Tulane alumnus Richard Weiss receives prestigious law award

Tulane alumnus Richard Weiss has not only received a very prestigious award but also made history along the way. Weiss is the recipient of the 2017 Claude Pepper Outstanding Government Lawyer Award, presented by the President and Government Lawyer Section of The Florida Bar, and became the first attorney in private practice to receive the accolade. The Claude Pepper Outstanding Government Lawyer Award is presented to an individual who has exemplified the highest ideals of dedication, professionalism and ethics in service to the public. Weiss, a 1977 graduate of the Tulane Law School who also earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from Tulane in 1974, has spent 39 years representing, counseling and advocating for numerous governmental entities. He presently focuses his practice on governmental and municipal law and provides advice and guidance to numerous governmental agencies, including the Miami Heat, while practicing at the firm he helped establish— Weiss Serota Helfman Cole & Bierman—in South Florida. The firm is the largest in the state focused on representing governments and public sector entities. “I am honored to accept this award on behalf of the colleagues in our firm who assist me in servicing our local government clients,” Weiss said. Since 1991, he has served as City Attorney for nearly a dozen South Florida cities and special counsel and labor counsel to many more. From 1978 through 1984, Weiss served for seven years as an Assistant County Attorney for Miami-Dade County. In recent years, he has authored charters for many newly-created cities.?Weiss was an adjunct professor in the Department of Public Administration at Florida International University and is currently writing a textbook on Florida local government law. Weiss is the author of numerous publications regarding dispute resolution and arbitration and is a frequent speaker on municipal law topics to groups such as the American Arbitration Association, the Florida Association of Police Legal Advisors, the Florida Public Employer Relations Association and the Florida Association of Municipal Attorneys. He has lectured at the Criminal Justice Institute at Broward County Community College.