Stock Island Estate Planning Lawyers

We have represented clients from over 45 states and 20 foreign countries. While the diversity of our work mirrors the diversity of our clients, our primary areas of practice are civil litigation, real estate and title services, and estate planning and probate. We commonly work with other firms both to represent their clients in local matters and to obtain additional counsel in matters beyond our areas of practice.

Wendy A. Mara attended Stetson University and graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1993
Ms. Mara taught language arts in high school for 13 years. While teaching full time, she earned her MBA degree from the University of Central Florida in 2006. Deciding to pursue a legal career, she entered law school at Florida Coastal School of Law where she graduated in the top 10 percent of her class. While in law school, she was a teaching and research assistant, earned the Dean’s Certificate for Pro Bono Work and became an award winning oralist for the Jessup International Moot Court Competition....

Lissette Crescimone, Esq. practices in the areas of corporate law and trust and estates. She is a graduate of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Initially in pursuit of a career in diplomacy, she secured a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Studies and French, with a concentration on the European Union. She later obtained her Juris Doctorate degree from Nova Southeastern University's Shepard Broad Law Center. In the most recent years Ms. Crescimone splits her time and practice between Colorado and South Florida. Ms. Crescimone supports companies in the Education and EdTech space, providing practical solutions in general business law and...

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...

The firm works with Asset Protection, Estate Planning, Wills, & Trusts, Probate, Elder Law, Guardianship, Gun Trust, NFA Firearms, NFA Trust, Gun rights, Probate, Probate Litigation, Trusts, and Trust Litigation. Licensed in Texas and Florida

I give families peace of mind by helping them create estate plans that make sure their family is protected upon their death of incapacity. I also help families in difficult times when their elder is no longer to safely stay home due to the aging or disease process by helping protect assets and apply for Medicaid and VA benefits.

I was fortunate to grow up in Pinellas County with my father being a well-known and respected attorney. With my father’s encouragement and my own passion for helping others, I knew that estate planning and elder law was the career path for...

Robin Petersen is the Founder and Managing Partner of the Estate Planning & Elder Law Center of Brevard, which has been serving Brevard County since 1991. The practice focuses exclusively in the areas of Estate Planning and Elder Law, Wills and Trusts, Probate and Trust Administration (representing the executor or trustee, as well as serving as the executor or trustee of the estate), Guardianship, planning for long term care costs through asset protection, the use of VA Aid & Attendance, and Medicaid benefit options. Because he has dedicated over 25 years of practice to these types of law, Robin understands...

Cassidy V. Petersen initially joined the firm in 2011 and has held various positions over the years – beginning as a receptionist, next as an estate planning paralegal, then as our firm administrator, and now as an attorney. Ms. Petersen focuses her practice in estate planning, business succession planning, probate, trust administration, Medicaid planning, VA planning, guardianship, and special needs planning.

Ms. Petersen, a Melbourne native, graduated from Melbourne High School in 2011. She earned her Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Business Management, graduating cum laude, from Florida Gulf Coast University in 2014. Ms. Petersen received her Juris Doctor (J.D.), cum...

My name is Justin Stivers, and I am an experienced Estate Planning and Probate attorney practicing in the states of Florida and Tennessee. Most of my clients hire me for one of the following reasons: 1) they want to create an estate plan which includes a Trust, a Last Will and Testament, a Durable Power of Attorney, a Living Will, and a Designation of Health Care Surrogate; 2) many of my clients have outdated estate plans and need to update them or are moving to Florida from another state and need to create a new plan; or 3) a...

Joe Gufford has been a member of The Florida Bar since 1991. The Gufford Law Firm commitment is to provide exceptional client services that remain focused on results. We bring together attorneys and staff with decades experience. At The Gufford Law Firm, we believe that both our attorneys and our staff must be knowledgeable about the specific areas of law that we practice in. That is why we ensure that each of our attorneys and staff members are constantly taking Continuing Legal Education courses so that we are up to date on the latest developments in the law. Joseph Gufford...

Jason E. Havens is a Partner at Holland & Knight LLP, practicing in its Jacksonville (also serving Ponte Vedra Beach) and Tallahassee (also serving Destin, Santa Rosa Beach, and Rosemary Beach) locations. He specializes in complex estate and charitable gift planning (domestic and international), probate/trust administration, and probate/trust litigation for affluent individuals and families and on behalf of charitable organizations. He is admitted to practice law in Florida and Tennessee. Mr. Havens received his LL.M. in International Taxation from Regent University, his LL.M. in Estate Planning from the University of Miami, his J.D. from the University of...

