Influential Woman · Law

Patricia Fuertes Keyes

Attorney, Law Office of Patricia Keyes, P.A.

Plantation, FL 33324

Certifications · Degrees · Memberships

Degree Undergraduate Degree from University of Miami Degree Law Degree (JD) from DePaul University Degree Chicago Degree Master's of Law (LLM) in Estate Planning from University of Miami Cert LLM in Estate Planning

Her Story

About Patricia

An experienced attorney since 2009, she is the founder of Law Office of Patricia Keyes, P.A., where she focuses on estate planning, elder law, and asset protection. She discovered her passion for estate planning while in law school, initially taking a tax law class but finding her true calling in estate planning because it combines problem-solving with getting to know families on a personal level. She loves hearing clients' stories about how they created and managed successful businesses or raised their children. Her practice helps families protect what matters most, from young children and their assets to senior clients facing nursing home or assisted living situations, ensuring they don't outlive their money. She holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Miami, a law degree from DePaul in Chicago, and returned to the University of Miami to earn a Master's of Law (LLM) specializing in estate planning. Her approach is deeply personal, with clients often telling her they feel like they're talking to a friend rather than an attorney.

Her Interview

Ten minutes with Patricia

01What do you attribute your success to?

I've been lucky that I have the freedom to choose the families that I work with, and thankfully, our clients are wonderful and they keep coming back to us over and over again. They tell us how we made the difference when their parents passed or when a spouse passed, because we made sure that everything was done correctly and we were just human beings with them. That has stayed with them, and they constantly tell us things like that. It's emotional to hear and it's very gratifying to hear that you're actually helping real people. The thing I like the most is just when they relax, and when we're like, no, no, no, hey, I'm on your team, like, we're on the same team. I understand what's worrying you, and here, this is how we're gonna fix it.

02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?

When I went out on my own, when I started my office, I was very concerned about things going wrong. I always tend to think of worst case scenario, and that never happens. So I think what I would say, and what I still say to myself is that I know it's hard, and I know that you're scared, but do it anyway.

03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?

It's very important to be grateful for what you have. I like that my kids pay it forward, and that their friends are also involved in it. Being a human being, being a person with these people who are coming to you - some of them may have lost their parent, some of them have a parent who's very ill, or their spouse is very ill, or they're just coming to you to plan for when they're going to pass away, and that's not a fun, uplifting thing to think about. Almost all of my clients tell me after 10 minutes of speaking to me, they sort of breathe and relax, and they say, oh my god, I feel like I'm talking to a friend, and thank you, because I was nervous when I was coming here. I'm on your team, like, we're on the same team.

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