Alachua Construction Lawyers

Gary M. Mars joined the firm in 1991, developing a specialty in community association representation. Since then, his practice has evolved into full-service community association representation, including transactional work, covenant enforcement, drafting of opinion letters regarding the management and operation of the association, drafting amendments to governing documents, performing contract review and preparing meeting packages for board meetings and annual meetings. His representation also includes assisting clients with matters pertaining to construction defect negotiations and litigation, and turnover issues Mr. Mars has over 25 years of experience in assisting community associations in the pursuit of Chapter 558 claims and has...

Jonathan M. Mofsky concentrates his practice on community association law. He represents clients in a broad range of general community association matters, litigation, administrative, collection and foreclosure matters. Mr. Mofsky's representation includes transactional work, covenant enforcement, providing opinions and guidance about statutory and documentary guidelines for the administration and operation of the association, drafting amendments to governing documents, performing contract review and drafting, drafting opinion letters, and preparing meeting packages for board meetings, annual meetings and elections and other meetings requiring a vote of the owners. His representation also includes assisting clients with administrative investigations by the Bureau of Compliance,...

Practice Areas: Business Law; Construction Law; Real Estate
Admitted: 2005, Florida and U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida

Law School: Florida State University, J.D.

Member: Hillsborough County Bar Association; The Florida Bar.

Biography: Board of Directors, Tampa Interbay Rotary Club. Florida Supreme Court Certified Circuit Court Mediator. Lifetime Member Veterans of Foreign Wars. AV Preeminent Rated by Martindale-Hubbell. Named “Rising Star” in Business Litigation by Super Lawyers. Consistently named to “Tampa’s Top Rated Lawyers” by Legal Leaders Magazine.

Born: Charlotte, North Carolina, April 1, 1974

MilitaryService: U.S. Navy, 1993-1999

Cases: Scherer v. Villas Del Verde Homeowners Ass'n, Inc., 55 So.3d 602 (Fla....

Mr. Ketelhohn is a shareholder of the firm who concentrates his practice in construction litigation. His experience includes representation of condominium associations, homeowner associations, developers, general contractors, subcontractors and design professionals on matters involving construction defects, construction liens, delay claims and other litigation and dispute resolution. He has successfully resolved numerous complex construction cases, obtaining multi-million dollar settlements in many of these cases on behalf of his clients.

- over 30 years' experience
- frequent lecturer on various legal topics
- articles published in several legal periodicals
- appeared on Court TV on America Online
- voted "Super Lawyer" by other attorneys
- recipient of "Equal Justice Award"
- Ivy League graduate

Mr. Leiby has practiced construction law in Florida since 1973. He is board certified by the Florida Bar in construction law. He was the founder and first chairman of the Florida Bar Construction Law Committee. In 2008 he was awarded the lifetime achievement award by the Florida Bar Construction Law Committee. He is rated AV Preeminent by Martindale Hubbell in construction law. He wrote the Florida Br Construction Law Manual published by Thompson Reuters West, which is also on-line in Westlaw.

Marisa Portuondo was raised in the Key Biscayne community of South Florida. Prior to attending law school, Ms. Portuondo graduated with a Master of Science degree from Florida International University’s College of Business and worked in the pharmaceutical field managing over $60 Million of pharmaceutical raw material in several worldwide locations. While attending the University of Miami School of Law, Ms. Portuondo completed two internships at the Third District Court of Appeal under Chief Judge Juan Ramirez, Jr. (retired) and a third internship in the Miami-Dade County Public Defender’s Felony Division.

Ms. Portuondo’s work focuses on business/commercial law, real estate matters,...

Lawrence Kolin brings parties and their counsel together to settle difficult cases by mediating lawsuits in state, federal and appellate courts. He has successfully mediated thousands of matters, including multi-party and complex civil cases of all types since 2001. Lawrence formerly served as a General Magistrate in the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, presiding over hearings and bench trials. He is also experienced in conducting arbitrations as a qualified arbitrator since 2005. Lawrence is an AV Rated Preeminent™ Super Lawyer® who practiced law for 20 years as an advocate in diverse areas of civil trial work and was a...

