Firm Expands with New Associate

MIAMI LAND USE AND ZONING FIRM BERCOW RADELL & FERNANDEZ HIRES GREGORY FONTELA AS AN ASSOCIATE 

(MIAMI) March 2, 2016 – Bercow Radell & Fernandez is pleased to announce that Gregory Fontela has joined the zoning, land use and environmental law firm as an Associate. Located in downtown Miami, Bercow Radell & Fernandez consistently ranks among the region’s top firms in its specialties.

Gregory brings to the firm significant experience in land use, planning, zoning and environmental law in his role as an associate.

At the top of his class at the University of Miami School of Law, where he graduated magna cum laude, Gregory used his time away from formal studies to work with a number of law firms and government entities to develop his knowledge in the areas he was most passionate about.

As a law clerk for a local firm, he executed full zoning analyses for a variety of properties; researched and drafted memoranda regarding land development regulations at the local and state levels; and navigated the proper avenues to acquire documents and information from a variety of departments to aid clients’ property developments through the regulatory processes.

Gregory also served as an Honors Law Clerk in Washington, D.C. for the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Enforcement, where he researched issues and drafted memoranda regarding a variety of technical and legal environmental issues; prepared and researched information for meetings and negotiations between the EPA and Clean Air Act violators; and  executed the final review and edit of the premier practice guidance document regarding the administrative enforcement mechanisms of the Clean Air Act.

Gregory received his Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies, with a specialization in Economics, from Columbia University. He earned All-Ivy honors on the Rugby Football Club and he was a member of the school’s varsity football team.

While an undergraduate, Gregory spent a summer as an Intern/Assistant to the Department Director of the City of Miami Planning Department, where he helped with planning initiatives and gained firsthand knowledge and experience with the Miami 21 zoning code through attendance and participation in meetings that led to the passing of the bill at the end of the internship.

At the University of Miami School of Law, he graduated towards the top of his class and received the Dean’s Merit Scholarship every year. He was a member of the prestigious University of Miami Law Review and Order of the Coif; received the Student Award from the Florida City, County and Local Government Law Section; and was honored with the Dean’s Certificate of Achievement Award in Criminal Procedure; Innovation, Technology & the Legal Profession; and Real Property & Government.

Gregory is involved in several professional organizations, including the Urban Land Institute; Cuban American Bar Association; Belen Alumni Lawyers Section; and Belen’s Architecture, Construction, Real Estate & Engineering Section (ACRES).

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.

Community involvement is a hallmark of the firm, whose attorneys have been active on numerous boards and associations, including the Downtown Development Authority, Latin Builders Association, Miami Beach Community Development Corporation, and Florida International University.

Bercow Radell & Fernandez’s clients include Marriott International; Terra Group; Canyon Capital Realty Advisors LLC ; Integra Investments; South Beach Tristar Capital, LLC; CG Florida Properties, LLC; Florida Power and Light Company; Leon Medical Centers; Public Storage; Crescent Heights; Apple; Capital One Bank and Nike.

Bercow Radell & Fernandez, located at 200 S. Biscayne Boulevard, Suite 850, Miami, was established in 1996.  For more information, contact (305) 374-5300 or visit www.brzoninglaw.com.