There are many factors a lawyer considers when making the leap to a new firm. For Roig Lawyer’s newest member of its Appellate Practice Group, the choice heavily relied on the firm’s unique culture and commitment to its values.
“People who work here stay here for years. There’s a sense of loyalty,” said Jeffrey Geldens, the firm’s newly hired Senior Associate of its Appellate Practice Group.
Geldens was encouraged to join Roig by the head of the firm’s Miami office Nelson Bellido, who had worked with Geldens at another firm.
“Jeff came back to work with me after working with me at a previous firm, where we had a good experience,” Bellido said. “He came from the Third District Court of Appeal, recommended to me by Judge Leslie Rothenberg, who said he was outstanding.”
Geldens has dedicated over a decade of his career to appellate, including seven years’ experience in appeals for the Florida Attorney General’s Office. He joins Roig’s Appellate Practice Group Co-chair’s Veresa Jones Adams and Abbi Freifeld Carr to complete a team with extensive experience serving Fortune 500 companies in litigation at every level of the court system. To read a Q&A with Geldens, click here.
The Firm’s Clientele
Adams and Carr have extensive experience handling commercial litigation at the trial and appellate levels for high-end, blue chip companies and insurers.
For example, in her 15 years of practice, Adams has represented the world’s largest pharmaceutical, retail, rideshare, automotive, medical, and insurance companies. She has worked on large and complex multidistrict litigation, including hormone replacement, tobacco, asbestos, and airbag cases.
Attorneys at Roig enter litigation with a focus on preserving the record for potential appeals, providing full service through the entire court process. For instance, Adams represents one of the largest hospital employers in the country. In one matter, an EMS driver got into a physical altercation with a patient who sued the hospital. Questions in trial revolved around whether the patient should undergo a mental health evaluation. A trial judge awarded the evaluation, and the patient appealed to the Fourth District Court of Appeal. Adams briefed the issue, and the court affirmed, leading the plaintiff to drop the case.
The firm has also seen significant success with proposals for settlement in Florida, winning briefings on the issue, including clarification of law in the Second District Court of Appeal.
Value for Clients and Valuing the Community
Two differentiating factors separate Roig from other firms. It’s the largest minority-owned law firm in Florida, and it focuses on providing value for clients at the appellate level.
“We’re very successful and very reasonable,” Bellido said. “Most attorneys are looking to make a buck, saying let’s file briefs on appeal. We say, ‘Here’s an opportunity. If we won and there’s an appeal on the other side, maybe we can resolve the issue by picking up the phone so we don’t have to spend more money arguing the appeal.’ And we don’t charge the kind of rates big law appellate lawyers charge. We don’t take that approach. We’re trying to provide value for our clients. When you do good work and provide value, clients stay with you, and they refer you to others. That’s our approach to business.”
Companies seeking to hire a minority-owned law firm choose Roig for its excellence, value, and sincere commitment to community service through pro bono work, volunteerism, and support of causes.
An emphasis on diversity arises out of intentionality around culture, within the firm and in the community.
“Here you’re dealing with people with good hearts, and it really makes the difference in how they manage, operate, and run the firm,” Geldens said. “They are good at making sure people are fulfilled, not just in the practice itself, which makes for better and happier attorneys.”
