Law Offices of Ronald E. Kaufman, P.A.

Focus and practice areas

The firm works in construction law from an office in Coral Gables, near Miracle Mile. Its named practice areas cover construction contracts, construction defects, mechanic's liens, and licensing and permit issues. The firm also handles bonds, bid protests and contract disputes on both public and private projects. Contracts and alternative dispute resolution appear as practice areas in their own right.

The firm advises on land use rules, zoning concerns and permit obligations, which often run in parallel with a build. A permit question or a zoning matter can hold up a project already under contract. Keeping that work under one roof lets a client raise the contract and the permit in the same conversation, with one lawyer who knows both files.

What a lien claim involves

Mechanic's liens follow a strict calendar under Florida law. A claimant usually serves a notice, records the lien within a set window after the last work, and then moves to enforce it before the deadline passes. A missed date can cost the claim, so the timeline drives the strategy here. A firm that names mechanic's liens as a core area is telling contractors and suppliers that it handles that calendar for them.

Who the firm represents

The client list spans the length of a construction project. The firm represents construction companies, general contractors and subcontractors, and it also acts for homeowners and other real estate professionals. Material suppliers, architects, engineers, interior designers, developers and owners appear among its clients as well.

That range matters because a single dispute can pull in several of these parties at once. A defect claim, for example, can involve the owner, the general contractor, a subcontractor and the design professional who drew the plans. In my opinion, a firm that has acted for each of these roles brings useful perspective when the parties disagree over who owns the problem.

The attorney behind the work

Ronald Eric Kaufman is the founding attorney, and the site states he personally manages every case. He has practiced construction law since 2001. He holds board certification in construction law from the Florida Bar. That credential comes after a review of a lawyer's experience along with a written examination, so it points to sustained work in the field.

His dispute resolution background reaches past the courtroom. He is a certified Circuit Court Civil mediator under the Supreme Court of Florida and is registered with the American Arbitration Association. That pairing fits a construction practice, where mediation and arbitration often resolve a matter before trial. Kaufman is admitted in Florida and New York.

Where the firm practices

The firm's core territory is Miami-Dade County, and it assists with matters in Broward County as well. Both counties carry steady construction activity, which keeps contract and defect questions in front of local counsel. A lawyer who works these two markets sees the same permit offices, the same court dockets and the same building rules week after week.

Kaufman is licensed before the state and federal courts of Florida and New York. The site notes appearances before the Florida Third and Fourth District Courts of Appeal, the appellate courts covering the South Florida region. Appellate work differs from a trial or a mediation. It turns on the written record and the legal argument, and the panel reviews how the law applied to the case below.

How disputes tend to move

Construction disputes in Florida can take more than one route. Many begin with a demand or a recorded lien, move into negotiation, and reach mediation before a judge hears them. The firm offers negotiation, mediation, arbitration and litigation, so a client can shift gears as a matter hardens or settles. Kaufman's mediator certification and his arbitration registration line up with the middle of that path.

Arbitration carries its own weight in this field, since many construction contracts require it. An arbitration clause routes a dispute to a private panel under agreed rules, and the American Arbitration Association is a common forum for those hearings. A lawyer registered with that body works inside a process the contract itself often dictates.

How the firm handles new matters

The firm offers initial consultations, and it extends those to phone and off-site meetings for people who cannot come to the Coral Gables office. That flexibility suits clients who spend their days on job sites. As a reviewer, I read the offer of off-site meetings as a practical nod to how contractors and suppliers actually work.

The site does not list a founding year, though it describes construction law practice dating to 2001 and more than twenty years of service. The firm centers on one board-certified attorney who covers construction contracts, defects, liens, permits and land use across Miami-Dade and Broward County. Mediation and arbitration round out the litigation work, and Kaufman handles both.

Contact details and office hours

The firm publishes two telephone numbers, 866-930-9785 and 305-675-3327. Its regular office schedule runs from 9:00 to 17:00, Monday through Friday. These details give prospective clients two routes for reaching the office during stated business hours. The record also says that Kaufman gives clients his mobile number. Direct mobile access is a specific part of the working arrangement and provides a way to contact the attorney handling the matter.

The initial consultation carries no fee. That gives a prospective client an opportunity to present the basic facts and ask whether the matter falls within the firm's stated work before discussing a paid engagement. For construction clients, the first conversation may also help identify the project documents and correspondence that Kaufman will need to review. The free consultation is the only fee information included in the record.

The Ponce de Leon Boulevard office

The full office address is 3399 Ponce De Leon Boulevard. Publishing a street address and weekday schedule gives the listing a concrete office point for appointments. The listed local telephone number provides another clear connection to the office. The full address is more precise than a city-only directory entry and helps clients identify the correct practice when arranging an in-person visit.

The combination of a fixed office and mobile access reflects two sides of the stated client process. Meetings have a published location, while existing clients receive a number tied directly to Kaufman. That arrangement is relevant in construction matters where a client may need to relay a new document, a project communication or a scheduling issue to the lawyer responsible for the file.

Business law and real estate categories

The directory record includes business law and real estate among the firm's practice classifications. Those entries are worth noting because the profile's more detailed description centers on legal issues connected with building projects. The business law category places the firm within searches framed around commercial concerns. The real estate category gives property owners and project participants another route to the listing.

These classifications should be read with the detailed scope supplied in the record. The category labels are broad, while the supporting description defines the matters the firm states that it handles. A prospective client can use the free consultation to confirm whether a particular business or property question fits that stated scope.