Who is Vanessa?
I am a … Mother. Daughter. Wife. Cousin. Friend. Trial Attorney. Counselor. Fierce Advocate. West Indian Immigrant. Woman. Taurus. Athena Personified… and Rising by the Millisecond.
Like many of you, I juggle all of these balls – and more – on a daily basis. It’s not easy and let’s face it, some balls drop from time to time! I am able to somewhat manage this all because of my incredible village. I was born in Guyana, South America, into a LARGE, loud and close West Indian family. (My father has 19 brothers and sisters, so the capped LARGE is literal.) I moved to Miami as a child and, you guessed it, so did my large tribe. I had a “typical” immigrant upbringing in the Cutler Ridge area of Miami (Southridge Spartan!) and was fortunate to attend the University of Florida on a full academic ride.
Moving to Gainesville was a big deal for my parents… so you can imagine their faces when I decided to keep going north and attend Duke Law. I learned a lot about myself at Duke, where I knew not a soul on Day 1, and my blood indeed began to bleed blue. After being in the quiet south for 3 years, I ventured to the best place for an ambitious and energetic girl craving independence and depth – New York City. I began my legal career at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, where I worked as a litigator for five years. Always wanting to be a trial lawyer, I joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office (SDFL), where I tried dozens of federal jury trials over the course of 10 years and found my voice in a courtroom.
Now, I am a shareholder and managing partner of Carlton Fields’ Miami office. I represent corporations in internal and government investigations and criminal defendants who seek a strong advocate for them in and out of the courtroom. When I am not doing this lawyering gig, I am mothering. I have three kids – ages 13, 9, and 6 – who are rambunctious and have caused my hair to gray prematurely, but who have taught me more about patience, resilience and kindness than I ever envisioned. Given my big ‘ole family, they have lots of cousins, so we are usually either at a family party or on a soccer field during most weekends. And when I am not doing all that … I am OrangeTheory-ing, exploring how to be a yogi/meditate, or trying to hide from the minions in the bathroom and have a moment to check this blog/podcast.
Enough about me… join our blog and podcast, follow our stories, and better yet, share yours!
Who is Marissel?
I am… much more reserved than Vanessa. Ha! I am a defense lawyer all the way through. I have never worked for the government. I believe in my clients and will unabashedly fight for their rights. I will file motions, go to trial, and fight to seek justice and fairness for my clients. I feel at home in a courtroom.
I was born in Chicago to immigrant (they would say exile) Cuban parents. We moved South in search of warmth and sunshine. I spent most of my childhood in South Florida and consider myself local. When faced with prospect of attending an all girls Catholic high school, I opted for MAST Academy. It was a truly unique high school experience with boats, pools, and even the occasional dolphin pod sighting.
I knew I wanted to be a lawyer very a young age. It was no surprise that I quickly finished college and went straight to the University of Miami, School of Law, where I finished among the top of my class. After one semester of a criminal litigation skills course, I knew I wanted to be a criminal defense attorney.
Because I was the first in my family to attend law school, it wasn’t always easy to navigate career choices. So instead of following my dreams, I took the highest paying job out of law school. By chance, I landed at a firm that had one white collar defense attorney. That experience led me to Zuckerman Spaeder the following year, where I almost exclusively worked on white-collar defense matters and got a lot of trial experience. Our Zuckerman Spaeder family eventually moved on to Carlton Fields. I stayed there until I was ready to start my own boutique law firm, Tache, Bronis, & Descalzo, where I remain today.
I have an extremely supportive husband and two beautiful and feisty daughters, ages 12 and 9. When I am not in the courtroom, you can find me at a soccer game or at a dance competition.
I hope you will enjoy our blog and podcast. Vanessa and I have put a lot of thought into it. Please join us and please feel free to share your stories!
