Raul Morales


Partner

An experienced and formidable litigator, Raul has both prosecuted and defended a wide variety of lawsuits and arbitrations.  Before co-founding Martinez Morales, Raul served as in-house counsel to an insurance company and a developer, worked at a large Coral Gables-based construction and condominium litigation firm, and was a partner at a large boutique firm in Coral Gables. 

Over the years, he has represented businesses, condominium associations, condominium unit owners, entrepreneurs, real estate buyers, real estate sellers, real property developers, general contractors, sub-contractors, material suppliers, homeowners, and many others. In addition, Raul counsels a wide range of business clients on litigation matters and commercial disputes. Raul’s skill as a litigator and as a lawyer in general is exemplified by his overwhelming success record and high customer satisfaction.  There is no question that Raul zealously pursues his cases, and does not shy in the face of appeal or other challenge.

Raul is an active member of both the legal and local community always looking for opportunities to stay involved and make new connections.  More importantly, Raul is the proud father of two children and enjoys spending the weekends boating and going on adventures with his family. 

Areas of Concentration

·         Commercial and Business Litigation

·         Construction Litigation

·         Condominium Litigation

·         First- and Third-Party Insurance Litigation

·         Real Property Litigation

·         Personal Injury Litigation

Past Representations Illustrative of Raul’s Areas of Practice

  • Business and Commercial Disputes

    • Shareholder disputes a/k/a corporate “divorces”

    • Contractual disputes

    • Family office representation

    • Small business general counsel representation

    • Joint venture negotiations

    • Debt collection and enforcement of promissory notes

    • Partnership disputes

    • Business fraud

  • Lender Litigation

    • Commercial mortgage foreclosure

    • Breach of promissory notes

  • Construction Litigation

    • Construction Lien Foreclosure

    • Construction Defect Prosecution and Defense

    • Subcontractor non-payment claims against general contractors

    • General contractor non-payment claims against owners

    • Claims against construction bonds and sureties

  • Condominium Litigation

    • Declaration of Condominium violations

      • By unit owners – such as failure to maintain their unit

      • And by the Association, such as failure to maintain and repair the common elements

    • Enforcement of Declaration provisions against both unit owners and Associations

    • Disputes between Associations and their board of directors

    • Damages caused to units by other unit owner’s negligence or failure to maintain

    • Advising unit owners of Associations as to their rights under Declarations and the Florida Condominium Act

  • Insurance claims

    • Hurricane and other property damage claims by homeowners against their insurance companies, after claim denial

    • Insurance carrier lawsuits seeking declarations that they have no duty to indemnify or defend an insured

    • Insurer subrogation

  • Real property disputes

    • Breach of purchase and sale contracts

    • Enforcement of restrictive covenants

    • Quieting title following tax deed sale

    • Quieting clouds on title

    • Commercial evictions

    • Adverse possession

    • Specific performance of real estate sales contract

    • Real estate broker commission disputes

    • Re-zoning challenges

  • Personal Injury

    • Catastrophic injuries

    • Workplace injuries

    • Sip and fall

    • Auto collisions

    • Bicycle collisions

  • Arbitrations

    • Construction disputes before the AAA

    • Complex commercial disputes before the AAA

Appellate Victories

·         Semidey v. Multistate Tile Distributors, Inc., 239 So. 3d 1254 (Fla. 4th DCA 2018)

·         Jester v. Pawley, 245 So. 3d 859 (Fla. 3d DCA 2018)

·         De La Uz v. Infante, 289 So. 3d 44 (Fla. 3d DCA 2019)

·         Delant Construction Co. v. Deauville Associates, LLC, 282 So. 3d 1023 (Fla. 3d DCA 2019)

·         260 Wynwood Project Inc. v. London Financial Company, LLC, 303 So. 3d 203 (Fla. 3d DCA 2020)

·         Gomez v. CVPort Servs., LLC, No. 3D21-1195, 2021 WL 3783118, at *1 (Fla. 3d DCA July 26, 2021)

Professional and Community Involvement

·         Member, Riviera Country Club

·         Member, Cuban American Bar Association

·         Member, Dade County Bar Association

·         Member, Coral Gables Bar Association

Awards, Recognition and Press

·         Selected as part of the Super Lawyers® Rising Stars 2009, 2013-2018 Editions for South Florida

·         Appellate Panel Backs $760,000 Foreclosure Tied to Miami Wynwood Houses, Daily Business Review, June 4th, 2020

Noteworthy Experience

·         Law Clerk, Honorable Judge Ted Bandstra, Federal Southern District Court of Florida (2002)

·         Law Clerk, Honorable Judge Debora White Labora, Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida (2001)

·         Served as an Expert Witness on the matter of reasonable attorney’s fees and costs in multiple cases

Education

·         J.D., St. Thomas University College of Law, cum laude 2003

·         St. Thomas Law Review, Member

·         St. Thomas Moot Court Board, Member

·         B.A., Florida International University, 1999

Admitted to Practice

·         Florida

·         United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida

·         United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida

·         United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

Language(s):

·         English

·         Spanish

Contact Raul