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JACOBELI J. BEHAR, ESQUIRE

BIO

A South Florida native, Jacobeli J. Behar graduated with honors from Florida State University in 2011 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. After completing his studies in Tallahassee, Jacobeli returned to South Florida to attend the University of Miami School of Law, where he graduated magna cum laude in 2014.  Jacobeli is the son of Jewish-Cuban/Turkish immigrants, and like many in South Florida he is a proud first-generation American.

 

Jacobeli focuses his practice on the highly specialized areas of probate, trust, and guardianship administration and litigation, as well as mental health matters.  Jacobeli has represented high net worth individuals, fiduciaries and beneficiaries, executors and guardians, as well as private businesses and large corporate interests.  Jacobeli currently serves as a member of the Guardianship Attorney Wheel in both the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit Court of Broward County and the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court of Miami-Dade County, where he is regularly appointed by the courts to represent alleged incapacitated persons.

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EDUCATION

  • University of Miami School of Law, Coral Gables, Florida, J.D., magna cum laude – 2014

    • Dean’s Merit Scholarship Recipient – 2011 through 2014

    • 2013 Burton Young Family Law Scholarship Recipient

    • Litigation Skills Program, Section Honors

    • The University of Miami Psychology, Public Policy & Law Journal, Author

  • Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, B.S. 2011 – cum laude


PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS, ASSOCIATIONS, AND AWARDS

  • Florida Bar, Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section, Guardianship, Power of Attorney & Advance Directives Committee, Vice-Chair

  • Florida Bar, Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section, Executive Counsel Member 

  • Dade County Bar Association, Member, Probate and Guardianship Committee

  • Florida Fellows Institute of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), Graduate, Class IV

  • Thompson Reuters Super Lawyers 2023 Florida Rising Stars List, Trust and Estate Litigation

  • Thompson Reuters Super Lawyers 2024 Florida Rising Stars List, Trust and Estate Litigation

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SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

  • Judicial Panel on Guardianship Proceedings and Practice Tips, Florida Bar RPPTL Section Guardianship Seminar 2018: “Journey Through the Florida Guardianship Galaxy,” Moderator, Tampa, Florida, April, 2018

  • Mock Incapacity Hearing, Florida Bar RPPTL Section Guardianship Seminar 2018: “Journey Through the Florida Guardianship Galaxy,” Moderator, Tampa, Florida, April, 2018

  • Mock Appointment of Guardian Hearing, Florida Bar RPPTL Section Guardianship Seminar 2018: “Journey Through the Florida Guardianship Galaxy,” Moderator, Tampa, Florida, April, 2018

  • DCBA Probate & Guardianship Committee Pro Bono Seminar: “You Be the Judge,” Speaker (Will Contests), Miami, Florida, January, 2019

  • Florida Bar RPPTL Annual Guardianship Seminar 2020: “Guardian Advocacy Under Chapter 393: An Introduction," Speaker, Virtual, September, 2020

  • Florida Bar RPPTL Annual Guardianship Seminar 2021: "When Things Get Ugly: Bad Faith Fees and Section 57.105 Sanctions in Incapacity Proceedings," Speaker, Virtual, December, 2021

  • Florida Bar RPPTL Annual Guardianship Seminar 2024: "Sometimes Unpaid and Unfairly Portrayed: The Crusade of Court Appointed Counsel," Speaker, April, 2024

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PUBLICATIONS

  • Do I Need to be Rich to Have a Will?, Co-Author with Hung V. Nguyen, Miami Herald, South Florida Legal Guide, Jan. 8, 2018

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