Sarasota County Lawyers

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 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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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.

Since 1985, Roman & Roman has helped literally thousands of people like you who came to us for help with their legal needs. Although our primary practice area is personal injury law, many of our clients rely on us to resolve their other legal matters as well. With us on your side, you will have a strong, thorough and aggressive advocate to represent your interests. Our one-on-one approach to serving you provides the comfort and confidence you need at this difficult time in your life. Our meticulous planning, preparation and research are necessary to maximize the financial recovery you deserve. Thomas...

Since 1985, Roman & Roman has helped literally thousands of people like you who came to us for help with their legal needs. Although our primary practice area is personal injury law, many of our clients rely on us to resolve their other legal matters as well. With us on your side, you will have a strong, thorough and aggressive advocate to represent your interests. Our one-on-one approach to serving you provides the comfort and confidence you need at this difficult time in your life. Our meticulous planning, preparation and research are necessary to maximize the financial recovery you deserve. Paula...

Since 1985, Roman & Roman has helped literally thousands of people like you who came to us for help with their legal needs. Although our primary practice area is personal injury law, many of our clients rely on us to resolve their other legal matters as well. With us on your side, you will have a strong, thorough and aggressive advocate to represent your interests. Our one-on-one approach to serving you provides the comfort and confidence you need at this difficult time in your life. Our meticulous planning, preparation and research are necessary to maximize the financial recovery you deserve. Stephenie...

Samantha Dammer is an attorney licensed in Florida and Illinois, concentrating her practice in general business law, bankruptcy law, real estate litigation, foreclosure solutions, family law, as well as comprehensive asset protection and debt restructuring. A tenacious, compassionate and experienced attorney in Tampa Bay, Ms. Dammer provides a holistic approach to clients who are seeking relief from real estate related financial distress, foreclosure or pre-foreclosure issues.

Areas of practice Medical negligence Products liability Premises liability Personal injury Civil litigation Nursing home abuse Education South Texas College of Law, J.D., 2001 Stetson University College of Law, 2000-2001 Loyola University, B.A. Psychology, 1997 Memberships Florida Bar Association Hillsborough County Bar Association American Bar Association Florida Justice Association (formerly Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers) American Association for Justice (formerly Association of Trial Lawyers of America)—Traumatic Brain Injury Litigation Group Tampa Bay Trial Lawyers Association

Ms. Wasylik's practice focuses on Intellectual property and appellate litigation. She has been certified as an expert in both intellectual property law and appellate practice by the Florida Bar. Within intellectual property law, Ms. Wasylik maintains a particular focus on internet, technology and photography copyright issues, and trademark and trade dress negotiation, counseling, and litigation. She also represents clients in civil appeals in both Federal and Florida state courts.

Founded in 1994, our firm has been providing effective, affordable, and often untraditional legal solutions to our clients over the last 26 years.

Attorney Martin B. Schwartz specializes in processing family immigration petitions, applications for permanent residence, U.S. Citizenship, and visas; in addition to removal defense and criminal defense. Martin has successfully represented foreign nationals and family members for the past 26 years and has filed Habeas Corpus actions before District Courts and direct federal appeals. The Law Offices of Martin Schwartz also handle personal injury, auto accident, traffic, DUI, and family cases with compassion.

Martin is a...

Ekecia Grayson, Esq. is a second-generation Tampa native who is eager to assist members of her community in navigating the bankruptcy landscape. Ms. Grayson brings to the table a unique and varied skillset developed over the course of her legal career and a desire to uplift those who seek her services. She is adept at working with people from various backgrounds and evaluating issues from many perspectives.

She gained experience in financial matters while serving as the Assistant General Counsel for the Florida Office of Financial Regulation. As a key attorney in the Division of Consumer Finance, she represented the agency...

Jeff Thomas is a Tampa criminal defense lawyer at Thomas & Paulk, P.A. He is a Florida native and graduate of Stetson College of Law. Throughout his career, he has handled more than 3,500 criminal cases. He is experienced with non-jury cases, jury trials, and traffic cases.

Attorney Peter Catania co-founded Catania & Catania Injury Lawyers in 1992 to help injury victims get their lives back on track after an accident. He has helped recover over $500 million for individuals and families in Tampa when they needed it most. Mr. Catania graduated from the University of Florida and earned a Doctor of Juris Prudence from Loyola University in 1989. Following law school, he worked as a defense attorney for insurance providers and their clients. This experience gave him crucial insight into the methods insurance companies use to challenge injury claims, minimize claimants’ damages, and shift...

I am a healthcare lawyer with a specialization in Qui Tam matters. I represent whistle blowers under The False Claims Act.

David Hoffman was born and raised in Tampa, Florida, where he currently lives with his wife and three dogs. Mr. Hoffman graduated from the University of South Florida, where he received a B.A. in Spanish Literature. He earned his law degree from Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport, Florida.

Mr. Hoffman spent two years working as a collections attorney for a large Tampa firm, representing banks and other lenders in lawsuits over credit cards, vehicle loans, and home equity loans, as well as representing small businesses in the collection of outstanding invoices and judgments.

He then joined a smaller,...

Mrs. Rivas is happily married to her high school sweetheart, Ben. They live in Tampa, Florida with their beautiful children, Trey and Bella, and their beloved Boxer dog, Chino. Mrs. Rivas is passionate about all families and does not take lightly her role, as mother and wife, in shaping the future generation.

