Faculty
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The faculty of the Graduate Program in Estate Planning is unparalleled in graduate level legal education. The estate planning Bar in South Florida is home to many of the nation’s leading estate planning practitioners. The Graduate Program is able to include a number of these local experts on its adjunct faculty to teach the fall semester core courses. The concentrated weeklong modules in the spring semester provide the opportunity to include not only local specialists, but also preeminent estate planning experts from around the nation on the program’s faculty. Over the years, the faculty has included law school professors, deans and former deans, partners and managing partners of elite law firms, former IRS commissioners and chief counsel, Tax Court judges, and other eminent teachers and scholars.

 

The following is a list of the program’s faculty for the 2009-2010 academic year:

 

Juan C. Antúnez is a partner at the Miami, Florida law firm of Stokes McMillan Maracini & Antúnez P.A. (www.smpalaw.com) and the author of the Florida Probate & Trust Litigation Blog (www.flprobatelitigation.com).  Trusts-and-estates litigation, probate administration and estate planning is all he does as a lawyer. Mr. Antúnez has previously lectured for the National Business Institute and other professional groups on areas related to his practice. He is a graduate of Florida International University's business school (B.A. in finance with honors), the New York University School of Law (J.D.), and the University of Miami School of Law (LL.M. in Estate Planning). Mr. Antúnez has been awarded an AV® Peer Review Rating by LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell and in 2005 he was named by Florida Trend Magazine as one of Florida's “Best Up-and-Coming Attorneys”.  Prior to law school Mr. Antúnez served in the United States Marine Corps Reserve from 1987 to 1993 (4th ANGLICO, West Palm Beach, Florida), including combat duty during the first Gulf War. In addition to managing not to get himself shot, after “Gulf I” he ended up with the Combat Action Ribbon, Kuwaiti Liberation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Southwest Asia Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, and Meritorious Unit Citation.

 

Martin E. Basson is the Supervisory Attorney, Estate & Gift Taxes, for the South Florida District of the Internal Revenue Service. He received his B.A. from Colgate University and his J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law. With the exception of serving as assistant tax commissioner for the City of New York during the Koch administration, he has worked for the IRS since 1974. He has lectured at numerous American Law Institute-American Bar Association sponsored seminars, and has served as a faculty member of the University of Miami Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning. He is a charter member of the IRS Estate and Gift Tax National Advisory Panel, a select group of IRS attorneys who assist in the formation of nationwide policy decisions in the estate and gift tax area.

 

Norman J. Benford is a shareholder of the firm of Greenberg Traurig, practicing principally in its Miami office, and the national Chair of its Trusts and Estates practice. He is board certified in Estate Planning and Probate Law by the Florida Bar’s Board of Certification. Mr. Benford is a member of the Advisory Committee of the Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning and served at the University of Miami School of Law teaching courses in its J.D. and LL.M. programs in fiduciary administration, drafting, and domestic and international estate planning. He has lectured frequently at and written for continuing education programs and other professional and community organizations. Mr. Benford is a Fellow and Past-Regent and member of the Executive Committee of The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and served as President of the ACTEC Foundation. Mr. Benford received his LL.B. degree from Yale Law School and his B.A. from Yale University. He served on active duty from 1959 to 1961 as a lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps and as a law clerk to the Hon. William H. Timbers, Chief Judge, U.S. District Court, District of Connecticut.

 

John F. Bergner is a shareholder in the Dallas, Texas office of Winstead PC. Mr. Bergner has been with Winstead for more than 24 years and serves as chairman of the wealth preservation practice group. Mr. Bergner is a specialist in estate planning and probate law certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. His practice involves complex tax, estate and business succession planning as well as administration of estates. He earned a B.B.A. and J.D. from Washburn University, and an M.L.T. from Georgetown University Law Center.  Mr. Bergner is active in the American Bar Association and is past chair of the Estate and Gift Tax Committee of the ABA’s Tax Section. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. He has lectured at numerous tax and estate planning seminars and is a visiting adjunct professor at the University of Miami Law School. He serves on the Editorial Board of the Practical Tax Lawyer, published by the ALI-ABA.

