Murdock Lawyers

I have over 21 years of criminal trial experience both as a private criminal defense attorney and a former Assistant State Attorney and Assistant Attorney General.

Attorney Melodie López earned her Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, from Central Connecticut State University in 1991 before moving on to the University of Miami School of Law where she earned her Juris Doctorate in 1994. Her career began working in the public defender’s office, where she tried criminal cases. Later, she moved on to the state attorney’s office. From there, Attorney López started her civil litigation practice. It was in 2009 that she opened Lopez & Humphries, P.A., with partner Kevin Humphries. Here, they focus on many different personal injury cases, including those that involve commercial truck accidents, other motor...

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...

For over 20 years, our team has been representing property and business owners in eminent domain and property rights litigation throughout the State of Florida. My practice concentrates on problem-solving from strategy and negotiation thorough trial. I serve as lead counsel in jury and non-jury trials, mediations, and other dispute resolution procedures. Our firm guides an owner through the condemnation process, protects an owner's property rights, and fights for an owner to receive full compensation. Practice areas: Eminent domain and property rights legal representation in trial and appellate court proceedings and administrative hearings. Founded in 1970, Trenam...

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...

Christopher M. Smith currently holds the position of Managing Litigation Attorney with Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers, a prestigious personal injury law firm assisting clients across Clearwater, FL, and the rest of the Tampa Bay area. Smith grew up in Clearwater and knew he wanted to practice law from a young age, stating that he “loved the idea of being in court advocating for others.” He obtained his undergraduate degree from Florida State University in 2007 and his Juris Doctor from Florida Coastal School of Law in 2011. Attorney Smith worked for the Hillsborough County Public Defenders after he graduated...

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,...

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...

Tampa personal injury attorney Don Greiwe focuses his practice on medical malpractice, product liability, unsafe drug products, and auto accidents. Mr. Greiwe is a Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer and is certified as a Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Mr. Greiwe is a Board Certified Circuit Court Mediator and continues to mediate cases involving personal injury and medical malpractice on a regular basis. He has been selected annually since 2007 as one of the best medical malpractice attorneys in America by the Best Lawyers in America, the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the...

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...

I am commercial litigator who understands the benefits and risks of litigation for each of my clients. I emphasize a practical assessment of disputes and provide innovative strategies. Whether advancing or defending claims, I am relentless in pursuing my client’s objectives.

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...

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,...

Attorney Catherine M. Rinaldo, founding partner of Rinaldo Law Group,
has secured millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements for her clients.
For over 30 years, she has represented hundreds of clients in personal
injury and wrongful death cases arising from automobile negligence,
motorcycle and bicycle crashes, medical malpractice, abuse, defective
products and hotel and apartment inadequate security. She has
co-counseled and partnered with law firms from around the country to
achieve the best results for her clients.

Ms. Rinaldo prides herself in a taking a personal approach to the
representation of her clients. “When a client engages our firm, I want
them to know that their needs and concerns...

Mr. Upson represents clients in all Florida Courts of Appeal and the United States Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals including inmates in post conviction and habeas proceedings.

Mr. Upson is an Adjunct Professor of Law at Stetson University College of Law and is AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rated, “the highest possible rating in both legal ability and ethical standards.”

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....

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...

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.

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. ...

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...

Mr. Gallagher graduated from Stetson University College of Law. After graduation he began practice with a large Tampa firm focusing on insurance litigation. Additionally, Mr. Gallagher served as a Federal Judicial Intern for Chief Judge Elizabeth A. Kovachevich of the U.S. Middle District of Florida. Mr. Gallagher has experience in both litigation and transactional matters. His current practice focuses on insurance litigation, foreclosure defense, real estate litigation, business law and consumer law.

While at Stetson, Mr. Gallagher was the Director of the Legal Writing Clinic, President of the Christian Legal Society, a Teaching Fellow for Legal Research and Writing classes, a...

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.

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.

Harvey D. Friedman has over 50 years of experience helping and assisting clients in protecting their legal rights. He began practicing law in Florida in 1969, initially handling all types of legal matters. In 1976, he opened his own office in Miami Beach dedicated exclusively to all areas of personal injury-focusing primarily on serious injury accidents. Over the years Mr. Friedman has served in various leadership capacities on both public and religious organizations, including service as a past president of the Miami Beach Bar Association. He holds an AV Peer Review rating by Martindale-Hubbell-which is the highest rating for...