You might find it helpful when selecting a lawyer to know a bit about them. You probably know all lawyers have to graduate from law school, but beyond the basics, who are they? As for me, you should know that I'm married to my wife Joan, and I have five children. They are all hard working, and each had their turn cleaning my Orlando office growing up. They are and will remain the most important part of my life. They are the lights of my life.

I met my wife Joan at a Methodist church picnic. We were married in...

Matt created Gruber Law to be a different kind of Estate Planning & Probate firm - we are accessible, clear and committed to achieving long term relationships and outstanding, affordable results. We're ready to help. Matthew A. Gruber, Esq., founder of Gruber Law, PLLC in Miami, Florida, has dedicated his legal practice to helping individuals and families protect and plan their estates for over 10 years. He is licensed to practice law in Florida and holds a Juris doctorate from Florida International University and a Bachelor’s in Business Administration degree from the University of Miami. Matt began his legal career in...

RISE UP LEGAL | Cain & Cain Wills & Trusts | Probate & Trust Administration | Business & Bankruptcy We help families with their estate planning, from basic Wills & Trusts to complex Private Family Foundations. Execute or update your Revocable Living Trust, Last Will & Testament, Durable Power of Attorney, HIPAA waiver, and nominate a Healthcare Surrogate. We also handle Florida Probate and Trust Administration matters. We generally represent Successor Trustees or Personal Representatives in this regard, helping them through the process of tracking, managing, and distributing estate assets. Finally, our firm offers business planning and asset protection. ...

Attorney Phil Rarick has 30 years of experience in both private and public legal work. Mr. Rarick concentrates in the fields of estate planning (wills and trusts), asset protection, probate, and business law. Integrated asset protection with an estate plan designed to protect wealth and secure tax advantages are a primary focus of his practice.

Mr. Rarick is an active member of the Elder Law Section of the Florida Bar, and the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law section of the Florida Bar Association. He is the primary writer and editor for the Miami Trusts & Probate Alert newsletter and...

Florida Bar Board Certified Elder Law Attorney focused on providing custom solutions and personalized legal and asset protection planning for caregivers and families in Northeast Florida. Offices located in Jacksonville, FL and Orange Park, FL. Kellen is a partner and co-founder of Berg Bryant Elder Law Group after having spent 7 years building his own practice from scratch. Kellen started his solo practice at 26 years old during the 2009 recession, with no contacts and no prior legal experience in elder law. Kellen has since built a practice that has served over 1500 families and supports a full office staff to...

Jason Neufeld is the founder of Elder Needs Law, PLLC, and is proud to represent senior citizens and younger disabled adults in various matters including Medicaid Planning, Estate Planning, Incapacity Planning and Probates throughout Florida. Since 2012, Jason has been honored as a "Super Lawyer" by Super Lawyer's magazine and a "Legal Elite" from Florida Trends magazine. Jason earned his Bachelors of Arts degree from Emory University and obtained his Juris Doctorate and Masters of Business Administration (JD / MBA) degrees from the University of Miami. Jason is on the Board of Directors of the Academy of Florida Elder...

James W. Martin is an experienced probate attorney in St. Petersburg, Pinellas County, Florida with the highest lawyer ratings on Justia, Super Lawyers, Martindale, and Avvo and 50 years of law practice experience. Pinellas County probate matters are his primary focus. He is also an Adjunct Professor of Law at Stetson University College of Law and serves on the Board of the Dali Museum. He welcomes new clients in Pinellas County probate cases involving wills, trusts, and probate estates. Most cases begin with a free phone consultation where he learns the facts of the case and decides whether it is one that...

I decided to become a lawyer in honor of my friend, Sgt. Jessie Davila, who was killed in action while we were deployed to Iraq. My initial focus in the law was to help other Veterans navigate the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs disability system as a Veterans lawyer. However, I discovered that many of the Veterans I was helping obtain VA disability benefits also needed help with estate planning and elder law concerns. This realization led me back to law school, where I earned my Masters in Law (LL.M.) in Elder journey in the legal profession started with internships...

Carrie is a skilled attorney, contributing 16+ years of professional experience to the Elder Needs Law team and enabling us to service our Probate clients with complete confidence. Additionally, Carrie brings knowledge and experience in Real Estate law, that will be of tremendous value to probate clients’ liquidation of real property assets requirements. With the addition of Carrie, our firm can provide a broader range of top-level services, care and expertise to our clients and offer a skilled legal resource with the years of experience that enables her to employ the empathy and patience required to assist with families in...