 

Lawrence Brody is a partner in the St. Louis office of Bryan Cave LLP, an international law firm. He is a member of its Private Client Service Group and its Entrepreneurial, Technology & Commercial Practice Client Service Groups. He is an adjunct professor at Washington University School of Law, and is a frequent lecturer and the author or co-author of numerous articles and books on the use of life insurance in estate and employee benefit planning, including two BNA Tax Management Portfolios, two books for the National Underwriter Company, and a number of books in the American Bar Association Insurance Counselor Series. Mr. Brody is a member of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and the American College of Tax Counsel. He is a frequent particpant at American Law Institute-American Bar association programs and Society of Financial Professionals programs and teleconferences and is a member of the Advisory Committee of the University of Miami Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning.

 

Louis J. Chiavacci is a Senior Vice President-Investments at Merrill Lynch and a fully accredited Private Wealth Advisor in the Banking & Investment Group. Mr. Chiavacci is a member of the Private Wealth Management Advisory Council to Merrill Lynch Management and a frequent guest speaker regarding the ultra-affluent market. He has been providing wealth management advice to high net worth families since 1986 and has over twenty years of investment experience. From 1986 to 1997 Mr. Chiavacci was a member of Goldman Sachs Private Client Services in New York and Miami where he was a Vice President. Mr. Chiavacci attended the United States Naval Academy and holds an MBA and BS from Indiana University where he was an Associate Instructor of Financial Accounting. Mr. Chiavacci is a regular guest lecturer for Merrill Lynch high-networth training programs. He has been a guest lecturer at the Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning. He serves as a volunteer adjunct professor at the University of Miami School of Law Graduate Program in Estate Planning.

 

Nicholas E. Christin is a Managing Partner resident in the Miami office of Wicker, Smith, O’Hara, McCoy & Ford, P.A.  Since 1979, Mr. Christin has been an adjunct professor in the University of Miami LL.M Program in Estate Planning.  He has taught Income Taxation of Trusts and Estates almost every year for nearly 30 years.  Mr. Christin also co-authored a Tax Management Portfolio of Income Taxation of Trusts and Estates. Mr. Christin has a Bachelor of Business Administration (1970), a Masters of Science (1971), a Juris Doctor (1974), and a Masters of Law in Estate Planning (1978) from the University of Miami. He is an active member of the American, Florida and Miami-Dade County Bar Associations, and the Florida and American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.  He is also a Florida certified public accountant.

 

Henry Christensen III is a member of the law firm of McDermott, Will & Emery, LLP, based in their New York office.  He is the managing partner of their New York and international private clients practice.  He is an honors graduate of The Peddie School (1962), Yale College (1966) and Harvard Law School (1969).  Mr. Christensen is the President of the International Academy of Estate and Trust Law, and a Regent of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC).  He is the former Chair of the International Estate Planning Committee of ACTEC, and the former Chair of the Estate and Gift Tax Committee, Income Taxation of Trusts Committee, and Taxation of Exempt Organizations Committee of the Tax Section of the New York State Bar Association.   He was a consultant to the American Law Institute on its project to revise Subchapter J of the Internal Revenue Code.  In addition to serving on the adjunct faculty of the University of Miami, Mr. Christensen is an adjunct professor at New York University Law School.   Mr. Christensen is the author of the Treatise, International Estate Planning, published by Matthew Bender & Co., which is updated annually, and is a frequent lecturer and author on estates and tax subjects. 

