

Coffey Burlington is also known for its support of charitable organizations throughout the community.

To read the full article click here.

Bloomberg published an article titled "Florida’s Algae Blame Sticks to ‘Red-Tide Rick’ in Senate Race" regarding two Florida algae epidemics: Reddish clusters along the beaches and a blue-green stew that spread east and west from Lake Okeechobee, threatening beaches from Miami to near Orlando.

"It is the Cuyahoga River lighting on fire," said Paul Schwiep, who has represented environmental groups, referring to the polluted river in Ohio whose 1969 combustion pressured Congress to pass sweeping environmental-protection laws. "At least, it should be."

The full Bloomberg article can be found here.

BBC Business Daily's Manuela Sarasoga delves into the hunt for Stolen painting "The Woman in a Garden" by Pierre-Auguste Renoir to the heirs of the rightful owners

To listen to the broadcast click here.

The New York Times published article titled "Nazis Stole His Renoir. His Granddaughter Finally Got It Back" regarding the efforts undertaken to return the painting "The Woman in a Garden" by Pierre-Auguste Renoir to the heirs of the rightful owners.

A copy of the full New York Times article can be found here.

Former US Attorney and Coffey Burlington partner Kendall Coffey spoke this month at the ACLU of Florida 2018 Lawyers Conference on the topic of Immigration and America’s Evolving Immigration Policy and its Impact on
Asylum Seekers.

Click here.

The Miami Herald published article titled "Toll money is funding the campaign to win Miami-Dade approval of the 836 extension" regarding the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority approach in trying to approve a new toll road into West Kendall.

A copy of the full Miami Herald article can be found here.

Kendall Coffey's Interview with The Hill's Rising with Krystal & Buck analyzing jury deliberations and the Manafort Trial.

 See full interview here.

The Daily Business Review published article titled "Omarosa-Trump Tapes Could Mean 'Open Season on Privacy Rights' in the Workplace, Attorneys Say" analyzing the current state of the law on recordings. "In one-party consent states, where only one person in a conversation needs to know a recording is being made, it’s important to tread carefully" Mr. Coffey urged.

“It can be open season on privacy rights, because the law allows a single party to unilaterally determine whether a conversation is going to be captured on tape . . . . there’s precious little that can be done to prevent that tape from being posted on YouTube.”

“While Florida does protect phone conversations and face-to-face conversations, what’s less clear is the extent of protection when you go outside the home,” Mr. Coffey continued, “There is some important decisional language suggesting that you have to look at the specific circumstances of conversations in an office or work environment.” 

On some states' wiretapping statutes and how the setting matters Mr. Coffey expanded, “If you’re going to have a candid conversation, you need to be in an environment that strongly signals privacy . . . . You need to be aware of the fact that people you think you trust might be recording your comments. If you’re talking to someone that you think is a friend, and are making unfiltered comments, they could come back to haunt you.”

A copy of the full Daily Business Review article can be found here.

ABC News published article titled "Michael Cohen hints at possible cooperation with investigators" analyzing Cohen's first in depth interview since the federal raids. “It’s a barely coded message that he is ready to cooperate” said Coffey. “When people that are targets of investigations are talking about doing what's best for their family, it's inevitably a code for cooperating and getting the best deal they can from prosecutors.”

On Cohen's intention to exit the joint defense agreement Coffey stated “[b]eing part of a joint defense agreement generally means your cooperation is with fellow targets and you're sharing confidential information . . . . exiting a joint defense agreement generally means you are leaving them behind and your cooperation is now focused on the United States government. The message to the president is: ‘I’m not taking any more bullets.’” 

A copy of the full ABC News article can be found here.

Congratulations to the following Coffey Burlington attorneys who were recognized by Florida Trend as Legal Elite Hall of Famers for having consistently earned high ranking from their peers in the annual Legal Elite voting.

