Alafaya Lawyers

I have worked for Finra, a financial regulator; LeClairRyan; and the Legal Aid Society of Eastern Virginia. I have been recognized as a Technology Litigation Fellow by the Center for Legal and Court Technology, in Williamsburg, Virginia and was selected to participate in the Center’s annual lab trial. I focus on corporate law and estate planning for the small business owner. During my time at Finra, I worked in Registration and Disclosure, developing policies relating to past criminal sanctions, as well as assisting in decisions regarding expungment of customer complaints against registered brokers. While at LeClairRyan, I...

Jack A. Kaleita graduated from Stetson University College of Law, was admitted to the Bar in 1986 and began his legal career as a state prosecutor on Florida's west coast. He then returned to Central Florida after 5 years, serving as an Assistant State Attorney in Seminole County for an additional 12 years. As a prosecutor, Mr. Kaleita tried numerous cases involving virtually every type of criminal charge. In addition to taking dozens of criminal cases to trial himself, he taught and supervised other attorneys, first as a Lead Trial Attorney, and later as the Misdemeanor/Traffic Division Chief and as the...

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...

Thomas P. Schmitt is an Expert Personal Injury Trial Specialist Attorney who obtained, among many other tremendous jury verdicts, the second largest motorcycle verdict ever in the state of Florida.

Below, are just a few honorable mentions of Mr. Schmitt’s superior achievements:

National Law Journal’s Top 50 Verdicts of 2014.

National Law Journal’s Top 100 Verdicts of 2014.

Lifetime Membership in the Million Dollar Advocates Forum.

Lifetime Membership in the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, “The Top Trial Lawyers in America”.

Lifetime Induction into the National Order of Barristers, “for Excellence and High Honors in the Art of Courtroom

Advocacy,” evidences recognition of Mr. Schmitt’s superiority as...

With over 29 years of trial experience, attorney Michael Herring has zealously represented those that have been accused of all crimes, the injured and small business interests in all state courts of Central Florida. Herring and Herring P.A., a third generation Sanford Fl Law Firm, is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell, conveniently located in the County Seat of Sanford, Seminole County, Florida. As a criminal defense lawyer, Michael Herring has been representing the accused for more than two decades in Central Florida. He handles a wide variety of cases ranging from high profile felonies to simple misdemeanors. Mr. Herring...

Veronica Anderson, Esq. is the founding shareholder of Anderson and Associates, P.A.. She started the firm in 2000, after serving 12 years in the government at the local and state levels. Schedule your consultation with Mrs. Anderson today!

After graduating from Harvard, I chose to attend Stetson University, the number one law school for trial advocacy in the country. I was on Stetson’s Law Review, and I also earned a Master’s of Business Administration from Stetson’s School of Business. I worked as a teaching assistant for pretrial practice while in law school, and I began clerking at a prominent law firm in the Tampa area. After law school, I jumped right into trial practice and began handling employment law and personal injury cases. I tried my first jury trial within my first year of graduating law school...

Juliane practices in the areas of complex commercial litigation; business disputes; and adversarial matters involving bankruptcy, trusts, and estates.

Originally from a small suburb, Steubenville, Ohio, only forty-five minutes outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Juliane attended the Cyril H. Wecht Institute of Forensic Science and Law at Duquesne University. She received a B.A. in biochemistry and a M.S. in Forensic Science.

To advance her interest in law and science, Juliane moved to Florida to attend Stetson University College of Law in 2011. While in law school, Juliane was an active member of the Alternative Dispute Resolution team, and in...

David Haenel protects the rights of the accused. His firm,The Law Place, has offices in Sarasota, Tampa, Orlando, and Clearwater but they represent people throughout the State of Florida. David is the former 2004 State of Florida DUI Prosecutor of the Year and has spent his entire legal career representing individuals charged with traffic and criminal traffic violations. David and his team of lawyers are relentless in their legal representation and are not satisfied until they have exhausted all possible defenses.

Jack T. Cook is a managing partner of Morgan & Morgan’s Birth Injury Trial Group. He received his undergraduate degree from University of North Carolina Wilmington, a graduate degree from University of Central Florida Orlando, and his Juris Doctorate from Florida A&M University College of Law. Mr. Cook began his career in the United States Marine Corps before turning to law. Prior to joining Morgan & Morgan, he earned acclaim and recognition as a skilled litigator and trial lawyer in both medical malpractice and birth injury litigation. Mr. Cook formerly represented the interests of physicians, physician groups, and hospitals, but...

Founded in 2001 by Amir A. Ladan, The Ladan Law Firm, P.A. is dedicated to providing exceptional legal representation to our clients. We handle criminal matters, injunctions and infractions in courthouses throughout Central Florida and have earned an exceptional reputation as experienced, effective advocates for our clients.

