Gulfport Lawyers

Born and raised in Sarasota, Florida, Richard Ellis graduated with honors from the University of Florida in 1976 and received his law degree from Loyola University New Orleans in 1979. Mr. Ellis has served on the City of Sarasota Planning Board, City of Sarasota Board of Adjustment, and currently serves as Special Magistrate for the City of Sarasota, a position he has held since 1999.

Mr. Ellis has filed in excess of 5,000 Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy cases over the past three decades and has handled hundreds of family law matters since beginning practice in 1979.

Mr. Ellis spends his...

Attorney M. David Shapiro is an AV-rated civil trial lawyer, the highest rating awarded to litigation attorneys. He is also board certified by the Florida Bar. Shapiro is an experienced trial lawyer who has earned the respect of his peers in the legal community. He has successfully litigated civil rights cases involving access to courts and rights under the Rehabilitation Act to the United States Supreme Court. He is admitted to practice in all of the Florida State Courts, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida and the United States Court of Appeal for the Eleventh...

Jennifer Zumarraga is well-versed in a wide variety of labor and employment law issues and has been with the Sass Law Firm since 2005. Her legal experience and excellent credentials make her a valuable asset. With over 20 years of experience, she has become an integral part of the firm’s success and reputation. Ms. Zumarraga is a staunch advocate of employee rights, and brings a unique and excellent set of skills to the table. In addition to her keen mind, she possesses the rare ability to easily grasp convoluted scenarios and facts, and boil down complex...

Paul M. McDermott, Esq., practices exclusively in the area of Marital and Family Law. He has experience in litigation, mediation, and collaboration. After practicing law in Virginia for many years as a trial lawyer, he relocated to Florida and founded McDermott Law Offices, PLLC and now practices exclusively in the 12th Judicial Circuit of Florida, which includes Manatee County and Sarasota County.

Mr. McDermott is a Florida Supreme Court Certified Family Law Mediator. He is also trained in Collaborative Divorce Law, an emerging field within the Alternative Dispute Resolution realm focused on resolving cases with a "team" approach...

Don Cahall prides himself on being extremely passionate about every one of his clients’ cases no matter whether the damages involved are small or large. Don’s clients are victims who have been harmed by others’ negligent or intentional wrongdoing. To obtain justice for his clients, Don’s objective is to attempt to recover his clients’ financial damages as quickly as possible. It has been said that the wheels of justice turn slowly. The culpable parties often seek to obstruct and delay justice and courts are regularly inundated with heavy caseloads. Thus, to meet his objective, Don utilizes an aggressive approach to...

Yohan is the Attorney of Center for U.S. Services (CFUIS) Bradenton Office. With about 60 years of combined experience in Immigration law, CFUIS provides immigration services to families and businesses. Yohan’ s goal is to help clients realize their dream of living in the United States. Yohan speaks Spanish, Portuguese, French and Creole. His ability to speak various languages enables him to effectively assist immigrants from diverse background. Yohan is from the Caribbean Island of Guadeloupe and came to the U.S. as a student. He went through the immigration processes and personally knows how the immigration process can be very stressful,...

Chris Beardslee is an experienced criminal defense attorney based in Tampa, FL, with a diverse background in handling various criminal cases, including DUIs, drug charges, assault and battery, theft, criminal traffic offenses, sealings and expungements, veterans treatment court, juvenile defense, and more. As a former US Navy Petty Officer, he brings a unique perspective and understanding of the challenges veterans may face. His extensive knowledge of criminal procedure and case law has resulted in numerous dismissals and reduced charges on serious offenses, making him a trusted advocate for his clients.

Attorney John DeGirolamo has experience handling high-profile cases, and the focus of his practice is in the areas of Divorce and Family Law For Men and Personal Injury. For 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 Attorney John DeGirolamo was selected by The National Trial Lawyers of America as a Top 40 under 40 in Florida! According to the National Trial Lawyers of America, “membership into the Top 40 under 40 association is by invitation only and is extended exclusively to those individuals who exemplify superior qualifications, trial results, and leadership as a young trial lawyer.”

Manny is a graduate from Thomas M. Cooley Law School (1990) and was admitted to the Florida Bar in May of 1990, as well as the United States Middle District Federal Court. He is a certified Circuit Civil Mediator performing numerous private meditations in the area of Workers’ Compensation and Personal Injury in West Central Florida. Mr. Franco is a member of the Florida Bar Workers’ Compensation Section, Florida Workers Advocates, as well as the Hillsborough County Bar Workers’ Compensation Section. He has lectured on the topic of workers’ compensation mediation. He is a member of the Hillsborough County Bar...