Ms. Kurtz practices community association law, with a concentration in representing homeowners’ associations and condominium associations. In such practice, Ms. Kurtz routinely interprets community associations’ governing documents; provides legal advice to boards of directors as to day-to-day concerns and disputes; prepares and negotiates construction and vendor contracts on behalf of community associations; prepares meeting package documents for annual meetings and other community association meetings; attends owner, board and committee meetings; and drafts, interprets and amends community association governing documents.

Laura Manning-Hudson concentrates her areas of practice in condominium and community association law and construction litigation, handling a broad range of legal issues for the firm's clients. She has handled numerous trials, arbitrations and mediations, and argued before the appellate courts in the Third and Fourth District Courts of Appeal. Ms. Manning-Hudson handles all aspects of community association law including interpretation of governing documents, covenant enforcement, contract negotiation and drafting, drafting amendments to governing documents, board and membership meetings, elections and recalls, collections, fair housing issues, and insurance claims. In the construction sector, she handles turnover issues for association clients...

As the founder of Haber Law Attorneys At Law, David B. Haber has successfully litigated multiple complex commercial disputes throughout South Florida. A veteran attorney of over 30 years, Mr. Haber has trained under some of the best legal minds in Florida, including the Honorable Alan R. Schwartz, former Chief Judge of the 3rd District Court of Appeals; the Honorable Gerald T. Wetherington, former Chief Judge of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida; the Honorable Judge Robert Shevin, former Florida Attorney General and former Justice of the 3rd District Court of Appeal; and the Honorable Judge Ursula Ungaro. Mr. Haber...

Maryvel De Castro Valdes joined the Siegfried Rivera in 2012 and concentrates her practice in community association law and residential and commercial real estate law. She represents a broad range of clients in real estate matters including acquisition and condominium/planned unit development, commercial lending, residential and commercial lease transactions, and landlord/tenant disputes. Ms. Valdes also has extensive experience in representing community associations in both condominium lien foreclosure actions and mortgage foreclosure actions. She works closely with Boards and management on the enforcement of Association collections policies, preparing demand letters, claims of liens, settlement repayments plans and proceeding with foreclosure actions...

I'm Steven Flaxman and I am an experienced attorney with the passion to help my clients navigate their legal needs. I earned my Bachelor’s degree from Florida State University and then my Juris Doctor degree from the University of Miami. In law school, I was actively involved with the Innocence Clinic and participated in various moot court events. I began working at a prestigious insurance defense firm where I gained invaluable experience litigating a variety of practice areas. Over the years, I honed my skills and I successfully represented clients in a wide range of legal matters including personal injury, construction law,...

Robson David Charles Powers, Esq. is a founding partner of Powers & Rogers, PLLC., a Cape Coral, Florida based law firm. Mr. Powers is a practitioner in a wide variety of high stakes litigation from commercial disputes, breach of contract cases, real estate disputes, landlord -tenant disputes, and probate and trust litigation. Robson graduated cum laude from the University of South Florida in 2009 with a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies with Certificates in Latin American Studies and Portuguese. He then received his Juris Doctor degree from Stetson University College of Law in 2012 where he was the recipient...

Michael J. Carmona is a partner at Friedland | Carmona. Mr. Carmona was born and raised in Miami, Florida where he attended Christopher Columbus High School. Mr. Carmona then attended the University of Florida and received a Bachelor of Science in Finance and minors in Entrepreneurship and Communication Studies. While at the University of Florida he was on the Dean’s List for 5 semesters and interned at the prestigious Morgan Stanley financial institution. Mr. Carmona was also a recipient of the Gator Club of Miami Scholarship, Bright Future’s Academic Scholarship and an invited member to the Collegiate Leadership Academy and...