Judy-Ann Smith, BSN, MS, JD My passion as an attorney is being able to help people. Resolving someone’s legal issues is the most rewarding aspect of the work I do. I am an empathetic and compassionate lawyer, willing to listen to my clients’ issues, to get a deeper understanding of what they would like to achieve and accomplish. Most importantly, I am an assertive advocate for all my clients and I will fight for what is fair and just according to the laws of the land. My practice areas range from family law to estate planning and probate. I have extensive success...

I am a Florida Bar board certified tax attorney who serves as a trusted counselor to businesses and individuals in the full range of corporate, tax and estate planning matters for nearly 20 years. My clients include closely held businesses, business owners and their families, individuals, trustees and personal representatives. My experience includes guiding business owners through all stages of the company’s life cycle, from formation and governance to mergers, sales and succession planning to addressing the various and complex legal issues that arise in a business's day-to-day operations. I also counsel business owners on their relationships with their entities...

I grew up in a large NAVY family. My father flew out of Tampa's MacDill Air Force Base in the sixties and I fell in love with the Tampa Bay community. After law school I came back to Florida to pursue my legal career with a passion for helping out individuals and families. I really enjoy the waterfront lifestyle here (when I can find the time to do so). I have a strong and long serving staff that makes client communication a top priority. My greatest joy is to work alongside my clients to help...

Mantoni Legal offers an exceptionally dedicated personal approach to our clients and their cases. We provide the commitment you deserve, with a unique and in-depth understanding of the defenses and rights available to Landlords and Property Owners. Mantoni Legal will provide you efficient and reliable service, and take the time to give your case the personalized attention it deserves. Clients will receive unparalleled transparency through regular case updates and direct attorney contact to assure you that we are diligently handling your matter. With our modernized, better fee arrangements, to include flat fee evictions and multi-unit discounts, we will ease your...

Aubrey Harry Ducker Jr. is a who has had years of accomplishments in the legal field. He has taken an interest in elder law after caring for his own grandmother and parents-in-law. Mr. Ducker has the first-hand experience in dealing with the stresses and anxieties that accompany deciding how to live the rest of one’s “golden years”. Attorney Aubrey Harry Ducker Jr. knows that adult children have to deal with this rite of passage. This involves specific stresses when making decisions for a parent or parents incapacitated by serious illnesses.

As a Family Law Attorney, Aubrey Harry Ducker Jr. takes...

Client's love Attorney Romaine Brown, because she is warm, listens, cares, and is aggressive when needed to and she gives tremendous effort to each case. Attorney Brown will personally talk to you about the needs and wishes of your case and comes up with the best strategy to win your case. She handles a variety of cases which has given her unique experiences when resolving cases. Clients are often concerned about trusting their attorney with their cases, and because she has years of experience and a background of representing clients in a variety of cases, she understands how clearly defining...

James R. Nici, Manager of Nici Law Firm, specializes in the areas of estate planning, administration and taxation. Mr. Nici has more than 25 years of experience, specializing in designing sophisticated estate plans for high net worth families and individuals, capitalizing on the tax advantages of declaring domicile in the state of Florida.

Mr. Nici, a “Top 100 Attorney” by Worth Magazine, is the sole developer of the unique process called The Strategic Estate Planning System®. The Strategic Estate Planning System® is designed to assist clients in the complex process of organizing highly detailed estate plans by simplifying client’s overall goals...

Paul is passionate about using his extensive experience to offer effective legal advice that leads to real world solutions for real world problems. Paul has been with his wife, Denise Martinez-Scanziani, for almost 30 years, has three teenage children, and enjoys sports and travel.

Raised in his hometown of Port St. Lucie, attorney Jamy Barreau has experience handling all aspects of issues surrounding preserving generational wealth including matters associated with trusts and estates as well as business planning. A first-generation Haitian American, he has dedicated his life to the practice of law. He graduated with high honors from St. Lucie West Centennial High School in 2009 where he had the privilege of being part of the school’s Criminal Justice Academy, serving as an advocate for the 19th Judicial Circuit’s Teen Court program. After graduation from Centennial, Jamy earned his B.S. in Legal Studies from the University...

