Polk County Lawyers

Mr. Rechel has been engaged in the practice of law in the Tampa Bay Area since 1990. After earning his B.A. degree in psychology and history from Indiana University, Bloomington, in 1986, Mr. Rechel graduated with his Juris Doctorate from the University of Illinois College of Law in 1989. He is a member of the Florida and Illinois Bars and is also a Supreme Court Certified Family Mediator. He founded Rechel and Associates, P.A. in 1992. Since the inception of his career, divorce and family law have always been Mr. Rechel’s primary areas of practice. Over the last 25...

Don DeCort entered private practice in 1994 after an illustrious career in the U.S. Army, which culminated with his retirement as a colonel. He practiced with the firm of Anderson & Artigliere, PA from 1994 to 1995 and spent eight years as a partner in Holcomb & DeCort, P.A., from 1995 to 2003. He opened the Law Office of Donald P. DeCort, P.A. in 2003 and, along with Kristin R. H. Kirkner, Esquire, opened DeCort & Kirkner, P.L. July 1, 2010, and continues to concentrate his practice in the areas of family law, including military aspects of divorce and small...

Françoise (Fran) M. Haasch has over two decades of experience representing victims of personal injury, as well as the surviving family members and loved ones of individuals who were wrongfully killed. With 100 percent of her practice focusing on plaintiffs’ personal injury and an emphasis on car and motorcycle accidents, Ms. Haasch provides devoted legal support for individuals and families throughout the Greater Tampa Bay Region and beyond. Her firm, The Fran Haasch Law Group, represents clients in Clearwater, Tampa, Palm Harbor, St. Petersburg, New Port Richey, and the surrounding areas.

Joe Southron is a distinguished attorney and Partner at Southron Firm, where he has been providing comprehensive legal services for over nine years. With a focus on intellectual property, business litigation, complex transactions, and corporate formation, he combines a wealth of knowledge and experience to help clients navigate even the most intricate legal challenges. What sets Joe apart is his commitment to remaining at a small law firm. By choosing this model, he ensures that each client receives the attention and dedication necessary to achieve the best possible outcomes. He believes that staying small allows for a more hands-on approach, enabling...

Hello. My name is Neil Ognibene, and I’m the head of the Hoyer Law Group’s federal employment practice. I have practiced law and investigated employment matters within the federal government for close to ten years. Before joining the Hoyer Law Group, I managed an investigation firm dedicated to investigating complaints of employment discrimination, harassment, and whistleblower retaliation filed by employees of various federal agencies. After several years of serving as a neutral, third party fact-finder, I had witnessed enough injustice in the federal government that it was time to put my advocacy skills to use and begin fighting for employee...

Ashley Rector earned her Juris Doctor with a Certificate of Concentration in Advocacy from Stetson University College of Law in May 2013, after obtaining her Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from the University of Florida in May 2010. Ashley is an Associate at Todd Foster Law Group, where she focuses mainly on federal criminal defense. Ashley is an active member of the Herbert G. Goldburg-Ronald K. Cacciatore Criminal Law American Inn of Court, Hillsborough County Bar Leadership Institute class of 2015-2016, Florida Association of Women Lawyers, and Hillsborough Association of Women Lawyers.

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Ms. George began her career as a defense attorney, defending claims made against the largest automobile insurance carrier in Florida and its insureds. Although she gained invaluable experience and knowledge in that position, she quickly realized that she would be better suited fighting for the rights of those who are injured instead of defending a billion dollar insurance carrier. Armed with the knowledge of how insurance carriers evaluate and defend claims, Ms. George joined a prominent Clearwater personal injury firm as a litigation attorney handling various types of cases including: car accidents (including those involving DUI/punitive damages), slip/trip...

Dan Larson is an aggressive, highly skilled trial attorney who has limited his practice to representing Plaintiffs in catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death cases. During the last 29 years, Mr. Larson has had numerous multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements in cases throughout Florida, South Carolina, as well as other states. Mr. Larson is AV “Preeminent” Rated by Martindale-Hubbell, evidencing the highest rating for legal skills and professional ethics. Mr. Larson has been featured on the front cover of Florida Lawyer Magazine, and was recognized as one of Florida’s Legal...

Joe focuses on business and commercial litigation, real property disputes, landlord representation, title insurance claims, trust and probate litigation, and corporate and business disputes, including shareholder derivative and dissolution actions. In addition, Joe represents community associations, such as homeowners’ associations and condominium associations. Joe’s diverse experience also includes general probate administration, drafting of wills and trusts and transactional matters. Licensed in 2003, Joe has been awarded the prestigious AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell, the highest such recognition possible for a lawyer, and one which reflects the opinions of members of the bar and judiciary. Joe has also been...

