Mark R. Osherow is a Florida Bar Board Certified Specialist in Business Litigation with over 30 years of experience. He has practiced for most of those years in both state and federal courts throughout Florida. With significant trial and alternative dispute resolution experience, Osherow has taken countless depositions and served as first-chair in numerous trials, arbitrations and mediations. He serves as a legal advisor for his clients as they assess their business risks across a large segment of industry and service providers. Lawyer.com Member Questionnaire How did you build a successful practice? Throughout my early career, I was involved in class action litigation, complex litigation for major clients and product liability cases. I was fortunate to be involved in complex cases and, through that experience, to develop expertise in a variety of areas,” he says. Osherow learned early on that success as a litigator requires a very high level of commitment and tenacity. After 2006, my practice focused almost exclusively on business litigation and related areas such as real estate, construction and employment litigation. Osherow believes in leading by example, a philosophy he developed and has carried out through his over 30 years of practice. Osherow says he works to be a good listener. That skill, combined with his experience as a board-certified business litigator, allows him to respond quickly and effectively to client needs in diverse areas of the law. He believes in The Florida Bar board certification process. He says he is proud of his certification as a board-certified business litigation specialist, and frequently encourages his colleagues to apply. “I believe in team effort and in leading in a way that makes other people want to perform for you as a team. My philosophy has come down to this – the way I define a problem is whether somebody is going to remember in a day, a week, a month, six months, a year or five years from now. If they are not going to remember it in the long term, it is really not a problem; it is just a bump in the road. And 99.9 percent of things fall into that category, although at that moment they may seem like major issues. We work in a high pressure, stressful profession and it’s important that people know someone has his or her back,” he says. “I’d say the biggest challenge is getting a case to the point that the client fully realizes how cases are resolved. It is basically strategy. Most cases can ultimately be resolved. Finding those solutions that get the participants to a point where they are ready to resolve the case is for me one of the most interesting aspects of practicing law,” Osherow says. He helps clients to see that sometimes they are motivated more by hostility, anger, frustration or something else that interferes with their ability to focus on the practical business aspects of their situation. One of his primary goals is to motivate those clients to see their situation from a practical perspective rather than an emotional perspective, to see the situation as it really is – a purely business transaction. “Sometimes clients don’t think as rationally as they believe they are and sometimes when they think rationally they don’t necessarily weigh all the different aspects of the case. It is very important to help clients see the various motivations and causes that are influencing them to make a decision. Once we have done that analysis and we have gone through all of the specifics, then they can decide whether or not litigation is called for,” he says. Osherow sometimes faces a client who initially only wants to litigate, someone who doesn’t want or doesn’t realize that one of the key aspects of a case is an attorney’s ability to resolve or at least attempt to resolve the case before the client gets involved in expensive, time-consuming and often emotionally-draining litigation. He says it is crucial for a lawyer to help a client assess his or her willingness to take a case through the litigation process and trial. The client must also feel comfortable that their law firm is providing advice that is in their best interests, whether they go the distance through trial or seek alternative dispute resolution. “I always want our clients to understand the costs and risks of the decisions they’re making. For me, that is critical. I’m always advising clients about the next step, about what they need to know, what we should be doing, and advising them constantly on pre-litigation, litigation, settlement and trial issues,” he says. Osherow says that whether cases are rewarding or difficult, an attorney has to have an even keel as a litigator. He upholds a philosophy of trust when it comes to his clients’ interests. “My father taught me to never give up and my first boss taught me how to think like a lawyer, to be precise, and to be articulate in my writing. From those mentors and others, I have come to believe strongly in creating an environment where people can do their best.” What should clients look for in a lawyer? Do not rely on what is on a lawyer’s website alone. Speak to the lawyer and make sure your questions are fully answered and there is no run around or diversion in providing direct answers. That does not mean that every question is subject to an easy answer however. Make sure the lawyer has the competence to proceed with your case or its defense. Many inexperienced lawyers claim to be experts in matters that are really outside of their experience level or abilities. Many lawyers do not have the extensive training and experience to handle complex litigation but represent to the public that they have this experience. But they can be cost effective by charging lower rates. Sometimes you get what you pay for so be careful in selecting a lawyer who can at a minimum learn the issues and competently address your situation. Look for a lawyer who will represent you or your company vigorously and professionally and will take the time to learn all the critical issues involved in your particular matter. Check for prior cases handled by the lawyer and the actual experience the lawyer has in similar or related types of cases, recognizing that each case may well present distinct issues. Find out when the lawyer was admitted to the Bar and if they are Board Certified as a specialist in their particular area of practice, which can also help select a lawyer with the competency to handle a matter within their specialty. How important is local knowledge to the success of your cases? It is important to know the lawyers on the other side and the court rules and the reputations and differences in the way judges handle cases before them. This helps provide each client with valuable insight on how the case may progress in court. Where a case is in arbitration, where possible, it is critical to know the reputation of the arbitrators who may be chosen to hear the case.

