Lakeland Employment Lawyers

Kevin Sanderson serves your legal needs throughout all of West Central Florida, including Sarasota, Casey Key, Siesta Key, Longboat Key, Bradenton, North Port, Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte, Fort Myers, Arcadia, Englewood, and Naples.

Education
Kevin F. Sanderson is a graduate of Boston University (B.A., Psychology) and obtained his juris doctor from St. Thomas University School of Law in Miami, FL. He continued his education, obtaining his LL.M. (legal laureate masters) in international taxation and offshore finance, also at St. Thomas University School of Law. Kevin was born and raised in New Jersey.

Licenses
Mr. Sanderson is a member of the Florida Bar, a member...

Mr. Hesser was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1975. He attended Penn State University where he received degrees in both Political Science and Media Studies in 1997. Mr. Hesser then attended Wake Forest University School of Law in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where he obtained a Juris Doctorate in 2000. Mr. Hesser spent his final year of law school in Gainesville studying at the University of Florida Levin College of Law. Mr. Hesser practices in the fields of bankruptcy, employment, and workers’ compensation law. Prior to forming Schatt & Hesser, PA with his longtime colleague in Ocala, Ted Schatt, Ken...

I am a Southwest Florida attorney board certified in labor and employment law by the Florida Bar. My practice focuses on employment law, insurance claims, whistleblower representation, and civil litigation.

Much of my law practice involves the representation of current and former employees denied proper compensation; victimized by discrimination or retaliation in the workplace; or requiring legal assistance with non-compete agreements. I'm also heavily involved with the representation of families and businesses denied appropriate insurance coverage following Hurricane Irma. Additionally, I provide representation for Medicare fraud whistleblowers, sexual abuse victims, and most business litigation matters.

I have...

Matthew is a native of Florida and Brevard County and was raised locally in Merritt Island. Matthew has an extensive and diverse education which includes a bachelor’s degree in accounting, a master’s degree in taxation, and a law degree. Prior to practicing law Matthew acquired his Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license and worked in public and private accounting for several years before entering law school. Matthew’s unique background in law, accounting, and taxation provide a unique perspective that is unmatched by most attorneys. Matthew has been located in the same office in Cocoa for the past 15 years practicing...

A native of Ormond Beach, Mr. Shapiro is a proud graduate of Seabreeze High School. Mr. Shapiro received his Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Florida International University where he finished ranked in the top ten in his class. As a law student, he was an associate member of his school’s law review and had the honor of having his comment selected for publication. He also served as a teaching assistant for his law school’s legal research and writing program; was an intern at the Fifth District Court of Appeal; and was the recipient of book awards in Legal Research and...

Theodore W. Small Jr. ("Ted Small") has over 30 years of legal experience, formerly with the large law firm of Holland & Knight LLP in its Tampa, Washington DC, and Orlando offices and currently as a small firm practitioner in Volusia County, Florida. Attorney Small brings the training and experience from his large firm experience to a small firm setting with the goal of pursuing cost-effective solutions for businesses, employers and elder law clients. Attorney Small also has experience as a mediator and NAM arbitrator and is available to serve as a professional neutral to resolve commercial and...

Joseph C. Shoemaker is a shareholder with the Central Florida law firm of Bogin, Munns & Munns, working primarily out of the firm's Leesburg office.

He specializes in Commercial Litigation, Employment & Labor Law, Business Law, and Commercial Real Estate. He practices many areas of law, including Internet Law, Sexual Harassment, Civil Litigation, and Wrongful Termination.

Joseph Shoemaker spent six years in the U.S. Marine Corps as an Avionics Technician and served in Operation Desert Storm. During his time in the Corps he traveled to Asia and Europe.

After his time in the military, he pursued his B.A. degree from the...

Caitlin Szematowicz is a Partner with the firm, practicing in the areas of Civil & Commercial Litigation, Appeals, and Employment Law. Caitlin joined the firm in August 2012.

Caitlin graduated magna cum laude from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in May 2012. She graduated cum laude from the University of Tampa, Honors Program, in December 2008, where she majored in Writing and received the “Outstanding Graduate in Writing” Award upon graduation.

While in law school, Caitlin worked as an appellate law clerk for a Washington D.C. law firm, extern at the United States Attorney’s Office, and a Certified Legal...

Ronnie Bitman continues to demonstrate why he is one of Orlando's most promising young lawyers. Having been named to Florida Trend's 2010 "Up & Comers" and Super Lawyers' "Rising Stars" 2012, Ronnie litigates a range of complex and novel matters. Ronnie is well-versed in complex litigation, including class actions, consumer protection matters, contract and employment disputes, trade secret, unfair and deceptive practices, personal injury, and various other consumer and commercial-related matters. Some of his recent important cases include the settlement of Virgilio v. Ryland Group, Inc. and the prosecution of eight related class action law suits stemming from a homebuilder's...

