The Villages Appeals & Appellate Lawyers

I practice exclusively in the area of Marital and Family Law in the State of Florida, including original dissolution of marriage actions, modification actions, enforcement actions, and appeals concerning Marital and Family Law.

I am admitted to practice before all courts in Florida and Ohio, and the United States District Court, Southern District of Ohio. I am a member of The Florida Bar, and the Canakaris American Inn of Court

Jennifer grew up in Cape Girardeau, Missouri and obtained her bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida in Human Resource Development with a minor in Business Administration. Jennifer later returned to the University of Florida to earn her law degree in 2009. During law school, Jennifer served as a Managing Editor for UF Law Review and an officer for UF Moot Court. She competed in both regional and national competitions for appellate advocacy and consistently won top honors for her writing and oral arguments. Prior to joining McIntyre Thanasides Bringgold Elliott Grimaldi & Guito P.A., Jennifer served both the...

Kevin Darken divides his practice at The Cohen Law Group between complex civil litigation and white collar criminal defense, including both civil and criminal appeals. He has close to twenty years of experience in all aspects of litigation and trial. A renowned expert in health care fraud, false claims, and qui tam (whistleblower) actions, Kevin plays an integral part in the firm’s most challenging cases, drafting the intricate legal arguments that go into briefs and motions. In Civil Litigation, Kevin has focused on bringing civil rights actions and business tort cases. Kevin’s diverse background includes stints as a federal...

Mr. Margulies is board certified by the Florida Bar as an expert in Admiralty and Maritime Law. To achieve this status, Mr. Margulies had to demonstrate a substantial background in handling maritime cases and maritime law continuing legal education. In addition, Mr. Margulies was rigorously evaluated by the board as to character, ethics, and reputation for professionalism and was required to pass a written examination on all areas of admiralty and maritime law.

Stephen G. Cobb, author of Florida Criminal Law and a board certified expert in criminal trial law since 2002. He was most recently published in “Defending People with Disabilities”, an August 2024 publication of the American Bar Association. Mr. Cobb’s contribution was titled “Neuroimaging”, and teaches other lawyers how to use brain imaging in criminal cases. Whether you or someone you love is charged with a misdemeanor, criminal traffic, felony or juvenile crime, we are ready, willing and able to help you and your loved ones in your time of need.

Charles R. Lipcon has represented victims of cruise ship personal injury and cruise line sexual assault and claims for more than 50 years. His firm, Lipcon, Margulies & Winkleman, P.A., has successfully handled more than 3,000 cases and recovered well over $500 million on behalf of their clients. Mr. Lipcon was named "Lawyer of the Year" in Admiralty & Maritime by US News & World Report (Miami) in 2020 and his firm is named to "Best Law Firms" by US News & World Report. Mr. Lipcon and his firm can assist with the following types of accidents and injuries: - Cruise...

Attorney and Lawyer Gary Kollin is an expert and specialist in criminal defense law, criminal appeals law and police misconduct law. Gary handles cases in ALL state and federal trial and appeals courts. Gary Kollin handles all levels of cases from petty theft to first degree murder and well as all federal charges including drug trafficking and continuing criminal enterprises. Gary Kollin is one of a few lawyers who specialize in police misconduct cases. He represents people who have been mistreated by being falsely arrested, illegally searched, and being victims of police beatings. These cases are also known...

Michael A. Winkleman is one of the nation’s top maritime lawyers. An active trial and appellate attorney, Mr. Winkleman is also a frequent contributing expert on maritime and cruise ship law. He has made more than 100 national television appearances regarding cruise ship law, including The Today Show, Dr. Oz, Good Morning America, 20/20, Inside Edition, OutFront with Erin Burnett, Fox News Channel’s ‘American’s Newsroom,’ ‘Fox & Friends,’ ‘America Live,’ ‘Happening Now,’ ‘Justice with Judge Jeanine’; and ‘Imus in the Morning.’ Mr. Winkleman has received numerous honors and accolades in recognition of his contributions to the field of maritime law

Boris Lavent has been recognized as a National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40 and won the prestigious “10 Best Attorneys for Client Satisfaction”. If you’ve decided to file a lawsuit, Boris will personally handle every aspect of your case. We have experience handling a wide range of complex personal injury and medical malpractice cases. The money you get from your personal injury claim can help you get through this difficult time. Hiring our Miami injury attorneys will allow you to maximize your financial award. We offer our services on a contingency fee bases, which means you don’t have to worry about...

