Handling commercial litigation and business transactions with intelligence, precision, diligence.

David Marko

Partner

David Everett Marko is a founding partner at Marko & Magolnick, LLP and heads the firm’s Corporate and Business Transactions Group. Since 1992, Mr. Marko has handled complex transactions on behalf of private and public companies. His practice spans many countries where he has advised clients on issues of corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, crisis management, legal compliance, and other highly sensitive matters.

In addition to his professional activities, Mr. Marko is very active in public service. From 2014 to 2019, he has had the honor of advising the U.S. Secretary of Commerce and the U.S. Trade Representative on customs matters and trade facilitation in connection with U.S. international trade policy as a member of the Industry Trade Advisory Committee (ITAC). He served on ITAC subcommittees on northern border and southern border issues, and also co-chaired the Cuba Working Group. Mr. Marko’s public service has also extended to his community. In addition to serving on the Board of Advisors of the Green Space Initiative, he has served on the Board of Directors of Easter Seals of Miami-Dade County and e-Equality, an organization working to bridge the digital divide among poor and at-risk youth. He has recently served as pro bono counsel for the Green Space Initiative, sponsored by the Green Family Foundation. He has also served as pro bono counsel to Catalyst Miami (formerly, the Human Services Coalition) and has filled a similar role for various other community groups. Since 1999, he has been pro bono general counsel to Access Now, a nationally recognized disability rights organization. He has been honored with special recognition awards from Easter Seal, the City of Miami, and has been nominated for the Dorothy Shula Award for Volunteerism. In 2002, Mr. Marko was awarded a two-year fellowship through the Knight Foundation, focusing on the development of ethical leadership through the Miami Fellows Initiative. He has served on various local governmental boards, including the City of Miami Green Commission, the Homeland Security/Neighborhood Improvement Bond Oversight Board, the City of Miami Commission Districts Boundary Board, and has chaired the City of Miami Veteran’s Task Force.

Mr. Marko has also published various articles in legal and international relations publications, including the Journal of International Law & Trade, the Journal of Natural Resources & Environmental Law, the Hastings Law Journal, and the Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs, and the ILSA Journal of International and Comparative Law.

Martindale-Hubbell has awarded Mr. Marko an AV peer review rating, signifying that other lawyers consider his legal skills to be “very high to preeminent.” He was recently recognized as a Top Lawyer by the South Florida Legal Guide. He has been certified as a mediator by the Florida Supreme Court and has been appointed by the State of Florida as a civil law notary.

Mr. Marko was first admitted to the Bar in 1992 and earned his LLM in International and Comparative Law from the Free University of Brussels, where his academic focus was on emerging markets and business development. He received his law degree from Florida State University, where he also earned his bachelor’s degree in political communication. During his education, he earned numerous academic and advocacy awards. As an undergraduate, he was elected Political Communication Student of the Year by the faculty. In law school, he was selected International Law Student of the Year, and was awarded the Book Award in Ocean and Coastal Law and Moot Court. He was also elected a member of the Order of the Barristers, and was a two-time Moot Court Champion. Mr. Marko was a founding member of the Journal of Progressive Legal Thought. Mr. Marko is currently also pursuing a Master of Arts in International Relations from American University, where his focus is on reinforcing democratic and other stabilizing international institutions.

Born and raised in Miami, he is fully conversant in Spanish.

Education

M.A. in International Relations, American University (in progress)
L.L.M. in International and Comparative Law, Free University of Brussels
J.D., Florida State University
B.A., Florida State University

Admitted to Practice

Florida
U.S. Southern District of Florida
U.S. Middle District of Florida
U.S. Northern District of Florida
U.S. Court of Federal Claims

Joel Magolnick

Partner

Joel S. Magolnick, a partner of Marko & Magolnick, LLP, manages the firm’s Litigation Group. He represents both individual and institutional clients, throughout the US and internationally, in all areas of general litigation, with a focus on complex commercial matters, shareholder disputes, RICO related matters, defamation cases, Internet-related matters, constitutional litigation, and employment-related matters. His clients include multi-national corporations, high-net-worth individuals, celebrities and professional athletes.

