Attorneys' Real Estate Council of Miami-Dade County, Inc.

Silvia B. Rojas is a Florida Board Certified Specialist in Real Estate. As a member of the Executive Council of the Florida Bar RPPTL Section she served as chair, co-chair and vice-chair of several Section committees.  She was Editor-in-Chief of ActionLine, the Florida RPPTL Section’s magazine, for a four-year period.  Currently she is a Vice-Chair for the CLE Committee of the RPPTL Section.  She has served in private practice and as Sr. Underwriting Counsel for The Fund, now Old Republic National Title Company.  She is currently retired from the practice but active in other facets of the legal profession.    

The daughter of a real-estate developer, you could say that real estate runs in Vanessa M. Bertran’s blood – making her a perfect fit for the firm’s Real Estate Department.

In her family’s real estate business, Vanessa played an important role in the success of their projects by focusing on coordinating subcontractors, maintaining good working relationships with the zoning and permitting departments of various local cities and counties, and conducting site inspections. As her interest moved toward the law, she partnered with a title company, learning the important fundamentals of researching chain title history and determining seller history. As an attorney, Vanessa actively handles a significant range of real estate matters, from commercial and residential transactions and closings to real estate operation issues like eviction.

Her background in real estate was a natural transition into Estate Planning, Probate Litigation, and Guardianship. She has the benefit of blending her real estate background with her law degree to add value to her clients' needs and circumstances in order to promote conflict avoidance via a cost-effective approach of Estate Planning. Probate litigation and Guardianships are never an easy process. Vanessa entered the Probate litigation and Guardianship practice in order to help people through one of the most difficult times in their life. She genuinely cares about each client and advocates aggressively to give each of them the ability to move past this difficult time.

IVETTE RODRIGUEZ is the founder of IVETTE RODRIGUEZ, P.A., located in Coral Gables, Florida. The firm was established in 1998 to provide affordable and quality services to clients in a variety of practice areas and disciplines. Ms. Rodriguez’s practice has focused on matters involving real estate secured loans, asset-based loans, commercial and residential real property transactions, including leases and purchases, business and corporate matters, including formation, shareholder and other corporate agreements, purchase and sale of businesses and related interests, construction lien claims, and title insurance matters. Ms. Rodriguez’ practice includes experience in short sale negotiation, Deeds in Lieu Negotiations and Real Estate Owned (REO) properties. Her legal background and title experience allows her to resolve post judgment issues and title defects for Lenders.

Ms. Rodriguez is a title insurance agent with Old Republic National Title Insurance Co., through Attorney’s Title Fund Services, LLC, one of the largest title insurance companies in the State of Florida, and is authorized to issue title insurance policies for owners, lenders and other interested parties.

Ms. Rodriguez was admitted to the Florida Bar and the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida in 1998 after obtaining her law degree from Nova Southeastern University located in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Ms. Rodriguez is a Florida Civil Law Notary appointed by the Florida Department of State. Currently she is involved with “Putting Something Back”, in which she provides Pro Bono legal services to the Guardian ad Litem program in her community. In 1996 Ms. Rodriguez was awarded a Master’s Degree, in the Science of Criminal Justice, with honors, from Florida International University. Her undergraduate studies focused on International Finance and Marketing and she obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, in 1993.

Mr. Zimmett’s practice focuses on residential and commercial real estate transactions, as well as will preparation.

Zimmett joined his father, the late Blair I Zimmett, in 1994 and formed the firm Zimmett & Zimmett, P.A. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Florida in 1982 and Juris Doctor from the University of Miami School of Law in 1985. Mr. Zimmett is Past President of Attorneys’ Real Estate Council of Miami-Dade County and Past Director of the South Miami Kendall Bar Association.