ALLEN - Key Persons
Aaron Pruss is Board Certified in Construction Law by the Florida Bar. As an expert in this complex area of the law, he has extensive knowledge and experience in the all areas of construction law, including litigation of construction-related disputes and negotiation and drafting of prime construction, design-build, material supply, management and design-professional contracts and sub-contracts. Mr. Pruss' broad legal background includes first-chair litigation of complex civil and commercial disputes, drafting and negotiating various real estate, management and commercial contracts, as well as insurance coverage, general liability issues and risk management, disaster preparedness and reconstruction after a storm. Mr. Pruss has litigated complex civil and commercial disputes on behalf of corporate clients in state and federal courts. Mr. Pruss focuses on developing creative and practical solutions to complex legal issues to achieve each client's specific business goals.
Job Titles:
- Attorney at Law / Orlando
- Attorney in Becker 's Construction
Aaron Crews is an attorney in Becker's Construction Law & Litigation and Business Litigation practices. He represents clients through all aspects of litigation including performing discovery, drafting pleadings, motions, and briefs, and conducting extensive research and analysis on complex procedural and substantive legal issues.
While in law school at the University of Florida Levin College of Law, Mr. Crews worked as a law clerk for the Florida Division of Administrative Hearings. He also served as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Technology Law and Policy, and received Dean's List recognition.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Firm 's Business Litigation and Community
- Shareholder / Miami
Adam Cervera is a member of the Firm's Business Litigation and Community Association Practice Groups. His practice centers around all aspects of litigation, including the handling of administrative proceedings with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation on behalf of his condominium association clients.
As a trial attorney who practices in both state and federal court, Adam focuses on helping his corporate and individual clients navigate through all facets of the litigation process. He has extensive experience litigating cases involving real estate disputes, breach of contract actions, covenant enforcement issues and other complex commercial matters. Adam has both jury and bench trial experience while also assisting clients with various appellate matters. Adam also has significant experience in alternative dispute resolution and has represented clients in countless mediations as well as arbitrations administered by the American Arbitration Association and Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. His representative clients include financial lenders, investors, condominium associations, corporations and small business owners.
Job Titles:
- Shareholder / Ft. Lauderdale
Licensed in both Florida and California, Mr. Cohen is a seasoned corporate and real estate transactional attorney whose clients range from small entrepreneurial ventures to small and mid-sized business and to high net worth individuals and families. In his more than 20 years of practice, Mr. Cohen provides guidance and expertise on a full spectrum of corporate and real estate transactional matters, including but not limited to, entity choice and formation (both for profit and not-for- profit entities), mergers and acquisitions, private equity and venture capital investments, joint ventures, corporate governance, securities compliance and landlord/tenant matters.
Albert Lawler is a member of the firm's Business Litigation, Real Estate, and Corporate practice groups. He specializes in contracts, real estate, employment matters, business organization and dissolution, creditor's rights, bankruptcy and commercial litigation.
Job Titles:
- Senior Attorney / Morristown
- Senior Attorney in Becker 's Community
Aleksandra Tasic is a senior attorney in Becker's Community Association Practice in our Morristown, New Jersey office. Ms. Tasic handles a broad spectrum of litigation and transactional matters, including complex contract drafting and negotiations, as well as representation in civil litigation. With a deep understanding of residential and commercial transactions, she works closely with clients in all stages of litigation and transactional matters including cooperative transfers, and coordinating for Inheritance Tax Waivers and Bulks Sales clearance. She drafts litigation regarding real property, construction, the New Jersey Condominium Act, the New Jersey Tort Claims Act, OPRA, and corporate entity laws. She also specializes in land use applications.
Outside of her legal practice, Ms. Tasic serves as a Councilperson for the Borough of Haledon, New Jersey. In this role, she chairs the Administration and Personnel Committee and the Ordinance Committee, serves as a liaison for the Office of Emergency Management on the Public Safety Committee, and is a member of the Finance and Special Events Committees. She also serves as a Commissioner on the Passaic County Technical Vocational School Board of Education in Wayne, New Jersey.
Ms. Tasic earned her J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law in Newark, New Jersey. She was heavily involved with WSOU, Seton Hall's Pirate Radio during her undergraduate tenure, and she remains committed to staying involved and mentoring students. She is also proficient in Serbo-Croatian.
Job Titles:
- Senior Corporate and Government Relations Consultant / Washington, D.C.
Job Titles:
- Senior Federal Advocacy Director / Washington, D.C.