Ms. Mitchell graduated from Florida State University with a major in History and Economics. Upon graduation, Ms. Mitchell was hired by the premier South Florida personal injury law firm of Bogani & Robes, PLLC. Witnessing quality legal service promoting justice, and bettering the lives of their clients, she decided to attend law school at St. Thomas University School of Law.

As a merit scholarship recipient, Ms. Mitchell excelled academically earning placement on the Dean’s List every semester, named Articles Editor of Law Review, and participated in Moot Court as both a competitor and coach. Ms. Mitchell was site coordinator for the...

Since 1991, Claire Hancock has helped Tampa injury victims get back their lives after accidents involving wrongful death, auto accidents and slip-and-fall injury cases. As a wife and mother of two young adult daughters, Claire brings a compassionate perspective to exceeding the expectations of our clients. • Licensed to practice law in Florida and Washington, D.C. • Florida Bar: Editorial Board of Florida Bar News and Florida Bar Journal • North Tampa Bar Association • Carrollwood Area Business Association • Florida Justice Association, Women’s Caucus • Tampa Bay Trial Lawyers Association • Florida Association of Women Lawyers, Mattie Belle Davis Society • Hillsborough Association of Women Lawyers • North Tampa Chamber of Commerce • Hernando County Chamber of Commerce • Hernando...

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...

I have 25 years experience in the legal field as a law clerk, judicial clerk, legal intern and attorney. Since 2000, I've had my own private law practice which has been a general law practice in the past. In the last several years, I have limited my practice areas to certain legal fields. Now approximately 95% of my practice is focused on divorce and family law.

Dedicated to helping those injured due to the carelessness or even recklessness of others fight for their rights and a fair and just recovery.

Managing Partner of Bleakley Bavol Denman & Grace, Robert W. Bleakley is Board Certified in Civil Trial practice and an “AV” rated trial lawyer with significant experience litigating trucking and auto claims, employment claims, premises liability claims, commercial and business disputes, sports law and player injury claims, and workers compensation claims. Bleakley has appeared and litigated a diverse range of cases throughout practically every venue in the state of Florida. Bleakley is an experienced litigator in state, federal, arbitration, and administrative proceedings.

Call Brian Battaglia for a consultation. Handling Labor and Employment Litigation, Business Litigation, Health Care law, Civil Litigation, and Arbitration and Mediation matters. Brian Battaglia has more than 30 years of experience handling litigation matters in state and federal court and administrative forums. Call 727-420-8708 or 813-221-3759 to schedule an appointment. - See more at: https://www.bbdglaw.com/

Brian has argued cases at every level of the Florida Court System, including the Florida Supreme Court.

Brian holds the highest Peer Review Rating of AV Preeminent from Martindale Hubbell and has a 10 Superb Rating from AVVO.

Army Veteran and former Law Enforcement Officer, Sean decided to continue to serve his community by becoming an Attorney. Sean has a mission to protect the people and started Panther Law, P.A. to do just that. He offers legal help in Litigation, Estate Planning, Probate, Bankruptcy, and Special Needs Law.

James "Jay" Horne, Jr., is an AV Preeminent Rated trial attorney. He focuses his practice on medical malpractice, personal injury and wrongful death matters. He has successfully represented clients from intake through trial in state and federal court.

Jay and his team of medical professionals can handle any complex medical malpractice case. He has handled cases involving Sudden Unexpected Postnatal Collapse (SUPC), misdiagnosis and misreading of MRIs and other diagnostic methods, which resulted in catastrophic injuries to the patient. A new study published by John Hopkins Professor of Surgery, Martin Makary, indicated that Medical errors,...

I am a Partner in the Law Office of Ayo & Iken PLC, focused on all facets of Family Law. My practice areas include Uncontested and Contested Divorces (Equitable Distribution, Alimony, Time Sharing, Child Support), Paternity (time sharing and child support), Adoptions (Step-parent and relative), Dependency (DCF), and Domestic Violence (DVI).

I received my B.A. in Political Science from the University of South Florida in 2005. My J.D. was completed at Florida Coastal School of Law in 2008. For over 10 years, I have been practicing Family Law in Florida.

Confidence in my abilities and a fearlessness in the courtroom set...

Ronald W. Chapman is the owner of Chapman Law Group and has been practicing law for over 25 years in Michigan and Florida. He is AV® Rated. Ron is a recognized leader in the legal community and a frequent speaker in the area of medical malpractice and risk management. In 1997 Ron was ranked as one of the top ten speakers for Skillpath, Inc. Ron graduated from California State University, Sacramento (BA, Cum Laude 1979), University of Southern California School of Administration (MPA 1980) and Wayne State Law School (JD 1984). After receiving an Honorable Discharge from the United States Air...