Mr. Magolnick has successfully tried many jury and non-jury cases and has been involved in numerous matters which resulted in multi-million dollar recoveries for his clients.  He has served as a court-appointed guardian ad-litem and a receiver.

Mr. Magolnick has successfully represented individual and class action plaintiffs from all areas of the United States and abroad in both complex commercial litigation matters and personal injury matters in various courts throughout the country.  He has been appointed by numerous courts as Class Counsel, and as lead counsel in Multi-District Litigation matters, and has served on Steering Committees.

Mr. Magolnick has been selected as a member of National Trial Lawyers: Top 100 for each year from 2012 through 2018. He is also a member of the American Association for Justice, as well as the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. Martindale-Hubbell has awarded him an AV peer review rating, signifying that other lawyers consider his legal skills to be “very high to preeminent.”

Admitted to the Bar in 1988, Mr. Magolnick earned his law degree from the University of Miami School of Law and received his bachelor’s degree in political science from the State University of New York at Albany. He is fluent in Spanish and represents many clients, both individual and institutional, in Central and South America, and throughout Europe.

Mr. Magolnick volunteers as a guardian ad litem and represents select clients on a pro bono basis in various matters.

He has lived in South Florida since 1985.

Education

J.D., University of Miami School of Law
B.A., State University of New York at Albany

Admitted to Practice

Florida
United States Supreme Court
United States Southern District of Florida
United States Middle District of Florida
United States Northern District of Florida
United States Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals
United States Second Circuit Court of Appeals
United States Third Circuit Court of Appeals

Davide Proietti

Partner

Davide Proietti is a partner at Marko & Magolnick, LLP and practices primarily in the areas of commercial transactions, corporate governance, and commercial litigation.

Mr. Proietti has assisted his clients in connection with complex corporate restructurings, equity and asset sale transactions, debt and equity investments, opinion letters, and numerous contracts, from negotiation to closing. Mr. Proietti also regularly advises clients in connection with trademark applications and administrative proceedings before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Mr. Proietti was admitted to the Florida Bar in 2017 and received his law degree from Florida International University College of Law, where he graduated in the top 10% of his class, with magna cum laude honors. In 2022, Mr. Proietti graduated first in his class at Georgetown University Law Center, Executive LL.M. in Taxation, and was awarded the Thomas Bradbury Chetwood, SJ Prize for academic performance. At Georgetown, Mr. Proietti was selected as a fellow of the Institute of International Economic Law.

Since 2018, Mr. Proietti has served as a volunteer subject-matter expert in law, and as a workshop presenter, with the Miami-Dade Chapter of SCORE, the largest non-profit business mentoring organization in the United States and a resource partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

Before becoming a lawyer, Mr. Proietti worked as an international sales representative and executive for a mid-size Italian manufacturing company, which specialized in the production of composite materials, general aviation airplanes, and defense systems.

Mr. Proietti was born in Rome, Italy, and moved to South Florida in 2009. He is fluent in Italian and conversational in Spanish.

Publications

Avoiding Tax Avoidance: A Rational Proposal to Close Existing Loopholes in the U.S. Corporate Tax System, 12 FIU L. Rev. 225 (2016).

“Cutting the Middleman” in Repossessions: Rights of Consignors Against Bona Fide Purchasers, FIU L. Rev. Blog (Oct. 5, 2016)

Davide Proietti & Nicola Garzaniti, Energia Nucleare: Scelte del Passato e Prospettive Future, in GUARDARE IL FUTURO: SPERANZE, ATTESE, RESPONSABILITÀ (2008) (Italian article on the latest developments in the field of nuclear energy and reactor safety).

Education

LL.M. (Taxation), Georgetown University Law Center, with distinction
J.D., Florida International University College of Law, magna cum laude
B.B.A. (Int’l. Finance & Marketing), University of Miami, cum laude

Admitted to Practice

Florida
U. S. Southern District of Florida

Judge Steve Leifman

Of Counsel

Judge Steve Leifman is Of Counsel to Marko & Magolnick, LLP and is internationally recognized for his leadership in behavioral health policy, criminal justice reform, healthcare systems, and government affairs. Throughout his distinguished judicial career, he helped redefine how courts, healthcare providers, law enforcement agencies, and governments respond to individuals with serious mental illnesses and substance use disorders.

