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OUR FIRM

Commitment to Quality and Efficiency For More than 40 Years

  • Appellate Practice (Approaching 1,000 Published Opinions)

  • Trial Support (Strategic Case Preparation, Preserving Error, Trial Motions, Jury Instructions and Post-Trial Motions)

  • Insurance Coverage and Bad Faith/Insurance Defense

  • Commercial Litigation

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ATTORNEYS

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Mark Hicks

PRESIDENT AND MANAGING PARTNER

mhicks@mhickslaw.com

MARK HICKS is the President and Managing Partner of Hicks, Porter, Ebenfeld & Stein, P.A., which he co-founded in 1978 as Daniels and Hicks, P.A. Mr. Hicks graduated from Mercer University in 1969, received his law degree from the University of Florida in 1972, and was admitted to the Florida bar in 1972.

Mr. Hicks has extensive experience as an appellate attorney and commercial litigator, and has been involved in hundreds of appeals and complex business litigation matters in the Florida and federal courts, including many seminal cases. He also devotes a significant portion of his practice to the area of insurance coverage and bad faith, and advises carriers from around the country on all aspects of insurance matters. Mr. Hicks is AV rated by Martindale Hubbell, and has been selected to appear in Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Appellate Law and Commercial Litigation for the past 30 years. He was also selected to the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers, and is routinely recognized by local publications as one of South Florida's leading attorneys. In 2005, the Daily Business Review recognized Mr. Hicks and partner Dinah Stein as two of South Florida's three "Most Effective Lawyers" in the area of appellate law.

Mr. Hicks has served on the Dade County and Florida Bar Appellate Rules Committees and is a member of the International Association of Defense Counsel.

Areas of Practice:

  • Appellate Practice

  • Commercial Litigation

  • Insurance Coverage

  • Bad Faith

  • Insurance Defense


 
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Irene Porter

IRENE PORTER, a name partner, joined the firm in 1992 after a distinguished academic career. She received her law degree in 1989 from the University of Miami, where she graduated summa cum laude, number four in her class, and number one in her section. Ms. Porter attended law school as a Dean's Merit scholar, and while there received eight American Jurisprudence Book Awards, was named in Who's Who Among American Law Students, and won Oral Argument and the Best Brief Awards in First Year Moot Court Competition. She also served as a student tutor, attended a year-long intensive litigation and trial course, participated in the optional trial competition, and upon graduation was awarded the prestigious Order of the Coif.

Ms. Porter was selected to appear in Best Lawyers in America in the area of insurance and is routinely recognized by local publications as one of Florida's leading attorneys in the area of insurance coverage.

Ms. Porter has extensive experience and knowledge in the areas of insurance coverage, bad faith, appellate advocacy and trial support.

Areas of Practice:

  • Insurance Coverage

  • Bad Faith

  • Appellate Practice

  • Trial Support


 
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Cindy L. Ebenfeld

CINDY L. EBENFELD has been with the firm since 1994, and is a litigation partner in the firm's Broward office. Ms. Ebenfeld has extensive experience in insurance coverage and bad faith litigation, commercial litigation, and civil appeals. She is routinely recognized by local publications as one of Florida's leading attorneys in the area of insurance coverage and is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell.

Ms. Ebenfeld received her law degree in 1993 from Stetson University College of Law, where she served as Comments Editor of the Stetson Law Review and graduated cum laude. Ms. Ebenfeld was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1993 and is currently admitted to practice in all federal courts in Florida. From 1993 to 1994, Ms. Ebenfeld served as a Law Clerk to the Honorable Bobby W. Gunther of the Fourth District Court of Appeal of Florida. Ms. Ebenfeld is active in the Florida Bar and the Broward County Bar Association. She served on the Media and Communications Law Committee of the Florida Bar from 1994 through 1999 and is active in the Broward County Bar Association.

