SMGQ - Attorney at Law Article (Law Firm of the Month)

8/2/2019 SMGQ - Attorney at Law Article (Law Firm of the Month)

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G r e a t e r M i a m i E d i t i o n | V o l u m e 2 , N o . 2

www.AttorneyAtLawMagazine.com

Features this Month:Katherine Ezell Attorney of the Month

Concepcion Martinez &Bellido Boutique Law Firm

of the Month

Sanchez-Medina, GonzaleQuesada, Lage, Crespo,Gomez & Machado LLP Law Firm of the Month

Features this Month:Katherine Ezell Attorney of the Month

Concepcion Martinez &Bellido Boutique Law Firm

of the Month

Sanchez-Medina, GonzaleQuesada, Lage, Crespo,Gomez & Machado LLP Law Firm of the Month


2/520 | Attorney at Law Magazine Greater Miami Volume 2, No. 2

L F of the M

When Roland Sanchez-

Medina, Jr. and Peter

A. Gonzalez decided

to share o ce space aer both had

broken away from large rms, the

pair had no idea they were on the

verge of building one of the most

powerful additions to the Miami

legal community in years Sanchez-Medina, Gonzalez, Quesada, Lage,

Crespo, Gomez & Machado LLP

(SMGQ).

Approximately 10 years ago,

Roland and I got to know each

other very well as a result of mutual

acquaintances and started to share

o ce space, said partner Peter

Gonzalez. Shortly thereaer, Pablo

Quesada began sharing o ce space

with us, as well. We basically started to date professionally and

realized it made good business sense for us to formally join forces

in January 2007, together with partners Christina Gonzalez and

Emilia Quesada.

As the client base grew, Sanchez-Medina, Gonzalez and Quesada

knew theyd have to expand their size and areas of expertise to

keep up with the increasing demand for their services. By early

2009, they realized they could not wait any longer and decided

to recruit local lawyers in town with whom they had maintained

professional dealings in the past and believed would be rst rate

additions to their rm. ey were fortunate to bring in top legaltalent in Gustavo D. Lage, Manny Crespo, Jr., Joseph R. Gomez

and Carlos Machado, all of whom joined as name partners in

late 2009. ey have not stopped there. Since then, the rm has

brought in other top lawyers, continuing to broaden the rms

legal oerings and expertise, and has built out a new, modern

10,000 square foot o ce in the heart of Downtown Coral Gables,

positioning itself for further growth and access to a signicant

number of multi-national companies located nearby.

Today, SMGQ is an AV-Rated rm with 11 attorneys practicing

Sanchez-Medina, Gonzalez, Quesada, Lage, Crespo,Gomez & Machado LLP

By Ben Norris

in a wide range of practice areas. It currently represents many

highly recognizable clients such as JP Morgan Chase Bank

Aetna, Prudential, New York Life, Comcast, Regions Bank, the

University of Miami, Standard Parking Corp., and the FDIC

If you look at our roster of clients, its one any rm, no matte

the size, would be glad to have, Sanchez-Medina said. We ar

very proud of the clients we have developed and maintained

e rm oers clients expertise in practice areas including

corporate and securities, real estate and lender representation

civil and complex commercial litigation, insurance coverage and

ERISA defense, tax and estate planning, criminal defense, andgovernment relations. SMGQ has developed a dedicated client

base in its own back yard and throughout the country, as wel

as loyal clients in Latin America and in locations as far away a

Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

e rm is also one of a select few 100-percent minority-owne

rms in Florida, active in both local and national minority lega

and business organizations. Such exposure has allowed it t

showcase its breadth of practice and experience, and reect wha

a forward-thinking practice can accomplish for its clients.

Top row, Left to Right: Peter A. Gonzalez, Gustavo D. Lage, Joseph R. Gomez, Carlos M. MachadoBottom row, Left to Right: Pablo S. Quesada, Roland Sanchez-Medina Jr., Emilia A. Quesada and Manuel L. Crespo.

Photo by Robert Klemm


3/5Volume 2, No. 2 Attorney at Law Magazine Greater Miami | 2

Taking a Different Path

Despite their separate strengths, the partners were linked byseveral common threads: they had all maintained distinguished

careers at some of the most prominent law rms in Florida; they

were all bilingual and in their 40s; and, equally as important,

they all wanted to chart their own course. I think frankly we

are more entrepreneurial than your typical rm, said partner

Roland Sanchez-Medina, Jr. From that perspective, this

environment and our size allows us to take on matters a larger

rm might be unwilling or unable to take.