Amanda Wood's primary focus is assisting clients with federal funding needs. Her experience as senior Legislative staff on Capitol Hill provides the skills to represent clients on matters ranging from FEMA policy to smart city solution deployment to beach renourishment and major transportation infrastructure. She represents municipal, corporate and nonprofit clients on matters related to transportation, economic development, natural resources, law enforcement, homeland security and social services. She previously served as Legislative Director to Senator Bob Graham (D-FL), where she was responsible for developing and implementing the Senator's legislative agenda and strategy. Amanda currently represents Sound Thinking (formerly ShotSpotter), Tantalus, BEAM Solar, Doosan Bobcat, Koppers, the Florida counties of Sarasota and Collier, Hennepin County, MN, Broward Sheriff's Office, the City of Cape Coral, FL, the Town of Davie, FL, and others.
While serving as the Senator's chief advisor on federal appropriations, Ms. Wood worked closely with representatives from cities, counties, educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, and state agencies to advocate for projects ranging from infrastructure improvements to research and cultural projects.
In addition, for private sector clients, Amanda trains their sales teams to communicate effectively with their public agency customers and helps them identify and pursue funds to purchase innovative smart city solutions. She provides strategic advice to sales teams and guides clients and prospects through the funding process, including review of grant applications and engaging political support. She achieves success through direct communication with customers and her deep knowledge of community-specific federal funding opportunities.
EXPERIENCE
Secured $500,000 in funding for technology client NTT from the Federal Transit Administration. The funding will be used to create a digital modeling "twin" of Collier Area Transit's real-world operations. The simulator will provide advanced predictive modeling which will assist CAT in implementing real changes to its transit systems.
Secured a $13 million US Department of Transportation (USDOT) TIGER Grant for transportation infrastructure for Collier County. The highly competitive grant was won on a re-application following a high-level debrief with USDOT and outreach from the entire delegation, including then-House Transportation Appropriations Committee Chairman Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL). The Becker team worked closely with USDOT's Office of Intergovernmental Affairs to achieve this significant win for Collier County.
Secured $9+ million in 2020 for Collier County to purchase new buses and rehabilitate its existing operations and maintenance building. We helped the County design a well-aligned project with both the grant requirements and our knowledge of FTA's priorities and interests. We also engaged their Congressional delegation to weigh in with support, arming them with draft letters of support and talking points for outreach to USDOT leadership. Notably, we leveraged the support of House Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Mario Diaz-Balart.
Sarasota County received a $105 million low-interest loan to upgrade and expand a water reclamation plan through the US EPA Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act. The funds will pay for half of the County's planned enhancements to the Bee Ridge Water Reclamation Facility to meet national requirements by 2025 to make water safer and expand the treatment capacity to 18 million gallons per day. The County will realize long-term savings in the millions of dollars.
Helped coordinate local government coalitions with cities and counties to change federal law to limit FEMA's ability to de-obligate decade-old disaster recovery expenditures for clients, including Collier and Palm Beach counties, the City of Cape Coral, and the Town of Davie.
Worked with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to reach a favorable determination on appeals of FEMA's de-obligation of disaster recovery expenditures related to the hurricanes from over a decade ago for clients including Collier County, the City of Cape Coral, and the Town of Davie.
Expedited U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Army Corps of Engineers permits for multiple coastal communities, advancing critical habitat protection and economic development.
Secured $2.4 million under the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) SAFER grant program for fire service staffing in the Town of Davie and $462,673 through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant for the Town of Davie for new self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) and an air compressor cascade system for frontline fire engines and rescue units.
Guided and advised public safety innovator SoundThinking (formerly ShotSpotter) and its local government clients in securing over $15 million in federal funding to protect their communities through Gunshot Location System coverage.
Job Titles:
- Senior Corporate and Government Relations Director / Washington, D.C.
Job Titles:
- Senior International and Government Relations Director / Washington, D.C.
Job Titles:
- Office Managing Shareholder
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- Shareholder / Ft. Lauderdale
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- Shareholder / Ft. Lauderdale
Job Titles:
- Shareholder / Ft. Lauderdale
Job Titles:
- Managing Shareholder
- Managing Shareholder & Chief Executive Officer
Job Titles:
- Senior Attorney / Ft. Lauderdale
Job Titles:
- Shareholder
- Shareholder / Ft. Myers
Job Titles:
- Senior Attorney / Morristown
Job Titles:
- Office Managing Shareholder
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- Office Managing Shareholder / Miami
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- Attorney at Law / Washington, D.C.
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- Shareholder / Ft. Lauderdale
Job Titles:
- Attorney at Law / Ft. Lauderdale
Job Titles:
- Regional Managing Shareholder