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Insights

Expert analysis, statute updates,and risk-management for clients.

Articles written by our attorneys — plain-language walkthroughs of Florida and federal law, the data behind it, and what it means for the cases we see every day.

20 articles · updated regularly
Featured
Florida cut the personal-injury statute of limitations in half. What HB 837 actually changed.
Personal Injury
Apr 18, 20266 min read

Florida cut the personal-injury statute of limitations in half. What HB 837 actually changed.

Florida's 2023 tort reform replaced a four-year window with a two-year one — and tightened comparative negligence. What it means for active and future claims.

By Jesús Novo · Senior Associate
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Latest
Why Florida crash fatalities peak in March–May — and what it means for your case.
Personal Injury
Apr 10, 20265 min read

Why Florida crash fatalities peak in March–May — and what it means for your case.

Multi-year FLHSMV data shows fatalities cluster in the spring months. Tourism volume, daylight hours, and in-state school-break travel combine to produce the peak.

By Jesús Novo · Senior Associate
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Florida won't let you file a medical-malpractice case without this one document.
Personal Injury
Apr 3, 20267 min read

Florida won't let you file a medical-malpractice case without this one document.

The 'expert affidavit' requirement is a pre-suit gatekeeper that dismisses more cases than most people realize. Here is what it must say, who can sign it, and when.

By Carmen Gallardo · Founding Partner
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The authorized doctor is minimizing your injury. Use your one-time change of physician.
Workers' Compensation
Mar 28, 20265 min read

The authorized doctor is minimizing your injury. Use your one-time change of physician.

Florida workers' comp gives injured workers a single statutory opportunity to switch treating physicians. Here is exactly when — and how — to exercise it.

By Salim Punjani · Associate
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Four causes account for most construction deaths. Falls still lead.
Workers' Compensation
Mar 20, 20265 min read

Four causes account for most construction deaths. Falls still lead.

OSHA's 'Fatal Four' framework tracks the four leading causes of construction fatalities. In Florida, the numbers align with national data — with a twist.

By Salim Punjani · Associate
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VAWA self-petition: the evidence that actually moves the needle.
Immigration
Mar 14, 20268 min read

VAWA self-petition: the evidence that actually moves the needle.

USCIS adjudicators weight categories of evidence unequally. A field-tested checklist for the supporting record survivors of domestic violence should build before filing.

By Carmen Gallardo · Founding Partner
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The U-Visa wait now exceeds 5 years. Here's why — and what to file with it.
Immigration
Mar 7, 20266 min read

The U-Visa wait now exceeds 5 years. Here's why — and what to file with it.

Congress capped U-Visa principal approvals at 10,000 a year. Demand runs many times higher, producing a deferred-action waitlist and years of limbo. Filing strategy matters.

By Carmen Gallardo · Founding Partner
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A family member was detained by ICE. What to do in the first 72 hours.
Immigration
Feb 28, 20266 min read

A family member was detained by ICE. What to do in the first 72 hours.

The earliest stage of immigration detention is also the highest-leverage one. A practical checklist, in the sequence it actually matters.

By Carmen Gallardo · Founding Partner
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Florida's 2023 alimony reform, translated for clients mid-divorce.
Family Law
Feb 22, 20267 min read

Florida's 2023 alimony reform, translated for clients mid-divorce.

SB 1416 eliminated permanent alimony and imposed duration caps. Here is what the statute actually says — and how it reshapes negotiations for cases filed after July 1, 2023.

By Carmen Gallardo · Founding Partner
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Florida now presumes 50/50 time-sharing. What rebuts it, and what doesn't.
Family Law
Feb 15, 20265 min read

Florida now presumes 50/50 time-sharing. What rebuts it, and what doesn't.

HB 1301 created a rebuttable presumption that equal time-sharing is in the child's best interest. The statutory factors that still control the rebuttal.

By Maria Vargas · Senior Associate
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A federal target letter is an opportunity, not a verdict.
Criminal Defense
Feb 7, 20266 min read

A federal target letter is an opportunity, not a verdict.

The window between receiving a target letter and grand-jury indictment is often the single best defense opportunity in a federal case. What to do in it.

By Salim Punjani · Associate
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Sealing vs. expungement in Florida — which actually applies to you.
Criminal Defense
Jan 30, 20265 min read

Sealing vs. expungement in Florida — which actually applies to you.

Florida offers two distinct post-conviction relief pathways with different eligibility rules and different practical effects. A plain-language comparison.

By Salim Punjani · Associate
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Foreclosure defense in Florida — why a judicial-state filing gives you 12–24 months.
Civil Litigation
Jan 23, 20266 min read

Foreclosure defense in Florida — why a judicial-state filing gives you 12–24 months.

Florida requires lenders to foreclose through the courts. That procedural fact is the single most important defensive advantage homeowners have.

By Jesús Novo · Senior Associate
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You have 20 days to respond to a Florida lawsuit. Default judgments are hard to undo.
Civil Litigation
Jan 16, 20264 min read

You have 20 days to respond to a Florida lawsuit. Default judgments are hard to undo.

Florida civil defendants have a narrow response window. Missing it allows the plaintiff to take default judgment — and the rules for setting one aside are strict.

By Jesús Novo · Senior Associate
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EEOC discrimination charges jumped 10% in 2023. Retaliation led every category.
Employment Law
Jan 10, 20266 min read

EEOC discrimination charges jumped 10% in 2023. Retaliation led every category.

The federal employment-law enforcement picture is shifting. Retaliation claims are now alleged in 56% of all charges — what the data means for workers and employers.

By Natalia Timmons · Associate
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Florida is on the path to a $15 minimum wage. Tip-credit miscalculations are everywhere.
Employment Law
Jan 3, 20265 min read

Florida is on the path to a $15 minimum wage. Tip-credit miscalculations are everywhere.

Amendment 2 ramps Florida's minimum wage to $15 by 2026. Tipped-employee math is where most wage violations hide — and where the biggest FLSA cases come from.

By Natalia Timmons · Associate
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Chapter 7 vs. Chapter 13 — choosing with 2024 filing data.
Bankruptcy
Dec 27, 20256 min read

Chapter 7 vs. Chapter 13 — choosing with 2024 filing data.

U.S. bankruptcy filings rose 16% year over year. What the data says about when each chapter actually makes sense.

By Salim Punjani · Associate
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Florida's unlimited homestead exemption — the strongest debtor protection in America.
Bankruptcy
Dec 20, 20255 min read

Florida's unlimited homestead exemption — the strongest debtor protection in America.

Florida's constitutional homestead protects a residence from most creditors, with no dollar cap. The key limits are acreage, intent, and how the property was purchased.

By Salim Punjani · Associate
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Medicaid's 5-year look-back — the planning that protects the home in time.
Elder Law
Dec 13, 20256 min read

Medicaid's 5-year look-back — the planning that protects the home in time.

Medicaid's look-back rule penalizes uncompensated transfers in the five years before application. What early planning actually looks like — and what it is not.

By Carmen Gallardo · Founding Partner
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Two out of three American adults still die without a will. The cost to their families.
Elder Law
Dec 6, 20255 min read

Two out of three American adults still die without a will. The cost to their families.

Intestate administration is possible but slow, expensive, and often contrary to the decedent's actual intent. What families lose when the will is never signed.

By Carmen Gallardo · Founding Partner
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