Attorney Kevin Humphries attended Stetson University College of Law before he started off his legal career serving as a felony prosecutor for the state attorney’s office of the 10th Judicial Circuit. His history includes a widely diverse track record at both county and circuit court and in the state courts of the following counties: Dade, Hardee, Hillsborough, Highlands, Osceola, Pinellas, and Polk. Mr. Humphries has also litigated cases in federal court in the United States Middle District Court for Florida in Tampa. Kevin Humphries has served as a partner in private practice for more than a decade. He opened Lopez &...

I am a Florida criminal defense lawyer passionate about helping those charged with serious misdemeanor and felony offenses. My legal background includes several years as an assistant state attorney. Working throughout Sarasota and Manatee counties, I bring forth a client-focused legal representation.

Daniel H. Smith is an elder law and estate planning attorney at Advocates in Aging, Law Office of Wiesner Smith PLLC in Sarasota, Florida, focusing on Elder Law, Medicaid Planning, Veterans Benefits, Wills, Trusts, and Estate Planning, Special Needs Planning, Probate and Trust Administration, Guardianship, and Assisted Living/Nursing Home Issues. Daniel is licensed to practice law in Florida and Virginia. Daniel is also a VA Accredited Attorney, and represents veterans and their families with benefits claims and appeals of VA Benefits decisions. Daniel received his law degree with honors from the George Mason University School of Law in Arlington,...

As an attorney dedicated to serving businesses and business owners, I provide counseling in a wide variety of matters which businesses and their owners face: from reviewing contracts and drafting agreements to regulatory compliance, mergers & acquisitions (representing buyers and sellers), employment law (e.g. handbooks, EEOC representation), intellectual property (e.g. copyright, trademark, trade secret), tax (e.g. federal, state, local), and international trade (e.g. China, Israel, Hong Kong, Bermuda, etc.).

As your outsourced general counsel, I help solve your business problems, a few recent matters having been:

A) Work Representing Sellers
1. Helping a business owner sell his multi-million dollar electrical services business.
2. Counseling...

This page is to tell you a little about me, as well as to explain some of the reasons my firm and me are highly qualified to handle your claim. My name is Scott McPherson, I was born in St. Petersburg, FL. I have lived in New Port Richey my entire life. My past medical experience has been a very big asset to me as an attorney representing injured clients. Following High School, I decided to first become an EMT, and then a Professional Paramedic. My first job in the medical field was 1983 at Bayonet Point Hospital Emergency...

John Athanaselos is the founder and principal attorney at Athanaselos & Associates, P.A., a Pasco County law firm concentrating in the areas of criminal defense, business law, and real estate. After being admitted to the Florida Bar, John spent several years as an Assistant State Attorney in the State Attorney’s Office for the Sixth Judicial District in Pasco, Florida. During this time he served as the lead attorney on a large number of criminal law cases ranging from real estate fraud to attempted first-degree murder. He successfully litigated cases in the office’s Dependency, Misdemeanor and Felony Divisions. Here he often found...

Lenny was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1996. Lenny worked as an Assistant State Attorney (prosecutor) for over seven years. During this time, he prosecuted thousands of cases, supervised a staff of other attorneys and conducted numerous jury trials. Lenny knows how prosecutors think and how to speak their language. After leaving the State Attorney’s Office, Lenny worked for a prestigious Plaintiff’s law firm that practiced in the areas of Medical Malpractice/ Nursing Home Abuse/ and Personal Injury law. Lenny has been in private practice since 2004 representing people who have been accused of crimes or have been seriously injured...

Heather Bryan stands as a seasoned trial attorney, wielding extensive knowledge across family law, criminal law, and personal injury law. In 2016, she took a significant step in her legal journey by founding her own law practice, focusing predominantly on family law. In this capacity, Heather has been a guiding force for numerous families, navigating them through the intricacies of the divorce process with compassion and legal acumen. Heather's commitment to the legal profession extends beyond her practice. She has been an integral part of the Polk Association for Women Lawyers since its inception, serving on the Board of Directors and...

I am an accomplished military, criminal and civil trial attorney with a strong background in criminal, military, civil law, and criminal appellate work, having litigated in hundreds of jury trials in both State and Federal Courts. I have a proven ability to negotiate resolutions to complex issues. Member of the Florida Bar since 1992. I am former Assistant Felony Public Defender for Hillsborough County, where I handled all levels of criminal cases to include life felonies. I have tried over 100 criminal jury trials, involving a variety of criminal allegations, to include allegations from...

Carl E. Reynolds III was born and raised in Orlando, Florida. As a native Floridian, he was educated in the Orange County Public School System and was among the first 4-year graduating class from Dr. Phillips High School. Mr. Reynolds earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Brigham Young University and went on to obtain his Juris Doctorate, with Honors, from the University of Florida.

