DEBORAH SAMPIERI CORBISHLEY

Shareholder
  • Four Seasons Tower
    1441 Brickell Avenue, Suite 1100
    Miami, FL 33131

  

DEBORAH SAMPIERI CORBISHLEY

Debbie Corbishley has more than 30 years of experience litigating complex commercial cases of all types in state and federal court. She has represented clients in bet-the-company litigation involving common law and statutory business torts, contract disputes, fraud and conspiracy claims, state and federal securities law violations, fraudulent conveyances, class actions, and corporate and partnership issues. In many of these matters, she has coordinated with criminal, SEC, regulatory, bankruptcy, and tax counsel, or lawyers representing the same clients in other jurisdictions on related claims. Debbie has also represented taxpayers in federal district court actions.  

Debbie has been honored to represent local and national law firms and attorneys in connection with complex malpractice claims, third party complaints, disqualification or sanctions motions, and grievances. She regularly counsels law firms on ethics issues, and advises attorneys and law firms in a preventative and risk management capacity. Among the many claims on which Debbie has represented lawyers are allegations of fraud, conspiracy, aiding and abetting a Ponzi scheme, and RICO, as well as the more common negligence or breach of fiduciary duty claims. Her clients have been sued on allegations of mistakes or intentional wrongdoing relating to transactional work, intellectual property, real estate advice or documentation, securities filings or advice, bankruptcy representation, and litigation.  

Debbie is a member of the Dade County Bar’s Professionalism Committee. She is a member of the American Bar Association, where she has presented to the Legal Malpractice Conference, and the Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers. She is also a member of the Miami-Dade Chapter of the Florida Association of Women lawyers. 

She has been admitted to The Florida Bar and the following courts: the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit; and the United States District Courts for the Southern, Middle and Northern Districts of Florida and the District of New Jersey.

Debbie currently serves as the Intake Officer for the Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida for complaints against clergy. She is a life member of the Girl Scouts and was a leader for nine years.

Debbie was born in New Jersey.  She earned her Bachelor of Arts with honors and her Juris Doctor, with high honors, from Rutgers University – Camden College of Arts & Sciences and School of Law – Camden respectively. She was awarded a Graduate Merit Scholarship for law school. During law school, she was a teaching assistant to torts and contracts sections, as well as an assistant for legal writing. She served as the Research Editor on the Law Review. She interned with the Honorable Dolores Sloviter, United States Circuit Judge, on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in her final year of law school. Following graduation, Debbie taught in the legal writing program at University of Miami from 1984 to 1986. She joined Kenny Nachwalter following her first year of teaching.

  • Multidimensional Business Litigation
  • Legal Malpractice Defense
  • Legal Ethics Counselling
  • Securities Fraud, Ponzi Schemes or RICO Claims
  • Commercial Tort, Contract, and Fraud Litigation
  • Bankruptcy Adversary Cases
  • Class Action Defense
  • District Court Tax Controversies
  • Employment Issues
  • Rutgers University School of Law, J.D., with high honors, 1984
  • Rutgers University, B.A., with honors, 1981
  • Florida, 1986
  • New Jersey, 1987
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida, 1986
  • U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida, 1987
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit, 1986
  • U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey, 1987
  • The Florida Bar
    • Business Law Section, Member
    • Trial Lawyers Section, Member
  • American Bar Association, Member
  • Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers
  • Dade County Bar Association
    • Professionalism Committee
  • Florida Association of Women Lawyers, Miami-Dade Chapter
  • Redacted, Revealed and Recalled? Revisiting Confidentiality and Inadvertent Transmittal in the Digital Age.” 2019 Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers Annual Meeting. August 9, 2019.
  • Whose Money is It?  Trust Accounts, Client Identification, and Fees. Legal Malpractice Roundtable, University of Miami Center for Ethics and Public Service. April 26, 2019.
  • Civility, Stress or More Serious Issues – Practical Guidance for Lawyers Dealing with Stress or Distress. Dade County Bar Association, Professionalism Committee. April 17, 2019.
      • Seminar Chair and Panelist on Identifying and Addressing the Issues.
  • Defending Mentally Impaired Lawyers.  American Bar Association National Legal Malpractice Conference. April 4, 2019.
  • From Hello to Goodbye. Panelist on Goodbye: Reasons for Discharge, Withdrawal, or Termination and the Impact of Termination on Attorney and Client Rights. Legal Malpractice Roundtable, University of Miami Center for Ethics and Public Service. May 17, 2018.
  • Clients, Confidentiality, And…Cocktails?  Navigating Complex Conflicts Of Interest. Miami Law Alumni Association – Broward Judicial Reception, University of Miami Professional Responsibility & Ethics Program (PREP). March 7, 2018.
  • Cordell Consultants, Inc. Money Purchase Plan v. Abbott, No. 11-80416-CIV, 2015 WL 11539507 (S.D. Fla. Nov. 9, 2015) (granting summary judgment for lawyers and firm on aiding and abetting fraud and conspiracy claims), aff’d, 682 F. App’x 867 (11th Cir. 2017) (argued).
  • Batchelor-Robjohns v. United States, 788 F.3d 1280, 1282 (11th Cir. 2015)(tax controversy involving claim of right in context of estate tax)(argued).
  • Stein v. Stein, No. 04-22211-CIV-KING, 2005 WL 5632055, at *1 (S.D. Fla. June 8, 2005) (elimination of tax lien).
  • Jackson v. BellSouth Telecommunications, 372 F.3d 1250 (11th Cir. 2004) (malpractice/RICO).
  • Hosp. Corp. of Am. v. Assocs. In Adolescent Psychiatry, S.C., 605 So. 2d 556 (Fla. 4th DCA 1992)(breach of contract/statute of frauds) (argued).
  • Intern to the Honorable Dolores K. Sloviter, U.S. Circuit Judge, U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals, 1983–1984

Confirm

Skip to content