David J. Linesch was born in Dayton, Ohio in 1956 and received his Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctor Degrees from The Ohio State University. While at Ohio State, David was President of Phi Alpha Theta (History Honorary), President of the Ohio State History Forum and Vice President of the Student Council for the College of Humanities. Mr. Linesch has practiced Labor and Employment Law since 1982 and has the distinction of being one of only a few practitioners with experience representing both employers and employees in labor and employment matters. Mr. Linesch has extensive trial experience before various...

Heather M. Meglino serves as General Counsel for Quality One Wireless and is the chief legal officer for the organization. She has broad experience counseling clients in areas spanning every aspect of business and commercial law, including contracts, complex business litigation, fraud-misrepresentation, employment law, intellectual property, and licensing. Heather was previously Founder at Meglino Law, a law firm focused on business and commercial law. Additionally, Heather litigated cases including employment discrimination, sexual harassment, retaliation, overtime and unpaid wages, FMLA leave and disability issues, employment contracts, whistleblower and other employment law claims under various state and federal laws. She is licensed...

Mr. Miklas practices all types of labor and employment law exclusively representing management (employers), including both private employers, as well as Florida municipalities and school districts. He has authored hundreds of articles, has co-authored a LexisNexis Expert Commentary in his field of work and, for the past seventeen years, he has been a contributing author and editor for two leading labor and employment law hornbooks. Mr. Miklas has been listed in Florida Super Lawyers for nine years and he is a frequent employment law presenter and is a nationally recognized speaker and an invited guest lecturer...

Before Andrea started her own law firm, she worked for in house legal departments and for a boutique law firm focusing on commercial litigation where she handled a variety of business disputes.

Andrea's litigation experience taught her what agreements need to contain to stand up to a legal challenge and ways to protect her clients' rights. Her business background has been essential in applying legal advice to business matters.

As a small business owner herself, Andrea is passionate about helping others grow their businesses while reducing risk and mitigating potential legal issues. Andrea formed her own firm to be able...

Timothy W. Weber is Board Certified in Appellate Practice and practices in the areas of appellate law, civil and commercial litigation, business litigation, employment and labor, civil rights and education, land use and real estate, criminal, and family. He represents clients in state and federal courts at both the trial and appeal levels. Before co-founding the firm, Tim was a shareholder at Battaglia, Ross, Dicus & Wein, P.A. in St. Petersburg for 16 years. He has been board certified in Appellate Practice since 2004 and has been selected as a SuperLawyer every year since 2014. He has also...

An attorney with over 20 years of experience, April S. Goodwin established The Goodwin Firm in 2015. The Goodwin Firm represents businesses throughout the state of Florida in matters related to employment discrimination, retaliation, FMLA, wage & hour, and other employee related legal issues. The Goodwin Firm also helps employers assess their exposure to future litigation for employment and wage related claims and provides them with a plan to reduce that exposure. Also, as a pet owner and attorney, Ms. Goodwin saw that very few, if any, local attorneys were servicing the legal needs of pet owners. This meant that when...

Bilingual Attorney and Senior Certified Professional by the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM-SCP). Attorney Santiago has been practicing law since 2009, and possesses 25 years of combined professional experience in the legal & human resources fields and vast functional experience in consulting services & project management. Her law firm provides legal representation on immigration matters to individuals and businesses. Also, consulting services for businesses on matters related to compliance with employment laws & regulations and HR practices. Santiago Law Services focuses in providing a quality and personalized service to clients in the United States and Latin America. Services...

Danialle Riggins is the owner/attorney/civil circuit mediator at Riggins Law Firm, PA, an employment and business law firm that founded in 2008. Danialle handles litigation in both state and federal employment, family, landlord-tenant, foreclosures, family law and contract law cases to successful conclusions.Ms. Riggins has experience representing parties in civil litigation in state and federal courts and in administrative claims. Danialle also provides mediation services and pre-suit services and collections actions all types of cases such as small/summary claims through major litigation.

Jason Gunter is an employment law attorney who has been awarded the Florida Bar Labor & Employment Law Section Scholarship for academic excellence in Labor and Employment law. Prior to attending law school, Jason was a Firefighter for the City of Cape Coral Fire Department and a member if its union, IAFF Local 2424. In 1993, he was named Firefighter of the Year for the State of Florida. In 1994, Jason attended Nova Southeastern School of Law, where he excelled academically. After his first year, Jason was appointed to the Editorial Board of the Nova Southeastern Law Review....

Bobby Lean, Jr. is the Managing and Founding partner of Lean Law, P.A. Bobby's experience includes litigation of Insurance & Contract disputes, Employment Law, Insurance Subrogation, Negligence, Personal Injury Protection, Bad Faith, Debt Collection, Family Law, and Bankruptcy. He has represented national corporations and individuals alike during his career.

Bobby received his Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri. He then moved to sunny Orlando, Florida to attend and receive his Juris Doctor degree from Barry University Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law.

Bobby’s passion for the law and desire to help others has been...

My mission is to work with my clients and limit their legal costs and liability while I zealously represent them on employment law and health law matters. As a solo practitioner, my clients have direct, unfettered access to me as your attorney. This is a different concept than what you will find in larger law firms or even some solo practitioners. I believe that this type of access is something my clients should expect from their lawyer.

