Palmer Trinity School

Find your priorities in life. Life is short. Enjoy the journey with those who enhance it." That is advice from Daniel "Danny" Diaz Leyva '98 to high school students. Danny, an accomplished attorney and trusted advisor, has three main priorities in his life: first and foremost, his family, and then his thriving law firm and giving back to his community. Danny transferred to Palmer Trinity School during his sophomore year. He fondly remembers his American Literature class with Mrs. Susan Patterson, who lit a spark in his academic curiosity, and his advanced math classes with Ms. Elena De Villiers, who was a "Cuban mother hen" for her students. Outside the classroom, Danny's favorite activities were football and basketball. He served as a co-captain of both teams with Preston Dickerson '98 his senior year. He is eternally grateful for the discipline, focus and hard work Coach Hewitt, Coach Mancuso, Coach Grubair and Coach Rachelson instilled in him. "They pushed their athletes tremendously and showed them the importance of teamwork and being part of something bigger than themselves," said Danny. After graduating from Palmer Trinity School in 1998, Danny earned a bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Miami and pursued a law degree from St. Thomas University. He knew that becoming a licensed attorney would set him apart in the business world. After earning his degrees, Danny practiced as an attorney and government relations consultant, and served in various management positions for a number of well-known firms, including Foley & Lardner LLP, one of our nation's oldest and most respected AmLaw 50 firms. In 2017, Danny co-founded the Diaz Leyva Group, a leading minority-owned boutique law firm focused on real estate and business transactions. The Diaz Leyva Group supports client businesses in two key areas: real estate and business transactions. Through his services as outside general counsel and an outsourced legal department, Danny and his firm are able to address a variety of client needs in the industry from the structuring, formation and daily operations of companies to the acquisition, financing, leasing, development and disposition of real estate. They represent a variety of clientele, including owner- operators, family offices, investors, home builders and developers and bank and non-bank lenders. Danny presently serves as outside general counsel for the 10 th -largest publicly-traded homebuilder in the country, LGI Homes, representing them throughout the State of Florida. Earlier this year, Diaz Leyva Group also represented Barlington Group in its acquisition of 32 properties leased to Dollar General in 22 states, from 18 owners, in two different closings. Other clients include: Maynada Capital Management, Farm Stores, and Beto Perez, Danny delivering school supplies and backpacks to Citrus Grove Elementary palmertrinity.org 52 ALUMNI NEWS class of 1998 "Danny" ALUMNI PROFILE DANIEL DIAZ LEYVA DANIEL DIAZ LEYVA DANIEL DIAZ LEYVA

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