Our legal team is available seven days a week to assist our clients and potential clients with their legal needs. With three offices and phone and virtual appointments available, we make meeting with one of our lawyers simple and convenient. For a free, confidential consultation, simply call our office...

Shannon McLin founded a boutique appellate law firm after serving as a staff attorney at Florida's Fifth District Court of Appeal. In 2019, she opened Florida Appeals, a statewide appellate firm with seven appellat lawyers practicing complex civil appellate litigation throughout Florida. A significant portion of her work is the family law arena. Ms. McLin is board-certified in appellate practice and is a certified circuit court and appellate mediator. She is AV Preiminant rated by Martindale-Hubbell and has consistently been selected as one of Florida Trend's Legal Elite and as a Florida Superlawyer in appellate practice. Ms....

Jeffrey S. Kaufman was born in Miami, Florida and he received his Bachelor of Science in Business Management in 1991 from Florida State University. He also obtained a second Bachelor of Science degree in Telecommunications from the University of Florida in 1993. Mr. Kaufman went on to attend law school at The University of Tulsa where he completed his Juris Doctorate in 1996. He is currently licensed to practice law in Florida and seventeen other states including: Oklahoma, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Texas, Michigan, Maryland, New York, Washington, Missouri, Tennessee, Georgia, Connecticut, Ohio, West Virginia, Arizona, and Minnesota.

Attorney Christina M. Miner is an associate attorney at Bloodworth Law, PLLC, in Winter Haven, and Orlando, Florida.

Christina handles Personal Injury Protection (PIP) litigation, commercial litigation, and estate and probate litigation.

Christina joined the team in April 2019 and has a range of legal experience in Central Florida law that began in 2009. Her focus is on client goals and providing options to best resolve legal issues.

“In estate litigation, I get to look at what clients have, what their goals are, and their wishes,” Christina said. “It’s my job to solve the financial puzzles and legal problems. Then I...

Mr. Persad has worked in the legal profession for over 20 years. He is licensed to practice law in Florida, the United States Virgin Islands, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and before the U.S. Supreme Court. He earned his Juris Doctor degree and his Masters in Public Administration degree from the University of Akron in 1993 and 1994, respectively. He also holds a Bachelors of Arts in Business Administration from the University of the Virgin Islands and a diploma in paralegal studies from New York University. Mr. Persad's experience in the legal field...

David Hill obtained his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida, and all state courts of Florida. Mr. Hill has practiced exclusively in criminal defense in the state of Florida, primarily in the Central Florida community, since graduating from law school and represents clients in a far-ranging array of matters, including felony, misdemeanor and traffic allegations, in both State and Federal courts. He has twenty years of experience as a criminal defense lawyer having been admitted to practice in 1991,...

I have nine years of experience as an Immigration Attorney. Additionally, I have a very strong knowledge of employment law and the connection between immigration and Federal and State employment regulations. While I have not counted exactly how many immigration cases I have handled, reviewed, consulted with or been associated with, I estimate that the number is easily in the thousands. Based on this experience there is rarely a situation that I have not seen before. I am AV rated perfect “5.0”, Avvo rated “Superb”, Avvo Client choice awards 2011, 2012, 2013, “Rising Star” Orlando Style Magazine, Lead Counsel Rated...

Zuhair D. Fanash Founding Partner Attorney Zuhair D. Fanash has been practicing law for more than 13 years. Attorney Fanash has focused his career in the area of Family Law exclusively. During law school, at the University of Denver School of Law, Attorney Fanash had internships with the Colorado Court of Appeals, the Denver district attorney’s office, and with two litigation firms. After graduating from the University of Denver law school, Attorney Fanash accepted a position as fellow with the Eighteenth Judicial District. The internships and fellowship experience allowed Attorney Fanash to see the judges’ perspective and how judges dealt with...

Amanda Downing is a partner at The Dellutri Law Group, PA. She joined the firm in 2002 and was made a partner just six years later in 2008. Amanda is a native of Lee County, Florida; in fact, she holds a Florida Pioneer Descendant Certificate, meaning her family settled in Florida before it even became a state. Amanda brings her love for this area and its residents to her practice of personal injury law. She is committed to helping those in need right in her own community. At the firm, she assists clients with complex personal injury cases involving wrongful...

Eric Barker earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Florida in 1989 and went on to earn his J.D. from the University of Florida College of Law in 1992. He was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1992 and is currently admitted to practice in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida. Eric has been rated as a preeminent lawyer by Martindale-Hubbell and has earned an AV rating, the highest rating given by the organization, which is a nationally recognized attorney rating service. As a former Assistant Public Defender, Mr. Barker took several dozen...

