Becker & Poliakoff

Practices

Credentials

    Education

      • University of Miami School of Law, J.D.
      • University of Miami, B.A.
      • Northwestern University

    Bar Admissions

      • Florida

Testimonials

  • “I just wanted to say thank you for allowing me to attend your webinar. I am always so appreciative and impressed by the knowledgeable, professional and informative production of your webinar’s. Your moderator skills are extraordinary. I have lived in condominiums and served on Boards for the past 25 years and have always depended upon Becker to be a gracious and dependable resource. I know I don’t pay your bills but I give you accolades wherever I go and with whomever I talk. Hopefully some business comes your way. Your services are so appreciated by all of us who volunteer our time to make our individual condominiums the best possible homes for our residents.” – DeVon Hardy

  • “Thank you, I really appreciate your help and that you always respond so quickly. It makes me feel as though Edgewater is as important to you, as it is to all of us.” – Rosemarie Heath, Edgewater

  • “Thank you so much for looking out for me and the Association. I know how busy you are. Your guidance, oversight, and timely response shows to me how committed you are to being a true professional. You are the type of person that is becoming hard to find in this world. My sincere appreciation.” – Steve Ginn, Treasurer, 33 Intracoastal CA

  • “Thank you, Donna! You have been such a great help and this tedious project has been much easier with your guidance. We received the votes we needed to proceed with the project so it should now be smooth sailing. Our association is very lucky to be represented by you.” – Marlen, Hawthorne II

  • “You are the best. I very, yes very, much enjoy listening to you on the Castle Group webinar. Thank you for helping me in performing my leadership duties in the position of a Director of my HOA community.” – Joseph Lipsky, Avalon Estates

  • “Thank you so very much. Your wisdom and knowledge has helped to keep us on track during these uncharted times.” – Donna, Ocean Colony Manager

  • “Your great knowledge and professionalism is about the only thing I miss about not being on the Board.” – Ken Hollander, former Treasurer, Bay Colony Protective Association

  • “Thank you for your time, expertise, and the insight you shared at our Legislative Update Seminar. You have a unique ability to keep your audience’s attention with humor and your extensive knowledge of what is happening in Tallahassee that affects the residents of Florida. Your willingness to help association board members, potential board members, and residents understand upcoming legislation issues is truly appreciated.” – Donald Singer, Chair, Citizens’ Association of Palm Beach

  • “I have been to a lot of seminars over the years. Yours was excellent! I can’t believe how easily you were able to communicate with everyone in the room no matter what their level of experience was. Not only did you educate us on the subject but you had everyone interacting and sharing their experiences. You were able to make everyone feel comfortable, no matter how foolish the question (especially mine).  You took the time to address questions and concerns and still stay within the time allotted for the class. Everyone I spoke with in the elevator left your class feeling content and wiser. Thank you!” – Donna Springer, LCAM, Ocean Colony Condo Manager

  • “Appreciate your time and talent in keeping us all so well informed.  Big thanks to you.” – Robert Miller, Windward Point Condominium

  • “Thank you for how professionally you handled the members of our Association.  You are truly a ROCK star!” – Gail M. Morgan, Villa Sorrento

  • “Thank you for running what I thought was a very productive conference call. You were very prepared, informed and decisive. If anyone on that call doesn’t now know that you are the best in the business, well, I can’t provide you with an explanation why.” – Ken Hollander, Bay Colony Protective Association, Inc.

  • “To Donna we are not just an account with billable hours. We are real people looking for help and she genuinely cares about us. How wonderful is that?” – Lisa Sigelbaum, Buckingham at Century Village Condominium 1 Association, Inc.

