Movers & Shakers: South Florida law firms add real estate attorneys

South Florida real estate firms are adding to their headcount in the latest roundup of hiring news.

Former Miami-Dade County assistant attorney Dennis Kerbel joined Akerman as chair of its Florida land use and entitlements practice, according to a press release. Kerbel will also be part of Akerman’s national real estate practice group, the release shows. He will be based in the firm’s Miami office.

Kerbel worked with the county for 21 years, and has been its chief of zoning, land use and environment since 2015, according to the release. He’s a litigator and will focus on comprehensive plan challenges, zoning appeals and enforcement actions in his role at Akerman.

Akerman is one of the largest law firms in the country, and has more than 700 lawyers and 24 offices around the country. It ranked 13th in The Real Deal’s top real estate law firms of 2023.  

Another law firm, Becker, brought in Allison Hertz as a shareholder in the firm’s community association practice, according to an announcement. Becker is headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, but Hertz will be based in the West Palm Beach office, the release shows. 

Hertz focuses her practice on representing community associations and property owners across a range of legal issues. She is co-chair of the Florida Bar Real Property Probate and Trust Section’s Condominium and Planned Development Law Committee. 

Also in Palm Beach County, Suzanne Petrizzi, an agent with more than $200 million in career sales, returned to the Corcoran Group just nine months after she jumped to Serhant, a spokesperson confirmed. Petrizzi and her team of five agents moved to Serhant’s Delray Beach office in August. She alone is returning to Corcoran.

Gridline Properties, a Miami-based commercial real estate brokerage, promoted Emilia Howard to senior associate and leasing director, a press release shows. Howard joined Gridline as a broker in 2019.

In her new role, Howard will head the leasing team and its strategy, and take on new business development and landlord relationship management, the release shows. 
Howard’s promotion follows Gridline’s hiring of senior associates Felipe Azenha and Ben Hoffman in February.