About Maria T. Santi, Esq.

Maria T. Santi is the Founder of the Health and Medicine law firm. She assists patients and consumers with health and medicine related disputes. She represents patients throughout Florida in medical coverage and billing disputes, coverage actions against health insurers, and patient rights issues against medical facilities, substance abuse and mental health facilities, and medical professionals. She also handles ERISA actions when medical benefits are denied. Additionally, Maria offers legal consulting services to medical providers related to health insurance coverage issues, health law advocacy groups and non-profit organizations related to patient rights to protect patients and consumers.

Maria has worked in the legal field for more than twelve years, beginning in 2006. In 2018 she founded the Health and Medicine Law Firm specifically focused on patient rights issues and health insurer violations. Prior to this, she worked at a national law firm as an associate where she gained extensive experience in court litigation proceedings, negotiations, trials and court appearances involving insurance policy disputes with major insurers, corporations and banking institutions. She gained experience handling First Party Property Insurance Defense Litigation, including coverage disputes to assist insurers in all aspects of coverage disputes, including pre-suit investigations, coverage evaluations, and declaratory judgment litigation. Maria also has experience handling Real Property Litigation with a focus on mortgage foreclosure litigation to assist banks, financial institutions and other financial service providers with regulatory, enforcement, transactional and complex litigation matters. Maria also handled civil matters, including the defense of personal injury, premises liability, wrongful death and products liability claims.

Maria also gained vast legal experience of more than eight years as a Florida Registered Paralegal assisting in handling complex local and international Trust & Estates administration, estate planning and probate litigation. Further, she assisted with multi-jurisdictional matters and trial strategy and preparation specific to contested wills and trust proceedings, homestead proceedings, bodily remains disposition, fiduciary duties and accounting, elective share claims and general estate administration issues, including real property disputes.

Maria is a Miami native. She has always had a strong interest in health and medicine. During college she completed pre-medicine coursework while working with a Pediatric and Internal Medicine Medical Doctor. She later earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Florida International University and went on to earn her Juris Doctor degree from Nova Southeastern University, Shepard Broad College of Law with a concentration in Health Law. While attending law school, Maria earned a spot on the Dean’s List during three semesters. She was also the recipient of the Larry Kalevitch Service Award, in two consecutive years, for her service and leadership to the community and the college of law. In addition, Maria served as President of the NSU Health Law Society and the NSU Public Interest Law Society. As a result of her implementation and dedication to community service projects during her term as President of the Public Interest Law Society, the organization was the recipient of the Graduate Organization of the Year Award as awarded by Nova University’s Board of Trustees and the Student Government Association. In 2011, Maria was one of ten Human Right Activists chosen by Amnesty International USA to attend a Private Breakfast Reception with His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama in Long Beach, California to present him with the first-ever ‘Shine a Light on Human Rights’ award in recognition of his lifelong commitment to social justice and human rights.

Maria continues to serve the public interest and the community as a pro bono attorney for the Miami Dade Legal Aid Put Something Back Program and the Florida Bar’s Free Legal Answers Online Pro Bono project. Maria is also the Founder and Director of the Non-Profit Organization, Health First Coalition. Its mission is to empower patients in the healthcare industry when important legislation comes up in the Florida Capitol in collaboration with doctors, lawyers and lobbyists to allow patients to receive physician directed healthcare.

She enjoys spending time with her family, reading, travel, nature, photography and horse back riding.

Admissions

Florida

United States District Court, Southern District of Florida

United States District Court, Middle District of Florida

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

Education

Nova Southeastern University, Shepard Broad College of Law, J.D., 2015

Health Law Concentration

Florida International University, B.A., Psychology 2002

Minor in Education

Languages

Fluent in Spanish

Conversational French

Conversational Portuguese

Community Involvement

Dade Legal Aid - Put Something Back

Maria provides pro bono legal services to indigent clients in areas of family law, probate, real estate and child support related issues.

The Florida Bar

Volunteer Attorney Florida Bar Free Legal Answers Online Pro Bono project

Florida Free Legal Answers is a virtual legal advice clinic. Qualifying users post their civil legal question to their state’s website. Users will then be emailed when their question receives a response. Attorney volunteers, log in to the website, select questions to answer, and provide legal information and advice. Florida Free Legal Answers is a project of the American Bar Association’s ABA Free Legal Answers and the Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service.

The Health Law Section of the Florida Bar

Florida Bar Health Law Section’s Chair of the Diversity & Inclusion Committee

Florida Bar Governmental and Public Policy Advocacy Committee

Committee Member as appointed by the Florida Bar President

Doctors Without Borders

Member and Supporter

Health First Coalition

Founder and Director of Operations

Professional Memberships

American Bar Association, Member

Dade County Bar Association, Member

Broward County Bar Association, Member

Coral Gables Bar Association, Member

Cuban American Bar Association, Member

Florida Bar Health Law Section

Florida Bar Trial Law Section

American Health Law Association

Awards

2014 - NSU Student Life Achievement (STUEY) Award - Public Interest Law Society

2014 - NSU Law - The Larry Kalevitch Service Award

2015 - NSU Law - The Larry Kalevitch Service Award

2015 - NSU Law Most Likely to Become NSU Law Faculty Member

2015 - Kaplan Distinguished Alumni Award

2018 - ABA Free Legal Answers 2018 Pro Bono Leader

2018 - Women in Law Awards - U.S. Civil Litigation