DeSoto County Lawyers

William Gearhart has extensive experience representing a wide range of clients in nearly all aspects of immigration law. His practice focuses on assisting employers and employees with nonimmigrant and immigrant visa petitions, labor certifications, and I-9 compliance issues. William also assists individuals in obtaining nonimmigrant status, asylum, waivers, permanent legal residency, citizenship, and petitions for family members. William has been repeatedly selected by Super Lawyers® as a Rising Star in the field of immigration law. He is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, and is licensed to practice law in the State of Indiana, and the United States District...

Thomas P. Gill, Jr. completed his J.D. from Stetson College of Law and has been practicing law since 1988. He began his legal career at various reputable law firms before opening his own practice in 1991. His goal is to provide a full-service law firm that focuses on providing clients with personal and compassionate services. Every phone call will be returned personally by Attorney Gill. He has extensive experience in many legal areas, including family law, bankruptcy, personal injury, foreclosure defense, wills & estate planning, probate, and criminal defense. Outside of the law, he is very active in community organizations....

Mr. Golden earned his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Maine and his Juris Doctor from Thomas M. Cooley Law School. Upon moving to Florida, he began his career working for a small law firm in the Brandon area and focused on representing debtors in consumer bankruptcy cases under both Chapter 7 and Chapter 13. He also represented clients in front of the Social Security Administration in Disability cases. Next, he accepted a position as the chief litigation associate with the law firm of Feinberg, Isaak and Smith, d/b/a Debt Relief Legal Centers. In this position he...

Mr. Curry is a civil trial lawyer and has had his own firm for most of his career. He has been recognized by Judges and his colleagues as one of the preeminent lawyers in his field receiving an “AV’ rating from Martindale Hubbell. He has an active Civil Trial Practice participating in civil trials involving Commercial, Personal Injury, Family Issues and General Business Litigation. In addition to his successful Law Practice he served as a Founding Director and General Counsel of Platinum Bank from 1997 through 2012.

Mr. Curry has served as President of the Brandon Chamber of Commerce. He was...

Todd Parrish was admitted to Florida Bar in 2007. His practice has been devoted to the representation of individuals who have suffered injuries through the negligence of others or while on the job.

After earning his law degree and a Master of Business Administration from Stetson University, Jason Hamilton Mikes began his career in Southwest Florida in 2003, where he worked at local offices of large international firms. During his tenure at these firms Jason excelled in representing condominiums, homeowners associations, developers, and commercial real estate owners. He has advised hundreds of community associations on day-to-day and complex legal matters and served as counsel of record in more than 1,000 mortgage and lien foreclosure cases in Lee and Collier counties. Jason has guided developers of residential, commercial, golf and marina properties from project...

25 years licensed and focusing on all aspects of Family Law including Dissolution of Marriage, Child Support, Paternity, child support, and Modifications.
B.A. Degree in Criminal Justice in 1989.
J.D. Degree in 1992.
Licensed to practice law in Florida in 1992.

Ginger L. Dugan practices Family Law Litigation including: Adoption, Divorce, Child Custody, Time-sharing, Parental Responsibility, Child Support Modifications, Custody Modifications, Contempt, and all other aspects of family law.

Ms. Dugan earned her Bachelor's Degree in English Literature at Florida State University in 2003. In college she received numerous honors including Student of the Year, Literature Award, Campus Leadership Award, Student Government Award, STRIKE Award, and Who's Who Among American College Students.

Ms. Dugan received her Law Degree from Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia. In law school, Ms. Dugan participated in the Summer Study Abroad program where she studied International...

I have recently decided to concentrate solely on County and Circuit Court civil mediations and arbitrations. I would future referrals for my services in these areas. The reason for my decision to concentrate solely upon mediation and arbitration is due to the desire to help parties reach settlement without having a Judge or Court impose a Judgment upon them. I believe self-determination is far superior to formal litigation in Court. ...

Adam Bantner is a board certified criminal trial law attorney who represents those accused of committing crimes in Brandon, FL, Hillsborough County, and Polk County. The Bantner Firm is also proud to help those injured by no fault of their own in an auto accident, slip and fall, or through some other negligence.

We are Your Community Lawyer and we'd love to help. Check us out at https://www.TampaCrimeAttorneys.com or call us at 813.397.3965 to set up your free consultation today!