Gonzalez said the partners didnt want to be the tail of the

lion. ey wanted to be the lion. at meant having the freedom

to move nimbly and act quickly without a chain-of-command

getting in the way.

We wanted to be able to move a little quicker and make

certain decisions about things without going through the usual

corporate red tape you tend to nd at larger rms, added

partner Pablo Quesada. Running our own smaller rm oered

the exibility and independence normally not found at a larger

rm with many more lawyers, many more partners, and many

more competing interests.

At the same time, since many of us were senior lawyers at

national and international rms, our mind set was to bring ahigh level of sophistication, service, creativity, and competence

to our practice. e dierence is that when clients hire us,

they dont get a junior associate required to bill a set number

of hours a year. ey actually get an experienced, high caliber

lawyer at rates which are signicantly lower than those of major

law rms. is business model has helped us secure all types

of clients, but, in particular, it has attracted quite a number of

national companies, said partner, Joe Gomez.

e rms lean operations allow it to oer services at more

reasonable rates, without foregoing the depth of experienc

and array of services; this has been the recipe to attract highprole and national clients looking to save money on legal fee

or maintain a reasonable legal budget during di cult economi

times. At some of the larger rms our partners used to wor

at, the partner billing rates are now between $550 and $850 an

hour, Crespo said. Our partner rates are lower. Our clients ar

receiving the same high quality work and service from lawyer

with the same experience at lower rates.

The Partners: Unique Strengths and Depth Make

Stronger Firm

Roland Sanchez-Medina, Jr. focuses his practice in the area

of corporate and real estate law and holds an L.L.M. in taxation

from NYU. Sanchez-Medina is a former president of the Cuban

American Bar Association and has been selected as Legal Elite b

Florida Trend Magazine and Super Lawyer in Law and Politic

Magazine from 20062012.

Peter A. Gonzalez practices primarily in commercial and

civil litigation with an emphasis on business, corporate and rea

estate law, and also handles real property transactions. He als

heads up the Cuba practice group, which monitors changes in

United States and Cuba policy and stays up on laws that impacU.S.-Cuba relations.

Pablo S. Quesadas primary areas of practice include corporat

and securities, real estate and tax law. Before joining SMGQ

he served as regional counsel for VISAs Latin America and

Caribbean region, and prior to Visa, was in the corporate and

securities department of one of the worlds largest U.S.-based

law rms. He maintains an AV Preeminent Rating and has been

repeatedly recognized by his peers as a Rising Star and Up

and Comer in the South Florida legal community.

Roland Sanchez-Medina, Jr. Peter A. Gonzalez Pablo S. Quesada Emilia S. Quesada


4/522 | Attorney at Law Magazine Greater Miami Volume 2, No. 2

Emilia A. Quesada is a commercial litigation partner, withspecialized knowledge in insurance coverage, life, health,

disability and ERISA, products liability and class action defense.

Having honed her skills at some of the countrys largest rms

prior to joining SMGQ, she maintains an impressive roster

of Fortune 500 companies as clients, which she has fostered

throughout her career.

Gustavo D. Lage is a former prosecutor who brings extensive

trial experience to the rm. Before joining SMGQ, he began his

legal career at the Miami-Dade County State Attorneys O ce. He

then worked at a large Florida-based rm and with another rmwhere he was a partner representing multinational corporations

such as Ford and General Motors as well as professional athletes

in civil, commercial and criminal litigation and trials.

Manny Crespo, Jr. handles both transactional matters and

civil litigation cases involving business disputes, property claims,

and title issues, to name a few. He brings a broad background

that includes personal injury litigation and criminal defense,

areas of practice he enjoyed working on with his late father, the

Honorable Manuel Crespo who was a Miami-Dade Circuit Court

Judge for many years.

Joseph R. Gomez is a partner in the rms corporate, securities,

tax law and commercial transactions practice and has an L.L.M.

in taxation from the University of Miami. He has spent his

career representing companies of all sizes in complex business,

corporate, and tax issues. Prior to joining SMGQ, he was a

partner with an Am Law 100 law rm. He is a former chair of

the Corporations Securities and Financial Services Committee

of the Business Law Section of the Florida Bar and is a frequent

lecturer and author. He was selected as a Legal Elite by FloridTrend magazine in 2011.