 

Seth J. Entin is a shareholder with the Miami office of Greenberg Traurig, P.A. Seth graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Miami School of Law, where he was an Editor of the University of Miami Law Review. Seth also holds a Masters degree in accounting. Seth is listed in The Best Lawyers in America and in Chambers & Partners USA Guide. Seth concentrates his practice in the area of Federal income taxation, with an emphasis on international transactions. Seth is the Vice Chair for International Tax of the Florida Bar Tax Section, and has spoken for the American Bar Association Section of Taxation, American Bar Association Section of Real Property, Probate and Trust Law, the Florida Bar Tax Section, the Florida Bar International Law Section, the International Bar Association, the Estate Planning Council of New York City, the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants, CITE, ATLAS, the Greater Miami Tax Institute and at other tax seminars. Seth written for publications such as Tax Notes, Tax Notes International, Derivatives,The Deal and Practical US/International Tax Strategies.  Prior to attending law school, Seth researched and taught Talmud and Judaic Studies.

 

Lawrence A. Frolik is a professor of law at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.  A frequent lecturer on legal issues of aging and a prolific author, his books include Advising the Elderly or Disabled Client, (2nd Ed. with Brown) (Warren, Gorham & Lamont), Elder Law in a Nutshell, (3rd Ed. with Kaplan) (West), and casebooks, Elder Law: Cases and Materials, (4th Ed. with Barnes) (LexisNexis), and The Law of Employee Pension and Welfare Benefits (2nd Ed. with Moore) (LexisNexis).  He is Past-Chair of the PBA Elder Law Section and Past-Chair of the ABA Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section Seniors Issues Committee.  He was appointed by Governor Rendell to the Pennsylvania Council on Aging and served as Policy Advisor to the Executive Council of the Pennsylvania AARP.  In 1995, he was a Congressional appointed delegate to the White House Conference on Aging.  Mr. Frolik is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, an Academic Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, and a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation.  He received his B.A. from the University of Nebraska and his J.D. and his LL.M. from Harvard Law School.

 

Marvin C. Gutter is a shareholder in the law firm of Gutter Chaves Josepher Rubin Forman Fleisher P.A. in Boca Raton, Florida. He received his B.B.A. from Hofstra University in 1972, and his J.D. from Hofstra Law School in 1976. Mr. Gutter is also a certified public accountant. He practices in the areas of taxation, business agreements and acquisitions, estate planning and probate matters. He is an authority on IRS procedural matters involving income, payroll and estate tax controversies. Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Gutter was an attorney with the Office of Chief Counsel, Internal Revenue Service. He is a Past-Chair of the Tax Section of The Florida Bar.

 

Jerome M. Hesch practices law in Miami, Florida and is a tax and estate planning consultant for lawyers and other estate planning professionals throughout the country.  He is a member of ACTEC, has published numerous articles, several Tax Management Portfolios, and co-authored a law school casebook on Federal Income Taxation, now in its third edition.  He has appeared for groups such as the AICPA, the University of Miami Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning, the University of Southern California Tax Institute and the New York University Institute on Federal Taxation.  He has participated in several bar association projects, such as the Drafting Committee for the Florida Revised Uniform Partnership Act and preparing the ABA’s comments on the IRS’s proposed private annuity regulations.  He received his BA and MBA degrees from the University of Michigan and a JD degree from the University of Buffalo Law School.  He was with the Office of Chief Counsel, Internal Revenue Service, Washington, D.C. from 1970 to 1975, and was a full-time law professor from 1975 to 1994.  He is currently an adjunct professor of law at the Florida International University and the University of Miami law schools and teaches a course as part of the ABA’s annual, week-long Skills Training for Estate Planners program.

 

Edward F. Koren, Jr. is the head of the Holland & Knight Private Wealth Services group, practicing principally in its Tampa and Lakeland offices. Mr. Koren earned his B.S.B.A. degree in accounting in 1971 and his J.D. degree, with highest honors, in 1974 from the University of Florida, where he was Executive Editor of the University of Florida Law Review. Mr. Koren is the lead author and editor of a four-volume treatise Estate and Personal Financial Planning (West 1988-06). He has written numerous other articles and chapters in publications pertaining to trusts, estates, individual taxation and estate planning and administration, and speaks regularly at seminars sponsored by various national and regional professional organizations, including the University of Miami Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning, Southern Federal Tax Institute, American and Florida Bar Associations, the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, ALI/ABA, PLI, the American Association of Attorney/CPAs, and numerous estate planning councils throughout the Southeast. Mr. Koren is a Past-Chair of the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section of the American Bar Association, Past-Chair of the Estate and Gift Tax Committee of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, and is also a Past- Regent. He is a Fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel and the American Bar Foundation, and is also very active in The Florida Bar, where he has chaired the Tax Section and the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section.