Stacey Hendrix McNelis - Experienced Legal Support From A Polk County Native

Stacey H. McNelis is dedicated to the practice of law and helping those in need. She focuses primarily in Criminal, Dependency and Family Law, and Social Security in Polk, Hardee and Highlands counties. She is an experienced trial attorney, having handled numerous cases in the county court as well as at the circuit court level. Over the course of her career, she has argued hundreds of motions and has tried over 30 jury trials.

Prior to founding McNelis Law, Ms. McNelis joined Colón & McNelis, P.A., in 2005 and practiced...

Thomas C. Saunders is one of only a small handful of lawyers in Polk County, Florida that hold themselves out as double Board Certified. Tom is certified by the Florida Bar as a specialist in both Civil Trial and Business Litigation.

Upon Keith's graduation from Law School he worked as an assistant Public Defender in Ocala, Florida where he tried numerous cases. He then moved to the opposite side of the court room and worked for the Hillsborough county State Attorney in Tampa, Florida. As an Assistant State Attorney, Keith handled thousands of felony and misdemeanor cases and major crimes. He obtained valuable litigation experience, knowledge and training during his years of working as a prosecutor and public defender. He is also licensed to practice in the United States Federal District Court in the Middle District of Florida. In 2013, Keith became...

Attorney Bryan D. Caulfield is a partner with Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes Personal Injury Lawyers. Bryan has handled over 3000 cases in his exceptional 32-year career; he practices exclusively personal injury and wrongful death law. Bryan has experience working with car accidents, workplace accidents, motorcycle accident, and pedestrian accident cases, to name but a few. Bryan has received numerous accolades and has many exceptional achievements as part of his legal career. Attorney Bryan Caulfield has achieved Board Certification as a Civil Trial Lawyer from the Florida Bar. Less than 2% of attorneys in the State of Florida have received this...

Elizabeth Davis has over a decade of legal and courtroom experience. She is licensed to practice in all state and county courts located throughout Florida and focuses her practice on strategizing with each client to work towards the best possible outcome. Attorney Davis has helped hundreds of families navigate the difficult and emotionally charged environment of family law. She aggressively and compassionately represents her clients throughout the legal process. Call today to speak to an experienced Florida attorney about your case.

Attorney Barker has been handling personal injury and wrongful death cases throughout the Tampa Bay area for 34 years. He has handled thousands of cases; many of which resulted in substantial jury verdicts or settlements.

You should put Attorney Barker's vast experience to work for you. He and his dedicated staff will guide you through each step of what can be a complex and intimidating process; all while giving you the personal service and attention you deserve. No case is too small, and no case is too big.

The consultation is free. All you...

I am a trial attorney. I'm a member of the Florida Bar, Federal Bar Association, Hillsborough County Bar Association and George E. Edgecomb Bar Association. I'm also admitted to practice in the United States District Court of the Middle District of Florida. I practice solely in the areas of personal injury, family law, criminal law, and immigration.

Stephen J. Wein is a founding shareholder of the firm. He was previously the Chairman of the Litigation Department of a prominent local firm where he was also a member of its Executive Committee. He is a 1976 graduate of Stetson University College of Law. Steve’s extensive litigation experience is diverse, ranging from Complex Commercial to White Collar Criminal matters on behalf of and against public and private companies, financial institutions, insurance companies and professionals. The representations have dealt with a wide gamut of legal issues involving securities, antitrust, class actions, computers and software, intellectual property, healthcare fraud...

Kaitlyn Statile attended the University of Georgia where she graduated magna cum laude with a degree in Public Relations and a minor in Sociology. She then went on to earn her juris doctorate from Florida State University, College of Law. While in Tallahassee, she interned at the State Attorney’s Office, beginning her passion for trial law. After graduation she began working at the State Attorney’s Office in Pinellas County where she conducted over 50 trials and obtained a murder indictment from a grand jury. She then went on to practice civil litigation prior to moving to Costa Rica where she...

Richard's practice is focused on mediation. As an attorney, Richard worked at three of the country's largest and most prestigious national law firms, representing America's most well-known companies. Richard later established his own law firm, where his practice focused on business litigation and family law. In mediations, Richard uses his broad understanding of the law, ability to listen, aptitude for numbers, and sense of human empathy to help resolve disputes.

Patrick W. Harland, Jr. is a seasoned litigator and personal injury attorney having tried cases in both Florida State and Federal Court.

