Akerman Senterfitt is pleased to announce that the Daily Business Review (DBR) has named the firm winner of its first "Litigation Department of the Year" award in the Labor and Employment category. Akerman was one of four firms to receive the award in a specialty practice category. The 2013 Litigation Departments of the Year competition was inaugurated this year to recognize regional and national law firms with "powerhouse practices" in Florida.
Akerman's Labor and Employment Practice Group was recognized for defending employers across virtually all major industries and for handling an unusually high number cases to reach a court decision, all of which resulted favorably for the firm's clients. A special feature in the DBR titled, "Akerman's Prime Goal: Keep Clients Out of the Courtroom," credited the team for its preventative services, helping clients avoid legal claims in a wide range of matters before they arise, including wage and hour issues, discrimination and harassment claims, among others.
"It is an honor to be named one of the top departments in the region," said James Bramnick, chair of Akerman's Labor & Employment Practice Group. "We are humbled that our dedication to our clients has been recognized. Our attorneys work tirelessly day-to-day to help prevent employment issues from becoming legal issues, and then defending our clients vigorously if they do. I am proud to say that our efforts can be quantified by the terrific amount of success we accomplished in litigation cases this past year."
Among the many successes Akerman's Labor and Employment Practice Group achieved in 2012, notable cases include their representation of Carnival Corp. in a race discrimination and retaliation case; TravelPro International Inc. in a wrongful termination and gender discrimination lawsuit; Boca Raton Regional Hospital in an age discrimination failure to hire case; and one of the nation's largest professional employer organizations in a whistle-blower case.
Entrants of the Litigation Department of the Year contest included small, midsize and large law firms with a presence in Florida and were selected based on significant matters lead by lawyers from Florida. The contest is one of 10 locally scaled versions of the American Lawyer's biennial Litigation Department of the Year competition.
This is the latest recognition of Akerman's collective trial expertise as the top-ranked litigation team in Florida and as one of the leading litigation teams in the nation. The Akerman Litigation Practice Group has also been recognized nationally by U.S. News - Best Lawyers.
The Akerman Labor & Employment Practice Group includes lawyers who are board certified in labor and employment law as specialists in the field. The team defends employers in virtually every major industry throughout the United States in all types of employment litigation, including class and collective actions, under federal, state, and local employment laws and the Fair Labor Standards Act. The group also represents employers in connection with employment law compliance, labor relations, ADA public access, workplace safety, immigration, and non-compete or trade secret issues.
For practical insights on issues effecting employers and the workplace, click here to access Akerman's HR Defense Blog.
About Akerman Senterfitt
Akerman is a leading transactions and trial law firm known for its core strengths in middle market M&A, within the financial services and real estate industries, and for a diverse Latin America practice. With more than 550 lawyers and government affairs professionals and a network of 19 offices, it is ranked among the top 100 law firms in the United States by The National Law Journal NLJ 250 (2012). Akerman also is ranked among the top 100 law firms for diversity by MultiCultural Law magazine (2012) and recognized as the Law Firm of the Year for Diversity – South by Benchmark Litigation (2012). More information can be found at akerman.com or twitter.com/akerman_law.