National law firm Wilson Elser today announced an expansion of its Miami office with the hiring of five lateral partners accompanied by a team of associates, paralegals and legal assistants.
The addition of this lateral group from MG+M The Law Firm – a national litigation firm with 15 offices – advances Wilson Elser’s strategy of growth in the South Florida region.The laterals, led by partners and experienced trial lawyers Raúl Chacón Jr. and Russell Pfeifer, are joined at Wilson Elser by partners Kaylin Grey, Jonathan Dunleavy and Gustavo A. (Gus) Martinez-Tristani.Chacón focuses his practice on admiralty and marine and product liability matters and was thechair of his former firm’s maritime practice. Chacón received a J.D. degree from the University of Miami School of Law in 1993 and a B.S.E.E. degree from the College of Engineering at the University of Miami in 1990.
Pfeifer handles matters related to product liability, insurance coverage with a specific focus on first-party property, and general casualty litigation and wrongful death matters. Pfeifer was an associate in Wilson Elser’s Miami office from 2006 through 2013. He received a J.D. degree from the University of Miami School of Law in 2003 and a B.S. degree from Nova Southeastern University in 1999.
Grey is a trial lawyer who focuses her practice on high-stakes complex commercial litigation matters and provides business counseling to her clients. Her practice also involves general and premises liability, property management litigation and maritime matters. She is a former prosecutor in the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, and was pro bono committee chair at her previous firm. Grey received her LL.M. degree in Trial Advocacy from Temple University Beasley School of Law in 2010, a J.D. degree from Syracuse University College of Law in 2006 and a B.A. degree from the University of South Florida in 2003.
Dunleavy represents clients in a broad range of insurance cases, from slip-and-fall matters to complex, multi-party wrongful death and high-dollar property claims. He focuses on admiralty and maritime law and insurance defense. Dunleavy received a J.D. degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 1997 and a B.S. degree from Michigan State University in 1994.Martínez-Tristani focuses his practice in general maritime law, including the Jones Act, unseaworthiness, and maintenance and cure claims. He also handles cruise passenger personal injury claims and related issues as well as cargo claims and collision cases. Martinez-Tristani received his LL.M. degree in Admiralty and Maritime Law from Tulane University Law School in 1993, a J.D. degree from the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico School of Law in 1991 and a B.A. degree from the University of Puerto Rico.“I am happy to welcome Raúl, Russell, Kaylin, Jonathan and Gus and their team to the Miami office,” said Sean McDonough, regional managing partner of Wilson Elser’s Miami and Orlando, Florida, offices. “And I am especially pleased to welcome Russell back to Wilson Elser’s Miami office.”“Wilson Elser continues to grow to meet client demand in South Florida,” said Wilson Elser Chair Daniel J. McMahon. “Our new Miami team and their expertise in maritime, product liability, insurance coverage, and complex tort and general casualty are a good fit for our clients in these key practice areas.”Earlier this year, the Miami office hired three of counsel: Rachel Walters, a 10-year veteran of the Miami-Dade County Attorney’s office; Amy Talisman, formerly with a Ft. Lauderdale–based litigation firm; and Regina Franco Murphey, who worked the previous four years at insurer AIG.
The firm plans to build out office space at the current Miami location to accommodate the new group.
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