Carlos has lived virtually all his life in Hillsborough County and has attended local schools and the University of South Florida and South Texas College of Law, where he earned his law degree. He has served Florida as an Assistant State Attorney (84-85), Assistant Public Defender (85-87) and subsequently in private practice since 1987 to present. As Special Court Appointed Counsel in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Manatee and Sarasota counties, as well as, in U.S. District Courts for the Middle District of Florida Middle, the U.S. Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeal, and the U.S. Supreme Court, his serve...

Paul Byron graduated from the University of Michigan with honors in 1983 and from the Louisiana State University Law Center in 1986. Mr. Byron served in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps from 1986 to 1990 as a prosecutor. He then returned to Central Florida and served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Middle District of Florida for 10 years where he prosecuted complex white-collar crime, including international money laundering. Mr. Byron also practiced in the civil division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, concentrating on medical malpractice defense and affirmative civil litigation. In 2001, Mr. Byron was selected to...

A native of Florida, Raymond O. Bodiford has been representing the people of Florida for more than 25 years. He was born and raised in Miami, FL and attended Killian High School . For undergraduate school, he attended the University of Miami, knowing at an early age he wanted to be involved in advocating for the injured. He received his Bachelor's Degree in Political Science at the age of 20. He attended law school at the University of Florida in Gainesville where he graduated in 1981. During law school, he worked as a certified legal intern at the Public Defender's Office...

Blair T. Jackson was born in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada in 1965. He attended McGill University in Montreal where he earned his bachelor’s degree in 1988. He then attended the Western Michigan Cooley School of Law where he received his juris doctorate in 1991. Mr. Jackson also graduated from the University of Alabama School of Law with a LL.M. (Masters of Law) degree in Business Transactions in 2014. Mr. Jackson has more than twenty-three (23) years of civil litigation experience, practicing in both state courts in the State of Florida, as well as the United States District Court of the Middle...

Nicole joined Keane, Reese, Vesely & Gerdes in 2010. Nicole focuses her practice on civil appeals, commercial and business litigation, and personal injury law. Nicole has practiced throughout the state of Florida, including appellate matters before the First, Second, and Fifth District Courts of Appeal and the Florida Supreme Court. Prior to joining Keane, Reese, Vesely & Gerdes, Nicole was an associate at the Law Office of Rod McIntyre in Jacksonville, Florida handling real estate litigation, contract disputes, family matters, and foreclosure defense. Nicole was admitted to the Florida Bar in 2009. ...

Kim De Arcangelis (formerly Kim Woods) was born in Washington, D.C., raised in Orlando, Florida and then later resided in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida for a number of years. Ms. De Arcangelis practices in the labor and employment litigation division of the Orlando, Florida office of Morgan & Morgan. She has both bench trial and Federal jury trial experience. She represents numerous employees with matters including wage and hour disputes and ranging from single plaintiff actions to class/collective actions. Ms. De Arcangelis attended Nova Southeastern University for both her undergraduate degree and law degree.

I graduated from the University of Miami School of Law in 2013 and have been practicing law for more than 9 years. I started out as a State Prosecutor where I gained significant courtroom experience. A few years later I opened my own law firm at the beginning of 2018. Sing 2013, I have been the lead attorney in more than 25 jury trials and some non-jury trials as well. Now I focus on criminal defense, personal injury, and landlord-tenant law, in which I often represent tenants with consumer protection claims against landlords.

Attorney Samuel A. Walker heads CPLS, P.A.’s federal and Virgin Islands appeals team, and is its chief federal and Virgin Islands appellate attorney. Mr. Walker earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Loma Linda University and a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from Howard University School of Law. After law school Mr. Walker served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Ishmael A. Meyers at the Superior Court of the United States Virgin Islands. Mr. Walker advised Judge Meyers on a variety of civil and criminal matters, including appeals. Since completing his judicial clerkship, Mr. Walker...

Before moving to Orlando last summer, I worked as an assistant county attorney in southwest Florida for 4 years. I was the primary drafter of Lee County’s comprehensive plan, land development code, and administrative codes while representing a number of county departments including planning and zoning, transportation, utilities, natural resources, and parks and recreation. Prior to working for Lee County, I worked at a private law firm practicing Real Estate, Local Government, Environmental Law, Land Use, HOA Law, and Condominium Law for nearly 10 years.

Mrs. Díaz-Sampedro currently works as an Immigration attorney for the Vasquez Law Firm in Orlando, Florida. She received her B.A., Magna Cum Laude, from the Inter American University of Puerto Rico. As a testament to her overachieving character, in 2011 and at the age of 23 she completed her Juris Doctor at the Inter American University, School of Law. While in law school, she worked as a clerk at the Puerto Rico Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Mrs. Díaz has also taken advanced international law courses in cities such as London, Venice, Madrid and Beijing, which experience has granted her...

