CANDACE R. DUFF
Duff Law & Mediation, PLLC
Phone: (305) 987-0234
[email protected]
Duff Law & Mediation, PLLC’s owner – Candace Duff, Esq. – is a Florida Supreme Court certified Civil Circuit mediator and a Florida Supreme Court qualified arbitrator. She’s also listed on the American Arbitration Association’s Commercial and Construction rosters of neutrals, and the mediation rosters of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida and the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. She’s board certified by the Florida Bar in Construction Law and a civil trial attorney with more than twenty five years experience successfully representing clients in civil litigation and construction matters.
EXPERIENCE
Duff Law & Mediation, PLLC, Hollywood, FL
Mediator, Arbitrator, Mediation Coach
May, 2014 – Present
Mediates and arbitrates civil and appellate disputes including but not limited to construction claims, insurance claims, commercial disputes, contracts, employment discrimination, bankruptcy, ADA violations, landlord/tenant issues, labor and employment disputes, local government issues, qui tam disputes, condominium claims, foreclosure and other real estate matters.
City Attorney’s Office, City of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 300 N. Andrews Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Assistant City Attorney
March, 2016 – June, 2018
Responsible for handling all legal issues pertaining to the Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, labor and employment matters, probate matters and bankruptcy matters. Provided legal advice to the City Commission, officials, managers and staff on ethical and legal issues. Provided ethics training. Drafted proposed ordinances, resolutions, leases and ethics memoranda. Negotiated with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”). Oversaw compliance with FAA requirements, deed restrictions and grant assurances. Negotiated, drafted, and handled legal issues arising from the City’s leases with airport property tenants. Represented the City in legal proceedings. Monitored cases handled by outside counsel.
Greenberg Traurig, P.A., 333 S.E. 2nd Avenue, Suite 4400, Miami, FL 33131
Shareholder
August 1992-May, 2014
Represented clients in complex commercial, construction, condominium, employment, banking, tort, products liability, insurance coverage, aircraft lease, qui tam, and real estate litigation in state and federal courts and administrative proceedings. Successfully resolved cases by way of mediation, informal settlement negotiations, dispositive motion practice and/or trial.
EDUCATION
J.D., University of Pennsylvania Law School, 1992
B.A., International Studies, Vassar College, 1989
Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (Junior Year Abroad Program), January-June, 1988
ADMITTED TO PRACTICE
Florida State Courts
U.S. Supreme Court
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
President, Federal Bar Association South Florida Chapter, August, 2014- September 2015
Director, Federal Bar Association South Florida Chapter, 2011-present
Co-Chair, Mindfulness in Law Joint Task Force of the Dade County Bar Association and the Federal Bar Association South Florida Chapter, 2012-2014
Member, American Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolution
Member, American Bar Association Section of Litigation, Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee
Member, Florida Academy of Professional Mediators
Member, Florida Bar
Former Member, Florida Judicial Nominating Commission for the Florida Supreme Court, 2006-2010
Past President and Former Director, Gwen S. Cherry Black Women Lawyers Association, 1997-1999
Former Member, Florida Bar Grievance Committee 11-A, 1998-2000
Former Director, American Bar Association, Young Lawyers Division, 1999-2000
Former Director, Dade County Bar Association, 1998-2000
Vice Chair, Banking & Corporate Litigation Committee, Dade County Bar Association, 1998-1999
Tutor, Minority Bar Passage Project, Dade County Bar Association/Young Lawyers Section, 1997-1999
Former Editor, Affiliate Newsletter, American Bar Association, Young Lawyers Division, 1997-1998
CERTIFICATIONS, AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
Florida Supreme Court Certified Civil Circuit Mediator
Florida Supreme Court Certified Appellate Mediator
Florida Supreme Court Qualified Arbitrator
Bankruptcy Mortgage Modification Mediator, S.D. Florida
Board certified in Construction Law by the Florida Bar
A.V. Preeminent Rating, Martindale-Hubbell
PUBLICATIONS
“Construction Subcontracting: A Comprehensive Practical and Legal Guide” (Chapter 16), ABA Book Publishing, 2014. Co-authored with Timothy Kolaya, Esq.
“Judicial Profile Hon. John O’Sullivan, U.S. Magistrate Judge, Southern District of Florida,” The Federal Lawyer Magazine, October/November 2014
LANGUAGES
Conversational Spanish