Judge Leifman served on the Miami-Dade County Court for nearly thirty years and was the Associate Administrative Judge of the Criminal Division from 2000 until his retirement in 2024. During his tenure, he developed and implemented nationally recognized initiatives that reduced incarceration, improved public safety, expanded access to treatment, and generated significant cost savings for government.

Among his most significant accomplishments was creating the internationally recognized Miami Model, widely regarded as one of the nation’s most successful behavioral health diversion systems. The model integrates law enforcement, courts, healthcare providers, housing organizations, and community treatment providers into a coordinated continuum of care that has become a blueprint for jurisdictions across the United States.

Judge Leifman also led the effort to develop the Miami Center for Mental Health and Recovery, the nation’s first comprehensive diversion and treatment facility specifically designed to serve individuals with serious mental illnesses and substance use disorders. The Center represents one of the most significant behavioral health infrastructure projects in the country and reflects more than two decades of collaboration among federal, state, and local governments.

His national leadership includes serving as Special Advisor on Criminal Justice and Mental Health to the Florida Supreme Court; Chair of the Florida Supreme Court Task Force on Substance Abuse and Mental Health Issues in the Courts; Chair of the Steering Committee on Problem-Solving Courts; Co-Chair of the American Bar Association Criminal Justice Mental Health Committee; Co-Chair of the Judges and Psychiatrists Leadership Initiative; and appointments to both the National Judicial Task Force to Examine State Courts’ Response to Mental Illness and the federal Interdepartmental Serious Mental Illness Coordinating Committee (ISMICC).

Judge Leifman has advised governors, chief justices, legislatures, Congress, federal agencies, state and local governments, healthcare systems, universities, and nonprofit organizations throughout the United States on behavioral health policy, justice reform, crisis response, competency restoration, diversion systems, supportive housing, and healthcare infrastructure. His work spans strategic planning, public-private partnerships, governmental relations, legislative initiatives, and systems redesign.

Following his retirement from the judiciary, Judge Leifman founded The Leifman Group, where he continues to advise governments, courts, healthcare organizations, and private entities on complex behavioral health and public policy initiatives. As Of Counsel, he brings this unique combination of judicial leadership, government experience, strategic planning, and national policy expertise to clients facing sophisticated legal, regulatory, and operational challenges.

Judge Leifman has received many of the nation’s highest honors for judicial excellence and public service, including the William H. Rehnquist Award for Judicial Excellence, presented by Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr.; the inaugural Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Award for Judicial Excellence; Governing Magazine’s Public Official of the Year; the Papal Medal Benemerenti, conferred by Pope Francis; the Alvah H. Chapman, Jr. Award of Excellence; and an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Nova Southeastern University.

He is a Lecturer in Psychiatry at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and a Voluntary Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. His scholarship has appeared in numerous publications, including The Atlantic, and his work has been featured extensively by national media, including The New York Times, The New England Journal of Medicine, CNN, CBS News, NBC News, NPR, PBS, and The Wall Street Journal. He is also the subject of the nationally broadcast PBS documentary The Definition of Insanity.

Lawrence Lambert

Of Counsel

Lawrence Lambert is an AV® Preeminent™ rated business attorney who has been practicing in South Florida for 25 years.  His practice focuses principally in the areas of business litigation and appeals in state and federal courts, business arbitration, and assisting small businesses with their corporate transactional needs, including formation, mergers and acquisitions, contracting, employment and general legal needs. He has been recognized as a top attorney in business litigation by Florida Super Lawyers Magazine since 2017 and was previously recognized as one its Rising Stars. He has also been recognized as one of Florida Trend Magazine’s Legal Elite™.

Mr. Lambert is an honors graduate of the University of Florida Fredric C. Levin College of Law where he served as both the Senior Research and Senior Articles Editor of the Florida Law Review.  He also served as the student editor of the East African Journal of Peace and Human Rights, a student research assistant for the Center for Governmental Responsibility at the University of Florida and as an Appellate Advocacy Teaching Assistant.

