Colodny Fass in 2012 South Florida Legal Guide
Jan 17, 2012
Known as one of Florida’s top lobbying firms, Colodny Fass provides creative solutions to complex regulatory, administrative, commercial, governmental and litigation matters. The 35-year-old full-service law firm now has 23 attorneys in its Fort Lauderdale and Tallahassee offices.
“Through the years, we have built a national and international practice right here in South Florida,” says partner Howard Talenfeld. “Our work has impacted insurance laws and regulations, state social services programs and child advocacy laws in Florida and across the country.”
The firm was founded in 1976 when Michael Colodny and Joel Fass – now managing partner – opened an office on Biscayne Boulevard in North Miami. “That was long before the days of cell phones or even fax machines,” says Colodny, whose background was government relations. In contrast, Fass had been a district attorney in Brooklyn and was developing a criminal defense practice. Today, Fass focuses on personal injury, commercial litigation and civil rights, and has served as a special prosecutor and counsel for governmental entities.
The firm opened a Tallahassee office in 1998 for its regulatory, legislative and government relations practices. Katherine Scott Webb, the firm’s Tallahassee partner, was recently voted the “outstanding lobbyist” by the Florida Insurance Counsel. Currently, the firm also represents public clients like the School Board of Broward County, Florida Police Chiefs Association and the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority.
Colodny Fass has been involved in state and federal regulatory work since its earliest days. In the 1980s, Colodny focused much of his practice on bank formations and regulations. He assisted in the formation of Gibraltar Savings and Loan and First State Bank, and represented First American Bank holding company.
In addition, Colodny became involved in the insurance regulatory field, and represented the state Department of Insurance in the late 1980s. “We were chasing the assets of insolvent insurance companies for the state in order to pay their claimants,” he says.
That process reached a climax in 1992 after Hurricane Andrew struck South Florida, causing upwards of $20 billion in damage. Immediately after the hurricane, 26 insurance companies folded or said they would stop writing policies, according to Colodny. State Insurance Commissioner Tom Gallagher realized that a collapse of the homeowners insurance market would affect the state’s real estate and mortgage industries as well. In the next legislative session, Gallagher introduced a bill to create the Florida Residential Property and Casualty Association Joint Underwriting Agreement (known as the JUA) as the insurer of last resort.
“The JUA was instrumental in saving Florida’s real estate market,” says Colodny, who was appointed as general counsel, a role that continued until 2005, after the JUA had become Citizens Property Insurance Corporation. He also helped the state close on several bond issues that raised billions of dollars to support the insurance fund. “We convinced the money center banks that this risk was well underwritten and that Florida had the capacity to pay,” Colodny says. “As a result, the JUA became the prototype for the California Earthquake Authority, a Hawaiian tsunami fund and other state programs that provide coverage against potentially catastrophic events.”
An international publication that covers insurance and reinsurance issues, Reactions Magazine, has recognized Colodny Fass for several years as one of the top insurance law firms and superior to substantially larger peers, as recognized by survey respondents.
But in October 2005, the firm had to deal with its own hurricane experience. Hurricane Wilma blew out windows in the firm’s building (the old Landmark building), which closed for 60 days. “This was the oldest high rise in downtown Fort Lauderdale,” says Talenfeld.
“The construction allowed the wind to come down inside the curtain wall and blow out the windows on the lower floors,” says Colodny.
Colodny Fass has served as outside defense counsel for two other governors, two department secretaries and defended the state in class action litigation over foster care, mental health, food stamps and other healthcare issues.
Many other members of the firm are active in civic and non-profit causes. Colodny has served as city councilman and mayor of the City of North Miami, city attorney for Golden Beach and special counsel for the City of South Miami. He also earned the Carrie Meek Award for his efforts to promote community education in Miami-Dade County.
In Fort Lauderdale, Fass started “President’s Fest in the Park,” bringing 50,000 or more people together for a day of fun at Markham Park, while raising $1 million for charity causes. Abate has become a leader in raising funds for the Women’s Breast Health Initiative so its mobile vans can visit underserved Broward neighborhoods and provide free mammogram screenings. Giving back to the community – and supporting each other’s work – are among the core values at Colodny Fass. “That’s what’s been driving force behind this firm,” says Colodny, “and today, you can see the results.”