Opa-Locka Maritime Lawyers

Heather Smith is a seasoned litigation attorney who handles cruise ship passenger and crew member personal injury claims, as well as personal injury claims against hotels. Mrs. Smith has a wealth of litigation experience, as she worked as an attorney at the Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office for over a decade. She has tried more than a dozen cases to verdict and has taken thousands of depositions. She also worked briefly at an insurance defense firm. Her lengthy experience gives us an advantage in all of our maritime cases as she is ready willing and able to take on the toughest cases...

Michelle has concentrated in the area of plaintiffs’ civil trial practice since the beginning of her legal career. Her experience includes land-based and admiralty/maritime personal injury, wrongful death, and class action litigation. Michelle works closely with her clients and will always take the time to address their concerns and provide an honest assessment of their cases.

Michelle was co-lead counsel in a jury trial in Broward County resulting in one of the top 100 personal injury verdicts in Florida in the year 2017. She is fluent in Spanish.

Elizabeth Irazabal is a litigation attorney handling cruise ship passenger personal injury claims and crewmember claims as well as non-maritime personal injury claims. She is dedicated to providing exceptional service and representation to the firm’s clients throughout all stages of the litigation process. “When clients call for our help, they seek answers and guidance. My driving passion is to be the voice for our clients to help them feel whole again.” Elizabeth was born and raised in Miami, Florida and completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Central Florida earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Legal Studies. While completing her...

David C. Rash is a graduate of Loyola University New Orleans School of Law. Mr. Rash is a recognized trial lawyer who handles catastrophic injury and death cases involving medical negligence, corporate negligence, maritime disasters and mass torts. He is Rated AV Preeminent® by Martindale-Hubbell®, which means he has earned the highest rating possible through rigorous peer reviews, and has been recognized as a Top 100 Trial Lawyer by The National Trial Lawyers, Florida Super Lawyers, Florida Trend's Legal Elite and Florida's Top Rated Lawyers. Mr. Rash has been practicing law for over 20+ years and has taken cases...

Maria Isabel Amaro was born in Colombia, South America in 1970. Ms. Amaro relocated to Miami, FL in 1985 and has lived in Miami for the last 24 years.

Ms. Amaro graduated from Nova Southeastern University with her Bachelors in Business Administration and a minor in Professional Management in 2005. Ms. Amaro attended Saint Thomas University School of Law receiving her Juris Doctor in 2008.

She was also a certified legal intern for Legal Aid of Greater Miami in the Family Law department for two semesters.

Upon being admitted to the Florida Bar in 2008, Ms. Amaro joined the law firm of Friedman,...

Joseph J. Rinaldi, Jr., graduated from the University of Florida in 1998 and from the University of Miami School of Law in 2002. He is licensed to practice in Florida, in both State and Federal Courts, as well as the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and the Supreme Court of the United States. Memberships: Florida Bar Association, American Association for Justice, Florida Justice Association, American Bar Association, Broward County Bar Association, Florida Admiralty Trial Lawyers Association, United District Court for the Southern District of Florida, United District Court for the Northern District of Florida, United States...

Ben Murphey is an attorney with the Fort Lauderdale law firm of Lawlor Winston. Mr. Murphey was born in Montgomery, Alabama in 1971. Before entering college, he served in the U. S. Army Infantry where he earned his airborne wings, and had the honor of serving as a sentinel at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. He has been admitted to practice before all Florida Courts, the United States District Court for the Southern, Middle and Northern Districts of Florida, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Mr. Murphey's practice areas include general and...

Ashley E. Wentz is a litigation attorney handling passenger personal injury and crewmember cases. Ashley received her law degree from the University of Baltimore School of Law. After graduating law school, Ashley practiced in the areas of family law and personal injury. Ashley handled numerous trials while practicing family law in Maryland ranging from custody, visitation, and child support disputes. After moving to Georgia, Ashley practiced in the field of personal injury, successfully resolving numerous personal injury cases. Upon relocating to Miami, Ashley found an interest in practicing Maritime law and has been practicing in this field for the past two...

Stefanie Black is a litigation attorney handling passengers’ personal injury claims and crewmember cases as well as non-maritime personal injury claims. She has experience in maritime personal injury litigation as well as cargo claims against ocean carriers in federal court. Ms. Black enjoys state and federal court practice with a history of countless successful trials. She is passionate about providing exceptional representation to the firm’s clients throughout all stages of the litigation process. Stefanie obtained her Juris Doctorate degree from Barry University School of Law and graduated in the top 18% of her class. While in law school, she received the...

Manny Arce is a civil trial lawyer whose practice focuses on personal injury claims including medical malpractice, wrongful death, auto accidents, premise liability, and defective products. He prides himself in his aggressive negotiation skills and impassioned advocacy on behalf of his clients.

Manny is a second generation Cuban-American who received his undergraduate degree at the Florida International University where he majored in Political Science. While attending F.I.U., he was nominated to the Honor Society of Pi Sigma Alpha.

He received his law degree from the University Of Miami School Of Law. While attending U.M., Manny was an active participant in multiple organizations....

Jacqueline Garcell is a senior partner and active trial attorney in maritime law for Lipcon, Margulies & Winkleman, P.A. She routinely handles passengers’ personal injury, sexual assault and wrongful death claims, as well as non-maritime personal injury claims. Ms. Garcell is the fastest attorney to ever make partner at the firm, having been promoted to the partner position after being with us for a decade. Ms. Garcell has helped settle hundreds of cases on behalf of both cruise ship passengers and crew members. She achieved one of the Top 50 Personal Injury Verdicts in Florida in 2017 — this rare and...

Olivia was born in Fairbanks, Alaska and grew up throughout Alaska. She spent most weekends salmon and halibut fishing with her family on Prince William Sound, Resurrection Bay, and the Gulf of Alaska. After she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Alaska Anchorage, she went on to work in victim advocacy, working with victims of sexual assault in Anchorage, Alaska. After relocating to Hawaii, she continued working in victim advocacy, supporting members and dependents of the Navy and Air Force experiencing domestic violence and child abuse at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. Her interest in maritime law...

Geoffrey Probst is a new and prized addition to Lipcon, Margulies & Winkleman, P.A. While only recently joining LM&W, attorney Probst brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the firm, having specialized in admiralty and maritime law for over 17 years. Attorney Probst has extensive experience in representing both plaintiffs and defendants in legal actions involving injured or deceased passengers and crew members in cruise ship accidents. In his earlier career, he was the senior in-house litigator for a major cruise line. Having worked on both sides of these claims gives attorney Probst a unique advantage when representing accident...

Jeremy Dover has an intense drive that has allowed him to hone and refine his broad litigation skill set. His general area of practice is Civil Litigation, with a focus on both Personal Injury Protection and Personal Injury Lawsuits. Jeremy is an ethical scholar that focuses on finding new, ingenious arguments and strategies to help in his zealous advocacy for all his clients, and he will never settle for less than any of his clients justly deserve. Jeremy worked throughout his time at UM, including holding positions at multiple law offices, the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, Lawyers to the Rescue Non-Profit...

Percy Martinez is a committed Miami personal injury lawyer with over 20 years experience. From medical malpractice, car accidents to wrongful death we cover pretty much every aspect of personal injury.

David is the managing attorney of BRILL & RINALDI, The Law Firm. He is also co-counsel with the Miami-based law firm of Crewmember & Maritime Advocacy Center, P.A. David began his legal career in the Office of the State Attorney in and for the Eleventh Judicial Circuit in Miami, first serving as a Certified Legal Intern and then for over three years as an Assistant State Attorney. He tried six jury trials as an Intern. He tried dozens of bench proceedings and approximately two dozen jury trials as an Assistant State Attorney. After his departure...

Alex Perez is an active litigator licensed to practice law in all Florida Federal and State Courts, including Appellate Courts. Mr. Perez also routinely handles International Arbitrations pending in countries all over the world. Mr. Perez has secured millions of dollars for his clients. Mr. Perez primarily represents passengers injured on cruise ships, crewmembers injured on cruise ships, cargo vessels, oil tankers and other commercial sea going vessels, and handles a variety of recreational marine cases involving yachts, pleasure boats and jet skis. Before starting his practice, Mr. Perez attended Tulane University Law School where he pursued a course of study in...

A native Miamian, Marc earned his undergraduate degree from American University in Washington D.C. graduating with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science. He attended law school at Stetson University College of Law in St. Petersburg, FL. While in law school, Marc earned the William F. Blews Pro Bono Service Award and studied abroad at Nankai University located in Tianjin, China. The semester abroad allowed Marc to have a wider outlook on life and appreciate cultural differences which has come in handy when working with clients. After graduating from law school, Marc has practiced in state courts throughout Florida and...

Matthew Kish is an attorney with substantial experience in all aspects of bankruptcy, real estate, and commercial law. Matthew has practiced law in California and Florida and he has a proven ability to find sound solutions to complex legal, commercial, and financial concerns. Originally from Philadelphia, he is an avid surfer and outdoorsman.

Daniel Grammes is a litigation attorney, handling passengers’ personal injury claims, crewmember claims, wrongful death claims, product liability claims, as well as non-maritime personal injury claims. He is dedicated to providing exceptional service and ensuring that every client is treated like a valued member of the firm’s family. Daniel graduated Magna Cum Laude from St. Thomas University School of Law with his Juris Doctorate degree. He graduated in the top 5% of his class. While in law school he obtained Dean’s List Awards for every semester. In addition, he received the CALI Award for Excellence for his performance and mastery of...

Eric Morales is a knowledgeable cruise ship and boating injury lawyer. He represents passengers and crewmembers injured on cruise ships, shipping vessels, yachts, and personal watercraft and has helped Plaintiffs recover millions of dollars during his career. Mr. Morales practices with the firm of Lipcon, Margulies, Alsina & Winkleman, P.A., the premier Plaintiff's maritime personal injury firm in the country. Learn more at www.lipcon.com or www.yacht-injury.com

Eliana Aklepi is a litigation attorney handling passenger personal injury, sexual assault, and crewmember cases. Eliana prioritizes working closely with clients, ensuring their stories are heard. Eliana’s undergraduate degree from Drexel University allowed her to work with artists, helping them avoid exploitative contracts. This work sparked her desire to fight corporations with abusive labor practices. Eliana received her law degree from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. In law school, she focused her studies on international law and labor. Her interest in maritime law stems from her work in Cardozo Law School’s Human Rights and Atrocity Prevention Clinic, the only...

Eric T. Halsey is a native Floridian who joined Sheftall & Torres as an associate in April 2006, after serving as a law clerk in the firm's civil trial and appellate practice since January 2004. Mr. Halsey practices in the areas of commercial and tort litigation, including personal injury, wrongful death, medical malpractice, breach of contract, judgment collection, and defamation. First as a law clerk and now as an associate, Mr. Halsey has worked extensively with the firm's partners on some of Sheftall & Torres' most successful cases, including a $10 million wrongful death settlement in 2005 and a $6...

Amir Ghaeenzadeh graduated from the University of South Florida, with honors, with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biomedical Sciences and a minor in Public Health in 2009. He then attended Florida Coastal School of Law, where he graduated Cum Laude, and is admitted to practice law in Florida and the District of Columbia. Mr. Ghaeenzadeh passionately represents injured clients, and has the knowledge as he formally worked as an insurance defense attorney. He also represents corporations. Mr. Amir Ghaeenzadeh has considerable experience dealing with automobile and trucking negligence, and premise liability (malls, hotels, restaurants, venues, etc.) resulting in catastrophic injuries...

Mr. Russell passed the Florida Bar in 2016, and began his career in Maritime Personal Injury Defense work. Mr. Russell joined the Law offices of Gillis, Mermell & Pacheco, P.A. in 2018. Mr. Russell handles his own case load and is closely supervised by Clifford Mermell and David Pacheco, who have over 46 years of combined experience in handling Defense Base Act and Longshore cases. Mr. Russell has also quickly accelerated his learning curve and is proficient in new client intakes, informal conferences, the discovery process, settlement evaluations, and demands, and general handling of all aspects of a DBA...

The Anania Law Firm, P.A. has been in existence since 1987. We specialize in Admiralty/Maritime & Aviation Law. Not only does Mr. Anania know the complex set of laws that comprise those fields of law, he has extensive practical experience in the those industries. Mr. Anania owned and operated an Ocean going freighter with a 13 man crew, owned and operated a marine repair facility, was the DSO (District Staff Officer) of the Coast Guard Auxiliary; in charge of over 40 airplanes, has been on the Broward County Marine Advisory Committee for over 20 years, and is still an active...

John O'Connell is a lawyer, Commercial Pilot (Single-Multi Engine Land and Sea with Instrument Rating)and an experienced scuba diver (certified advanced open water) who has been litigating personal injury cases for the past twenty eight years. He is admitted to practice in Florida and Massachusetts. Cruise line accident cases require familiarity with cruise ship accident procedures (including venue and claim limitations). John has the experience to handle your case.

Brett Steinberg began his career as an Assistant Public Defender at the Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office, where he provided legal representation to those accused of committing criminal offenses ranging from juvenile offenses and misdemeanors to serious felony crimes. While working at the Public Defender’s Office, Mr. Steinberg handled hundreds of criminal matters and tried over 25 cases to verdict. Most notably, at the end of his tenure as an Assistant Public Defender, Mr. Steinberg successfully argued a motion to suppress physical evidence, several pounds of marijuana, and years later that decision was upheld by the United States Supreme Court. ...