Maria Elena Abate is a Shareholder at Colodny Fass and a Chambers-ranked litigator with more than 25 years of experience handling complex insurance litigation. Her practice includes insurance fraud matters, coverage disputes, bad faith claims, errors and omissions liability for insurance agents and brokers, regulatory and licensing matters, and high-exposure class actions. She represents insurers, agents, brokers, and businesses in sophisticated commercial matters requiring strategic judgment and deep industry knowledge.

Maria is widely recognized for her leadership in insurance fraud prevention and claims litigation. She regularly works with insurers, SIU teams, and joint defense groups in complex matters and advises clients on emerging risks arising from technology, digital platforms, and evolving claims practices.

Her practice also includes advising insurance agents and brokers on professional liability exposure, regulatory compliance, and risk management issues. She defends claims involving misrepresentation, inadequate coverage, alleged failures in business practices or documentation, and related errors and omissions exposure, and counsels clients on navigating their duties and obligations under the law.

Serving alongside Managing Partner Mike Colodny as outside general counsel, Maria played a key role in supporting Citizens Property Insurance Corporation following multiple major hurricane events. In that capacity, she handled complex litigation and class actions and oversaw defense counsel teams, helping ensure Citizens’ continued ability to meet its obligations to policyholders during periods of significant market stress.

In addition to her insurance practice, Maria brings substantial employment law experience and is one of the firm’s primary resources in this area. She formerly served as General Counsel to the South Florida Workforce Board for Miami-Dade and Monroe counties and represents employers and public entities in high-risk employment litigation, including wage and hour, discrimination, retaliation, whistleblower, and constitutional claims. Her employment work often intersects with broader risk management, compliance, and litigation strategy for organizational clients.

Earlier in her career, Maria served as a judicial staff attorney in the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit in Broward County, an experience that continues to inform her practical, court-focused approach to litigation.

Special Recognition

  • Ranked in Chambers USA for Insurance Dispute Resolution
  • Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® (2024–2025)
  • AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell
  • Recognized by Super Lawyers
  • Florida Insurance Fraud Education Committee, Jerry Zappolo Distinguished Service Award Finalist

Thought Leadership

  • Faculty member, CLM Claims College, teaching insurance fraud and catastrophe planning
  • Active member and frequent presenter with the Florida Insurance Fraud Education Committee
  • Regular speaker on insurance fraud, coverage disputes, catastrophe response, and technology-driven claims risks
  • Contributor to the Chambers & Partners Insurance Litigation Global Practice Guide: Trends and Developments and the Insurance & Reinsurance Global Practice Guide: Trends and Developments

Professional Associations & Memberships

  • Claims and Litigation Management Alliance (CLM)
  • Florida Insurance Fraud Education Committee
  • National African American Insurance Association (NAAIA)
  • Latin American Association of Insurance Agencies (LAAIA)
  • Fort Lauderdale Mariners Club
  • Port Everglades Association

Civic and Community Involvement

  • Former Chair, Florida Bar Public Interest Law Section
  • Former Co-Chair, Legal Needs of Children Committee, Florida Bar Public Interest Law Section
  • Founding Board Member, Women’s Breast & Heart Initiative
  • Founding Board Member, National African American Insurance Association (NAAIA) Florida Chapter
  • Member, NAAIA Florida Scholarship Committee

     

Languages: Fluent in Spanish