Daniel Blonsky, Commercial Litigation

Robert Burlington, Commercial Litigation

Paul Schwiep, Commercial Litigation

ABC News published an article titled "Michael Cohen's longtime business associate strikes deal to cooperate with investigators: Source" discussing the recent developments surrounding Michael Cohen and Evgeny Friedman, a Russian immigrant known as the “Taxi King,” who is said to have reached a plea deal to assist federal prosecutors in their investigation regarding Cohen's business practices.

“A no jail time deal like this strongly suggests a level of cooperation significant enough to incriminate other significant subjects,” Coffey said. “And those who are prosecuted under New York State law, cannot be saved by a Presidential pardon.”

A copy of the full ABC News article can be found here.

Former US Attorney and Coffey Burlington partner Kendall Coffey spoke this month at the St. Petersburg Legal Forum on two different topics. In this session, he joined the Secretary of the Ministry of Law and Justice of India and the Swiss Ambassador for Counter-Terrorism  on a  three member panel discussing international law and the war against terrorism.

The Legal Forum is one of the world’s biggest international law conferences and brings together some 4500 participants from 75 different countries. Click here.

Former US Attorney and Coffey Burlington partner Kendall Coffey spoke this month at the St.  Petersburg Legal Forum on two different topics. In this session, Mr. Coffey was a speaker on the subject  of the relationship between government and business in civil,  administrative and criminal matters.

The Legal Forum is one of the world’s biggest international law conferences and  brings together some 4500 participants from 75 different countries.” Click here.

Kendall Coffey's interview with MSNBC's Alex Witt on Giuliani's assertion that President Trump does not have to comply with a subpoena.

See full interview here.

ABC News published an article titled "Cohen promised health care company access to Trump White House, exec says" which analyses the recent allegations against Michael Cohen and his promise to access to Trump's administration. "The most likely explanation behind the payments to Cohen is that he was perceived to be someone very close to the newly elected President at a time when most of the traditional Washington insiders had either avoided or opposed Trump during the campaign."

“Presumably, some people paid plenty to Cohen to secure a relationship with superior access to Trump,” Coffey said. "That alone is not illegal, but federal investigators are likely to be examining how he described the purpose of the Essential Consulting transactions to his bankers because misstatements could lead to fraud charges. And they are likely to study whether he attempted to directly influence government action, which in certain cases would have required him to register as a lobbyist." Coffey said.

A copy of the full ABC News article can be found here.

Congratulations to the following Coffey Burlington attorneys who were recognized by U.S. News & World Report The Best Lawyers in America for their accomplishments.

According to the publication's website, The Best Lawyers in America highlights the top 5% of practicing attorneys in the US, and is based on more than 7.4 million evaluations. Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Their 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.

Kendall Coffey

Robert Burlington

Albert Caruana

Andrew Marks

Congratulations to Coffey Burlington for its recognition by U.S. News & World Report The Best Law Firms in America. The Firm, and its Best Lawyers in America, Practice Areas include:

Appellate Practice
Arbitration
Commercial Litigation
Family Law
Litigation - First Amendment
Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants
Mediation
Professional Malpractice Law - Defendants


According to the publication's website, The Best Lawyers in America highlights the top 5% of practicing attorneys in the US, and is based on more than 7.4 million evaluations. Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services.

Bloomberg published an article titled "Trump's Sexual History Could Imperil Him if He Testifies" which analyses the recent allegations against Trump and how they may affect the ongoing Russia investigation. "If the President does speak with prosecutors, his legal team will work hard to bar them from asking" about recent allegations of past indiscretions.

“The key concern for the Trump legal team is, will the president be asked about these issues by the Mueller team, or can they reach an agreement to exclude these subjects,” Coffey said. “These issues don’t seem related to Russia, but at times prosecutors take a very broad view of what’s relevant.”

A copy of the full Bloomberg article can be found here.

In March 2018 Kendall Coffey presented as a panelist on the Dade Bar Association's "Extradition: A Primer, The Pitfalls, and Pointers". Mr. Coffey summarized a key issue for exradition:

"Most challenges to extradition involve arguments that the extradition does not satisfy the treaty, because the charged crime may not be actually extraditable offenses, or they may not be crimes both in the requesting country and in the United States, the dual criminality requirement."