 

Teig Lawrence practices in a broad range of federal, state and local tax matters with particular emphasis on tax collection procedure, audits and controversy.   Mr. Lawrence earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (B.S.B.A), with honors, from the University of Florida in 1992, his Juris Doctorate (J.D.) from Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad Law Center in 1996, and his Master of Laws in Taxation (LL.M.) from the University of Miami School of Law in 1997.  Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Lawrence was a corporate tax consultant with the Big Four accounting firm of Deloitte & Touche in Los Angeles, California and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He focused on corporate tax law and creative tax strategies. Mr. Lawrence has been a member of The Florida Bar since 1996. He is licensed to practice before the Internal Revenue Service and the United States Tax Court.  He is a member of the South Florida Tax Litigation Association.

 

Carlyn McCaffrey is a partner and co-head of the Trusts and Estates Department in the New York law firm of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP and an adjunct professor at New York University School of Law. She received her LL.B. and her LL.M. from the New York University School of Law. Mrs. McCaffrey is a Fellow and former President of the American College of Trust & Estate Counsel, a Fellow and Regent of the American College of Tax Counsel and a member and former Vice President of the International Academy of Trust & Estate Counsel. In addition, Mrs. McCaffrey is a member of the Advisory Board of Tax Analysts, a member of the Advisory Committee of the University of Miami Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning, a member of the Tax Section of the New York Bar Association, and the former Co-Chair of the Estates and Trusts Committee of the Tax Section of the New York State Bar Association. Mrs. McCaffrey frequently lectures on subjects relating to tax law, trusts and estates, foreign trusts and matrimonial law. She also writes extensively on these topics, and is the co-author of Structuring the Tax Consequences of Marriage and Divorce.

 

Jerry J. McCoy is an independent attorney in Washington, D.C., specializing in charitable tax planning, tax-exempt organizations and estate planning. A member of the American Law Institute and a Fellow of both the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and the American College of Tax Counsel, Mr. McCoy is listed in Who's Who in America, Who's Who in American Law, and The Best Lawyers in America. A frequent presenter at planned giving, tax and estate planning seminars, he also serves on the adjunct faculty at the Georgetown University Law Center. He is the Past-Chair of the Charitable Planning and Exempt Organizations Committee of ACTEC. Mr. McCoy is co-founder and co-editor of two newsletters - Charitable Gift Planning News, and Family Foundation Advisor. He is co-author (with Kathryn Miree) of the Family Foundation Handbook, published by Aspen Law & Business (CCH). Mr. McCoy has an LL.B. from Duke University and an LL.M. from New York University.

 

Jeffrey N. Pennell is a Professor of Law at Emory University School of Law in Atlanta where he teaches income tax, wealth transfer tax, trusts and estates, and estate planning. He practiced for several years in Chicago before beginning his teaching career at the University of Oklahoma in 1978. Professor Pennell has taught as a visiting professor at the law schools of Southern Methodist University and the Universities of Miami, North Carolina, and Texas.

 

A specialist in estate planning, trusts and estates, and wealth transfer taxation, he has published classroom texts on the Income Taxation of Trusts, Estates, Grantors, and Beneficiaries, a second on Federal Wealth Transfer Taxation, and a third on Estate Planning. He authored the Bureau of National Affairs Tax Management portfolio on the Estate Tax Marital Deduction and coauthored the portfolio on Estate Tax Payment and Apportionment, and a text on Trust and Estate Planning published by the American Bar Association. He is the successor author of the leading treatise on estate planning, originally written by the late Harvard Professor A. James Casner. He also has published selected chapters in various editions of the New York University Tax Institute, the University of Southern California Tax Institute, and the University of Miami Estate Planning Institute, along with an extensive array of articles on estate planning. He is an Advisor to the American Law Institute Restatement (Third) of Property (Wills and Other Donative Transfers) and is an Advisor of its Restatement (Third) of Trusts.

