Our Attorneys
The team at Perez Legal Group features devoted advocates who are always ready to serve your needs, from health care services to criminal defense to litigation. Delivering justice for you is our first priority.
Meet our team
Unlike large, impersonal firms, Perez Legal Group takes a boutique approach to your legal challenges. You get the benefit of the close, personal attention of experienced, proven attorneys who make it their business to know your case inside and out, no matter how complex. We've sat across the table from some of the most high-powered attorneys and won, and our goal is to deliver you that same winning strategy.
Elizabeth Perez
Partner
Elizabeth P. Perez established Perez Legal Group in 2016 after practicing health law, complex commercial litigation and criminal defense at some of South Florida’s most prestigious law firms. Her desire to serve the complete legal needs of health care providers in both their professional and personal lives, led to the creation of a boutique firm singularly focused on service and value. Her broad background in litigation, health care and other areas of the law makes her uniquely qualified to represent health care clients in a wide range of matters, including commercial and civil litigation, health law and administrative proceedings. She also has extensive experience handling commercial, business and contractual disputes, business transactions and family law matters. Ms. Perez began her career in the Public Defenders Office, 11th Judicial Circuit of Florida, and later spent more than eight years in private practice before establishing her own firm. A native of Miami, she is active in various community and professional organizations, including the Florida Association of Women Lawyers, Hispanic Bar Association, Cuban American Bar Association, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the American Health Lawyer's Association. She is a graduate of Leadership Miami and is fluent in Spanish. EXPERIENCE • Handling major litigation and arbitration matters, including the representation of hospitals and other health care providers in multi-million-dollar disputes with managed care payors, as well as disputes between health care providers. • Dealing with Medicare and Medicaid issues, including reimbursement, overpayment, provider revocations, suspension hearings and prepayment reviews, as well as administrative proceedings at the state and federal level. • Supporting clients facing state and federal criminal charges and investigations, including white collar criminal and quasi-criminal cases and cases alleging health care fraud, as well as other state and federal crimes. Her experience covers all aspects of criminal defense, from bond hearings through trial, sentencing and post conviction hearings. She has brought more than 50 trials to verdict. EDUCATION • J.D., Florida State University College of Law, Tallahassee, Florida • B.A., Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida PUBLISHED WORKS • “The Domino Effect: Tougher Medicare Regulations Have Far-Reaching Implications for Florida Physicians” South Florida Hospital News and Healthcare Report - February 2016 HONORS • Torchbearer Leadership Award • Recipient of the Florida Education Fund Minority Participation in Legal Education Scholarship • Honored as the 2014 "Top Up and Comer" and named a "Top Lawyer" every year from 2015 through the present by the South Florida Legal Guide LANGUAGES Fluent in English and Spanish Ofrecemos representacion legal en su idioma. BAR ADMISSION • Florida, 1999 • U.S. District Court Southern District of Florida • U.S. District Court Middle District of Florida PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS • Dade County Bar Association • Cuban American Bar Association, Member • American Health Lawyer's Association, Member • Florida Association of Women Lawyers • Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Member • Leadership Miami Class of 2006
Vanessa Reynolds
Of Counsel
Vanessa A. Reynolds serves as Of Counsel in the Firm with more than three decades of healthcare law experience. She has represented both institutional and individual providers in healthcare operations, regulatory compliance, licensure, Medicare and Medicaid disputes and risk management. Because all healthcare providers, from sole practitioners to large multi-facility hospital systems, are governed by similar regulatory frameworks, she provides advice and counsel to those navigating the industry’s complex regulatory environment. A Board-Certified Health Law Attorney for 18 years, Ms. Reynolds most recently was a partner at the prestigious Fort Lauderdale law firm of Broad and Cassel (now Nelson Mullins), where she worked for more than 12 years. Board certification as a specialist in health law is the highest level of recognition by the Florida Bar of the competency and experience of attorneys in the areas of law approved for certification by the Supreme Court of Florida. She also is certified in Healthcare Privacy Compliance (CHPC) by the Health Care Compliance Association’s Compliance Certification Board (CCB). Ms. Reynolds has been recognized with an AV® Peer Review Rating with Martindale-Hubbell, the agency's highest mark for both competency and ethics and is achieved by only five percent of attorneys. A frequent speaker to healthcare professional groups regarding regulatory compliance, she also served as an adjunct professor in St. Thomas University’s health care administration master’s degree program. EXPERIENCE • Obtaining a federal appellate decision prohibiting the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) from applying the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) as a federal malpractice act. CMS later adopted the decision as a rule. • Successfully challenging alleged violations of HIPAA by multi-specialty medical groups and other healthcare providers. • Successfully challenging alleged Medicare overpayments by facilities and practitioners. • Advising the Medical Executive Committees of a multi-facility hospital system regarding peer review and medical staff issues. • Successfully defending practitioners from Department of Health investigations of alleged licensure violations. • Preparing facility policies and procedures, medical staff bylaws, responses to regulatory investigations, contracts and other operational documents for healthcare facilities. EDUCATION • J.D., Nova University Law Center, Fort Lauderdale, Florida • B.S. in Political Science, Florida International University, Miami, Florida • B.S. in Healthcare Administration, Florida International University, Miami, Florida HONORS/COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT • Leadership Broward Executive Leadership Orientation Graduate • Executive Leadership Board of Extraordinary Women Leading Change • Executive Leadership Council for the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women BAR ADMISSION • Florida • U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida • U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS • Board of Directors of the Florida Society for Healthcare Risk Management and Patient Safety
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For your convenience, you can reach our firm through the contact form at right or by calling us at 305-709-0888. Make your appointment today and take the first step toward resolving your legal problem.