ROBERT DAVID MALOVE is Board Certified as a specialist in criminal trial law by the Florida Bar Board of Legal Education and Specialization. Mr. Malove is distinguished trial lawyer with more than three decades of experience in federal and state courts. He concentrates on legal issues relating to DUI, white-collar crime defense and healthcare fraud defense for which his Health Care Fraud Blog has received widespread recognition. Mr. Malove is a co-author of the noted treatise, WHITE COLLAR CRIME: HEALTH CARE FRAUD (West) (2014-2015 ed.) In 2007, Mr. Malove completed post-graduate studies in Healthcare Corporate Compliance at George...

Tom Hunker is a Board Certified, AV Rated appellate attorney with many years of experience at the trial and appellate levels. Tom has successfully briefed and argued numerous appeals in state and federal courts in a broad range of practice areas. Throughout his career, clients and other lawyers and law firms have relied on Tom's knowledge and expertise in formulating litigation strategies and presenting winning arguments. Prior to founding Hunker Appeals, Tom graduated law school magna cum laude, interned for the Florida House of Representatives, clerked for the Florida Supreme Court, served as in house appellate counsel for a motor vehicle...

Kenneth Padowitz is a 36 year Criminal Defense Trial Lawyer and is one of the Top Florida Trial Lawyers. He has a Resume on paper and experience unmatched by any other Criminal Defense Attorney in the Southeastern United States. Ken has been a lawyer for over thirty-five years and has tried over 300 jury trials and 35 first-degree murder trials with a 34/1 win loss record in murder trials. Trial is always the last resort. It is only by doing the in-court and out-of-court work from a real experienced trial lawyer, that the best alternative options to trial materialize. ...

Frederick A. Neustein, a Miami native of 56 years, has been a licensed attorney in the State of Florida for 31 years. Mr. Neustein, together with the staff at NLG, have been responsible for defending Thousands of foreclosure cases across the state of Florida and saving 1000's homes. For twelve years, Mr. Neustein worked “for the Banks” in the Mortgage Banking Industry for various Institutional Investment Banks. Mr. Neustein served as Vice President and counsel for American Residential Equities (ARE) headquartered in Miami-Dade County, which acquired approximately $1 Billion in residential and commercial mortgages. At ARE, Mr. Neustein was primarily responsible for...

It's about you. You want your problem solved? Want to be a name and not a number? Need a lawyer that is passionate, caring, truthful and prepared? I help people solve their problems. I keep my caseload small so I can take better care of my clients. I only practice criminal defense and personal injury. I have a passion for sticking up for the little guy - the accused and the injured victim. You won't see me on billboards or the backs of buses. You will see me trying cases at...

Ms. Gray is a 1993 graduate of Florida State University College of Law. Currently, she is the founding partner of Gray Law which concentrates in Marital and Family Law. She also assists BarBri in preparing law graduates for the Florida Bar exam. Prior to Gray Law, Ms. Gray exclusively practiced marital and family law as a partner with the McCall Moody & Gray Law Firm. She also exclusively practiced marital and family law at Novey Law. Prior to concentrating her practice to marital and family law, she has practiced insurance defense, commercial litigation, collection recovery, and property disputes at...

“As an Assistant State Attorney, I spent years in the courtroom prosecuting those who took financial advantage of senior citizens. While it was incredibly rewarding to see justice served, I always wished I could have done something to help prevent the exploitation in the first place. Now, as an elder law attorney, I help my clients strategize and plan the best way to protect their assets from theft and fraud."

Kathryn N. Lewis earned her bachelor’s degree in 2004 from the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College of Florida Atlantic University and her juris doctorate, cum laude, from Stetson University...

Communication matters most in times of family law crisis. Family law clients deserve and receive prompt responses directly from Mr. Metcalfe personally. Clients value personal lawyer contact and are encouraged to speak and communicate directly with their attorney. George Metcalfe has over 30 years of experience in matrimonial and family law matters and has studied tax law in the LLM Graduate Tax Program at the Levin School of Law at the University of Florida. He also attended the University of Miami School of Law, and is a Charter Class J.D. graduate of St. Thomas University School of...

