Six Carlton Fields real estate attorneys have jumped to Duane Morris' rapidly growing Miami office following a down year at Carlton Fields, where real estate was one of the financial bright spots.

Duane Morris has hired well-known former Carlton Fields real estate lawyer Jay Steinman to lead its Miami and South Florida real estate practice. Steinman, who has more than 30 years of experience in complex real estate and finance transactions, represents investors, regional and international financial institutions and off-shore real estate development and investment companies.

Steinman is also one of two Carlton Fields attorneys sued along with the firm late last year in a legal malpractice case stemming from a failed real estate deal involving a $25 million, 8.5-acre parcel of land in Fort Lauderdale. The complaint alleges that the attorneys incorrectly advised the plaintiff, 276 Port L.P., that it could terminate long-term leases on the land, leading them to lose a $250,000 deposit when the deal couldn't close because the leases could not be terminated.