Tobin defends private individuals and companies against eminent domain actions from the government.
By Dylan Jackson (https://www.law.com/dailybusinessreview/author/profile/Dylan-Jackson/) | December 10, 2019 at 12:54 PM
Photo by J. Albert Diaz
Akerman partner and eminent domain attorney Mark Tobin has jumped to Am Law 100 rival firm Greenberg Traurig in Miami.
Tobin defends private individuals and companies against eminent domain actions taken by the government. He joined Akerman in 2011, having previously been a lawyer and onetime managing partner of now-shuttered eminent domain firm Brigham Moore for more than two decades.
In a statement, Greenberg senior chairman Matthew Gorson lauded Tobin’s hire as timely. Infrastructure projects are accelerating in South Florida and throughout the state, he said — a viewed shared(https://www.law.com/dailybusinessreview/2019/11/12/recession- technological-change-top-of-mind-in-law-firm-leader-outlook/) by other local law firm leaders. Tobin is the only eminent domain lawyer in all of the firm’s seven Florida offces.
“This is a particularly important area of legal practice at a time when many governments are moving forward with transformational infrastructure projects to meet the needs of growing populations,” he said.
Tobin is currently working on several road expansion and widening projects throughout SouthFlorida, and, over the years, he has secured millions on behalf of his clients.
In 2013, for example, Tobin fought against Broward County in its efforts to acquire the FortLauderdale Airport Hilton. The county needed the land to build a new runway at the FloridaLauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. After initially offering $40 million to buy theproperty, the county paid $62 million to the hotel owners, Fort Lauderdale Owners LLC.
A South Florida native, Tobin said Greenberg Traurig’s long history in real estate was the mainfactor in his move, specifically referencing firm co-founder Robert Traurig’s status as a legendary land-use lawyer.
“When this opportunity came up to join a firm like Greenberg Traurig, where the history fromday one is real estate … that’s a big deal,” he said. “It’s in their DNA.”
Tobin’s hire comes on the heels of Greenberg’s pick-up(https://www.law.com/dailybusinessreview/2019/12/04/greenberg-traurig- lands-former-u-s-attorney-ben-greenberg/) of former U.S. Attorney Ben Greenberg, who joined the firm’s Miami offce last week.