Mr. Lambert received his undergraduate degree in Marketing and Management from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia.  While there, Mr. Lambert served as a Trustee for the Class of 1991 and was a member of the historic Jefferson Literary & Debating Society.  He was also president of the Mu Chapter of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity.

Robert Menje

Of Counsel

Robert E. Menje is Of Counsel at Marko & Magolnick, LLP.  Mr. Menje regularly advises individuals and corporate clients on a wide range of litigation matters, arbitrations and appeals, including business and commercial litigation, contractual disputes, professional liability and malpractice, securities arbitration, community association litigation, subrogation, and fraud.

Mr. Menje was admitted to the Florida Bar in 2014.  He began his legal career at a large insurance defense firm in downtown Miami where he handled hundreds of cases in the areas of professional liability, legal malpractice, securities and broker liability, breach of fiduciary duty, condominium and community association litigation, real estate disputes, employment and civil rights litigation, among others.  Mr. Menje has attended hundreds of hearings, has taken countless depositions, has handled arbitrations with FINRA, AAA, and JAMS and administrative proceedings before the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation (DBPR), the Florida Commission on Human Relations (FCHR), the Miami-Dade Commission on Human Rights Board, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and has handled trials throughout Florida in both State and Federal Court.

In May 2018, Mr. Menje obtained a defense verdict in Federal Court in favor of his client, a commercial refrigerator manufacturer who had been sued by three insurance companies for subrogation.  The damages had been stipulated at $2.25 million.  In November 2018, Mr. Menje prevailed at the Second District Court of Appeal, which reversed an unfavorable judgment after a non-jury trial, and was remanded with directions for the trial court to enter an involuntary dismissal in favor of the client, a real estate attorney.  In April 2019, Mr. Menje prevailed at the Third District Court of Appeal, which issued a Writ of Certiorari quashing an overbroad discovery order that would have violated the constitutional rights of the client, a law firm and its attorneys.  Most recently, in May 2019, Mr. Menje prevailed at the Second District Court of Appeal, which affirmed summary judgment in favor of the client, a condominium association.

Mr. Menje was born and raised in New York City.  He attended the State University of New York at Binghamton and New York Law School, graduating in 2009 and 2014, respectively.  Prior to and during law school, he worked in finance and insurance for a broker-dealer firm in New York City.  After law school, Mr. Menje did what tens of thousands of New Yorkers do every year – moved to Florida.  In his free time, Mr. Menje enjoys water retrieving with his Labrador Retriever, Jeter, trap and skeet shooting, reading non-fiction history, and reading biographies of great (and some not so great) leaders.  Mr. Menje is an active member of the Federalist Society and the Broward County Bar Association, and he frequently volunteers for Legal Aid Service of Broward County.

Education

J.D., New York Law School
B.A., State University of New York at Binghamton

Admitted to Practice

Florida
United States District Court, Southern District of Florida
United States District Court, Middle District of Florida
United States District Court, Northern District of Florida
United States District Court, District of Colorado

John Kirkpatrick

Of Counsel

John E. Kirkpatrick has extensive experience in both transactions and litigation, including advising privately and publicly held companies on corporate strategy, mergers and acquisitions, intellectual property rights, and complex litigation. He has worked with clients from around the world ranging from start-ups to conglomerates in technology, financial services, telecommunications, health care, and real estate.  His diverse experience positions him to counsel all sizes of companies, and to lead clients and legal teams in a rapidly changing world.

Mr. Kirkpatrick has advised clients and resolved disputes and litigation in, among other places, Florida, New York, Virginia, Washington, D.C., Ohio, Texas, Illinois, California, as well as internationally.  Although he began his career as a transactional attorney, Mr. Kirkpatrick discovered a love for litigation strategy and practice while advising arbitrage clients on hostile takeovers.  He has served as lead counsel on large commercial cases resulting in tens of millions of dollars of favorable jury verdicts.

John has also worked as an entrepreneur in real estate, entertainment, health care, and technology and has served on the boards of companies in the not-for-profit sector.  He is familiar with the day-to-day problems faced by small and medium size businesses.

John is a member of The Florida Bar and is admitted to practice before the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeal and the Southern District of Florida.  He received his juris doctor from Georgetown University Law Center in 1983, and his bachelor-of-arts from Georgetown University in 1980.