Maikel N. Eskander is the principal and owner of Capital Partners Law, a full-service business and real estate firm with offices in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and Boca Raton. The firm handles a wide variety of commercial, real estate, and business litigation matters, including representation of small and mid-sized businesses, investors, developers, and owners. As the firm’s founding member, Mr. Eskander was recently recognized as an AV Preeminent Rated business attorney by Martindale-Hubbell, as well as receiving the Elite Lawyer Award for Business Law, and being recognized by Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch for Commercial Litigation in 2021. He brings a wealth of knowledge & experience to the firm, including representation of numerous Fortune 500 companies and a track record of having never lost an appeal. Prior to opening Capital Law Partners, Mr. Eskander was a founding partner at Eskander Loshak LLP.

Ms. El Fadel is a Junior Partner with KS Attorneys at law and currently heads up our Firm’s business development, business structuring, business funding and commercial civil trial departments. As such, Ms. El Fadel is experienced in most all areas of commercial business development, commercial civil trial and appellate representation and is licensed to practice in the Federal and State Courts of Florida and the State Courts of New Jersey. Ms. El Fadel’s educational accolades range from graduating summa cum laude from the Shepard Board Law School at Nova Southeastern University to serving as the past Notes and Comments Editor for the Nova Law Review, to serving as the Chairperson for Problem Research and Development committee for the law schools moot court program. Upon entering into the practice of law with our Firm, Ms. El Fadel quickly distinguished herself as a respected and tenacious trial advocate for our clients and most recently is noted for overturning a local government ordinance through her thorough and effective constitutional law representation of one of our Firm’s clients. Accordingly, Ms. El Fadel’s primary focuses of practice are business representation, complex commercial trial, mediation and arbitration, corporate finance and structuring, corporate funding and banking, finance, corporate disputes, employment discrimination, real property litigation and insurance disputes, medical office operations, policies and organization, medical collections and insurance billing disputes, medical PIP claims and litigation, foreclosure defense and pre-bankruptcy planning as asset structuring, family law, divorce and pre and post estate litigation. On her personal time Ms. El Fadel enjoy spending time with her family, reading the latest bestselling novels and participating in community events and hot yoga. Ms. El Fadel is licensed to practice law in the States of Florida and New Jersey in addition to being a licensed attorney to practice before the Federal Courts of the Middle and Southern District Courts in Florida.

David P. Slater has over 30 years of litigation and general practice experience and handles all accident cases from investigation through trial, including motor vehicle, slip and fall, construction and wrongful death. He is experienced in all real estate and landlord and tenant matters, collections, business practices and probate. He has been associated with various law firms throughout New York City for more than 20 years. He is now in private practice in Boca Raton, Florida. He is also a licensed Realtor in the State of Florida, an arbitrator for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority and a Special Magistrate to the Palm Beach County (Florida Department of Building, Zoning and Planning. He has written various legal articles that have been published in Florida newspapers. He taught business law at a local college and has lectured attorneys and business professionals in the area of landlord and tenant law. He is a former Traffic Court Hearing Officer, deputy chairman of the Zoning Board of Appeals in the Village of Chestnut Ridge, Rockland County, N.Y., and arbitrator with the Civil Court of the City of New York, Division of Small Claims, as well as the American Arbitration Association. Of Counsel and per diem associations with members of the Florida Bar are actively sought throughout the state.

Erin L. Sandman, PA was founded in 2017 with the mission of providing superior legal services to clients at an affordable rate. She specializes in the areas of probate, estate planning, residential and commercial real estate transactions and title insurance, title curative, contract review, foreclosure defense, the purchase and sale of boat slips, and landlord tenant representation. She also has a general solo practitioner law practice where she practices almost every area of real estate law, including emotional animal support letters and pet trusts. Before going to law school, she owned and operated two title insurance companies and worked for small title companies and large title companies. She maintains the trust and confidence of her clients by providing them with the very best, most cost effective legal representation. Her first job out of college was working for a real estate attorney and she has had a passion for real estate ever since! She is able to provide exceptional customer service to her clients by giving them access to her cellular phone and they have only one point of contact for their legal cases or real closings from beginning to end. No one likes being bounced around from person to person, so experience a firm where the needs of the clients comes first.