Heather Pinder Rodriguez practices in the area of commercial litigation, with a particular emphasis on complex construction and commercial leasing disputes. Always the advocate, Ms. Rodriguez strives to aggressively pursue her client's claims, while remaining mindful of business realities and relationships.
Ms. Rodriguez routinely represents commercial and national residential contractors, subcontractors, design professionals and owners in all aspects of construction disputes, including payment and delay claims, the drafting and negotiation of construction contracts, construction lien claims and litigation avoidance strategies. Ms. Rodriguez also represents national commercial property management companies, landlords and tenants in complex commercial leasing disputes, including disputes related to tenant improvements and build-outs.
In 2005, Ms. Rodriguez became one of the first women in Florida to become a Board Certified Construction Attorney – The Florida Bar's highest level of recognition of competency and experience for attorneys in the area of construction law – and she was recently recertified this year. Ms. Rodriguez has been nationally recognized among America's leading business lawyers in Construction Law by Chambers USA - America's Leading Business Lawyers (2009-2011). In Florida, Heather has been identified by Florida Super Lawyers as a Rising Star (2009-2011) and was one of 39 lawyers in Florida named by their peers as a "Top Lawyer in Construction Law," according to Florida Trend's Legal Elite (2010). Heather also holds an AV Rating from Martindale-Hubbell.
Ms. Rodriguez is a frequent lecturer and author on issues of commercial leasing and construction disputes. Her articles have appeared in national and statewide publications. Ms. Rodriguez has also spoken on regional growth issues for the Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce and myregion.org.
Ms. Rodriguez is a recognized and active leader in the local and statewide legal community. She served as an elected and appointed member of the statewide Florida Bar YLD Board of Governors, president of the 3,000 member Orange County Bar Association Legal Aid Society, and has received numerous awards and accolades for her pro bono work for the poor.
In 2008, Ms. Rodriguez received the Florida Bar Young Lawyer Pro Bono Award (2008), which is awarded to one young lawyer each year by the Florida Supreme Court, for exceptional pro bono advocacy and service. In particular, Ms. Rodriguez was recognized for her efforts to secure the release of American citizen detained in an Vietnamese prison without charges, access to counsel or medical attention. The local bar also presented Ms. Rodriguez with the Liberty Bell Award (2008), honoring her commitment to civic leadership and education, and the Lawrence G. Matthews Young Lawyer Professionalism Award (2009), which is the highest honor bestowed by the local bar to a lawyer practicing less than 15 years. In 2010, Ms. Rodriguez was identified as A Leader in the Law by the Florida Association of Women Lawyers.
Prior to entering private practice, Heather served as an aide and legislative intern to United States Senator Bob Graham, as well as the Florida Senate Republican Office, the Florida Office of Senate President and the Florida Senate Judiciary Committee. In this capacity, Heather served as the Director of the 1996 Mobile Home Study, which analyzed the challenges facing Florida's mobile home communities and developers. Ms. Rodriguez also served in the Florida Attorney General's legal department, where she specialized in appeals to the First District Court of Appeal and Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.
Within the firm, Ms. Rodriguez serves as the co-editor of the National Construction Practice Group's Newsletters and Alerts and the pro bono coordinator for the Orlando office, where she recruits and organizes Holland & Knight attorneys who provide free legal services to the indigent. Ms. Rodriguez also served as the former co-chair of the firm's Women's Initiative in Orlando, a program designed to promote and support both women within the firm and women business leaders in the community. Most recently, Ms. Rodriguez was one of five attorneys selected for the firm's prestigious and nationally recognized Rising Stars Program, an intensive year-long leadership development program.