The article explores the ongoing efforts to preserve the old courthouse’s complex history as judges transition into the newer modern facility.

Joe, who helped lead the renovation efforts, discussed the importance of acknowledging the courthouse’s full history and explained decisions to preserve features such as a Jim Crow–era water fountain.The plaque over the fountain was dedicated for Black History Month along with another one across the hall marking the election of Barack Obama in 2008. 

“I mean, that’s really history,” Serota said. “That was our justice system, and if that wasn’t hypocrisy, I don’t know what is.”

Joe recently made his first legal argument in the new, modern courthouse, describing the building in one word: “utilitarian.” Even so, he remains optimistic that the old courthouse will continue to be valued and he is hopeful that a new owner will preserve its unique architectural and historical features in an adapted space that honors its legacy for generations to come.

Joe is a founding partner of WSHC+B and serves as the firm’s General Counsel. He has long been a leader in Miami’s legal community and remains deeply connected to the history and evolution of the Miami-Dade court system.

Click here to view the article.

The post WSHC+B Founding Partner Joseph H. Serota Comments on Miami-Dade County Courthouse Relocation in Miami Herald Article appeared first on Weiss Serota Helfman Cole + Bierman.

Haydee is a partner in the firm’s Government Division, where she serves as lead City Attorney for Miami Springs and North Bay Village. She also represents private developers on land use and zoning matters. She has been deeply involved with CABA for over a decade, previously serving as Vice President, Secretary, Co-Chair of the Young Lawyers and Judicial Committees, and Co-Chair of the Art in the Tropics annual fundraiser supporting CABA’s Pro Bono Legal Services.

Candice represents municipalities on a broad range of issues, including contracts and compliance with public records, sunshine, and ethics laws. She is also a Florida Supreme Court Certified Circuit Civil Mediator, and applies her alternative dispute resolution training to her practice. A CABA member since 2013, Candice has previously served two terms as CABA’s Secretary, has Co-Chaired the CABA on Cuba Committee for seven years, and provides pro bono representation for Cuban political prisoners before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

Together, Haydee and Candice were involved in CABA’s efforts to name Miami-Dade County’s new civil courthouse the Osvaldo N. Soto Miami-Dade Justice Center, honoring the late civil rights advocate and past CABA president. Candice also helped secure significant artwork for the courthouse’s jury room, a testament to the collaborative efforts that brought this project to life.

The post WSHC+B Attorneys Haydee Sera and Candice Balmori Elected to Leadership Roles with the Cuban American Bar Association appeared first on Weiss Serota Helfman Cole + Bierman.

In this role, Tania will help lead initiatives that promote engagement and strengthen connections within our legal community. The Miami-Dade Bar’s mission is to be the voice of Miami-Dade County’s legal profession, serving the public and the bar by promoting equal justice, professionalism and civility, and excellence and respect for the law.

Tania has more than 16 years of experience representing clients in complex litigation cases throughout the state of Florida. She currently handles various civil trial and appellate matters for her clients, including complex commercial disputes, civil rights claims, and torts.

The post WSHC+B Attorney Tania Varela Named Vice Chair of the Miami-Dade Bar Civil Litigation Committee appeared first on Weiss Serota Helfman Cole + Bierman.

“Job Posting: Will pick mangoes for FREE. Highly professional and efficient.”  

I was not fully prepared for what came next. I was inundated with offers from friends and family to visit their humble collection of mango trees scattered across Miami-Dade County. Usually at dusk when the weather was more pleasing, I’d venture out to mango land. Thus “We The People Mango Services” was born. After all, every mango tree needs a community friend. 

In the tropical heart of Miami’s summer season, when the sun lingers a little longer and hotter and the air hangs ripe with possibility, something beautiful unfolds among our local foliage: mangoes blush with a red and golden glow, hung on branches heavy with promise. For me, this mango season has sparked not just a harvest, but a quiet revolution in how we can show up for one another. I call it mango as a community currency with no exchange rate.

During each visit with friends, there was no money exchanged, no formal agreements — just a willing hand and shared joy. For some, their deathly fear of lizards, iguanas and other crawling neighbors of nature was enough to put me on speed dial. For others, the sheer volume of mangoes, battles with squirrels or an aversion to rotten fruit were sufficient reasons to welcome my farmer hand. 

From these community harvests, we gifted mangoes to others in the community: co-workers, elders, children, newcomers and friends we have not connected with in months and less so during the pandemic. And with every handoff of a sun-warmed fruit, something extraordinary happened: We connected. We slowed down. We exchanged smiles and stories of our mutual love.

In a world often overrun with transactional exchanges, mangoes remind us that generosity can be deeply simple and wildly powerful. A mango is never just a mango — it’s a gesture. A story. A smile between strangers. A memory waiting to be made. To pick one from a tree, still sticky with sap, and offer it freely is to say, “I see you. You matter. Let’s share this moment.”

There’s something anciently and soulfully special about this fruit. It grows effortlessly in our Caribbean and South Florida yards, provided by nature with abundance. Yet we rarely stop to honor its magic. Mangoes feed not just the body but the spirit. They ask nothing of us except to be gathered and shared. In doing so, they become symbols of reciprocity, humility and joy.

The act of harvesting together is sacred, too. It slows us down, requires cooperation, and invites storytelling. Someone always has a memory to share — the mango tree planted by a grandfather, the childhood games played beneath its shade, the recipe passed down through generations, the joy from the mango juice dripping down the crease of your palm to your elbow. These conversations, woven between branches and over buckets of fruit, root us deeper in the soil of our shared humanity.

This experiment of mine has grown into a movement, one sweet exchange at a time. As we turn mangoes into meals, gifts and gestures of connection, we rewrite what community care can look like. We build new traditions. We learn that sometimes the most radical thing we can do is offer something beautiful and ask nothing in return. For the people, by the people, of the people.

For this summer and other seasons to come, let’s remember to ignore the noise of the world and extend the open door of this gift of nature. Because when we share mangoes, we share more than fruit — we share love, belonging and the delicious truth that we are all connected.

To read the original blog post in The Miami Times, click here.

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The office underwent significant recent renovations which will be shared in a grand re-opening celebration soon. The remodel is a testament to the office’s continued growth and expansive presence in Broward County. The updated office showcases a modern and welcoming environment, reflecting the firm’s dedication to improving and meeting the diverse needs of our clients.

The post WSHC+B’s Fort Lauderdale Office Celebrates Its 25th Anniversary appeared first on Weiss Serota Helfman Cole + Bierman.

Alison and the Broward County Bar Association volunteers came together to help those affected by Hurricane Ian by filling truckloads of much-needed supplies and basic necessities.

In the article, Alison said, “It’s wonderful to see everybody just jumping in, chipping in and participating in this.”

Alison is the first Black woman and first Caribbean-American to be president of the BCBA. She focuses her practice on labor & employment, municipal, appellate, and administrative and regulatory matters. 

To read the original article by WSVN – Channel 7 News, click here.

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