Michael LaFay Trial Attorney graduated from the American University Law School in Washington, D.C. in 1983. He was admitted to the New York Bar in 1984 and the Florida Bar in 1985. Michael LaFay is board certified in Criminal Law by the Florida Bar and has achieved an "AV" rating overall, which is the highest ranking bestowed by Martindale-Hubbell, the national attorney ranking service. He has practiced in Central Florida as a trial attorney for the past 27 years and has litigated over 300 jury trials. During that time, he has served as a criminal defense attorney and also as...

Andrew Peter Zesinger is a senior associate with NeJame Law, P.A. Born and raised in Erie, Pennsylvania, Mr. Zesinger earned his Bachelor’s degree in Health Policy Administration from The Pennsylvania State University in 1999. He created a summer externship in the business administration department that emphasized and analyzed universal health care coverage. Mr. Zesinger earned his Juris Doctor from The University of Pittsburgh School of Law. Mr. Zesinger began his career as a judicial clerk for the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida.

Attorney Andrew Zesinger focuses his practice in civil litigation throughout the state of Florida. Mr. Zesinger also handles...

Paige L. Carlos devotes the majority of her practice to Real Estate Law. She also has ample experience practicing Family Law and handling dissolutions of marriage, child support issues, child custody disputes and mediations. She takes her work very seriously and enjoys being able to help her clients through difficult times. Paige has a real passion for people and she strives to put forth her best effort to serve those who cannot serve themselves. Paige grew up in Southern Connecticut. In 2009 Paige received her Bachelor’s degree from Colgate University in Hamilton, New York where she majored in Africana...

Mr. Brownlee handles civil and criminal appeals in Florida and in federal courts of appeal across the country. He is licensed to practice in each of Florida's appellate courts and most of the federal circuit courts of appeal. In addition to Florida's district courts of appeal, Mr. Brownlee has performed oral argument at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Boston, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in Atlanta. He...

Attorney Hillary Johnson is a former prosecutor who brings experience and exceptional legal knowledge to each case she tries. She holds a degree in communication from Florida State University and Juris Doctor from the Jones School of Law at Faulkner University in Montgomery, Alabama. While she was in law school, Ms. Johnson completed an internship with the State Attorney’s Office in Panama City. After graduation, she worked as an attorney with Florida’s Department of Children and Families before accepting a position at the State Attorney’s Office in Manatee County and Sarasota. It was while she was at the...

The Messersmith Law Firm is a full-service law firm, concentrating on immigration law. We have special expertise in work visas, family based visas, visa waivers, green cards through family and employment and asylum. We are well known for our zealous and creative advocacy on behalf of our clients. The Messersmith Law Firm assists large and small companies and institutions nationwide in complying with the complex immigration requirements of the USCIS, DOL and DOS to retain highly skilled workers in such fields as information technology, medical research, computer software, engineering, hospitality, art, martial arts and medicine. Immigration law is federal law which means...

At the Law Office of Paulette Hamilton Divorce Lawyers, we are a dedicated family law firm serving Orlando, Florida. We understand that every case is unique, and we pride ourselves on taking a client-centered approach. While some cases may share similarities, each family’s situation is distinct. That’s why we don’t rely on a one-size-fits-all method when handling family law matters. Building strong, long-term relationships with our clients is a priority, and we tailor our legal strategies to meet each individual’s specific needs and goals. Our commitment to personalized service is backed by a drive to achieve the best possible outcomes...

David has been in Orlando since 2012. He was born and raised in New York City, and developed a desire to attend law school after spending two years as a guardian ad litem to foster children in Austin, Texas. In 2009, David moved to Tallahassee, Florida, to attend law school at Florida State University, where he earned his Juris Doctorate degree in 2012. While attending law school, he participated in a Criminal Law Externship in the 2nd Judicial Circuit, reinforcing his decision to enter the field of criminal defense work after graduation. David moved to Orlando in...

Sekou Clarke was born in St. Andrew, Jamaica, where his discipline and athletic ability earned him a full athletic scholarship to the University of Florida (UF). While at UF he was Team Captain, ten-time All-American and helped the Gators to two national titles in Track and Field. Sekou graduated with a B.S. in Tourism and Hospitality Management and earned All SEC and Academic Honor Roll Honors.

After graduating from UF he competed professionally and represented Jamaica internationally competing in over 15 countries worldwide. During this time, he earned his MBA in Marketing from St. Leo University.

Sekou was urged and inspired at...

Cheri Hobbs is a co-owner and managing partner of Compass Law. Cheri grew up in a family where service was not just something that was talked about, but something that was practiced daily in their lives. As a daughter of missionaries, she grew up helping people from all walks of life. From living with Indian tribes in the Amazon forest, to serving the needy in orphanages, to taking in domestic violence victims into their home, Cheri has always seen first-hand the real need that exists in all of humanity. It is this perspective and sincere compassion that propelled her into...