  • “Thank you for your wonderful posts on your Community Association Law Blog. I have lived in a condo since 1990 and have been a member of boards off and on for a number of years. Your posts are invaluable. Thank you for sharing your wealth of information and guidance.” – Fred Crivello, Cypress Trace North Condominium

Perspectives

  • Board Certified – Condominium & Planned Development Law

Bio

Donna DiMaggio Berger is a Shareholder in Becker’s Community Association Practice in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. She is a member of the College of Community Association Lawyers (CCAL), a prestigious national organization that acknowledges community association attorneys who have distinguished themselves through contributions to the evolution or practice of community association law and who have committed themselves to high standards of professional and ethical conduct in the practice of community association law. She is also one of only 190 attorneys statewide who is a Board Certified Specialist in Condominium and Planned Development Law.

As Founder and Executive Director of Becker’s Community Association Leadership Lobby (CALL), Ms. DiMaggio Berger has led various community association advocacy initiatives, working with legislators and other public policymakers on behalf of those who live, serve, and work in common interest ownership communities. She has testified before the Florida Legislature regarding community association law and frequently appears on radio talk shows and in print media discussing these issues.

Ms. DiMaggio Berger is the host of Take It To The Board with Donna DiMaggio Berger, a Becker-produced podcast that explores the reality of life in a condominium, cooperative or homeowners’ association, what’s really involved in serving on its board, and how to maintain that ever-so-delicate balance of being legally compliant and community spirited. Take It To the Board listeners are guaranteed to learn more about every facet of the shared ownership lifestyle and are invited to tune in for candid discussions with a variety of association leaders, experts, and vendors about issues they are facing, have faced, or something that might be in their future.

Ms. DiMaggio Berger has been honored as a member of Florida Trend’s Legal Elite, named a Woman Extraordinaire by South Florida Business Leader, and honored at the 4th Annual 100 Outstanding Women of Broward County benefiting the Boys and Girls Club. She has also been recognized by Broward Lawyers Care for her commitment to pro bono service and served as the Pro Bono Legal Advisor for The Broward Coalition from 2008-2011, a not-for-profit organization which represents the interests of approximately 200 Broward County community associations. In addition, she has given seminars and speeches around Florida detailing community association legislative lobbying efforts. She was also recently appointed to the Board of Directors of the American Lung Association in Florida. Ms. DiMaggio Berger received her J.D. and B.A. from the University of Miami. Ms. DiMaggio Berger represents all types and sizes of community associations throughout Florida.

View Donna’s Twitter page (@condoandhoalaw).

To view all past videos and webinars featuring Donna, click here.

RECOGNITION

Ms. DiMaggio Berger has been honored as a member of Florida Trend’s Legal Elite, named a Woman Extraordinaire by South Florida Business Leader and honored at the 4th Annual 100 Outstanding Women of Broward County benefiting the Boys and Girls Club.

Ms. DiMaggio Berger was recognized in the 2023 and 2024 editions of The Best Lawyers in America®, one of the oldest and most revered peer review publications, in Community Association Law

Ms. DiMaggio Berger has also been recognized by Broward Lawyers Care for her commitment to pro bono service and served as the Pro Bono Legal Advisor for The Broward Coalition from 2008-2011, a not-for-profit organization which represents the interests of approximately 200 Broward County community associations.

In addition, Ms. DiMaggio Berger has given seminars and speeches around the State detailing community association legislative lobbying efforts.

Ms. DiMaggio Berger also serves on Senator Maria Sachs’s Blue Ribbon Committee on Disaster Preparedness.

PROFESSIONAL / COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES

  • Served on two (2) Florida Bar Committees: the LOMAS Advisory Board and the Media & Communications Law Committee
  • Ms. DiMaggio Berger has been appointed to the board of the American Lung Association in Florida.
  • Ms. DiMaggio Berger is a regular contributor to the Miami Herald as a columnist.
  • The Florida Bar (Member, Real Property Probate and Trust Law Section)
    • Pandemic Task Force, Chair, 2020
  • College of Community Association Lawyers (CCAL)
  • Community Association Institute (CAI)
  • National Association of Professional Women