Pablo Fonseca

Associate

Pablo Fonseca is an associate at Marko & Magolnick, LLP, where he focuses his practice on commercial transactions and corporate governance matters.

Mr. Fonseca has helped clients navigate a range of transactions, including company formations, negotiation and drafting of operating agreements, complex corporate restructurings, equity and asset sales, debt and equity investments, opinion letters, and commercial contracts.

Mr. Fonseca was admitted to the Florida Bar in 2022 and received his law degree from Nova Southeastern University College of Law, where he was on the Dean’s List for all semesters and obtained a CALI Excellence for the Future Award in Contracts.

Prior to joining Marko & Magolnick, LLP, Mr. Fonseca worked as a judicial intern for the Honorable Peter R. Lopez (Eleventh Judicial Circuit – Civil Division) and for General Magistrate Steven Lieberman (Eleventh Judicial Circuit – Unified Children’s Court).

Mr. Fonseca was born in Miami, Florida. He is fluent in Spanish.

Education

J.D., Nova Southeastern University College of Law
B.A. (English), Florida International University

Admitted to Practice

Florida

Roberta Dunn Bartley

Of Counsel

Roberta (Robbi) Dunn Bartley is Of Counsel at Marko & Magolnick, LLP. Ms. Bartley has more than 29 years experience as an attorney in South Florida and offers clients throughout the region real estate, estate planning, probate, and business planning services customized to meet their specific needs.

Robbi’s foundation in business and accounting, as well as Master of Law (LL.M.) in taxation, provides clients with a knowledgeable attorney that can guide clients through many of the major life decisions we all face throughout our lifetimes.

Roberta has received an AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell, an achievement that demonstrates she has earned the highest rating available for her legal ability and professional ethics.

Education

LL.M., Taxation, University of Florida College of Law

LL.M., Estate Planning, University of Miami School of Law

J.D., University of Florida College of Law

M.B.A., Accounting, University of Florida

B.S., Lehigh University

Roy Weinfeld

Of Counsel

Roy Weinfeld is an AV-rated attorney, who concentrates his practice in the areas of creditors’ rights in bankruptcy, evictions, replevins, and post-judgment enforcement. With 30 years of experience as an attorney, Roy has provided legal representation to many institutional and private lenders, finance companies, commercial and residential property owners, management companies, and small businesses. Roy has presented numerous Florida Bar-approved seminars in his areas of concentration. Roy is Adjunct Faculty in Paralegal Studies at Miami-Dade College.

Born and raised in Miami, Roy has been an active member of the community and supported various local charitable and civic causes.

Education:

J.D., University of Miami School of Law

B.A., University of Miami, Honors Program

Bar Admissions:

Florida

United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida

United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida

United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida

United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Florida

United States Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida

United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Florida

United States Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals

Michael Bartley

Associate

Michael Bartley is an Associate at Marko & Magolnick, LLP and practices primarily in the areas of commercial transactions, corporate governance, and commercial litigation.

Mr. Bartley was admitted to the Florida Bar and received his law degree from Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad College of Law.

Mr. Bartley received his undergraduate degree from Lehigh University with a Bachelor of Science in Finance with a Minor in Real Estate Valuation. In the course of earning his degree, Lehigh’s Real Estate Practicum had Mr. Bartley work directly with BET Investments in the valuation of a multi-family property located in the Main Line area of Philadelphia. The culmination of this valuation was an investment committee level presentation to a group of 50+ commercial real estate professionals from the tri-state area.

Before becoming a lawyer, Mr. Bartley worked as a Proprietary Trader for T3 Trading Group, LLC with a Series 56 granted by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). Mr. Bartley also worked at the Sembler Company as the Market Research Manager for the Commercial Leasing and Development Departments in St. Petersburg, Florida. Mr. Bartley also spent 2 years working as a Commercial Sales Associate for Tower Brokerage in New York, New York.

Mr. Bartley was born in Boca Raton, Florida, and attended high school there at St. Andrews School.

Education

B.S. (Finance), Lehigh University

J.D., Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad College of Law

Admitted to Practice

Florida