I am a practicing attorney with over twenty-seven years experience in Florida and New York. I currently actively litigating family law cases including modification of alimony, domestication of a foreign decree and dissolution of marriage cases. Additionally, I am appearing as local counsel for Plaintiff’s in debt collection, mortgage foreclosure and insurance subrogation cases. I previously served as a Child Support Hearing Officer/Magistrate for the Twelfth Judicial Circuit, Bradenton, Florida.

Daniel A. McGowan is a Trial Lawyer and Litigation Counsel for individuals, families, foundations, endowments, and institutions. Practice exclusively in the area of advising fiduciaries and individuals in all aspects of trust administration and related court proceedings, including will and trust contests, actions to construe, modify and reform wills and trusts, breach of fiduciary duty claims, elder abuse, as well as proceedings to remove and surcharge fiduciaries. Mr. McGowan is a member of the Florida Probate Rules Committee (2020 Term); Florida Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section; Estate and Trust Law Section of the Ohio Bar; Probate and Trust...

David Pollack is an AV rated attorney who specializes in complex business litigation and appeals. His practice focuses on maritime, labor and employment, defamation, and construction litigation. In 2006, Mr. Pollack obtained the largest verdict in an internet defamation case in the United States, which was later affirmed on appeal. Mr. Pollack regularly represents businesses in cases involving defamation, employment discrimination, wage and overtime claims, and other commercial matters. He also represents passengers and crew members in cases involving maritime personal injuries. Mr. Pollack has written and argued more than 50 appeals before the Third District Court of Appeal, the...

I have been practicing law in the state of Florida for 23 years. I attended the University of Miami Law School and received my Juris Doctor in May in 1989. After graduating from law school and passing the Florida Bar the first time I took the exam. I went into private practice as a sole practitioner. During my three years in law school I clerked at the law offices of Terry Rosenblum P.A. as a clerk I worked on cases involving Personal Injury, Criminal Law, Aviation Law, Real Estate Law, and Family Law. I worked for approximately 9 different attorneys at...

Dorothy Easley is the founder of Easley Appellate Practice PLLC (EAP), a top-rated, award-winning premiere all-Board-Certified appellate law firm. Concentrations: Federal and Florida appeals, particularly business law, family law, contracts, intellectually property and trademark law, and employment and business torts. We deliver a full range of appellate and trial support services, particularly in complex and multi-jurisdictional matters. EAP's founder, Dorothy Easley, is the nationally recognized author of the appeals treatise, Successful Federal Appeals in All Circuit Courts: A Practical Guide for Busy Lawyers, a primary resource for attorneys to understand federal appeals nationwide. Easley is practices in all federal...

Cody Frank’s broad-based litigation experience representing both plaintiffs and defendants provides him with an invaluable perspective when prosecuting claims on behalf of individuals and businesses. Cody practiced civil appellate law specializing in medical malpractice and general negligence with a boutique firm based in Fort Lauderdale. He has litigated cases in multiple state and federal jurisdictions throughout the country. He has defended numerous dispositive motions, engaged in data-intensive discovery and worked extensively with experts and attorneys. His efforts while there have led to settlements and jury verdicts awarding millions of dollars in relief.

Cody has extensive experience handling appellate matters in state...

Robert Stone Jeffrey is the owner of Jeffrey Law, PA, and focuses his practice on domestic and international marital and family law disputes, including divorce and child custody issues, throughout the state of Florida. Robert also handles civil and family law appeals and business litigation. Robert is admitted to practice before all courts in the State of Florida, the United States Supreme Court, and the United States District Courts?in and for?the?Middle District of Florida and the Southern District of Florida.

Prior to founding Jeffrey Law, PA, Robert was a partner at two boutique commercial and family law...

When clients need a tough, experienced attorney to help them with complicated tax or criminal defense issues, they trust A. Antonio Tomas to get the job done right. Tomas Law Firm is known throughout Florida for aggressively yet fairly defending the rights of its clients. With a background as a certified public accountant for over 20 years, Mr. Tomas has the knowledge to tackle a variety of complex tax issues; also, his experience litigating state and federal criminal cases gives him an advantage defending those accused of serious crimes. Mr. Tomas has tried over 100 jury trials and has...

Christy L. Hertz has been specializing for over 29 years in litigation and mediation of: divorce, family and child-related matters, relocation, domestic violence, modification and enforcement of marital settlement agreements, paternity, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, Probate, Trust and Guardianship litigation, parental alienation; equitable distribution of marital assets and family businesses, and any other issue related to marital and family law.