Upon graduating from Stetson University College of Law in 1999, Mr. Harland focused his law practice on defending insurance companies as well as some of the nation’s largest nursing home chains in liability suits relating to patient care. Mr. Harland also defended physicians in correctional healthcare cases brought by inmates alleging civil rights violations due to inadequate healthcare.

Today, Mr. Harland uses that defense background to the advantage of St. Petersburg clients who have been injured by the negligence of...

Prior to joining Whittel & Melton, Mr. Sheslow served as an Assistant Public Defender in Manatee County, Florida. Mr. Sheslow accumulated an impressive trial record while with the Public Defender’s Office. He was quickly promoted from a Misdemeanor to Felony case load in less than 10 months. Mr. Sheslow has tried over 20 cases ranging from DUIs and Domestic Batteries to life felonies. He has earned acquittals in serious cases such as firearms offenses and sex offenses. Additionally, Mr. Sheslow completed the National Criminal Defense Lawyers College held at Mercer College of Law in Macon, Georgia, where he learned from...

Christina Anton Garcia graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. in criminology and cum laude with a B.A. in psychology from the University of Florida in 2003. She earned her J.D. from the University of Florida's Levin College of Law in 2006. After graduation from law school, Christina Anton Garcia worked for nearly four years as an attorney at the law firm of Older & Lundy, where she practiced marital and family law. In 2010, Christina joined with attorney John S. Castro to form Anton Castro Law. Her expertise in marriage dissolution, paternity, domestic violence, and other areas of family law...

Marc A. Joseph, P.A. has defended thousands of clients and prosecuted none. Unlike former prosecutors, I have never worked one day to put someone in jail or prison. I will provide the level of uncompromising legal representation that makes a difference in my ability to help my clients avoid criminal convictions and maximum penalties for the offenses they have been accused of committing. Marc A. Joseph is passionate about protecting the rights of the accused in Florida criminal cases! Many defendants are wrongly accused, others know they have made mistakes, but look for an attorney who will...

Attorney Kevin A. Fuller has been representing injured victims and defending the accused since 1992. If you have been injured or accused of committing a crime, please call the office to ask questions and get answers. Benefit from more than 25 years of courtroom experience.

Originally from Charleston, West Virginia, I attended West Virginia Wesleyan College studying both business administration and political science. After three semesters at West Virginia Wesleyan College, I transferred to West Virginia University, where I obtained my Bachelor of Arts degree in Multi-Disciplinary Studies. While attending West Virginia University, I worked with my father as a surface miner in the coal fields of West Virginia. Of all the lessons learned during those summers, I learned to appreciate the value of a hard work and the importance of taking pride in whatever you do. At Blumenauer Hackworth, we take pride in our...

An aggressive litigator, Karina Perez Ilic has diverse expertise in civil litigation including motor vehicle accidents, catastrophic workplace accidents, contracts, commercial disputes, premises liability, and motor vehicle accidents. She is not afraid to be a fierce advocate for clients who have been wronged or injured.

A Florida native, she ventured to New Orleans to receive her bachelor’s degree in business law with a minor in French language at Tulane University. She continued her legal education in New Orleans, graduating from Loyola University in 2010 cum laude.

Karina is a member of the Florida State Bar and is admitted to practice in both...

Christopher Hersem is an attorney in the Clearwater, Florida, area. He was born and raised here, and has practiced law for fifteen years in the area. His advocacy for clients has helped clients overcome criminal charges, traffic tickets, and personal injuries for more than a decade. Attorney Christopher Hersem started his career with an undergraduate education at the University of Florida. After this, he studied law at Stetson University College of Law, with a concentration in advocacy. He was also a member of many organizations at this time. He was named in Who’s Who of American Law Schools. He also...

Wes Trombley is a partner with Trombley & Hanes, P.A., concentrating in the areas of both criminal and civil litigation. Wes is a lifelong resident of Tampa, Florida, and graduated from Jesuit High School, the University of South Florida with a Business Marketing Degree, and Stetson University College of Law. As a law student and prior to becoming a member of the Florida Bar, Wes served in the 13th Judicial Circuit for Hillsborough County, Florida as a Judicial Intern and a Florida Supreme Court Certified Intern Prosecutor and he served for the 6th Judicial Circuit in Pinellas County, Florida...

My goal is to bring peace and stability to the family. I care about my client's welfare and peace of mind. I manage bankruptcy proceedings and debt relief for individuals and businesses. Deal with tax issues and resolution. Handle probate proceedings. Conduct family law proceedings. Provide advice on estate planning matters, wills and trusts. Also engage in foreclosure defense and civil litigation.