Michael R. Lowe, Esq. is board certified in health care law by The Florida Bar. His practice focuses on all aspects of business, corporate, transactional, litigation, regulatory, operational and administrative matters in the health care law arena. Emphasizing the representation of physicians and physician group practices, Michael regularly represents clients in litigation, medical records and HIPAA privacy regulations issues, managed care contracting and reimbursement matters, the preparation, review and negotiation of physician employment agreements, Medicare/Medicaid fraud and abuse prevention, federal Stark Law matters and analysis, defense and reimbursement issues, ACA matters, medical staff privilege cases, professional licensure and...

The Adams Law Firm, P.A. was founded by husband and wife attorneys, Josh and Amy Adams. Josh is an experienced trial attorney. He started his career as a criminal prosecutor, where he prosecutor crimes from minor traffic crimes, including DUI, to felonies punishable by life in prison. After leaving the prosecutors office, Josh worked at a small firm in Orlando practicing criminal defense, civil litigation, and probate. In 2013, along with his wife, he started the Adams Law Firm, P.A. with a goal or bringing excellent representation and communication to Central Florida. Amy Adams...

I have represented hundreds of clients in Orlando and Central Florida for more than 16 years, handling all types of family law cases, including divorce, paternity, custody, modifications and step-parent adoption, as well as all types of criminal defense cases. We look forward to putting that experience to work for you and your family. We treat our firm like family, and treat our clients as members of that family. This is more than a business. We know dealing with Divorce/Custody issues, and Criminal allegations can be the most painful and difficult times for our clients. We will take the time to...

Attorney Lalitha Alladi began her legal career as an Assistant State Attorney working primarily on traffic, misdemeanor, and felony cases. This experience as a former prosecutor helps Attorney Alladi defend her clients in nearly all matters of criminal defense, as she understands how the state will approach each case. She is a tenacious advocate for her clients and will not rest until the best possible results are achieved for her clients. She also has extensive experience working in bankruptcy law, having represented debtors in Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcies. She is fluent in Tamil. Contact her firm at...

Tad Yates is admitted to practice law in the state courts of Florida, the U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit, and the U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Florida in 1991 and from the University of Florida College of Law in 1994.

Mr. Yates is a past President of both the Orange County Bar Association and the Board of Trustees of the Legal Aid Society of the Orange County Bar Association. In 2004, Mr. Yates was awarded the Young Lawyer Professionalism Award by the Orange County Bar Association.

In 2011, Florida Governor...

EXPERIENCE: President, University of Miami School of Law Family Law Society 1999-2000, Criminal Law Society, Author: Drugs a Process of Death Florida Police Chiefs Association, Computer Animation Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, Will it Become Tomorrow's New Form of Substantive Evidence? If so, Should it Be? University of Miami School of Law. CALI Award for RICO University of Miami School of Law, Member Golden Key National Honors Society University of Central Florida; Chief of Police City Of Oak Hill Florida 1988-1991Youngest Police Chief In Florida; Lake County Sheriff's Office, Investigator in Charge of Intelligence and Organized Crime 1985-1988; Lead Investigator 5th...

Charles R. Maxwell II is a Florida native. He attended the University of Florida from 1991 through 1999 where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Finance with Honors, a Masters in Business Administration, and a Juris Doctorate degree. Upon completion of his studies, Mr. Maxwell was admitted into the Florida Bar and immediately began practicing law in 1999. He started his career working with the law firm of Nabors, Giblin & Nickerson, P.A, where his practice primarily focused in the areas of debtor in possession financing in Chapter 11 corporate bankruptcies, affordable housing, and municipal bond law. Next,...

Attorney Ophelia Bernal-Mora graduated with her law degree from Nova Southeastern University in 2004. She was admitted to The Florida Bar and the U.S. Middle District Court of Florida, Mrs. Bernal-Mora has represented well over 1,000 clients in her career thus far.

Mrs. Bernal-Mora's has a strong litigation background, her experience and the focus of her practice remain with family law. Divorce, child custody, mediation, paternity, domestic violence, child support, alimony, and family law appeals are just some of the cases in which Mrs. Bernal-Mora has assisted her clients.

What differentiates Ophelia from other lawyers is over 10 years of experience...

Taylor is an associate attorney in our Orlando office, serving numerous counties throughout Central Florida. She helps parents, spouses, and families envision their new normal outside of the legal process. She provides a unique quality to the legal practice, as she has been noted for being able to hone in on the individual and family within each case and provide a level of service that leaves client’s feeling heard, acknowledged, and aggressively represented. Taylor was one of three students in her graduating class to participate in the accelerated law degree program, allowing her to complete her undergraduate degree and law degree...