Cristina Suárez Steps Up As City Attorney

A graduate of Florida International University’s College of Law, Cristina Suárez is a practicing lawyer with a wide range of accomplishments, including serving as deputy city attorney of Coral Gables for five years. Her law career first began as an associate attorney in private practice, focusing on international commercial disputes and financial services litigation before she began working with the City in 2016 as assistant city attorney. She has been awarded by the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce as an “Up & Comer” in its Business Leadership Awards and was named one of “Florida’s Rising Stars” on the Super Lawyers list from 2013 to 2016. She is also a member of the Coral Gables and Cuban American Bar Associations and serves as the editor of “The Agenda,” a Florida Bar newsletter. 

Latest Achievement

After former City Attorney Miriam Ramos stepped down from the position in January, Suárez was unanimously elected by the City Commission to take over that post. The former deputy city attorney will serve as the chief legal officer for the city, providing legal opinions and interpretations of the law while also supervising both in-house and outside counsel.

As city attorney, she will manage a team of lawyers doing everything from drafting legislation to reviewing contracts to prosecuting on behalf of Coral Gables. “Cristina is an outstanding lawyer,” says Mayor Vince Lago. “I look forward to working with her in her new leadership role.” 

What She Says

“This is the biggest professional accomplishment of my career by far,” Suárez says. “I’ve worked on such a variety of different matters in the city, I feel like I’ve really gotten to know the different departments and their functions, and so being able to serve as general counsel to the city is really a source of pride for me. I’m excited to serve the commission in this new role and help them further their initiatives. I just hope that I can continue to do my part to make the city even better and more beautiful.”