"Christian A. Petersen joined Olive|Judd, P.A. in 2013. His extensive experience in complex commercial and construction litigation, contract and business disputes, real estate litigation, and representation of creditors in bankruptcy and insolvency proceedings makes him a valuable asset to the firm’s practice. Mr. Petersen’s practice includes representing international clients throughout the state of Florida, and he has been recognized as a Top Lawyer for 2013 and an Up & Comer from 2007-12 by the South Florida Legal Guide. Mr. Petersen has an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell, a peer reviewed ranking which indicates the highest level of professional excellence....

I founded Waterway Black P.A. with a vision - to partner with my clients, not just in their most recent matter but with their ultimate business goals in mind. WBPA offers big firm quality and experience, with small firm efficiency, service and value. We provide clients with constant access to our attorneys and staff and keep clients informed throughout the pendency of every matter we handle. I represent companies and individuals in all aspects of civil litigation throughout Florida, including business litigation, shareholder disputes, entity dissolution, insurance litigation, product liability, railroad defense, transportation, and coordinating counsel/litigation management.

Mr. Pope is Florida Bar Board Certified in both Condominium and Planned Development Law; and Construction Law and is considered an expert in these areas (Board certification is the highest level of recognition by the Florida Bar for the competency and experience of a lawyer practicing in a specialty area). He primarily focuses his practice in the areas of Condominium and Homeowners’ Association Law; Construction Law; and Real Estate.

He represents and advises clients, including top national homebuilders, contractors, developers, commercial associations, homeowners’ and condominium associations, and individuals.

Mr. Pope obtained his undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Auburn University, where...

I have been practicing law in the Fort Myers area for over 30 years (licensed since 1982). My practice focuses in the areas of real estate, association law, construction, business, probate and civil litigation. I have been Board Certified by the Florida Bar in Real Estate since 1996 and in August 2013 I became Board Certified by the Florida Bar in Business Litigation. In addition, in January 2014 I received the AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating by Martindale Hubbell. I am highly experienced in both bench and jury trials, however, my preference is to settle the case whenever possible....

David has been actively involved in the real estate world for over 7+ years serving as the Director of AAA Financial Corporation, CEO of Capital Funding Financial, and as Real Estate Agent, Mortgage Originator, & Attorney to a high net worth clientele. David graduated with numerous awards from the University of Miami with a degree in Finance & Accounting while starting for the #1 ranked Hurricanes as an outfielder on the baseball team. David went on to play for the Colorado Rockies before heading back to law school to specialize in real estate law. David proceeded to get his LL.M....

In 2010, after litigating at a downtown Orlando firm, Cynthia Conlin founded her own law firm with a desire to serve clients on a more personal and direct level. One of the things that drew Cynthia to practicing law was the desire to serve people. The practice of law, stripped to its core, means helping people. In practice, Cynthia spends her days helping clients. Before law school, Cynthia wore several hats, including journalist, graphic designer, publisher, and entrepreneur. From her diverse creative and business background, she was quickly drawn to areas of copyright law, defamation, Internet law, and business...

Betty Marion Whitman resides in Ocala, Marion County, Florida where she began practicing law in Marion County in 1987. Betty started her legal career as a secretary to her father, a general practitioner in Melbourne, Florida. She continued to work as a legal secretary in various cities in Florida and briefly in New York City. She obtained her A.A. degree from Brevard Community College, then went on to the University of Central Florida to obtain her B.A. degree, and then to Law School at the University of Florida. Betty has achieved an “AV Preeminent” rating by Martindale & Hubbell,...

Marc A. Smiley concentrates his practice in the areas of community association representation, community association litigation and construction defect litigation. He provides a full range of legal services to the firm’s community association clients including, but not limited to, providing advice and guidance on general matters relating to associations, assisting with the transition of developer to unit owner control, amendment drafting and administering association elections as well as counseling associations’ boards of directors on contracts, corporate governance, covenant enforcement, resolution of disputes and issues with unit owners, developers, contractors, service providers, and other vendors. Mr. Smiley enjoys advising clients on...

Zachary T. Smith concentrates his practice in the areas of construction law and commercial litigation. He represents owners, design professionals, developers and other construction professionals on matters involving project development, construction defects, contract drafting and negotiation, as well as dispute avoidance and resolution.

Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Smith worked as a law clerk at a South Florida commercial litigation firm assisting partners with tasks such as drafting and composing motions, demand letters, notice letters and complaints. He also has extensive experience in conducting legal research and providing case law analysis.

During law school, Mr. Smith was a member of the...

Lindsey is a skilled and knowledgeable Real Estate, Construction and Business Law Attorney. Her practice areas include construction litigation, community association disputes and general commercial litigation matters. Lindsey represents clients such as general contractors, architects, community associations, subcontractors, real estate developers, investors, landlords and lenders in both business and real estate litigation. She is passionate about law and dedicated to diligent advocacy for her clients, both in and out of court. Lindsey earned her B.A. from the University of Michigan and her J.D. from the University of Miami School of Law. She is admitted to practice in Florida, Illinois, the U.S....

Mr. Malka is Rated "AV Preeminent" by Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating. This outstanding achievement demonstrates that a lawyer has earned the highest rating available for their legal ability and professional ethics. Mr. Malka is also recognized as an expert in construction law and is Board Certified in Construction Law by the Florida Bar. This certification is the highest recognition of competence provided by the Florida Bar. He is also a Circuit Court Civil mediator certified by the Supreme Court of Florida. Mr. Malka has also been named in the 2012 "Best Lawyers in America" publication. Mr. Malka focuses his practice on...

During his law career, Andrew Bernhard has represented national real estate developers, financial institutions, and corporations in their complex commercial, consumer finance, and real estate development matters. Before establishing Bernhard Law Firm, Andrew Bernhard litigated trials and appeals for Rivero Mestre LLP, handling commercial, finance, and banking disputes. Andrew represented national financial institutions in their escalated litigation matters ranging from violation of federal business and banking statutes, preservation of bank-owned real estate, defending securities fraud claims, and negotiating director and shareholder settlements. Prior to Rivero Mestre, Andrew Bernhard represented Florida communities and national real estate developers in real estate...

After graduating Cum Laude from the University of Miami School of Law in 1994, Jonathan R. Friedland immediately immersed himself into the legal community of Miami-Dade County. With nearly 25 years of experience as a Miami Personal Injury attorney, Jonathan received an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell, which is the highest rating an attorney can attain. Jonathan served as President of the Miami-Dade County Trial Lawyers Association and is an Eagle Member of the Florida Academy of Justice. Further, Jonathan is in a niche group of lawyers whom hold prestigious membership in both the American Board of Trial Advocates, an invitation...

Charles E. Cartwright is a well-known and highly respected South Florida personal injury lawyer who has a demonstrated record of results. As Co-Managing Partner at Gonzalez & Cartwright, P.A., he has recovered more than $45 million on behalf of victims and their families. With more than 20 years of experience as an attorney, Charles is well-versed in all stages of the personal injury arena, from initial consultation all the way through trial.

Charles is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell, meaning that he has received the highest possible rating based upon the opinions of other lawyers and judges. Over his career, Charles has received...

"We help good people get through bad times".
Currently my main efforts include Personal Bankruptcy in Chapter 7 & 13 and Business Bankruptcy in Chapter 11. Clients include retirees with limited social security incomes to international small charter jet companies; small to mid sized construction companies; and various other small businesses. Mr. Martin is also a member of the Turnaround Management Association, an organization whose members focus on helping businesses resolve financial difficulties and avoiding bankruptcy or at least getting the most value as a result.
Mr. Martin is also nationally certified construction dispute arbitrator resolving disputes involving construction of new...

Jacquelyn M. Codd, Esq., has been a Polk County native since she was 5 years old. She started working in local law firms in 2010 and worked as a paralegal and law clerk throughout her time in undergrad and law school. She consistently focused on clerking in areas which could give her valuable contracts, collections, and construction law experience. She also ensured that she spent at least one year working in the area of consumer and collection defense so that she could learn the tricks of the trade and protect her future clients from falling into regulatory compliance traps during...