Miami – A World of Opportunity and Springboard to Your Career

We Are Young, Growing, and Diverse 

50%

Nearly half of the population is under the age of 39. Miami offers a youthful, talented population and a booming downtown urban area attracting highly educated professionals.

#1

We are the biggest county in Florida (by population) and #7 biggest in U.S. and the 4th fastest growing large U.S. city.

100+

Languages are spoken by Miami's 2.7 million residents.

Did you know, beyond the beaches, Miami is the 4th largest economy in the U.S. and the 16th largest in the world - plus there are 1400+ businesses headquartered here? In 2022, Miami was a new business hot spot taking top place for new business applications per 1,000 residents per an Axios analysis of U.S. Census Bureau and IRS data with new applications being a key measure of an area's economic health. In early 2023, the Financial Times ranked Miami as the best city in the U.S. for foreign multinationals to do business. 

• Biggest Public Companies
• Largest Private Companies
• Multinational Companies

Miami is home to thousands of law firms covering a breadth of industries. According to the FL Bar, as of Jan 1, 2020, Florida was the third fastest-growing state in the nation for lawyers since 2011.

According to Bloomberglaw.com and Cooley, recent Big Law firm moves to Miami include:

• King & Spalding
• Kirkland & Ellis
• Polsinelli
• Reed Smith
• Sidley Austin
• Winston & Strawn
• Quinn & Emanuel 
• Vedder Price
• Cooley

Miami-Dade County had the largest number of attorneys in the state of Florida – 16,237. Also, Miami is a top 10 metropolitan area with the highest average wage for lawyers according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

• Major Firms

  Greenberg Traurig, founded in Miami, is a top 40 private company in the state of Florida, and Holland and Knight, based in Miami, was ranked the third largest firm in Florida in 2022.

  Of the 25 largest law firms in the U.S. by number of attorneys, 17 have a Miami office (per the 2023 National Law Journal 500 listing).

  The majority of the biggest firms in Florida are headquartered in Miami. There are also many firms with an international focus.

• Multiple Courts

  Federal Courts:

  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida
  • U.S. Bankruptcy Court
  • U.S Immigration Court
  • U.S. Tax Court

  State Courts:

  • Third District Court of Appeal
  • Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida - has separate civil, criminal, and family law courthouses
    • Also houses the unique International Commercial Arbitration (ICA) Court created in response to a heightened demand for an alternative forum in Miami for resolving international disputes involving commercial transactions

• Diversity of Attorneys

  According to the ABA’s 2021 Profile of the Legal Profession Report - 32% of all law firm partners in Miami are lawyers of color – the largest percentage in the country; and FL is top 5 for Gender and Race of State Supreme Court Justices.

• Numerous Bar Associations

  • America Immigration Lawyers Association
  • American Brazilian International Lawyers Association
  • Asian Pacific American Bar Association of South FL
  • Association of Corporate Counsel South FL
  • Caribbean Bar Association
  • Cuban American Bar Association
  • Florida Muslim Bar Association
  • FL Association for Women Lawyers
  • Gay and Lesbian Lawyers Association of South FL
  • Gwen S. Cherry Black Women Lawyers Association
  • Haitian Lawyers Association
  • Hispanic Bar Association
  • Intellectual Property Law Association of FL
  • Miami-Dade Trial Lawyers Association
  • National Black Prosecutors Association
  • Nicaraguan-American Bar Association
  • Russian-American Bar Association

  Source: The Florida Bar - Voluntary Bar Associations

As the second largest global banking center in the U.S., it is no surprise that worldwide business flows through Miami.

We have #2 most foreign consulates, trade offices and binational Chambers of commerce (100+) of U.S. cities, and Miami is the #1 market in the nation for international real estate buyers. In 2022, Miami was #1 in the Financial Times-Nikkei ranking of best U.S. cities for foreign businesses. 

PortMiami is the busiest cruise port in the world in both passenger traffic and cruise lines and FL seaports account for the largest tonnage of cargo than any other state.