Carlos Machado has a background in several areas o

commercial and civil litigation including wrongful death

personal injury and real estate disputes, but has focused the

majority of his practice on commercial and residential real estat

matters with an emphasis on lender representation. Machado

also worked for larger rms and successfully ran his own rm fo

many years before deciding to join SMGQ. His clients includ

many regional and local banks.

Im primarily the real estate guy at the rm, Machadosaid. I have focused my real estate practice for many years on

representing banks in disputes and real estate transactions.

Having such a broad base of talent has helped the rm maintain

its client base and provide a fuller spectrum of professiona

services. While the rm started just as the recession was abou

to hit, oering competitive and exible billing structures and a

deep well of knowledge and experience to pull from has allowed

SMGQ to grow signicantly, even as other rms downsized.

Lage says the rm will continue to expand and plans to hir

additional associates and possibly take on more lateral hire

to meet the rms increasing needs but it will do so at a mor

measured pace. Despite the ups and downs of the economy, w

are condent we can continue to grow and succeed provided w

maintain a high standard of excellence and a service-oriented

approach to the practice of law, says Lage.

Gustavo D. Lage Manny Crespo, Jr. Joseph R. Gomez Carlos Machado


5/5Volume 2, No. 2 Attorney at Law Magazine Greater Miami | 23

201 Alhambra Circle, Suite 1205

Coral Gables, FL, 33134

305-377-1000

www.SMGQLAW.com

Practice Areas

Civil Litigation and Trial Practice Corporate and Securities Contracts and Commercial Transactions Tax and Estate Planning Real Estate Law and Lender Representation Entertainment, Sports and Art Law Criminal Defense Government Relations Cuba Practice Group

Attorneys

Manuel L. Crespo J.D., Boston College

B.A., Duquesne University

Admitted to Florida Bar

Vice President, Cuban American Bar Association

Director, Dade County Bar Association

Chairman, Florida Bar Grievance Committee, 11K

Luis F. Fernandez

J.D., Thomas Cooley Law School

B.A. Michigan State University

Cuban American Bar Association Committee on Cuba and Human Rights

Admitted to Florida Bar and State Bar of Michigan

Joseph R. Gomez

L.L.M., University of Miami

J.D., University of Miami

B.B.A. University of Miami

Admitted to Florida Bar Executive Council Member, Business Law Section

of the Florida Bar

Task Force Member, RE-RULPA Review, Tax Section of the Florida Bar

(Article 5 Subcommittee)

Committee Member, Third Party Legal Opinions Standards, Business Law

Section of the Florida BarChristina Diaz Gonzalez

J.D Florida State College, magna cum laude

International Law Certificate, Colegio Universitario, Madrid, Spain

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


Cuban American Bar Association Member

Author: The Red Umbrella and A Thunderous Whisper (Random House/Knopf)

Peter A. Gonzalez

J.D., The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law

International Law Certificate, Colegio Universitario, Madrid, Spain

B.S. Florida State University


Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Section of The Florida Bar, Member

Trial Lawyers Section of The Florida Bar, Member

Association for the Study of the Cuban Economy (ASCE), Member


Gustavo D. Lage

J.D. Florida State University College of Law

B.A. Florida State University



Carlos M. Machado

J.D., Stetson University

B.B.A., Florida International University Admitted to Florida Bar

Raul L. Perez

J.D., Florida State University

B.A., Florida State University

Young Lawyers Division of the Florida Bar


Emilia A Quesada


B.S., Florida International University

Admitted to Florida and Georgia Bar Defense Research Institute, Member

Commission on Women in the Profession of the American Bar Association,

Former Commissioner (appointed by president of ABA)

Corporate Counsel Women of Color, Sponsor and Member


Pablo S. Quesada



Admitted to Florida and Georgia Bar

The Florida Bars Florida Business Corporation Act (Chapter 607) Project,Participant Shareholder Subcommittee (Working Group Co-Chair) Offi cer

and Director Subcommittee (Working Group Co-Chair)


Roland Sanchez-Medina, Jr.

L.L.M., New York University

J.D., Boston College



Cuban American Bar Association, Member and former President

At a Glance

Sanchez-Medina, Gonzalez, Quesada, Lage, Crespo, Gomez & M achado LLP

Documents

SMGQ - Attorney at Law Article (Law Firm of the Month)