Adriana Dinis is an attorney with the Immigration Law Group of Florida, P.A. (“ILGF”). She previously represented undocumented children through the GLS CHILD (Children’s Immigration Legal Defense) Project of Gulfcoast Legal Services where she represented children in immigration proceedings, before the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services and in dependency actions. Adriana also provides training to law enforcement, community based organizations and attorneys on the immigration benefits available to children. Prior to working at Gulfcoast Legal Services, Adriana was an intern at the Attorney General’s Office, Children Legal Services Division, in Tampa, Florida, a Diversity Fellow with Carlton Fields, PA...

Laura Douglas received a B.A from the University of Central Florida and began her professional career as an award winning news producer at WFTV in Orlando, where she developed the passion for investigation and advocacy that led her to law school. While attending St. Thomas University School of Law in Miami, she served as a Certified Legal Intern for the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida and clerked for the Florida Department of Transportation trial division. Following early graduation, Laura obtained priceless courtroom experience as an Assistant State Attorney in Miami-Dade County, prosecuting domestic violence, child abuse and...

Doug handles a variety of real property issues, primarily construction related negotiations and disputes representing public and private owners, general contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, sureties, architects, engineers, and insurers. He has negotiated and litigated the full spectrum of any project, from land use, zoning, and permitting to initial contract negotiations, bid protests, contemporaneous contract administration, change order disputes, mediation, arbitration and litigation.

April represents clients from all facets of the construction industry in disputes, including arbitrations, lawsuits, and appeals. She has drafted and negotiated many multi-million dollar construction contracts on behalf of contractors and public owners, including complicated cost-plus contracts for work outside of the United States, as well as contracts for architectural and consulting services and subcontracts. April also provides real-time counseling and representation for issues with ongoing construction projects.

Bruce has concentrated his entire legal career in the area of construction law and in 1997 he was a founding member of the firm. He routinely provides advice in the areas of contract drafting and negotiations, bidding, project administration and on-site performance, lien and bond issues, labor disputes, insurance matters, and preparation/evaluation of claims. Having worked in the construction industry, Bruce has a strong appreciation for the need to proactively avoid disputes as well as expedite the resolution of claims in order to minimalize business disruptions and legal expenses. His passion for creative and aggressive use of alternative...

Serving clients throughout St. Petersburg, John R. Mathias is a seasoned personal injury attorney with 25+ years of legal experience. He has a unique background as an insurance defender, representing some of the nation’s leading companies, such as Nationwide, Allstate, and State Farm. This experience equips him with strong insight into how insurance companies treat injured victims, allowing Attorney Mathias to craft strong and effective cases on behalf of his clients. He handles a wide range of injury claims, including auto accidents, product liability matters, and wrongful death. Attorney Mathias has been given an AV® rating from Martindale-Hubbell® and earned...

I am a board certified civil trial attorney helping clients with their personal injuries claims.

With more than ten years practicing law, Eric J. Herrmann continues to dedicate his life to protecting the rights of those who have been victimized and the accused alike. He is currently admitted to practice law in the State of Florida, the State of Arizona, the State of New York, and the District of Columbia. As an active member of multiple Bar Associations, Eric J. Herrmann has a broad knowledge base and the experience to continue representing clients at the highest level.

Experience

While completing Law School, Eric J. Herrmann served as an intern in the New York State Supreme Court for...

Matthew Emerson been a practicing attorney for more than 24 years. He has been trial counsel on a multitude of cases resulting in jury verdicts, settlements, or judgments amounting to more than $1,000,000.

Matt earned his juris doctorate degree at Stetson University College of Law in 1993 where he graduated cum laude. Throughout his time there, he was awarded many recognitions some of which include honors grants, Dean’s Lists, and book awards.

After a clerkship, Matthew worked as an associate attorney with Rwyant, Alvarez, Jones, Russo & Guyton, P.A., a well-respected law firm in Tampa, FL.

While with Rwyant law firm, he represented...

Attorney Doyle-Palumbo is an experienced Divorce & Family Law & Personal injury Trial Attorney. Wendy represents clients in multiple jurisdictions in Pinallas County, Pasco County, Hernando County and Citrus County, Florida. Doyle, McCabe & Uccello offers two convenient locations to serve their clients in Tampa Bay, FL.

- Proven Success in Family Law & Personal Injury Law

With a wealth of proven success in personal injury law and family law cases, Wendy utilizes her skill in both negotiation and litigation in family law, divorce, personal injury, auto accident and wrongful death cases.

Attorney Doyle-Palumbo uses her experience and perspective to...

Kent Whittemore graduated from Stetson University College of Law in 1973. Kent was first introduced to mass tort litigation against drug and pharmaceutical manufacturers when he represented multiple clients for injuries suffered as a result of taking the diet pill combination fen-phen. He has continued to represent clients in class actions and mass tort cases, including groundwater contamination cases, transvaginal mesh cases, the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, data breach cases, and most notably, the Engle-progeny tobacco cases. Kent is available to serve as counsel or co-counsel in any civil litigation matter in personal injury cases as well as complex commercial real...