Areas of Practice:

  • Insurance Coverage

  • Insurance Coverage Litigation

  • Bad Faith Litigation

  • Commercial Litigation

  • Appellate Practice

  • Insurance Defense


 
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Dinah S. Stein

DINAH S. STEIN has been with the firm since 1996, and is an AV-rated partner in the firm's appellate department. Ms. Stein is also board certified in appellate practice by the Florida Bar. She graduated with honors from the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communication in 1988, and received her law degree from the University of Miami in 1996, where she graduated magna cum laude. Ms. Stein attended the University of Miami as a Dean's Merit Scholar, and while there served as an Articles and Comments Editor of the University of Miami Law Review, was a Member of the Moot Court Board, participated in the 1995 American Bar Association National Moot Court Team, and in 1995 won the Advanced Moot Court Competition, where she was also awarded Best Brief. Upon her graduation from law school, Ms. Stein was awarded the prestigious Order of the Coif. Ms. Stein was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1996.

Ms. Stein concentrates her practice in appellate law, and has handled appeals in every Florida District Court of Appeal, the Florida Supreme Court, and the United States Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. As part of the firm's appellate practice, Ms. Stein also provides litigation support for plaintiffs and defendants at the trial court level, and has been involved in a number of high-profile trials and appeals. In 2005, the Daily Business Review recognized Ms. Stein and managing partner Mark Hicks as two out of South Florida's three "Most Effective Lawyers" in the area of appellate practice for that year. Ms. Stein has been selected to appear in Best Lawyers in America for appellate practice, and is routinely recognized by the South Florida Legal Guide as one of South Florida's "Top Lawyers" in appellate practice, one of Florida's "Super Lawyers" for appellate law by Florida Super Lawyers publication, and one of Florida Trend's "Florida Legal Elite" as a top attorney for appellate practice.

Ms. Stein is the author of Florida's "Three Strikes" Legislation: A Defense Perspective, Trial Advocate Quarterly, Spring 2010.

Areas of Practice:

  • Appellate Practice

  • Trial Support

  • Insurance Coverage and Bad Faith

representative clients

Academy Bus LLC
Ace Insurance Group
AHS
American International Group, Inc. ("AIG")
American Petroleum Institute
Arch Insurance Company
AMS Management Group
Anesthesiologists' Professional Assurance Corp.
Baycare Health System
Bennett Motor Express
Burlington Insurance Group
Carnival Cruise Lines
Celebrity Cruises, Inc.
Certain Underwriters at Lloyd’s London
Chubb Group of Insurance Companies
Church Mutual Insurance Company
Clarendon National Insurance Company
Colony Specialty Insurance
Crum & Forster/First Mercury
Cunningham Lindsey U.S., Inc.
E. I. duPont De Nemours & Co.
Farmers Insurance Group of Companies/ Truck Insurance Exchange
FCCI Commercial Insurance
Federated Insurance Co.
First Professionals Insurance Company
Florida Power & Light Co.
Granite State Insurance Company
Halifax Medical Center
Healthcare Underwriters Group, Inc.
HCI Healthcare Indemnity
Humana, Inc.
Iasis Healthcare Corporation
Infinity Insurance Companies f/k/a WindsorAuto
Interim Healthcare, Inc.
Ironshore Insurance Services, LLC
Lancet Indemnity
Lexington Insurance Company
Liberty Mutual

Lone Star Alliance, Inc.
MAG Mutual Insurance Company
Medical Assurance
MedMal Direct Insurance Company
MEDNAX Health Solutions Partners
Metlife Insurance Group
Mobil Oil Corporation
Motorola, Inc.
Navigators Management Company
Network Adjusters, Inc.
NORCAL Mutual Insurance Group
Nova Southeastern University
Old Republic Insurance
One Beacon Health, Inc.
Orlando Health, Inc.
Penn National Insurance
Pioneer Life Insurance Co.
PMA Insurance Group
Progressive Expressive Insurance Co.
Privilege Underwriters Reciprocal Exchange
Public Risk Management
RLI Corp./RLI Insurance Co.
Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd.
South Florida Opthamologists
Starr Companies
St. Paul Travelers f/k/a The Travelers
Sunderland Marine Mutual Insurance Co., Ltd.
Target Capital Partners
Team Health
Texas Lawyers' Insurance Ex­change
The Insurance Corporation of New York
The Doctors Company
The Medical Protective Company
Trivest, Inc.
Unigard Insurance Group
United National Insurance Group
Western Litigation Specialists, Inc.
Western World Insurance Co.

 
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