Day Pitney's Daniel Diaz Leyva and Steven J. Wernick Named to Florida Trend's NOTABLE Real Estate/Land Use Attorneys List

Day Pitney LLP is pleased to announce that Miami Partners Daniel Diaz Leyva and Steven J. Wernick have been named to Florida Trend’s Legal Elite NOTABLE Real Estate/Land Use Attorneys list. This distinction recognizes attorneys across Florida who demonstrate exceptional professional achievement, leadership within the legal community, and meaningful contributions to the advancement of real estate and land use law.

Diaz Leyva and Wernick are among a select group of attorneys recognized from firms across the state. According to Florida Trend, the Legal Elite NOTABLE program recognizes exceptional attorneys from various practice areas, disciplines, and groups. Candidates are nominated by industry professionals and business leaders, and final selections are made following an editorial review designed to identify lawyers making a significant impact in their respective fields. For more information on the organization and its methodology, click here. 

“This well-deserved recognition reflects Danny and Steve’s reputations as trusted advisors who guide clients through today’s increasingly complex real estate and land use landscape,” said Florida Offices Managing Partner Manuel A. Garcia-Linares. “Their insight, business acumen, and dedication to client success set them apart, and we are proud to see their contributions recognized among Florida’s most respected attorneys.”

Diaz Leyva chairs Day Pitney’s Florida Real Estate practice and co-chairs its LATAM practice. He oversees the firm’s work on sophisticated real estate and cross-border business transactions, representing owner-operators, investors, family offices, developers, and lenders at every stage of the real estate cycle, including acquisitions, financings, joint ventures, leasing, development, and sales. He also serves as outside general counsel, providing guidance on day-to-day business operations, and draws on his extensive government relations experience to advise clients before local and state authorities. Diaz Leyva earned his B.A., with honors, from the University of Miami and his J.D. from St. Thomas University School of Law. He is admitted to practice in Florida and the District of Columbia.

Wernick is an experienced land use and real estate attorney and maintains a multi-disciplinary practice throughout South Florida. He represents real estate developers, property owners, and other industry clients, navigating complex government regulations and the development approval process to help deliver transformative projects and revitalize urban core neighborhoods. He is a credentialed urban planner (AICP) and has guided entitlements for major mixed-use developments in Wynwood, helped create the Wynwood Neighborhood Revitalization District (NRD-1), and secured approvals for significant projects across South Florida, including the Miami Design District Retail Street Special Area Plan. He earned his B.A. from Boston University, his MRP from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, and his J.D. from the University of Florida School of Law and is admitted to practice in Florida.

Diaz Leyva and Wernick are both deeply engaged in the Miami community. Diaz Leyva serves on the Board of Trustees for Palmer Trinity School and has been recognized by Latino Leaders Magazine in 2024 and in 2021–2022 (click here for Latino Leaders methodology), The Fund® President’s Circle in 2022 (click here for The Fund’s methodology), and Florida Super Lawyers Rising Stars in 2020 (click here for Super Lawyers methodology). Wernick teaches as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Miami School of Architecture and serves on the Board of Friends of the Underline. He is the chairman of the Builders Association of South Florida’s (BASF) City of Miami Working Group and received the organization’s President’s Awards in 2025 (click here for the BASF methodology). Wernick has also been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America Land Use and Zoning Law and Real Estate Law in 2026 (click here for The Best Lawyers in America methodology), listed in Super Lawyers Magazine consecutively from 2013 to 2025 (click here for Super Lawyers methodology), and honored with the Daily Business Review’s Unsung Hero Award in 2022 (click here for Florida Legal Awards methodology). Their combined accomplishments reflect not only professional excellence but also a shared commitment to civic leadership and community advancement.

The full list of honorees can be viewed here.

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