Daily Business Review, Alexander Lugo, November 29, 2022
Miami-based Podhurst Orseck promoted one of its associates to partner and hired another attorney as it continues to lean on its reputation to compete with big firms moving into Miami.
Miami-based litigation firm Podhurst Orseck has promoted one of its associates to partner and hired an additional associate to replace her, as competition continues to intensify in the city.
Kristina Infante, who has handled several high-profile cases—including a lawsuit against the FBI over how the agency handled the Parkland shooting—since she joined as an associate from Boies Schiller Flexner in 2018, was promoted to partner on Monday; while Zachary Gorwitz, who has experience within the federal courts system, joined to fill her role as an associate.
The moves come at a time when Miami is experiencing a migration of Big Law firms to the region, forcing smaller firms to compete for business and talent. But Podhurst isn’t stressing the competition.
Despite its size, Podhurst has helmed high-profile cases taking on big names like Boeing and the NFL. One of the main reasons Podhurst Orseck finds it easy to compete with bigger firms moving in is because of the firm’s track record, said senior partner Ricardo Martinez-Cid.
Even though Podhurst is seeing an increase in demand, Martinez-Cid said the firm is actually turning down good cases because it wants to be careful not to overextend itself. The firm wants a team who can really devote themselves to their cases and that’s one of the things that stands out, he said.
“We’re generally dealing with incredibly sophisticated clients on very significant matters, and so they’re not looking for numbers of lawyers, they’re looking for quality,” he said.
Both Infante and Gorwitz agree that the firm’s reputation is what draws in clients. They also noted that the firm’s culture is what drove both attorneys to choose Podhurst.
“When I interviewed here, it was a long interview process that went on for months, and I met with every single lawyer at the firm,” Gorwitz said. “These are decisions that the firm does not take lightly.”
It’s that level of selectiveness and thoughtfulness that Gorwitz said convinced him to join the firm, he said.
As for Infante’s tenure, she said that the firm trusted her to be lead counsel on the Parkland case at the early stages of her career despite the case’s importance. That mixed with its emphasis on mentorship is why she’s happy she landed at the firm.
“I don’t know that I would have had an experience like that at any other firm,” she said.
She emphasized that she was happy at her former firm, Boies Schiller, but she jumped at the chance to join Podhurst because it might have been her only chance to join such a selective and recognized firm.
“It’s one of the great honors of my life,” she said.