Mark L. Van Valkenburgh has been practicing law in Central Florida since 1995. The vast majority of his practice has been in the area of employment law. While he has won significant jury trials on behalf of plaintiffs and defendants, his practice now focuses on helping employers proactively avoid litigation. Services include: • Drafting, review and revising of Employee Handbooks and other policies which not only comply with the law but are customized to your business. • Negotiating and drafting Employment Agreements. • Negotiating and drafting Confidentiality, Non-Solicitation and Non-Compete Agreements. • Flat fee retainer arrangements to respond to employers’ unlimited telephone calls and e-mails of...

Richard Weldon is an experienced civil trial attorney based in Southwest Florida, and the managing member of Weldon & Rothman, PL. Mr. Weldon focuses his practice on personal injury and civil litigation.

In the area of personal injury, Mr. Weldon provides aggressive representation for matters involving auto accidents, motorcycle accidents, bicycle accidents, boating accidents, slip and falls, catastrophic personal injury, and wrongful death. Over the past decade, Mr. Weldon has successfully represented hundreds of individuals and families throughout Southwest Florida in personal injury cases. Additionally, Mr. Weldon maintains a general civil litigation practice, handling diverse matters including complex property disputes,...

Attorney Petrochko was born in Pennsylvania. After earning a bachelors of science degree from Penn State University he decided to trade his snow shovel in for beach blankets and jurisprudence. Keith was awarded a Juris Doctor degree from Florida A&M University College of Law. While pursuing this degree, he was involved in several academic and civil organizations including leading the Student Animal Legal Defense Fund. It was during this time that Keith developed a passion for civil litigation and alternative dispute resolution. Keith primarily focuses his efforts on labor and employment law and personal injury cases. He enjoys being...

Biographical Summary: Susan C. Smith was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1999, after graduating as Valedictorian from Stetson University, College of Law. She served as a Law Clerk for Justice Peggy A. Quince at the Florida Supreme Court before entering the private practice of law. She has extensive experience in administrative law, health care law, civil litigation and criminal law. Susan is also an “AV” rated attorney by Martindale-Hubbell.

Education: B.A., Rollins College, Winter Park, FL.; J.D. Stetson University, College of Law, Valedictorian

Key Practice Areas: Administrative Law; Health Care; Certificate of Need (CON),...

eath is a partner at Jones Law Group and focuses his practice on personal injury, employment law and commercial litigation. He has worked at Jones Law Group since 2007. Although most cases settle prior to trial, Heath feels it is important to have the same law firm and attorneys handling each case from beginning through trial. He has shown a willingness to take the tough cases to trial in an effort to obtain the best results for the client. Heath believes in preparing every case as if it were going to trial. This diligent approach...

I sue abusive debt collectors who violate the law when it comes to attempting to collect past due debts. I also am a plaintiff's attorney for employees who have had their Title 7 rights violated. I have and will occasionally now accept defense work for those who have been sued for collection of a debt by a debt collector or original creditor of a credit card debt.

Award winning business law attorney, author and speaker. Helping businesses succeed. Assist with business litigation, corporate, employment, intellectual property, insurance claims, professionals and more. See www.snell-legal.law for additional information on results obtained for clients, honors and awards received, writing and speaking.

Wil H. Florin was born in Salzburg, Austria and raised in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. He received his B.A. from Ball State University. He obtained his Juris Doctorate from Stetson University College of Law in 1980. Wil was recently selected to serve a four (4) year term as a member of the Stetson University Board of Trustees. In addition, he is serving his second three (3) year term as a member of the Stetson University College of Law Board of Overseers.

In October 2018, Wil became only the 89th inductee to the Stetson University College of Law’s Hall of Fame in the...

Mr. Baker has been a first and second chair litigator for over 20 years. He has litigated a wide variety of employment law claims in state and federal courts involving Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Florida Civil Rights Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Family Medical Leave Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and the Civil Rights Act of 1866. He has also litigated retaliation and whistleblower claims under various state and federal laws. Mr. Baker has extensive experience in the drafting and review of employment contracts,...

Gregg R. Brennan, Esq., is the owner and sole practicing attorney in the firm. Mr. Brennan has been licensed to practice law in the State of Florida since 2000 and has previously worked as an attorney for the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, the Office of the State Attorney for the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit, the Coastal Florida Police Benevolent Association and the Citrus County Attorney's Office before forming the Law Offices of Gregg R. Brennan, P.A. Mr. Brennan has represented clients before county and circuit courts in the State of Florida, as well as the Florida Third, Fourth and...

Attorney Travis R. Hollifield is a Florida native who grew up in Orange County and attended Winter Park High School. After graduating from the University of Central Florida with a Journalism degree, Mr. Hollifield attended Nova Southeastern University Law School in Fort Lauderdale. Mr. Hollifield founded Hollifield Legal Centre to serve and promote the interests of all working women in Florida. Mr. Hollifield focuses on women’s workplace legal needs including litigation of sexual harassment, pregnancy discrimination, wage theft, retaliation and FMLA claims. He also litigates intellectual property claims including copyright, trademark, and patent disputes.