Bilzin Sumberg Expands Real Estate Practice With Addition of Joseph Hernandez as Partner
Hernandez brings 30 years of experience in commercial and residential real estate, becoming
the second high-profile attorney to join Bilzin Sumberg this year, following the addition of Michael A. Hanzman, former Florida Judge.
MIAMI, FL - One of Florida’s most prolific law firms is expanding its team of attorneys amidst a wave of inbound investment and development across the state. Joseph Hernandez has joined Bilzin Sumberg as a Partner in the Firm’s Real Estate Practice, where he will represent developers, owners, investors, condominium associations, financial institutions, private equity firms, high net worth individuals, and public entities in all aspects of commercial and residential transactions – in Florida, nationally, and throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.
The arrival of Hernandez marks the latest high-profile attorney to join Bilzin Sumberg in the last 60-days, following the April announcement that Michael A. Hanzman, the former Florida Judge who oversaw the litigation stemming from the Champlain Towers South collapse, has reentered private practice at the Firm.
Hernandez brings 30 years of experience in law, real estate development and finance, and banking. Today, his legal practice centers on real estate acquisitions, dispositions, development, financing, leasing, joint ventures, and capital raises. He most recently served as a Partner and Real Estate Practice Group Chair at Weiss Serota Helfman Cole + Bierman, where he represented clients in a range of sectors, including affordable housing, hospitality, and residential and commercial development. He also guides condominium associations and cooperative corporations in matters involving bulk purchases, redevelopments, terminations of existing associations, dispute resolution, and construction defects.
“Bilzin Sumberg clients look to our Real Estate Practice as a resource for navigating sophisticated developments and transactions in all asset classes,” said Bilzin Sumberg Managing Partner Albert E. Dotson, Jr. “Joe has been working across a range of sectors with clients in all corners of the real estate landscape for three decades. The diversity of his experience will add value to our existing client relationships and bolster our team’s ability to counsel clients through economic cycles.”
“Joe’s arrival at Bilzin Sumberg will create an additional layer of support and service for our best-in-class real estate clients,” said Bilzin Sumberg Real Estate Practice Group Chair Suzanne Amaducci. “Joe brings with him in-depth knowledge of the industries that are driving Florida real estate, from condo redevelopment and commercial finance, to affordable housing and hospitality. His skillset is a natural fit for our practice and the work of our clients.”
Hernandez’s recent and past transactions include representation of a majority of unit owners in the $150 million bulk sale that took place at Biscayne 21 condominium; negotiation of a settlement between a residential developer and homeowners at odds over the development of a 110-acre golf course; representation of the City of Miami in the negotiation of a development agreement and lease for City-owned land on the Miami River; and representation of Florida East Coast Industries in the real estate aspects of the company’s $270 million acquisition of Codina Group.
“Bilzin Sumberg is one of the few Florida firms equipped to guide clients through all phases of the development and investment cycle – from inception, to completion, and disposition – and I’m eager to contribute to the growth of its Real Estate Practice at a time when all eyes are on our state,” said Joseph Hernandez. “I have known many of the attorneys at Bilzin Sumberg dating back twenty years, and the Firm has always excelled at serving clients, recruiting top talent, and making an impact in the community.
I am grateful for my time at Weiss Serota Helfman Cole & Bierman. I have the utmost respect and admiration for all my former colleagues and look forward to future collaborations with my former partners at Weiss Serota, which continues to be a top-drawer firm.”
Hernandez previously served as general counsel for an asset manager owned by Cerberus Capital, as a partner at Hogan Lovells, and as shareholder at Greenberg Traurig. He has also held roles at Bank of America and currently serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Miami School of Law. He is a Fellow of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers (ACREL), for which he serves as Chair of the Common Interest Ownership Committee.
Hernandez is a member of The Florida Bar Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section, and a member of the Real Property Section of the American Bar Association. He serves on the Advisory Board for the Robert Traurig-Greenberg Traurig LL.M. in Real Property Development program at the University of Miami. He has appeared in Chambers & Partners USA, Real Estate; Best Lawyers In America®; and Florida Trend’s Legal Elite. He earned his J.D. from the University of Miami School of Law and his bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida. Hernandez is fluent in Spanish.
Each year, Bilzin Sumberg’s Real Estate Practice facilitates billions in investment and development, transacting on behalf of multinational firms, handling sophisticated workouts and CMBS matters, and ushering in public-private partnerships addressing housing affordability, transit, and resiliency. Given its expansive knowledge of the Florida real estate landscape and vast network of relationships statewide, Bilzin Sumberg is often called upon to serve as local counsel to major national and international firms. In 2022 alone, the Firm handled transactions valued over $2 billion on behalf of the clients of national firms.
About Bilzin Sumberg
Bilzin Sumberg counsels clients whose business and legal opportunities and challenges span Florida, the United States, and across borders to Europe, Latin America, Canada, the Middle East, and Asia. The Firm's growth has paralleled that of its South Florida home base, a region known for its cultural, social, and professional diversity. Bilzin Sumberg lawyers concentrate on services at the heart of both regional and international commerce, including real estate, land development and government relations, environmental, corporate law, joint ventures, domestic and international tax and estate planning, business litigation, finance, and public-private partnerships.
For more information, please visit bilzin.com.