TAMPA CRIMINAL DEFENSE AND DUI ATTORNEY Jason Sammis is a shareholder with the Sammis Law Firm, P.A., who represents individuals charged with felony and misdemeanor criminal offenses in Tampa, Hillsborough County, FL. Jason Sammis is actively involved as an attorney on the NORML Legal Committee, which fights for the reform of marijuana laws. He is also a member of the Hillsborough County Bar Association, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. EXCLUSIVELY FOCUSED ON CRIMINAL AND DUI DEFENSE By focusing exclusively on criminal and DUI defense in Tampa, FL, Jason Sammis is able to stay...

The Carney Law Firm serves individuals and businesses throughout Florida in business litigation, estate planning, and probate matters. The Carney Law Firm offers clients expertise from a firm they can trust. Mr. Carney has big law firm experience, but provides small firm service. A potential client’s biggest worry is often the expense of hiring a professional attorney. Mr. Carney is often able to assist his clients by offering contingency and flat fee options. The Carney Law Firm is committed to providing each client aggressive and practical legal representation. In recognition of his legal skills and ethical standards, Mr. Carney received an AV...

John is the managing member of Anthony & Partners, LLC, Tampa, Florida’s premier bankruptcy and creditors’ rights firm. He covers the statewide needs of his clients from Pensacola to Key West and his practice includes areas of chapter 11 reorganizations, complex chapter 7 liquidations, assignments for the benefit of creditors, loan restructures, state court loan enforcement litigation, and lender liability defense in state and federal courts. From 2001-2009, John chaired a statewide 22-lawyer creditors’ rights department of a large law firm. In the aftermath of the economic crisis that began in 2008, he has positioned Anthony & Partners, LLC to...

Deborah Moss is a former Pittsburgh native and long time Florida resident who attended Boca Ciega High School in St. Petersburg, Florida. She is a University of South Florida and a Stetson alumni. Debbie has dedicated her career for over two decades to the practice of Criminal Defense.

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,...

A native of Florida, Ryan T. Cox graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in criminology before going on to get a master’s degree in criminal justice from UCF and a law degree from UF’s Frederick G. Levin College of law. Following graduation, Ryan represented clients in civil litigation and business transactions before finding his niche defending people against criminal charges.

Now, having returned home after 4 years working in Colorado, Ryan has decided to apply his skills to representing the people of the gulf coast. He joins Carlson Meissner with extensive experience handling all manner of...

Edward D. Carlson was born in New Jersey. He founded the firm with Paul Meissner in 1971. He has served as a municipal judge for the cities of Belleair and Safety Harbor, Florida. Ed has been married for more than 40 years and has four grown children and five grandchildren.

Daviana Marie Braniff was born in Clearwater, Florida, but primarily grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. After receiving a scholarship for women’s soccer, Daviana attended Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, Georgia where she received her degree in Psychology. Daviana then attended the University of Georgia School of Law where she interned with the Office of the Fulton County District Attorney. After graduating, Daviana moved to the sunny state of Florida to be with family and worked as an Assistant State Attorney in the Sixth Judicial Circuit prior to joining the firm. Daviana and her husband Daniel have a lovable dog...

Mark H. Wright is the senior trial attorney with the Mark Wright law group. Faced with a wealth of options after finishing law school, Mr. Wright chose to dedicate his professional life to helping those in need. For almost thirty years, Mark has focused his practice in the areas of serious injury and wrongful death cases, premises liability, products liability, negligent security, insurance disputes, automobile crashes, truck crashes and motorcycle collisions.

Mr. Wright tailors his practice to the individual needs of his clients. Unlike larger law firms that provide a cookie-cutter approach to client representation, Mr. Wright prides himself on tailoring...

We are O’Brien Hatfield, PA, a criminal defense law firm with offices in Tampa, Orlando, and Miami. I am a partner. My law firm consists of five lawyers, four legal assistants, two private investigators, one mitigation specialist, and numerous third party experts. We have three divisions in our firm: federal criminal defense, state criminal defense, and appellate criminal defense. I am in charge of the appellate division. A good criminal appellate attorney should possess a combination of legal knowledge, research and writing skills, attention to detail, oral advocacy abilities, persistence, dedication, strategic thinking, problem-solving skills, preparation and deadline management, teamwork,...