Mariela is a Florida Bar Board Certified attorney in Construction Law and represents contractors, owners, designers, and sureties in complex commercial disputes in state and federal courts, as well as in domestic and international arbitrations.

Having taken multiple cases to final hearing in arbitration and trial, she advises clients on contract review, as well as all aspects of litigation, including risk assessment, motion practice, all aspects of discovery — including complex electronically stored information discovery — and trial preparation. With her experience in construction and commercial litigation, Mariela helps clients anticipate and resolve issues efficiently, protecting their interests in high-stakes matters. Her practice emphasizes mitigating risk, resolving disputes efficiently, and protecting clients’ interests in both litigation and arbitration contexts.

Her prior work included construction defect claims, insurance coverage disputes, and other commercial matters, including trial preparation, evidentiary motions, and mediation.

She has held leadership roles in bar and industry committees focused on construction and international law, including serving as Co-Vice Chair of the Insurance and Surety Committee of the Real Property, Probate & Trust Law Section of the Florida Bar, and has contributed to publications on construction law, dispute resolution, and international arbitration practices.

Mariela earned her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the University of Florida Levin College of Law and her Bachelor of Business Administration, cum laude, from the University of Miami, with minors in German language studies and Business Law. She is fluent in Spanish and conversational in French and German.

Professional & Community Involvement

• Real Property, Probate & Trust Law Section of the Florida Bar, Insurance and Surety Committee, Co-Vice Chair, 2018–2020
• Florida Bar RPPTL Construction Law Committee, “Action Line” Editor and Legislative Subcommittee, 2016
• International Law Section of the Florida Bar, International Construction Committee, Chair, 2016
• International Law Section of the Florida Bar, Legislative Committee, Member, 2015–2016
• Pre-Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot, Steering Committee Chair, 2014

Presentations

• Southern Surety & amp; Fidelity Claims Conference – What your Mediator is Thinking, 2023
• Associated General Contractors of America Construction Risk Conference – Decoding the Mystery of Productivity Claims, 2021

Publications

• Documenting With Drones: Practical Implications of Multiple Tiers of Regulation, Action Line, Florida Bar RPPTL Construction Law Committee, 2017
• Introduction to Dispute Resolution Under the FIDIC (Fédération Internationale Des Ingénieurs-Conseils) Conditions of Contract, International Law Quarterly, 2014
• International Commercial Arbitration Subsection of the Complex Business Litigation Division, 11th Judicial Circuit, Miami-Dade County, 2013
• Section 8(a) Mentor/Protégé Relationships, Surety and Fidelity Claims Institute Newsletter, 2012

Florida, 2008

University of Florida Levin College of Law, J.D., cum laude, 2007

University of Miami, B.B.A., cum laude, 2004

Spanish