The Menendez Law Firm Staff | Estate Planning in Fort Lauderdale, FL

Nydia Menéndez

Partner

Nydia Menendez is the Managing and Founding Partner of the firm.

She is a highly experienced attorney and public speaker, focusing on issues related to estate planning, probate, tax, real estate, and corporate/business law. She is passionate about helping individuals and families plan their affairs so they can have a voice and be in control of their life choices. This is why she conducts free informative webinars regularly. (Visit our Home Page to view the webinar schedule.)

Ms. Menendez obtained her law degree in 1992 from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and her Masters in Taxation from Georgetown University Law Center in 1999. Before opening Menendez Law Firm in 2002, Nydia worked for the Florida Department of Revenue, Deloitte & Touche, and Holland & Knight.

When Nydia is not in the office, she is likely travelling, cooking, gardening, or at the farm with Ranger, a beautiful retired racehorse.

Nydia believes that the legal profession is one of nobility and advocacy. For this reason, she supports several organizations, such as Legal Aid, Hispanic Unity, Broward County Bar Association, World Vision, Feed the Hungry, Compassion International, and others.

Claudia Moncarz

Of Counsel

Claudia Moncarz focuses her practice in representing both US-based and foreign clients. In terms of disciplines, her practice concentrates in tax planning for businesses, pre-immigration tax planning, and representation in front of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in audit and collection matters.

Claudia Moncarz has been a frequent speaker at workshops on topics including tax planning, representation in front of the IRS, doing business in the U.S., estate planning for nonresident aliens, asset protection and estate planning for nontraditional families. She has been named a Rising Star by Super Lawyers and is AV Preeminent rated by Martindale Hubbell, the highest rating available

Claudia Moncarz also served as adjunct tax professor at Concordia University – Law School. She taught income taxation and corporate taxation.

Claudia Moncarz received her Bachelor of Arts in English literature from Florida State University. She was awarded a Juris Doctor and an LLM in Taxation Law from the University of Florida. During her time in Gainesville, she served as graduate tax editor for the Florida Tax Review. Also, Claudia Moncarz was a research assistant for Professor Kenneth Nunn and completed an internship in Barcelona, Spain, performing comparative law works on the income tax area.

Claudia Moncarz is also fluent in Spanish.

Doris Muscarella

Business Development Director

Doris Muscarella is Menendez Law Firm’s Business Development Director. She obtained her Bachelor of Science Degree from Barry University in North Shore, Florida in 2001. Her career snapshot includes over thirty years’ experience in the Legal field, from support work to creating a complete corporate legal department from the ground up. She has also handled legal cases from pre-suit to trial, complete with in-depth research.

Doris’ strengths include verbal and written communication, juggling multiple projects, and promoting and developing business relationships. She is known for building strong partnerships, and thrives when taking on a challenging role with a growing team.

As the owner of her own Marking & Public Relations company, Doris successfully promoted and marketed special events, including Comicon, TED talks, and The Women of the Roundtable. The latter was featured in CNN Espanol, The Miami Herald, and El Nuevo Herald, in addition to radio stations and other media outlets.

Doris has a passion for giving back to the community, and is currently a member of the Alliance for Women Executives, American Heart Association—You are the Cure, and SHOC Ovarian Cancer. She is a mentor in Take Stock in Children of Palm Beach County, and Member & Chair of the Gleneagles Country Club Healthy Lifestyle Committee.

When not speaking with clients, or volunteering with one of the many organizations she supports, you’ll find Doris getting back to nature and enjoying herself on the golf course.

Maria Escobar

Accounting and Operations Coordinator

Maria Escobar handles accounting and operations functions for the Menendez Law Firm. She gained administrative and bookkeeping experience by previously working as a receptionist and office services associate at a nonprofit organization.

A strong proponent of positive thinking, Maria enjoys helping others and believes that developing strong relationships is the foundation for everything in life, both professionally and personally.

In her spare time, Maria likes to travel, read books, and try new recipes. She is a skilled baker and spends most of her weekends whipping up desserts to give to friends and family. Maria is passionate about visual arts. She loves to paint, design, and do crafts. She appreciates the beauty in all things, which inspires her to make beautiful creations of her own.

Maria is currently enrolled at Miami Dade College, pursuing a degree in Finance Management. She plans to eventually earn a degree in Business Administration with hopes of one day opening her own company.

Massiel Leyva

Client Services Coordinator

The Client Services Coordinator of the Menendez Law Firm is Massiel Leyva.

After moving to the United States from Cuba in 2015, Massiel gained experience in several industries. She worked as an insurance sales representative, and as an administrative assistant in an engineering company. The common denominator in all her endeavors has been her love for serving clients, which makes Massiel a perfect fit for her role at our firm.

In 2019 Massiel earned her Associate in Arts degree from Miami Dade College. She is currently continuing her education, pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Miami, scheduled to graduate in Fall 2022. She is passionate about news reporting and hopes to travel the world one day as a correspondent and anchor for a major Hispanic network.

Massiel’s education has made her an expert in the south Florida culinary culture. That’s because she has the pleasure of writing, reporting, and editing news packages for a biweekly segment on that topic for UMTV, the university’s television station.

Massiel enjoys spending time with her family and travelling to new places. In her spare time, she watches comedy shows like “Friends” and “The Office.” She is also passionate about reading. Her favorite book is “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho.

Kathi Marsh

In-House Audit Analyst

Ms. Marsh earned her Bachelors at Florida Atlantic University. After graduating, Ms. Marsh entered private practice before joining the Florida Department of Revenue. During her 35 year tenure with the Department, Ms. Marsh worked with all Florida taxes, focusing on Sales and Use Tax, Corporate Income Tax, and Re-Employment Tax, with various duties ranging from audits dispute resolution, including the creation and implementation of the Doubt as to Collectibility procedures, the Voluntary Disclosure procedures, review and resolution of protested tax audits and billings, and the analysis of pending legislation, as well as the final review of the Department’s implementation of tax law. After retiring from the Department, Ms. Marsh joined the Menendez Law Firm as an Audit Analyst.

Rebecca Rivera

Rebecca Rivera is the Multimedia & Production Specialist with the Firm.

In 2017 she graduated from Florida State University, earning her Bachelor’s degree in English, with a focus in Editing, Writing & Media.

In her spare time, Rebecca immerses herself in new technologies and helping people become excited about all the new possibilities and solutions they provide. Through this interest, she has learned how to repair PCs, making her the firm’s go-to for technical questions.

Rebecca is the proud mother to her fur-child, Bailey, who was rescued when she was just two months old. They love going to the park together, where Bailey gets to play with the other dogs. In addition, Rebecca enjoys cooking, travelling, visiting craft breweries, and playing video games.

Rebecca is passionate about animals and wishes they could all have a happy and loving home. That’s why she supports organizations like The Humane Society.