 

Professor Pennell lectures widely on estate planning, he chairs several annual programs for ALI-ABA (a national continuing legal education provider), serves on the faculty and the advisory board of the nation's leading annual institute on estate planning, and is a Visiting Adjunct Professor in the Graduate Program in Estate Planning.

 

Professor Pennell received his B.S. and J.D. from Northwestern University.

 

Susan Porter is a managing director at U.S. Trust. She received an A.B. from Vassar College, a J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School and an LL.M. from New York University Law School. In addition to serving as a visiting adjunct professor at the University of Miami School of Law, she lectures on fiduciary law for the American Bankers Association’s National Graduate Trust School. She is on the editorial board of Practical Drafting, serves on Tax Management’s Advisory Board on Estates, Gifts and Trusts and is a member of the Advisory Committee of the University of Miami Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning.

 

Gideon Rothschild is a partner with the New York City law firm of Moses & Singer LLP, where he is a Co-Chair of the Estate Planning and Wealth Preservation Group. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and a member of the Advisory Board of BNA’s Tax Management. Mr. Rothschild is the co-author of the BNA Tax Management portfolio on Asset Protection Planning and has authored numerous articles for publication. He has lectured frequently on asset protection and estate planning to professional groups including the University of Miami Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning, the New York University Federal Tax Institute, the New York State Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the Southern Federal Tax Institute and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Mr. Rothschild is also licensed as a Certified Public Accountant.

 

William R. Siegel is a shareholder in the Miami office of Greenberg Traurig. He works primarily on federal income tax and transactional matters, with a focus on partnerships, limited liability companies, corporations (C and S) and real estate issues. He speaks regularly on the taxation of closely-held businesses and like-kind exchanges. He received a B.A. from Wesleyan University, a Master's Degree in Russian and Eastern European Studies from Harvard University and a J.D. from Northwestern University.

 

Shawn C. Snyder is a partner with the law firm of Snyder & Snyder, P.A., a boutique estate planning firm located in Davie, Florida. He is a member of the Florida Bar, the Broward County Bar Association, and is board certified by the Florida Bar in specialty of Wills, Trusts, and Estates. Mr. Snyder received his LL.M. from the University of Miami School of Law (Estate Planning), his J.D. from University of Florida Law School, and both his B.A. and M.A. in Accounting from the University of Florida.   He is a member of the Executive Committee for the Weston Bar Association, a former member of the Florida Bar Committee on Relations with the FICPA and CPA’s, a founding member of the West Broward Estate Planning Council, the past Chairman of the Planned Giving Committee for the United Way of Broward County, and a member of Florida Blue Key.  Mr. Snyder limits his practice exclusively to estate planning, estate administration, and domestic creditor protection matters.

 

William A. Snyder is the founding partner of Snyder & Snyder, P.A., a boutique estate planning firm.  He is a member of the Florida and Broward County Bar Associations and is board certified by the Florida Bar in Wills, Trusts, and Estates.  Mr. Snyder received his LL.M. from the University of Miami School of Law (Estate Planning), his J.D. from University of Florida Law School, and his B.A. from Hobart and William Smith College.  He is listed as in The Best Lawyers in America, and was named as one of the Top 100 Attorneys in the U.S. by Worth magazine in December 2005, December 2006, and December 2007.  Also, Mr. Snyder serves as Chairman of the Wills, Trusts, and Estates Law certification committee for the Florida Bar Association.  

 

Paul M. Stokes is a partner in Stokes McMillan Maracini & Antúnez P.A. He graduated from Duke University in 1968, magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, with a B.A. degree in history, and from the University of Chicago Law School in 1971, with a J.D. degree, Order of the Coif. Since 1986, he has been board certified as a specialist in Wills, Trusts and Estates by the Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization and Education. He is a member of the Tax Section and the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law of the Florida Bar, and a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. His practice includes estate planning, private client service, federal estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer taxes, estate administration (including decedent’s estates, trust estates and guardianships), and related litigation.

