Today we’d like to introduce you to Liz Adler.
Liz, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I am Senior Counsel at Greenspoon Marder LLP, a full-service law firm located in Fort Lauderdale. The bulk of my practice centers on land use litigation for matters all over the state of Florida; however, I also practice a very wide range of commercial litigation disputes, and I am transitioning to take on transactional real estate matters as well.
Has it been a smooth road?
My road to the law was not bumpy, but it certainly curved several times. I have 12 lawyers (and counting) in my family. So from an outside perspective, my path towards the law would seem pretty straightforward. It is what I knew, and what I grew up with. However, my mother is a tremendous artist. I have been very fortunate to have inherited her talent and love of the Arts, which she has instilled in me since day 1. Although my father likes to tell stories of how I would zealously advocate for things as a child, my mother has an equal amount of stories about how she would wake up in the middle of the night to the sounds of my sewing or painting in our garage. This split in my brain between the law and the Arts was something that I debated incessantly. In high school I was awarded with the Miami Herald Silver Knight award in the category of business, based upon a sewing business I started as well as a community service project I initiated where I taught quilting. I then attended Emory University in Atlanta for undergrad, where I majored in Art History.
During my college years, I interned at Sotheby’s auction house in New York City, and at the Carter Center in Atlanta in the Art Collection Services department where I helped oversee President Carter’s art collection at the Center. Ultimately, I decided to attend law school at the University of Miami. However, I did not relinquish my passion for the Arts. While in law school, I worked for a non-profit where I helped establish a legal-aid clinic for artists. I also served as a research assistant for one of my professors, and we co-authored a publication for a well-renowned seminar on Legal Issues in Museum Administration. As a practicing lawyer, I try to do as many creative things as possible. For example, I got engaged to my husband shortly after I starting practicing law fulltime.
For our wedding, I designed and hand-carved a woodprint for the wedding invitation, and individually pressed each invitation. I also hand-made every single flower for our wedding, and knitted a covering for our chuppah (among a million other things). Now that I am a mother of two little boys, it has been a bit more challenging to engage with the Arts and create as much as I would like too; but I am trying! My new favorite pastime is hand-painting portraits of my kids onto t-shirts.
We’d love to hear more about your practice. What else should we know?
I concentrate my practice on land use litigation. In 2011, I became certified by the U.S. Green Building Council as a LEED Green Associate for my knowledge and understanding of environmentally sustainable land development practices. I am in progress for my exam to become a LEED AP. Currently, I am serving as a board member on the City of Fort Lauderdale’s Sustainability Advisory Board for a fourth consecutive year; the Sustainability Advisory Board is tasked with recommending affordable strategies associated with conservation, renewable energy, and energy efficiency and researching environmentally sound practices that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, save money, energy, and resources in the City of Fort Lauderdale. I am particularly passionate about issues of sustainability and resiliency and deeply enjoy my service to the City of Fort Lauderdale in this regard. I also currently serve on the Steering Committee for the Ghost Light Society of the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. The Ghost Light Society’s core mission is to raise funds to promote and encourage Arts education in Broward County. It is an amazing organization, and I am thrilled to be a part of it.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I think it is wonderful. Since our inception in 1981, Greenspoon Marder has thrived in South Florida. Over the last 38 years, the firm has grown to over 700 attorneys and staff with 26 office locations across the U.S. There are a variety of opportunities and resources here in South Florida that cannot be found elsewhere.
Contact Info:
- Address: 200 East Broward Blvd, Suite 1800, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
- Website: www.gmlaw.com
- Phone: 954-491-1120
- Email: info@gmlaw.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greenspoonmarder/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greenspoon.marder/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/GMLaw_Tweets
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkxl_ghIabKnI6Y3M8ypmvA/
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