Embattled Former City of Miami Attorney Joins Shutts & Bowen

Victoria Méndez is joining Florida-based Shutts & Bowen months after being removed from her job as city attorney for Miami.

Méndez will work as a partner in the law firm’s Land Use & Zoning Practice group, Shutts & Bowen said Monday.

“I am incredibly excited to be part of such a prestigious firm,” Méndez said in a statement. “Shutts & Bowen’s reputation for excellence, combined with their commitment to client service, aligns perfectly with my professional values. I look forward to leveraging my experience to serve our clients with the highest level of dedication.”

Méndez was effectively ousted from her government role in April when the city commission voted 4-1 to remove her to a transitional position, according to The Miami Herald. The move came some two months before Méndez’s contract was set to expire, and after she reportedly was implicated in an alleged house-flipping scheme with her husband, according to the Herald.

Méndez, who worked as city attorney for more than a decade, did not respond to a request to comment on her removal. Shutts declined to comment further on the situation.

Victoria Méndez

Photo: Shutts & Bowen

Shutts is one of four law firms defending Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo in a lawsuit by two businessmen accusing him of retaliating against them for supporting a political opponent. Carollo, reportedly a longtime ally of Méndez, was the only commissioner who voted against her removal.

Miami-based Shutts is among the 200 largest US law firms, raking in more than $201 million in gross revenue last year, according to data compiled by The American Lawyer. Its equity partners notched $965,000 apiece in profits over the year.

The firm has offices across Florida, including in Tampa, West Palm Beach, Orlando, and Jacksonville. It recently added two partners to its litigation and intellectual property groups.

Méndez’s “extensive experience in all facets of local government law, including land use and zoning, complements our broad range of governmental representation and underscores our role as one of Miami’s premier municipal practice law firms,” Alexander Tachmes, chair of the land use & zoning practice group at Shutts & Bowen, said in a statement.