Miami earned its nickname ‘The Magic City’ for its rapid urban growth in the late 19th century, and over the last few years the city has jumped on the map as a growing international tech and startup hub. In terms of innovation, Miami shines in Florida – the state considered #1 for eCommerce. In April 2023 CIO (Chief Information Officer) ranked Miami as a top 4 tech hub. In October 2023, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced the South Florida Climate Resilience Tech Hub as one of 31 in the country. In January 2021 Forbes called Miami the “next great tech hub,” and jobs in the technology sector increased 88% in 2021. In June 2021, Blockchain.com, the leading institutional crypto solutions provider, moved its U.S. headquarters from New York City to Miami. Per 2020 The Kauffman Index and Kauffman Foundation 2019 Miami is:

#1  for highest startup density in the U.S. with 247.6 startups per 100,000 people and the #2 most entrepreneurial city  

#6  for U.S. small business activity  

Miami’s entrepreneurial climate has nurtured successful biomedical, medical device, and pharmaceutical companies, and today, it is home to industry leaders. A major asset for the region is the University of Miami’s Life Science Park, a catalyst that brings faculty, scientists, students, and entrepreneurs together to encourage collaboration and innovation. Apotex, the largest pharmaceutical company in Canada and the seventh largest general pharmaceutical company in the world, is developing a new research and development center and an advanced manufacturing and packaging facility in Miami. In 2021, the leading industry in Miami-Dade County was Health Care. 

• Pharmaceutical Companies
• Hospitals
• Pharma Hub

The military has a presence in South Florida and offers opportunities to understand the interface between the armed forces and the law and how the miliitary, the government, and the legal system interconnect.

According to the “2020: Economic Impact of the Nonprofit Sector in Miami-Dade County” report, there are over 10,000 nonprofits in Miami-Dade County with a total economic impact of $23.7 billion. Also 94% of charitable nonprofits are local and 32% of all non-profits in FL are in the Southeast. These organizations provide comprehensive solutions and crucial services to the myriad issues in Miami’s growing community. Per the IRS Business Master File, September 2019, the largest number of charities are in the areas of health care, the arts, the environment, and community foundations. Miami Law’s clinical programs are based on partnerships with major public-interest offices around Miami that allow you to work alongside seasoned practitioners. 

• Arts & Culture

  Adrienne Arsht Center 
  Perez Art Museum 
  South Florida PBS 
  Museum of Science

• Environmental

  Audubon Florida 
  Billfish Foundation 
  EarthJustice   
  Environmental Defense Fund 
  Environmental Protection Agency 
  Everglades Law Center 
  Florida Sea Grant  
  International Seakeepers Society 
  Marine Highway Program 
  Miami Waterkeeper   
  National Parks Conservation Association  
  The Everglades Foundation 
  

• International

  American Nicaraguan Foundation 
  Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical 
  Instituto Centro Americano de Administracion de Empresas 
  Best Buddies International 
  Salvadoran American Humanitarian Foundation

• Health

  Florida Department of Health 
  Florida Health Justice Project 
  University of Miami Health System  
  Miami VA Medical Center

• Legal & Social Justice

  Americans for Immigrant Justice 
  Catholic Legal Services 
  Disability Independence Group  
  Florida Department of Children and Families 
  Florida Immigration Advocacy Center 
  Florida Justice Institute 
  Legal Services of Greater Miami   
  Miami Homes for All  
  Miami-Dade Legal Aid 
  National Labor Relations Board  
  Southern Poverty Law Center

As the most connected metropolitan city in Florida, Miami boasts many local, state, and federal agencies and offices. You have opportunities to put deep theoretical knowledge into practice through externships at government offices or with federal and state courts. (Pictured: Coral Gables City Hall)

• Department of Justice, Southern District of Florida
• Federal Aviation Administration
• Federal Bureau of Investigation 
• Federal Detention Center 
• Florida Office of the Attorney General, Consumer Protection Division 
• Internal Revenue Service  
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration-NASA  
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-NOAA   
• Office of the Federal Public Defender of the Southern District of Florida 
• Office of the State Attorney 
• U.S. Animal Plant Health Inspection  
• U.S. Commerce Department 
• U.S. Customs Service and Border Protection Office 
• U.S. Department of Homeland Security 
• U.S. Dept. of Labor - Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs 
• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs 
• U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission  
• U.S. Health & Human Services Dept 
• U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement: Broward Transitional Center  
• U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement: Glades County Detention Center 
• U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement: Krome North Service Processing Center 
• U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission  
• U.S. State Department - Bureau of Diplomatic Security 
• U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Florida    
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit