Melissa Tapanes Llahues Named Shareholder

34-Year-Old Land Use Attorney Among Youngest Female Equity Partners In South Florida

(MIAMI) January 29, 2013 – Bercow Radell & Fernandez, which specializes in zoning, land use and environmental law, announced today that Melissa Tapanes Llahues has been named a full partner and shareholder of the firm. She is among the youngest female equity partners in South Florida.

“We are very proud to recognize and reward Melissa’s diligent work and accomplishments on behalf of the firm,” said senior partner Jeffrey Bercow. “She has built an impressive portfolio of clients since joining us in 2002, and has simultaneously become involved in organizations that benefit the community. She is a role model for young attorneys, male and female, on how to build a practice through hard work, endless energy and commitment to giving back.”

Tapanes Llahues represents the interests of landowners, institutional clients, and developers seeking approvals from governmental boards and agencies at the local, state and federal levels. She specializes in managing complex and politically sensitive legislative and quasi-judicial matters from initial due diligence to permitting, including applications and issues related to developments of regional impact, amendments to local government comprehensive plans, vested rights, zoning, platting, and site planning, as well as state and local land development regulations, permitting, enforcement, eminent domain, historic preservation, and archaeological resources.

Melissa has been consistently distinguished from her peers as a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers, an “Up and Comer” by Florida Trend’s Legal Elite, and by numerous Who’s Who publications.

She was named “Director of the Year” by the Latin Builders Association® (LBA) and spearheads the 40-year old organization’s legislative affairs as an Executive Director and Chairwoman of the Legislative Committee. In addition, Melissa serves as Chairwoman of the City of Doral’s Doral Design District Steering Committee and Chairwoman of the Florida International University President’s Council World’s Ahead Faculty Award Committee. She is also a member of the Miami chapter of Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW).

U.S. News-Best Lawyers recently placed Bercow Radell & Fernandez in its prestigious “First Tier” for land use and zoning law as well as real estate law in Miami.

For more than two decades, the attorneys at Bercow Radell & Fernandez have been at the forefront of Miami-Dade County’s phenomenal growth, guiding their clients on all aspects of local, state and federal real estate permitting and licensing, zoning approvals, amendments of local government comprehensive plans, developments of regional impacts (DRIs), due diligence reviews, growth management, concurrency and environmental matters.
The firm’s clients include Lennar Homes, International Speedway Corporation, Woolbright Development, Leon Medical Centers, Home Depot, Southeast Overtown Park West Community Redevelopment Agency, and Florida Power and Light Company, for which they served as lead counsel on its public hearing application for a new nuclear power plant at Turkey Point.

Bercow Radell & Fernandez, located at 200 S. Biscayne Boulevard, Suite 850, Miami, was established in 1996. The firm handles all aspects of local, state and federal real estate permitting and licensing, including zoning approvals, amendments of local government comprehensive plans, developments of regional impacts (DRIs), due diligence reviews, growth management, concurrency and environmental matters.

For more information, contact (305) 374-5300.