MIAMI – January 31, 2023 – South Florida-based litigation firm Kluger, Kaplan, Silverman, Katzen & Levine P.L. continues to expand with the addition of two attorneys: Stephanie S. Khouri, who focuses on complex commercial litigation, and Michael J. Mariani, focusing his practice on complex commercial, securities and financial services litigation.

The Firm’s growth comes as more businesses and individuals continue to settle in South Florida in record numbers. In fact, more New Yorkers fled to Florida in 2022 than any year in history, with approximately 65,000 New York residents exchanging their driver’s licenses for the Florida version, according to new data from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Other states, including New Jersey, California, Illinois, and Pennsylvania, set new records for outbound migration to Florida, with California also surpassing 30,000 Florida license transfers in 2022 for the first time in history.

“Since the Firm’s inception more than 14 years ago, we have never seen more demand for commercial litigation services. As a result, Kluger Kaplan has expanded its bench in response to Florida’s population boom and to meet the needs of this rush of clientele,” said Alan J. Kluger, founding partner at Kluger Kaplan. “As we continue to strengthen our practices, Stephanie and Michael will be valuable assets to the Kluger Kaplan team, given their experience working on complex commercial disputes and notable accomplishments on behalf of their clients.”

Prior to joining Kluger Kaplan, Ms. Khouri served as corporate counsel for a pharmaceutical company, handling complex commercial litigation, personal injury, class action, employment law and product liability matters. Previously, she was an associate at a full-service business law firm for six years, where she gained experience working on matters involving contractual disputes, cyber fraud, trademark infringement, and other complex litigation matters.

A member of the Florida and New York State Bars, Ms. Khouri graduated cum laude from the University of Miami School of Law, where she was lead counsel for the UM Trial Team. While in law school, she served as a Law Clerk for the Honorable Judge D. Tunis of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court and completed internships with the Honorable Judge S. Blake of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court and with Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen in Washington D.C.

She received her B.S. in Communication from Boston University and was a member of the Cultural Mentorship Program as well as a teacher for AmeriCorps Jumpstart during her time in Boston.

Prior to joining Kluger Kaplan, Mr. Mariani worked at a boutique securities litigation firm in Tampa, where he represented broker­ dealers, registered investment advisors, and their associated persons in all phases of FINRA arbitration relating to customer disputes involving allegations of unsuitability, violations of federal securities laws, unauthorized trading, churning, overconcentration, and unauthorized margin borrowing. He also counseled businesses and individuals during DOJ, SEC, and CFTC investigations and enforcement proceedings.

Mr. Mariani earned his law degree cum laude from the University of Florida Levin College of Law. During law school, Michael served on the executive board of The Florida Moot Court Team and was selected to compete in national and international moot court competitions, including the Frank A. Schreck Gaming Law Moot Court Competition in Las Vegas, Nevada and the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot in Paris, France and Vienna, Austria. For his contributions to the team, Mr. Mariani was awarded the William C. Gaither Memorial Award as a 2L and was inducted into the Order of Barristers as a 3L. Michael also interned at the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida for the Honorable William P. Dimitrouleas.

Mr. Mariani received his B.A. degree cum laude in Criminal Justice from Florida Atlantic University. He is admitted to the Florida Bar and District of Columbia Bar.

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About Kluger, Kaplan, Silverman, Katzen & Levine, P.L.
Kluger, Kaplan, Silverman, Katzen & Levine, P.L. focuses on complex, high-stakes disputes across a broad range of disciplines and industries, including all aspects of business and corporate litigation; real estate and construction litigation; intellectual property litigation; employment litigation; securities and financial fraud; corporate governance; bankruptcy related litigation and debtor and creditor’s rights; appeals in state and federal courts; professional liability; intellectual property disputes; class actions; and complex matrimonial, probate and trust litigation. The firm’s veteran litigators have served as lead class counsel in federal multi-district litigation and trials in federal and state courts throughout the country. The firm has offices in Miami and Boca Raton. For more information, please visit www.klugerkaplan.com.