Duane Morris LLP, among the one hundred largest law firms in the nation, today announced that two lawyers in the firm’s Miami office, Miguel Diaz de la Portilla and Luis E. Rojas, have been elected partners. Both Diaz de la Portilla and Rojas are members of the firm’s Corporate Practice Group. Messrs. Diaz de la Portilla and Rojas are also part of Public Affairs Management LLC, a national public affairs and government relations consulting firm, and a wholly owned subsidiary of Duane Morris.
Miguel directs the firm’s state and local government and administrative law practice in Florida. He practices in the areas of zoning and land use, municipal law, administrative law, urban development law and litigation. A former Miami-Dade County commissioner, he was first elected in 1993 and was re-elected without opposition in 1996. Thereafter, he was unanimously chosen to chair the Miami-Dade Board of County commissioners and is the youngest person to have served the public in that capacity.
As a commissioner, Miguel successfully sponsored the creation of the Office of the Inspector General, led efforts to transform the land use and zoning process in Miami-Dade County and was a strong advocate for efficient, ethical government. He also chaired the Tri-Rail Commuter Rail Authority Board of Directors, was the founding chair of the Regional Transit Organization and was a member of the Value Adjustment Board, which hears appeals of decisions by the property appraiser. In addition, he served on the South Florida Regional Planning Council and the Governor’s Commission for a Sustainable South Florida.
Miguel is a member of the American, Florida, Dade County and Cuban-American bar associations. He is active in the American Bar Association’s State and Local Government Law section and the Florida Bar’s City, County, and Local Government and Environment and Land Use sections. He is an active member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and serves on its Public/Private Partnership Council. Miguel has served as a visiting professor at Florida International University. He is a 1987 graduate of the University of Miami School of Law and a graduate of the University of Miami.
Luis started and directs the firm’s governmental and administrative law practice in Florida. He practices in the areas of zoning and land use, administrative and international law and has handled matters before both state and local agencies.
Luis is a former Florida state legislator and served in the House of Representatives for 12 years. During his tenure, he authored legislation which created the Information Technology Task Force, helped create the NAP of the Americas and assisted in the simplification of the nation’s first telecommunication tax code in Florida.
A former vice chair of the American Legislative Exchange Council, Luis served on the National Conference of State Legislators. Born in Havana, Cuba, he is a former member of the board of directors of the National Conference of Hispanic State Legislators and also served as a political advisor to a former presidential candidate in Venezuela.
He is a member of the Florida, Dade County and the Cuban-American bar associations. Luis is a 1982 graduate of Nova Southeastern University, Shepard Broad Law Center and a graduate of Florida International University.
