DRBDC selected as one of Best Lawyers’ Best Law Firms US News 2018

Congratulations to one of our attorneys, James Helf, who recently won a defense judgment in a lawsuit brought against his clients by the City of Plantation in a case that received extensive local and national media coverage in print, radio, and television. Mr. Helf represented homeowners in the City of Plantation who are widely known for a very large interactive Christmas display that they construct each year in the front yard of their home. The City of Plantation filed suit in which they sought to limit the size and nature of the display on the basis that the vehicular and pedestrian traffic as well as the danger to the health, safety and welfare of the visitors to the display and neighboring public constituted a nuisance. In a four day trial involving very difficult and unfavorable facts and legal precedent for Mr. Helf’s clients, Mr. Helf successfully argued that the display did not create a danger to public safety or other nuisance, resulting in a defense judgment.

DRBDC Ranked Nationally in 2014 U.S. News – Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms” Publication

Miami, Florida – November 1, 2013 – DRBDC has been ranked among the nation’s most prominent law firms in key practice areas by U.S. News Media Group and Best Lawyers® 2014 “Best Law Firms” in its national rankings. In total, DRBDC was ranked nationally for 2 of its practice areas and has again received top rankings in Metropolitan Miami for Construction Law, Construction Litigation, Real Estate Litigation and Commercial Litigation.

Metropolitan Rankings – Miami

Tier 1
Construction Law
Litigation – Construction

Tier 2
Litigation – Real Estate

Tier 3
Commercial Litigation

The firm also received national second-tier rankings in 2 practice areas.

National Rankings Tier 2

Construction Law
Litigation – Construction

The “Best Law Firms” rankings are based on an evaluation process that includes the collection of client and lawyer evaluations and peer review from leading attorneys in their field. The 2013 results feature more than 10,000 law firms ranked nationally in one or more of 80 practice areas and by metro or state in 118 practice areas.

Clients were asked to provide feedback on firm practice groups, addressing expertise, responsiveness, understanding of a business and its needs, cost-effectiveness, civility, and whether they would refer another client to the firm. In addition to information from these surveys, the rankings incorporate the 4.3 million evaluations of 68,761 individual leading lawyers collected by Best Lawyers® in its most recent annual survey.

About Best Lawyers
Best Lawyers is the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession. A listing in Best Lawyers is widely regarded by both clients and legal professionals as a significant honor, conferred on a lawyer by his or her peers. For more than three decades, Best Lawyers® lists have earned the respect of the profession, the media, and the public, as the most reliable, unbiased source of legal referrals anywhere.

Three years ago, Best Lawyers partnered with U.S.News & World Report, the leading rankings publication in the U.S., to rank law firms in the United States. The mission of “Best Law Firms” is to help guide referring lawyers and clients — from the country’s largest companies requiring corporate legal advice to individuals seeking counsel regarding personal legal issues…more at bestlawyers.com

About DRBDC
DRBDC handles civil defense litigation in the areas of: appellate law, business litigation, construction law and litigation, corporate law, environmental law, insurance defense, litigation and real estate. The firm has offices in Coral Gables, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, Tampa.

DRBDC is ranked a National Tier 2 for Construction Law, Metropolitan 1st Tier in Construction Law and Litigation – Construction, and Metropolitan 2nd Tier Litigation – Real Estate by U.S. News – Best Lawyers. The firm is also AV rated by Martindale Hubbell and listed in Martindale-Hubbell’s Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers.

Florida Bar Grants Board Certification in Construction Law to DRBDC Partners James H. Helf and Jordan C. Kay.

CORAL GABLES, FL (AUGUST 1, 2014) – DRBDC is pleased to announce partners James H. Helf and Jordan C. Kay have earned certification from the Florida Bar in the area of Construction Law. They join Jorge L. Cruz, P.E and Jeremy C. Daniels as board certified “expert” in Construction Law.

The Florida Supreme Court established Florida’s board certification program so that consumers can identify qualified legal experts who are dedicated to professional excellence. In 2012, Florida’s board certification program celebrated its 30th year, and has distinguished itself nationally as the specialization program that offers the greatest number of state-approved certification areas. The Florida Bar offers 24 specialty areas for certification, including three that are available only in Florida.

Board certification is the Florida Bar’s highest level of recognition of an attorney’s competence and experience. Only attorneys who have earned the “board-certification” distinction are allowed to describe themselves as legal “specialists” or “experts” in a specific field.

Mr. Helf focuses his practice on various areas of commercial and business litigation related to real property, landlord/tenant issues, and HOA and condominium associations, with an emphasis on construction litigation. Mr. Helf has extensive experience with both jury and bench trials and administrative hearings.

Mr. Kay’s primary practice is construction litigation, with a focus on architect and engineer professional liability defense. He has also represented developers and contractors in defect claims, lien foreclosure actions, contract disputes and other construction related disputes. He has handled a number of delay claims, large-scale complex litigation matters involving large numbers of parties, hundreds of thousands of project records, e-discovery issues and multi-million dollar damage figures. Mr. Kay’s experience includes litigation related to every size project from apartments and single family homes to condominiums, hotels/resorts, water parks, airports, industrial complexes, courthouses, retail spaces, restaurants and hospitals. He has represented both plaintiffs and defendants in litigation throughout the State of Florida. Mr. Kay’s experience includes drafting construction contracts between the various parties involved in construction projects, primarily those involving design professionals.

Learn more about The Florida Bar Association

About DRBDC:
DRBDC handles civil defense litigation in the areas of: appellate law, business litigation, construction law and litigation, corporate law, environmental law, insurance defense, litigation and real estate. The firm has offices in Coral Gables, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

DRBDC is ranked a National Tier 2 for Construction Law, Metropolitan 1st Tier in Construction Law and Litigation – Construction, and Metropolitan 2nd Tier Litigation – Real Estate by U.S. News – Best Lawyers. The firm is also AV rated by Martindale Hubbell and listed in Martindale-Hubbell’s Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers.