Surfside Lawyers

University of Miami School Law, Miami, Florida J.D. - 2017 Honors: magna cum laude Honors: Litigation Skills I, Litigation Skills II, and Alternate Dispute Resolution Honors: Excellence Award in Professional Responsibility Honors: Charles C. Papy Moot Court Board, Member Honors: Presidential Advisory Board, Member Honors: Best Oralist. Mr. Braunstein Honors: Best Student Casenote Award Honors: Order of Barristers PRACTICE AREAS: Franchise Law Civil Litigation Complex Commercial Litigation GIVING BACK: • Coach/Mentor: University of Miami School of Law, Trial Team and Moot Court Board • Coach/Mentor: University of Miami, Mock Trial Team • Pro-Bono Cases, various confidential

Jon Bell began his career at one of the largest litigation law firms in New York. Despite gaining vast experience in multi-million dollar claims, Mr. Bell was dissatisfied with not being able to select his own clients and, therefore sometimes had personal conflicts in handling cases where he believed to be "on the wrong side." Thereafter, he started his own law firm, which allowed him to select his own cases, handling them with passion in realizing he has made a personal commitment to each client. Jon Bell became interested in Federal Employee litigation as he discovered the need for Federal Employees...

Daniel T. Fleischer is a licensed attorney in Florida and Illinois and is a Regional Partner at TrustWorks. Originally from the North Suburbs of Chicago, Mr. Fleischer has been in South Florida since 1993. He earned his B.B.A. in Finance, and J.D./M.B.A. from the University of Miami in Coral Gables. It was during law school when he determined that he wanted his area of law to help people, and that is why he focuses his practice on Estate Planning, Probate & Trust Administration. To differentiate himself from other attorneys, in 2006 Mr. Fleischer obtained his Certified Financial Planner designation or...

Helena Y. Farber is a magna cum laude graduate of Nova Southeastern University, Shepard Broad Law Center and a member of the Florida Bar. Ms. Farber received her undergraduate degree in psychology from Loyola University Chicago.During law school, Ms. Farber interned with the Honorable Renee Goldenberg, Broward County Circuit Court family judge. She also contributed over 200 pro bono hours representing underprivileged individuals as a Certified Legal Intern at Children and Families Clinic. After Helena graduated law school, she worked as an associate attorney for a Ft. Lauderdale, civil litigation law firm. At this firm Ms. Farber represented corporations like...

Candace Duff, is a Florida Supreme Court certified Circuit Civil, Appellate and Family Law mediator who specializes in commercial, construction, insurance, employment, bankruptcy, federal, appellate, tort, products liability, and real property mediation. She is a member of the American Arbitration Association's roster of neutrals and a federally certified mediator appearing on the Middle District of Florida and the Southern District of Florida Bankruptcy Court's mediation rosters. She is also a Florida Bar Board Certified construction lawyer and a seasoned litigator with more than twenty years of experience successfully representing developers, banks, architects, contractors, condominium associations, corporate clients and individuals...

Mr. Kane graduated cum laude with a J.D. and L.LM from the University of Miami School of Law in Coral Gables, Florida and earned a B.A. in Government and Latin American Studies, cum laude from Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Mr. Kane was raised in South Florida and attended Ransom Everglades High School. Mr. Kane has received the following honors, The National Advocates Florida: Top 100 "Wills, Trusts and Estates" which is awarded to Florida lawyers who exemplify superior qualifications of leadership, reputation, influence and performance in their area of specialty. Super Lawyers, Florida Rising Stars "Estate Planning...

With a knack for the creative and an entrepreneurial attitude, Christopher DiSchino specializes in business, securities and intellectual property law. Assisting both individuals and corporate entities, Christopher focuses his practices on complex business transactions, intellectual property registration and enforcement and corporate counsel services. His diverse experience allows him to create value for his clients by using resourceful techniques to minimize unnecessary costs and risks.

Prior to founding DiSchino & Schamy, PLLC, Christopher served as General Counsel in both the hospitality and fashion industries. Exposure to a fast-paced, international environment provided him with an intimate understanding of the business climate in which...

Delivering value for your legal dollars is my obsession. I want my clients always to feel that they have paid for smart, experienced advice and outstanding service. I view my fees as an investment, not an expense, and I want to see you get a return on that investment. This can be in the form of significant tax savings, a reduction in your liabilities and advancement in your career as a businessperson or entertainer.

David Podein is a partner with Haber Law and has been with the firm since 2009. He concentrates his practice in the areas of real estate and construction law, condominium and community association representation, commercial leasing, secured financing, and business and commercial litigation.
A substantial portion of Mr. Podein’s practice involves representation of community associations in the financing, approvals, and contract negotiation for multi-million dollar capital improvement, repair, and/or building upgrade projects. Additionally, Mr. Podein represents real estate developers, investors, joint venture, lenders/servicers, and landlords in connection with real estate related transactions, including commercial and shopping center leasing, landlord tenant negotiations,...

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...

JAMES A. GALE is a founding member of the firm. He is a registered patent attorney who focuses on matters particular to intellectual property counseling and litigation. Mr. Gale has represented clients in cases involving patents, trademarks, copyrights, unfair competition, covenants not to compete, theft of trade secrets and internet disputes. He has appeared in over 260 federal cases in more than 48 Federal District Courts, as well as handled hundreds of injunctions in over 35 different states around the nation. Mr. Gale’s work and work ethics have always told a lot about his character. An accomplished intellectual property...

Ricardo V. Alsina is an active trial attorney and maritime lawyer at Lipcon, Margulies, Alsina & Winkleman, P.A. Mr. Alsina has been a member of the Florida Bar since 1991 and has earned a Martindale-Hubbell rating of AV – the highest rating for legal ability and professional and ethical standards in the industry. He focuses his practice on maritime related matters including cruise ship personal injury, cruise ship rape matters and wrongful death claims. He is also experienced in handling a number of personal injury areas including aviation disasters, automobile accidents, medical malpractice and class action civil lawsuits.

Paul's practice is focused on patent and trademark transactional work. He is a registered patent attorney with the US Patent and Trademark Office ("USPTO") and a Florida Board Certified Intellectual Property Atttorney. With regard to patents, Paul's work is primarily in the areas of materials, mechanical and biomedical technologies. His practice includes patent and trademark prosecution, licensing, transactional and opinion work, and client counseling. He also conducts in intellectual property due diligence for corporate transations and litigates Inter Partes Reviews before the USPTO.

Professional Associations: Miami-Dade County Bar Association American Bar Association (ABA), Franchise Forum International Franchise Association (IFA) American Association of Franchisees and Dealers (AAFD) Coalition of Franchisee Associations (CFA) Classes & Seminars: ABA’s Annual Franchise Forum AAFD's Annual Conventions Pro-Bono Activities: Miami Dade County 'Put Something Back' Program Bar Admissions: Florida U.S. District Court Southern District of Florida U.S. District Court Middle District of Florida U.S. District Court Northern District of Florida U.S. District Court Northern District of Illinois U.S. District Court Western District of Michigan U.S. District Court Eastern District of Arkansas U.S. District Court Western District of Arkansas U.S. Court of Appeals 5th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals 11th Circuit

Sophia Montz is a Managing Partner of Montz & Coste PLLC, a boutique immigration law firm in Miami, FL. Sophia Montz's law practice focuses on Family-based Immigration, Asylum, Naturalization, Visas for victims of crimes, Cuban Adjustment and Family Reunification, as well as other immigration-related needs. As the daughter of a Brazilian mother from Rio de Janeiro, Sophia has always been passionate about helping individuals seek their American Dream. A Miami native, Sophia graduated magna cum laude from the University of Miami School of Law, where she was an editor of the University of Miami Law Review, a prestigious scholarly legal publication. Licensed by the...

Brandon F. Loshak is an AV Preeminent Rated attorney – the highest distinction an attorney can receive, showcasing both strong legal ability and the highest ethical standards. Not only is Mr. Loshak a founding partner in the firm, he is also a dynamic leader, focusing his legal expertise on business transactions, real estate transactions and disputes, land use and zoning, licensing, food and beverage, and oil and gas.

Mr. Loshak has represented both national and international corporations in all aspects of their business ventures – from the formation to day-to-day operations – such as the purchase and sale of assets and...

Chigozie Nwankwo graduated from Troy University with a B.S. in Human Resource Management in 2012 and went on to Florida A&M University, College of Law, where he received a Juris Doctorate in December 2014. During his time in law school, Mr. Nwakwo obtained experience in many areas of law. He was also an intern for firms that practiced family, bankruptcy, and employment law. Mr. Nwankwo gained lots of experience in pre-litigation personal injury and worker’s compensation representing injured workers across the State of Florida. Mr. Nwakwo was admitted to law practice in the State of Florida, the District of Columbia, and...

Joshua Spector has advocated for clients in disputes ranging into tens of millions of dollars in controversy. As lead counsel, Mr. Spector has tried jury trials in both state and federal courts, and represented clients in federal appeals and appeals in Florida’s district courts and the Florida Supreme Court. Mr. Spector has represented a foreign head of state, Grammy-nominated artists, record labels, models, artist managers, songwriters, and film production companies, in addition to numerous related businesses, officers, and directors.

Core specialties in Mr. Spector’s practice include complex business litigation and related arbitrations, trade dress infringement, cybersquatting and domain name disputes, all...

During his law career, Andrew Bernhard has represented national real estate developers, financial institutions, and corporations in their complex commercial, consumer finance, and real estate development matters. Before establishing Bernhard Law Firm, Andrew Bernhard litigated trials and appeals for Rivero Mestre LLP, handling commercial, finance, and banking disputes. Andrew represented national financial institutions in their escalated litigation matters ranging from violation of federal business and banking statutes, preservation of bank-owned real estate, defending securities fraud claims, and negotiating director and shareholder settlements. Prior to Rivero Mestre, Andrew Bernhard represented Florida communities and national real estate developers in real estate...

The Law Offices of Robert J. Hanreck, P.A. is a litigation firm with attorneys practicing in the areas of family law, divorce and civil litigation. Our team of attorneys takes pride in efficiently, aggressively and zealously representing our clients’ interests. We understand that not all cases proceed to trial and that sometimes resolution of the case is in the best interests of the client. However, when a case must go to trial, we go prepared. Within our family law and divorce practice our lawyers have helped clients with divorce, paternity, custody (parenting plans), equitable distribution, alimony, prenuptial agreements (including drafting...

The firm?s commercial practice focuses on complex civil litigation of all types. The firm serves as general litigation counsel to several major corporations as well as representing companies and individuals in substantial matters of commercial litigation. The firm's general tort practice places a major emphasis upon representing claimants in aviation, mass torts and products liability litigation.

Robert Dixon is a native of England and moved to Florida in order to pursue his goal of becoming a personal injury attorney. Mr. Dixon received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Florida and earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Florida Levin College of Law.

Following law school, Mr. Dixon moved to South Florida where he practiced Personal Injury law in both North Palm Beach and Stuart. After working on hundreds of cases as an associate attorney, Mr. Dixon formed The Law Offices of Robert Dixon to better serve the injured. Robert Dixon...

James L. Ferraro, Jr. is an associate of The Ferraro Law Firm, P.A. After graduating from the University of Miami School of Law in 2013, he has actively participated in complex civil litigation against manufacturers of toxic products and large corporations. His practice areas include complex civil litigation, product liability, asbestos, toxic torts, severe personal injury, and wrongful death.

The Capua Law Firm, PA is a trial firm that represents businesses and individuals in complex business, construction, tort, and employment related cases North Carolina Firm Address: The GreenHouse 164 S. Depot Street Boone, NC 28607 Telephone 828.264.0260 Telefax 828.265.5650 Florida Firm Address: 701 Brickell...

Grant Schwarz is a Civil Trial Attorney and 4th Amendment Lawyer headquartered in sunny Florida. Grant focuses his practice in the areas of personal injury including premises liability and products liability. Over the years, it became apparent that bed bugs were becoming a troublesome problem across the United States. Grant was approached by a young family who had been injured at a local hotel. The family was awarded a large settlement after months of negotiations. After that, Grant started learning as much as he could about bed bugs. Grant read many books about bed bugs, attended pest management seminars and cultivated...

Board Certified Immigration Lawyer, AV Rated, Top Rated Lawyers as Noted in the Miami Herald, Speaks Spanish

Experience Unrivaled Service in the Immigration Law Field! The story of the American Dream Law Office PLLC starts with the dream of a young Lebanese man coming to the United States to become an attorney. This young man persevered against long odds. He attended Stetson University and received the best education one could receive. In 2011, he became a member of the Florida Bar, opening the door to helping immigrants like himself achieve their lifelong dreams of becoming Americans. That young man experienced what it is like to be away from his family. The young man’s name was Ahmad Yakzan,...

Sasha Sampaio is the managing attorney of The Sampaio Law Firm, PLLC. She represents individuals and small businesses in South Florida and beyond. Sasha earned her law degree from Loyola University in New Orleans and Bachelor of Arts in Latin American Studies from the University of New Mexico (Cum Laude). Before forming The Sampaio Law Firm, Sasha was the lead associate at Kieran P. Fallon, PA, a general practice firm in Miami. She continues to work with the firm on select cases as of counsel. Sasha's legal experience includes complex matters such as...

After his graduation from American University’s Washington College of Law, Miami attorney Antonio F. Valiente, Esq. began his legal career at the Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office. There, he gained valuable insight and extensive experience over the course of six+ years. Between his time at the Public Defender’s Office & since founding Valiente, Carollo & McElligott, PLLC., he’s tried over 50 felony jury trials as lead counsel, dozens of misdemeanor jury trials, taken over one thousand depositions, & dozens of juvenile trials/adjudicatory hearings. Mr. Valiente’s experience encompasses everything from minor traffic-related misdemeanors to serious first-degree murder charges.