Every day, South Florida’s state attorneys and public defenders are serving our communities. They help remove violent criminals from the streets, protect the rights of defendants accused of crimes and develop alternative solutions so youthful offenders can get their lives back on track.

But except for the attorneys who comprise South Florida’s criminal bar ­— one of the strongest in the nation — most legal professionals have little day-to-day contact with our prosecutors and defenders. That’s why we are featuring these six elected officials in this issue of South Florida Legal Guide. It’s an opportunity for our readers to understand their challenges, priorities and innovative solutions for improving our region.

One of the things I most enjoy about our annual edition is the selection of our Distinguished Attorneys and Prominent Law Firms. With so many talented legal professionals in our region, it’s always a long process to select a diverse mix of attorneys and firms in a variety of practice areas and geographic locations for this well-read editorial feature. It’s a pleasure to share their stories with our loyal readers.

Since 2000, South Florida Legal Guide has served as a valued resource for our region’s professional communities and this year is no exception. Our annual lists of Top Attorneys, Top Law Firms, Top Up and Comers and Top Financial Professionals in Litigation Support are based on merit. All our professionals and firms have been nominated by their peers and their credentials have been carefully vetted by our editorial team.

This annual issue also contains a varied selection of Professional Forum articles on timely issues in of law, finance and business that have been written by leading professionals. We have also included in-depth Profiles of a select group of our top professionals who are committed to providing the highest level of service to their clients.

Once again, I would like to personally thank our readers, as well as our sponsors and advertisers. With your support, South Florida Legal Guide continues to provide important articles for our region’s professional community as well as a convenient year-round guide to high-qualified attorneys, law firms and litigation support providers. We look forward to another great year!

Richard Westlund
Editor

South Florida Legal Guide 2017 Edition