Elsa Van Gorp Rene

Biography

Elsa Van Gorp Rene is an associate at Kluger, Kaplan, Silverman, Katzen & Levine, P.L. with a primary focus on probate, trust and guardianship disputes. 

Prior to joining Kluger Kaplan, Elsa represented heirs, beneficiaries, fiduciaries, creditors and other interested parties in probate litigation, contested guardianship, and elder abuse cases at prominent probate and litigation firms in Miami, Florida. Previously, she served as a Miami-Dade Assistant Public Defender for more than five years where she gained extensive courtroom skills and experience through trials, evidentiary hearings, and motion practice advocating for individuals facing charges ranging from misdemeanors to serious felonies. Elsa has taken hundreds of depositions, tried more than 20 jury and bench trials, and argued countless motions.

Elsa earned her J.D. from the Mitchell Hamline School of Law and her B.A. in Philosophy with a minor in Social Justice from the University of Minnesota. 

She is a member of the Florida Bar’s Elder Law, Real Property, Probate, and Trust Law, and Trial Lawyers Sections, a volunteer member of the Abuse, Neglect & Exploitation Committee of the Elder Law Section, and a Director and Committee Co-Chair for Miami-Dade Chapter of the Florida Association of Women Lawyers (MDFAWL). Elsa also serves as a pro bono attorney ad litem representing youth in dependency court through Lawyers for Children America and by mentoring youth aging out of the foster care system and transitioning to independence.