Aliette DelPozo Rodz, Office Managing Partner, Shutts & Bowen LLP

Invest: spoke with Aliette DelPozo Rodz, office managing partner of Shutts & Bowen LLP, about the firm’s long-standing role in Miami’s evolution and how its Miami office is scaling for a more global market. “We have been part of Miami’s growth from the beginning, often in an understated way,” Rodz said. 

How would you describe Shutts & Bowen’s role as Miami’s global business landscape continues to expand?

We have been part of Miami’s growth from the beginning, often in an understated way. One of the firm’s attributes is that we have been embedded in the city’s development without spending a lot of time publicizing it.

Historically, the firm’s roots connect directly to Miami’s early expansion. When Henry Flagler came to Miami and decided to invest in this location, he came with Frank Shutts, one of our partners. Shutts represented Flagler and helped with the legal work that supported the railroad, which opened the door to travel and development in Miami.

As the city grew, the firm continued to play a role in the legal framework that helped Miami evolve into an international hub. In the 1970s, Bowman “Bo” Brown, who served as chair of the firm for more than 40 years, was instrumental in the drafting of the regulations that allowed international banks to do business in Miami. That work helped unlock another phase of international growth from a banking perspective, and it reflects how the firm has supported major inflection points in Miami’s development.

You see the same pattern today in major projects that are shaping the next era of the city. For example, the new soccer stadium development near the airport has moved at an incredible pace, and it has been exciting to watch it take shape. Our firm negotiated the lease and represented the city of Miami in the lease negotiations over the land. We are proud to be part of the continued growth of what Miami is today, even when the work happens behind the scenes.

Our approach has also stayed consistent. We have not focused on publicity as much as we have focused on clients, their development, and the long-term roots they are building here. That is a meaningful differentiator, especially in a market where so much growth is happening quickly and not every firm is as deeply tied to the community’s history and relationships.

How is the Miami office positioning itself to serve both international and local clients, especially those coming from Latin America and Europe?

Shutts & Bowen is a Florida-based law firm with an international footprint, and that combination gives clients something unusual. Many firms competing in this space have national platforms and corresponding overhead. We do not have to carry the cost structure of maintaining offices across the country, but we do have the talent and experience to handle sophisticated matters for international clients.

That translates into strong value. Clients can get high-level, apples-to-apples representation without paying for the overhead that often drives extremely high hourly rates. We are seeing more clients recognize that difference, particularly those who want top-tier work in Miami without paying for a national footprint they do not need.

From my perspective, the priority in Miami is to ensure our full platform is strong and ready as the market grows. That includes M&A, finance, tax and international tax, litigation and arbitration, business and commercial work, and real estate. We want each group equipped, and we are continuing to build that capacity through thoughtful growth and lateral hiring.

We also bring deep Florida roots and credibility. The firm has helped support the placement of many judges throughout the state, from state to federal, and up to the Florida Supreme Court. We know our bench, and that local knowledge matters for clients entering the market for the first time. We have also had senior legal leaders join the firm after serving in high-level roles, which speaks to the quality of the work and the reputation behind the name.

On the international side, we have grown meaningfully in recent years. Our international practice group is a team of 14, and we have built that over the last three years. We are handling arbitrations in multiple jurisdictions, including London, Peru, Panama, Mexico and Spain. In some matters, clients are based here with issues abroad and, in others, clients are based abroad and come to us because their arbitration is seated in Miami or New York. Regardless of the statute, we are equipped to handle these complex arbitration matters.

One of the most fascinating shifts is that Miami and New York are now neck and neck as arbitration venues. That would have seemed unlikely not long ago, given New York’s historic role as the dominant U.S. business center. But Miami’s growth and the broader evolution across Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami have changed the landscape. As more business activity and investment flows into the region, Miami’s standing as a forum for cross-border dispute resolution has strengthened quickly.

Through all of it, we aim to deliver work that is technically excellent and deeply personal in the way we serve clients. That responsiveness and consistency are part of what clients value, especially in cross-border matters where the stakes and timelines can change quickly.

How does lateral recruitment strengthen the firm’s position locally and regionally?

With growth and new laterals, you bring in new perspectives, and those perspectives matter. They help broaden how you think about client service, staffing, and strategy.

We are building what we view as a global Miami platform, and laterals can accelerate that by adding capabilities and experience that complement our culture. For example, a lateral in my group came from a national firm, and that experience brought a different approach to litigation management. We were able to take what worked, compare it to what we do best, and integrate the strongest parts into a better overall model.

That is the goal. We want to strengthen our ability to serve clients who are operating locally, regionally, and internationally, while keeping the firm’s identity intact: high-quality work, strong relationships, and service that stays close to the client.

As Miami grows in areas like technology, real estate, and investment finance, what opportunities do you see for expanding into new industries and sectors?

Miami’s growth is not confined to one sector, and a firm has to grow with the times. We are paying close attention to expanding areas like AI, cyber, technology, and intellectual property, because those issues are increasingly tied to how businesses operate, invest, and manage risk.

One of the things I admire about our practice is that we are constantly learning. I like being challenged, and I like the work of saying, we do not know this area well enough yet, so let’s dive in and build it responsibly. That means recruiting laterals with the right skill sets, but it also means investing in the infrastructure that helps lawyers do the work well and ethically.

AI is a good example. It is evolving every day, and the legal and professional responsibilities around it are real. We have invested serious dollars in technology so we can add value for clients, and we are building an internal structure to make sure we are using these tools appropriately. You would be remiss not to move with the times. The work now is learning how to be part of it and doing it in a way that aligns with the standards clients expect.