Attorney Highlight – Ela M. Hernández

My name is Ela Hernández. I am originally from Honduras, and I work at the Mintzer Sarowitz Southern Florida office, which is located in Miami, Florida.

What Is Your Background?

I am originally Honduran. I moved to the United States as a middle schooler, and went on to graduate from Florida International University where I double majored in political science and international relations with a minor in economics and a concentration in Latin American Studies. I then went on to the University of Florida College of Law, and have been doing defense work as well as plaintiffs work since I graduated 12 years ago.

What Areas of Practice Do You Focus On?

Premise liability work is the area of law that I generally practice in. I also do some construction defects and some coverage disputes.

What Is Your Most Memorable Case?

One of the more memorable cases is a case in which I represented a property owner that was being sued on allegations that there was some mold within her unit. The reason why that is one of my most favorite cases is because it was a very challenging case, intellectually. Also, some of the allegations that were being presented were not necessarily basic allegations, but rather built on a variety of other issues. And ultimately, the case for us, resolved when a motion for summary judgment was granted in my clients favor.

Our client was very appreciative of all the work that we put in, was aware of the fact that we were going to be with her 100% of the way and throughout the entire litigation, and she really appreciated that. And that, of course, made us feel like we were doing our work, we were doing it well, and ultimately, the fact that we had a motion for summary judgment granted, spoke to that.

What Is Your Greatest Accomplishment?

What I consider excelling may be the fact that I can actually do a lot with the work that I do. And what I mean by that is yes, I can represent defendants in a variety of litigation, I have represented plaintiffs, but I have also done a lot of pro bono work. And that is work that is very dear to my heart. So the fact that I can do that, that I can represent a variety of people across practice areas is really what I consider an accomplishment, but also what I enjoy most about my career.

What Do You Like About Living in Miami?

The diversity. Miami is one of those places where the vast majority of the population comes from somewhere else. It doesn’t necessarily mean that they come from a different country, but it may just be individuals that have moved to South Florida from other places in the country. And what that means is we not only get diversity of individuals, but we get a diversity of culture, we get a diversity of food, which I very much enjoy. We also get a lot of different perspectives on doing a variety of things.

What Is A Fun Fact About You?

As a young kid, I played in a band.

What Are Your Charitable Endeavors?

I am very much a believer that we have to give back to our community. And I have sat most recently on two boards, one, the Junior League of Miami, which is a women-led organization focused on empowering women and addressing food insecurity for families at risk. And the second organization that I most recently served on the board as a national secretary is the Hispanic National Bar Association, which is an organization that really looks to advocate for issues that are important, not only to the Hispanic legal community, but to the Hispanic community as a whole.