 

Bruce Stone is a shareholder with Goldman Felcoski & Stone P.A. in Coral Gables, Florida. His practice consists primarily of estate planning for both domestic and foreign clients. A significant portion of his practice involves disputed or complex problem situations in which he is retained to find creative planning solutions or to serve as expert witness, mediator or arbitrator. He received a B.A. from the University of Florida and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He received a J.D. from the Florida State University College of Law. He is a Past-Chair of the Florida Bar Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and has served on its Board of Regents and Executive Committee.  He is an Academician in the International Academy of Estate and Trust Law.  He is a member of the Advisory Committee of the University of Miami Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning. He was the principal drafter of Florida's legislation authorizing dynasty trusts and allowing modification and reformation of irrevocable trusts.  He has been extensively involved in the drafting of Florida legislation concerning elective share rights of surviving spouses, the administration of trusts, and homestead.

 

Conrad Teitell is a principal in the Connecticut- and Florida-based law firm of Cummings & Lockwood, resident in the firm’s Stamford office. He holds an LL.B. from Columbia University Law School and an LL.M. from New York University Law School. Mr. Teitell is a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and the recipient of the American Law Institute/American Bar Association’s Harrison Tweed Award for Special Merit in Continuing Legal Education. Listed in The Best Lawyers in America, his "Philanthropy and Estate Planning" columns appear in Trusts & Estates and the New York Law Journal. He is the author of the fivevolume treatise, Philanthropy and Taxation and editor and publisher of Taxwise Giving, a monthly newsletter.

 

Steven E. Trytten is a nationally recognized authority on tax and estate planning, quoted in financial publications such as the Wall Street Journal, Forbes Magazine, Bloomberg Wealth Manager, Kiplinger’s Retirement Report, and the Los Angeles Business Journal. He lectures across the country (including Heckerling Estate Planning Institute, ALI-ABA programs, NYU Tax Institute, USC Tax Institute, CEB-UCLA Estate Planning Institute, Southern California Tax and Estate Planning Forum, Great Western Tax Institute, Great Southern Tax Institute, AICPA programs, and NAELA Annual Institute, among others). Recent publications include his papers for these Institutes, as well as articles for Trust and Estates Magazine and other publications for professionals engaged in tax and estate planning.  Steve is one of the top 1% of lawyers in the U.S. to be included in the “Best Lawyers of America.”  He has been voted by his peers in Los Angeles County as a “Super Lawyer” each year since the “Super Lawyer” process began in 2004, and was further recognized in 2004 as one of the top 100 vote recipients county‑wide among all practice areas. 

 

Steve is a “Certified Specialist” in two areas: Taxation Law, and Estate Planning and Probate Law (certification by the Board of Legal Specialization of the State Bar of California).  He is also a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (“ACTEC”) and a Member of the ACTEC Employee Benefits Committee and a member of the Editorial Advisory Board for Trust & Estates Magazine (Retirement Benefits Section).  Steve served as Chair of the California State Bar Taxation Section Committee on Estate and Gift Taxation from 1996 to 1998. He is an active member of the American Bar Association, the State Bar of California, the Los Angeles County Bar Association, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and the California Society of Certified Public Accountants.  He attended the University of Illinois where he received his undergraduate, MBA, and JD degrees. He was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 1978 and to the California Bar in 1983. He became licensed as an Illinois CPA in 1979.

 

Program Director: Tina Portuondo
Tina Portuondo is the director of the Graduate Program in Estate Planning. She earned a B.A., magna cum laude, from Wheaton College, a J.D., cum laude, from Georgetown University, and an LL.M. in taxation from New York University. Ms. Portuondo joined the Law School after practicing in the areas of tax and estate planning in New York and Miami. She is also the director of the University of Miami Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning, and is the Secretary and a member of the Executive Council of the Real Property, Probate & Trust Law Section of the American Bar Association.