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...

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...

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...

Andrew Pardun, LL.M. is an Associate with the firm specializing in the areas of Real Estate Law, Title Insurance, Commercial and Residential Real Estate Closings, Commercial Lending and Borrowing, Foreclosure Matters, Business Law, and Tax Law.

Andrew joined the firm in January of 2016 after completing his Juris Doctorate Degree from Stetson University College of Law and his MBA Degree, with Honors, from Stetson University. Andrew completed his MBA degree with a perfect 4.0 GPA and was inducted into the Beta Gamma Sigma Business Honors society. During his first year at the firm, Andrew completed his Master of Laws Degree in...

A true Florida native, Jonathon Douglas graduated from Northeast High School in St. Petersburg before attending the University of Florida where he earned a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees, both with honors. From there, Mr. Douglas attended Stetson University College of Law where he learned and practiced the art of trial advocacy. Before graduating, Jonathon clerked for the Honorable Shawn Crane and interned at the State Attorney’s Office and Public Defender’s Office. After graduation, he began his work as an Assistant Public Defender for the Sixth Judicial Circuit and then moved on to defending the rights of...

Helping clients with all their real estate needs. Being involved in real estate, both personally and professionally for over twenty years has given me a unique perspective on real estate, and has allowed me to help thousands of people buy, sell, build and refinance their properties.

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...

Amy Ruiz received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Marketing and International Economics from the University of Florida in 2000. She received her Juris Doctorate from the Florida State College of Law in 2004. While at Florida State, Ms. Ruiz was a member of the Journal of Transnational Law & Policy. She also participated in the Institute on World Legal Problems where she studied Comparative Constitutional Law at the University of Innsbruck, in Austria, with Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court Antonin Scalia.

Upon graduating law school, Ms. Ruiz, a Tampa native, returned to Tampa and commenced...

I have been dedicated to the practice of Criminal Law for over 30 years, with more than 100 jury trials to my credit. I have extensive experience in representing individuals charged or under investigation for State and Federal criminal charges as well as appeals. I am also admitted to practice in the State of Massachusetts in both the State and Federal Courts as well as the 11th and 1st Circuit Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of the United States. I am a Certified Circuit Court and Federal Court Mediator. My practice areas include the Middle District...

Sarah T. McCain is a senior associate at Plog & Stein P.C. who has devoted most of her legal career to the practice of family law. As a compassionate Denver divorce attorney, she believes that cementing a solid attorney-client relationship is essential in order to obtain the judgments and orders her clients need to move on with their lives. She derives great satisfaction from being able to help her clients transition into the next chapter or their lives after divorce with the tools and resources they need to be better prepared. She has handled family law matters of varying complexity,...

Hi, and thank you for visiting my Justia profile. My name is Glenn Gold and together with my partner John Rizvi we founded "The Idea Attorneys", a leading Patent and Trademark Legal Practice. Did you know that approximately 75% of American publicly traded companies worth lays in intangible assets. Intellectual Property accounts for a massive $5 Trillion, larger than any other economy in the world. It is the fastest way to wealth that exists today. It is also one of the mainstays of the American Dream and it is even mentioned in Article 1 of the constitution: "To promote the progress of...

Deborah Carroll grew up in central Florida, raised her family in central Florida and committed her practice to her hometown area. She graduated in 1999 from University of South Florida with a B.A. in Business Management. In 2002, Ms. Carroll graduated from Stetson University with her MBA and Stetson University College of Law with her JD. Following law school, Ms. Carroll worked as an Assistant Public Defender with the 10th Judicial Circuit in Bartow, Florida, with both felony and misdemeanor cases. In 2005, Ms. Carroll went into private practice with a well known law firm in Lakeland, FL...

As a practicing attorney in Polk County, Florida, for over ten years, I'm proud to offer my clients advice and representation in the areas of family law, criminal defense, and elder law. My vision is to bring a personal feel and approach to each of my client's legal concerns. It is my goal to give each client effective advice and craft personal solutions for difficult legal matters. I'm privileged to be part of the Polk County community, and proud to know that when the good people of this community need my guidance and experience, I'll be here for them.

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