Attorney John Morey is a native of Tampa, Florida. After moving to New York he attended the State University of New York College at Brockport where he earned a Bachelor of Sciences in Psychology. Mr. Morey earned his Juris Doctorate from the Barry University Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law where he graduated in the top 25% percentile of his class.



Mr. Morey has been dedicated to being a zealous advocate for his clients since the first time he stepped into a courtroom as a certified legal intern for the Seminole County Legal Aid Society, Inc. The experience he gained...

An Experienced and Aggressive Legal Advocate Providing Attentive and Caring Client Service Along Florida's Gulf Coast Lawyer Craig A. Epifanio began his practice of law solely defending those accused of a crime. He gained considerable experience aggressively pursuing justice for those accused of all levels of crime, to the point that in 2005 he was elected as President of the Pinellas Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (PACDL) for that year. He now uses his natural ability to listen and empathize in order to gain a clear picture of the events leading up to a client's arrest, assess each individual legal issue...

John M. Hemenway is a founding partner of Bivins & Hemenway, P.A. John serves as a trusted legal advisor to business owners, real estate investors, and families seeking to preserve and pass down their wealth and values. His practice focuses on estate planning and probate, small and closely held businesses, and real estate, combining experience in each of these areas to provide a comprehensive approach to transactions and planning.

John earned his law degree, cum laude, from the University of Florida. John regularly presents at legal education seminars on both probate and estate planning topics, and is published on estate planning...

As an expert estate, trust and tax attorney, Greg Herman-Giddens provides comprehensive wealth planning, protection and management services to residents of Florida, North Carolina Tennessee and New York. He also provides consulting adn co-counseling services to attorneys throughout the country. Through careful selection of strategies tailored to clients' individualized goals and objectives, he helps individuals protect their family, preserve assets and save taxes.

Peggy is a founding partner of The Law Offices of Hoyt & Bryan, a family wealth and legacy planning law firm specializing in wills, trusts and estates and elder law. She is a three-time Stetson University graduate receiving her B.B.A., cum laude, in 1981, her M.B.A. in 1982 and her J.D., cum laude, in 1993. Her passion is her pets - all of them - including 4 horses, 6 dogs and 2 cats! She enjoys long distance trail riding on Heaven and Vogue. Peggy practices in the areas of family wealth and legacy counselling, including trust and estate planning...

Katherine is a native of Jacksonville, Florida. She is the immediate Past-President of the Jacksonville Women Lawyers Association. She is a member of the Jacksonville Chapter, D.A.R.. She attended Riverside Presbyterian Day School and is a graduate of The Bolles School. She is happily married to Cameron Naugle, owner of Naugle Funeral Home and has two small children, Abigail and Logan, who are the light of her life. Katherine graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Emory University in 1998. She then graduated with a Juris Doctorate from Stetson University College of Law in 2001, and an M.B.A. from...

Attorney Sabina Tomshinsky has been practicing law since 2005 and is committed to finding effective resolutions to each client's unique legal needs. Ms. Tomshinsky is the owner of Home Town Law, P.A., where she provides knowledgeable, responsive client service in a broad spectrum of legal areas, including family law, estate planning, probate, landlord-tenant law and corporate law. She has dedicated her career to protecting the interests of individuals, families and businesses in North Central Florida. As a Gainesville, Florida resident for more than a decade, she is proud to address your legal issues and concerns in a creative...

Working in Law Offices since 1973, Lorenzo Ramunno, learned his profession in Buffalo NY as a Law Clerk, Legal Investigator, Collection Officer , Assistant Corporation Counsel, General Counsel to Common Council and General Counsel to City Comptroller for the City of Buffalo NY. Becoming an Attorney in Florida in 1988. Experienced in Municipal Law, 15 years. later, Corporate Counsel for Florida Chemical Manufacturer Hollywood, Fl. for 8 years. Since 1998 a Estate Planning, Real Estate and Probate attorney in Ocala Florida. Admitted to Tennessee Bar in 2013 ,practices Estate Planning and Real Estate in East Tennessee, Washington County, Tri...

Mr. Lampley is a Southwest Florida native. Prior to attending law school at Barry University, he attended Bishop Verot High School in Fort Myers. Prior to embarking on his legal career, Mr. Lampley worked as an athletic trainer. His training career included being the head trainer for multiple teams who earned births in the NCAA playoffs, as well as an assistant trainer for the Carolina Panthers of the NFL. Looking to change careers and move closer to his Lee County roots, he decided to attend law school at Barry University. While in law school he competed on...