News Briefs
The Best Lawyers in America 2026 Includes 140 Wilson Elser Attorneys
August 21, 2025
Tanya Suarez handles a wide range of matters related to general liability including complex tort litigation. She represents insureds based in the United States, Canada and Latin America in U.S. state and federal courts. Tanya is a member and key contact for the firm’s Latin America Practice. In relation to employment and labor matters, Tanya has handled various Florida claims, including defense against EEOC charges and civil lawsuits alleging discrimination and wrongful terminations.
Tanya is presently the firm's Miami-based liaison with Latin American clients and insurers. As a native of South Florida, she brings nearly 20 years of experience working with the diverse South Florida community, specifically with the Hispanic community and Spanish-speaking clients, which she has integrated into her practice through providing defense services to Hispanic/Spanish-speaking clients located throughout South Florida and in Latin America.
Prior to working at Wilson Elser, Tanya was defense counsel in matters related to insurance defense, construction defects and securities litigation. During law school, she clerked for the Construction Industry Licensing Board, Office of the General Counsel for the State of Florida's Department of Professional Regulation. She also has experience as co-counsel for construction defects litigation matters and securities defense litigation matters, including representation of a global bank entity related to the Bernard Madoff Ponzi scheme.
Tanya Suarez (Partner-Miami) and Michael Restrepo (Associate-Miami, FL) secured a complete dismissal of all claims in the Miami-Dade County Circuit Court on behalf of Wilson Elser’s clients, a global resort group and its resort property located in the Bahamas. This complex third-party action arose from an alleged recreational vehicle accident near the resort’s security gate. The third-party plaintiff alleged negligence claims against our clients, alleging that inadequate roadway lighting contributed to the accident.
Tanya and Michael engaged in extensive motion practice, submitting more than 500 pages of briefing. The team moved to dismiss plaintiff’s claims on multiple grounds, including expiration of the statute of limitations, failure to state a cause of action, and forum non conveniens. After nearly two hours of oral argument, the court granted the motion in full. The court agreed with Tanya and Michael’s arguments and found the statute of limitations issue to be dispositive, ruling that the claims were time-barred and untimely under Florida law, while also considering the Bahamian statute of limitations issues raised in the briefing. In light of this ruling, the court did not reach the remaining arguments, including forum non conveniens, which had previously been raised by the third-party plaintiffs (Florida residents), denied by the trial court, and affirmed on appeal in the original action, before our client’s involvement as a third-party defendant.
Tanya I. Suarez and Michael Restrepo
Tanya Suarez (Partner-Miami, FL) and Nicole Llopis (Associate- Miami, FL) obtained a dismissal of all claims with prejudice in the Circuit Court in and for Palm Beach County for Wilson Elser’s client, a condominium and a property management company. The plaintiff alleged negligence against the firm’s clients and claimed more than $385,957 in monetary damages. Tanya and Nicole argued that the complaint failed to state a cause of action upon which relief could be granted and the court agreed and dismissed the entire complaint with prejudice.
Tanya I. Suarez