While at the University of Florida, Mr. Reynolds was a member of a Moot Trial Team which traveled to Austria and competed with law schools from across the globe. Mr. Reynolds graduated from UF with...

With over 20 years of experience, Sarasota injury lawyer Damian Mallard has won several million dollar and multi-million dollar settlements and verdicts for his clients and is Board Certified in civil trial law, an accomplishment achieved by less than 2% of attorneys in Florida. Along with his wife, Sara Mallard, and Michael Murphy, the team of personal injury attorneys at the Mallard Law Firm serves as advocates for injury victims throughout Florida and offers free case evaluations.

Attorney Natalia Ouellette-Grice’s real estate, business, and estate planning practice focuses on helping families and business owners who choose to protect their loved ones from the State’s plan for their business, death and incapacitation. With her expert guidance, Natalia and her team ensure that clients create specific, intentional, and planned actions from running their business to their death and incapacitation based on what the Client wants to happen with their family, assets, and businesses. Everyone is born with an Estate Plan and a Business Plan, the State’s Plan! The default State Plan is expensive, time-consuming, public, and on a...

Family Diplomacy is dedicated to helping clients restructure their families privately and respectfully. We practice exclusively in out-of-court dispute resolution, with a focus on collaborative divorce and family law, mediation, direct negotiations, and unbundled legal services. We maintain this out-of-court practice because we strongly believe that family disputes should be resolved in a private conference room, not in a hostile and public courtroom environment. This unique perspective on family law stems back to Adam B. Cordover’s experience studying International Affairs in Washington, D.C., and abroad. Adam had the rare opportunity to work closely with...

With over 30 years of experience in personal injury law, Mr. Abrahamson embraces the practice of working with clients on a contingency basis.

“A system of hiring an attorney on an hourly basis rewards inefficiency, creates delays and commonly creates negative issues between the lawyer and the client. Representing clients on a contingency basis in which the law firm earns a percentage of the settlement, however, is much more rewarding for the client and the attorneys. We have a common goal: to pursue the maximum recovery for the client. If there is no financial recovery (i.e. settlement or jury verdict), the...

For almost a quarter-century, I have largely dedicated my professional life in service to such victims and, over time, have learned the real value of the hospitality service education and training I received. While providing a high-quality hospitality service experience to someone during their restaurant visit or hotel stay was professionally rewarding to me, I have found no greater professional fulfillment than providing high-quality legal service and achieving corrective results for individuals who have suffered unlawful treatment at the hands of their employers. I have counseled thousands of individuals. I have achieved multiple million-dollar recoveries for my clients. And, while...

Nichelle Womble loves people and is passionate about advocating for human rights and diligently representing her clients in various kinds of lawsuits. She serves as an Attorney with Counsel in the American Islamic Relations office in Philadelphia, representing clients on criminal, civil rights, and civil law matters with a laudable winning rate. She fiercely fights for justice and equality. As a litigation associate Ms. Womble offers legal advice and handles cases including criminal law/trials, sports/business, civil rights, police brutality, workplace discrimination, wage violations, labor rights violations, sexual assault, unlawful imprisonment, juvenile & family law, student defense/title ix, etc. Prior to attending law...

Ryan began his legal career as an Assistant State Attorney with the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office, where he tried over 50 jury trials (and over 200 non-jury trials) at both the felony and misdemeanor levels. He then went on to practice law for a prominent insurance defense firm until the fall of 2007, when he joined the Plaintiff’s side and began helping Injury victims. He now represents plaintiffs’ rights in personal injury and wrongful death claims. In the past Ryan has defended insurance companies and their insureds, which provides him with a unique insight into the inner workings of...

I have accumulated years of experience in civil trial practice, focusing on litigation and arbitrations. I earned my B.S. in 1976 and my J.D. in 1979, both from Stetson University. My primary practice area involves defending medical malpractice cases, where I represent both physicians and hospitals in litigation, arbitration, and Department of Health investigations. Additionally, I manage the defense of premises liability and product liability cases for major grocery store chains, as well as for physician practice locations and a hospital. My experience also extends to handling the defense of automobile, bad faith, PIP/UM, and general insurance litigation. I have...

Joseph A. Corsmeier is an "AV" rated attorney practicing in Clearwater, Florida. He concentrates his practice primarily in the areas of defense of attorney disciplinary matters before The Florida Bar, attorney admission matters before the Florida Board of Bar Examiners, and professional license and disciplinary matters before the Boards of the State of Florida. He provides expert analysis and opinion on conflict of interest and other attorney disqualification and legal malpractice issues and he testified as an expert in the Florida courts. Mr. Corsmeier served as an Assistant State Attorney in the Sixth Judicial Circuit from 1986 to 1990 where...

Robert advises clients in the areas of cybersecurity, privacy, data protection, cyber insurance, e-discovery and emerging technologies.