- 20700 West Dixie Highway, Aventura, FL 33180
With over 20 years of litigation experience in both federal and state court.
Our firm effectively and aggressively represents its clients' interests, both in and out of court.
When disputes arise in the real estate context, successful solutions require both strong litigation capabilities and a nuanced understanding of the industry’s inner workings. Michael Cotzen has represented clients in a large variety of real estate disputes. Mr. Cotzen frequently represents clients in foreclosure litigation, and has represented borrowers, lenders and condominium/homeowner associations in these disputes.
Mr. Cotzen has substantial experience in representing borrowers and homeowners in foreclosure defense and handled many cases involving the statute of limitations when it was a hot button issue in Florida foreclosure cases. Mr. Cotzen’s successful representation of a condominium association in a case where a defense based upon the statute of limitations resulted in the association owning an expensive condominium without an enforceable note culminated in his being recognized by the Daily Business Review as the Most Effective Lawyer in South Florida in 2013 In the Distressed Real Estate Category.
Civil litigation cases can include various types of disagreements which may involve your business. These cases often require a skillful attorney to analyze and focus on adducing evidence from corporate documents, interviews, employees and other witnesses. As an experienced trial attorney, Michael Cotzen understands how to develop a legal strategy designed to achieve his client’s objectives, work diligently to prepare for trial, and present the case clearly and convincingly to the court.
Michael Cotzen has handled a wide variety of high-stakes civil litigation cases for more than 20 years involving business disagreements, breaches of contract, appellate disputes, high level collection matters, securities losses, employment related issues, insurance disputes, and a multitude of other matters.
Probate Litigation consists of legal disputes about issues related to aging, disability and death. It involves court battles over those still alive, such as guardianships and conservatorships, as well as legal fights over powers of attorney and living wills.
Probate litigation often involves legal challenges when someone has passed away, including cases involving wills, trusts, estates, asset disputes, joint bank accounts, gifts, and anything else that families can fight about when a loved one dies. Michael Cotzen has significant experience in probate litigation, which includes the recognition by the Daily Business Review as the Most Effective Lawyer in South Florida in 2011 in the Probate category.
Employment litigation is where an employee sues an employer or an employer is sued because of an employment-related issue. At issue may be claims of discrimination or harassment. Other types of employment litigation may involve pay, overtime, or scheduling.
Employment litigation can also include an employee’s claim of action illegal under whistle blower protections, violations of workplace safety, or issues related to benefits such as insurance, workers compensation, or pension.
Employment litigation may also be brought by a non-employee who applied for a job and believes (s)he was wrongly denied. Though many employees are considered to have employment on an at-will basis, much employment litigation results from terminated positions. If the employer was found to have taken the action because of the employee’s race, gender, or other protected class, the action was illegal. Michael Cotzen has experience in a variety of employment related disputes, both in representing the employee and employer.
We have handled appellate matters in Florida’s appellate courts, in several federal appellate courts and in the Florida Supreme Court. We are prepared to not only litigate appellate issues in our existing matters, but also to be retained as appellate counsel in other matters as well. We will learn the appellate record, prepare strong and persuasive appellate briefs and will aggressively argue the issues before the appellate court.
Far too often, insurance companies make the determination to refuse to pay the proceeds to a beneficiary of a life insurance policies. We have substantial experience in representing beneficiaries in actions against the insurer to recover the insurance proceeds after the loss of a loved one. Insurance companies often try to take advantage of those dealing with a difficult situation and we represent our clients while recognizing that they are going through a difficult time while simultaneously ensuring that they are not exploited or otherwise treated unfairly.
Our firm is well equipped to represent partners and business owners in disputes against co-owners. Problems often arise between the owners of the business and our firm can walk you through how to effectively handle these disagreements. Our firm has experience litigating these problems, including breaches of agreements, breaches of fiduciary duty, or dissolution matters.
Our firm has experience in representing clients who have not been properly paid by their health insurers for medical procedures that the insurance company is obligated to pay.
Is a full service litigation firm that focuses on representing clients in a wide variety of disputes, including real estate/foreclosure litigation, employment litigation, commercial litigation and probate litigation cases.
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