Providing quality legal representation for family law clients and offers fair, flat fee pricing in addition to hourly billing options. Attorney Lauren Wages is an experienced litigation attorney who focuses her work exclusively on family related legal issues including complex divorce litigation. Wages received her Juris Doctor (cum laude) in 2011. Since graduating from law school, Wages has represented businesses and individuals in a variety of civil disputes and litigated complex issues. Wages has been practicing in the Tampa Bay area for over a decade. Wages represents clients in dissolutions of marriage, custody disputes, paternity and domestic violence matters.

Paul B. Catania is a co-founder of Catania & Catania Injury Lawyers, a leading personal injury firm in Tampa, Florida. Mr. Catania earned his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of South Florida. He went only a few miles southwest to obtain his Juris Doctor at Stetson University College of Law. Four years after completing law school, Mr. Catania opened Catania & Catania Injury Lawyers along with his brother, Peter. Attorney Paul Catania has helped the firm recover over $500 million for accident victims and heads a team of attorneys with over 120 years of combined experience in personal injury. Mr. Catania’s...

Desireé Zornow is an experienced Tampa personal injury lawyer at Catania & Catania Injury Lawyers, an AV-rated law firm serving clients throughout the Tampa Bay area. After obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree from Penn State University, Desireé earned her Juris Doctor from Florida Coastal School of Law and was admitted to practice law in 2012. She has been fighting for injured and disabled victims ever since. Desireé has a passion for providing exceptional client service and treating her clients like family. She decided to become an attorney after the tragic death of her brother, which motivated her to stand...

CHRISTOPHER L. PETRUCCELLI was born in Tampa, Florida on March 8, 1969. Mr. Petruccelli has lived in the Tampa Bay area all of his life with the exception of the time period for his law studies in Lansing, Michigan.

Mr. Petruccelli graduated from the University of South Florida in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Criminology. Following his lifelong ambition, he attended Thomas M. Cooley Law School receiving his Juris Doctor (Cum Laude) in 1996.

Upon his return to the Tampa Bay area in 1996, Mr. Petruccelli joined the law firm of Fox &...

We are a law firm based in the heart of Tampa with expertise in Family Law, Discrimination and Business Litigation. Our lawyers have collective experience of over 35 years handling cases just like yours. We are a boutique law firm focused on your rights and making sure that those rights are taken care of.

Our attorneys are able to provide the skills and expertise that may be found at larger firms without the overhead expenses many of these larger law firms typically pass on to its clients. We are passionate about helping to build our community and its businesses and work...

Attorney Roland D. Boyd III went through his own divorce while in law school. This drove Roland to focus his study on family law and divorce. In 2019 Attorney Boyd began his own practice, Pinellas Family Lawyer, PLLC.

Mindi Lasley is a Tampa divorce attorney and focuses her practice in the areas of paternity, modification, child custody, child support and all aspects of family law. Ms. Lasley also handles estate planning and elder law cases and volunteers to assists non-profits assisting animals. Please contact family attorney Mindi Lasley for an experienced attorney to handle your case. Ms. Lasley has an office in both Tampa and St. Petersburg for your convenience.

Sarah hails from Upstate New York and is a Yankee at heart, though she relocated to Florida over a decade ago. After high school, she moved to New York City to attend Fordham University. While living in the Big Apple, she gained experience through several jobs, including interning for The Fresh Air Fund, tutoring disadvantaged children in the Bronx through the America Reads Challenge program, and working on a congressional campaign, to name a few. During her junior year, she traveled to Ireland for a six month study abroad program and studied Celtic History and International Economics at University...

Attorney Alena Miles holds a Master's LL.M. degree in tax law, and she is a Certified Public Accountant. Alena Miles focuses her practice in federal & international areas on business tax planning, tax transactions, tax consulting, tax compliance, and tax controversy work for businesses, inter alia, partnerships, corporations, limited liability companies (LLCs), private equity funds, single purpose entities, and individuals. Most recently as a Tax Manager at KPMG, Alena provided tax services to large clients in the asset management industry. Prior to that, Alena has wealth of experience working for various CPA firms servicing small, medium, and large business clients and individuals...

I have been a trial lawyer for more than twenty years. I pride myself on personal attention to clients, and aggressive representation of their interests. My results speak for themselves. For example, I was recently lead counsel in a product defect and personal injury case against The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. The jury awarded my clients $5.6 million, more than ten times the highest amount offered in settlement before trial, and the third largest verdict ever in that part of Florida. I am comfortable in the courtroom litigating against the world's largest corporations and insurance...

I am an attorney practicing criminal and civil law in Tampa, Florida. My main focus is helping people overcome difficult situations.

Andy Dogali was born in San Diego, California in 1962. He received his B.A. Degree, magna cum laude, from Florida State University in 1983. He received his Juris Doctor, with honors, from the Florida State University College of Law in 1986. He was admitted to the Bar in 1986 and co-founded the firm of Forizs & Dogali, P.A. In 2013 he aquired sole ownership of Forizs & Dogali and re-named the firm Dogali Law Group. Mr. Dogali is admitted to practice in all state and federal courts in Florida, and has appeared in litigated matters in more...

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...

Attorney Zachary D. Herman is passionate about defending the rights of his client. Call or email today to schedule a consultation.

Michael C. Minardi is the Senior Partner at Minardi Law. For over 16 years, Michael has dedicated his practice to fighting for clients charged with cannabis crimes and advocating for cannabis law reform. His passion has driven him to learning and understanding medical cannabis laws in the State of Florida and throughout the country.

Michael’s practice represents clients in corporate cannabis consulting, application preparation, lobbying, forfeiture matters, and criminal matters. He has won many medical cannabis cases, including several landmark high-profile cases in Florida. He won the first and second jury trials in Florida presenting the medical necessity...

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...

Tiffani K. Thornton is a solo practitioner in Tampa, Florida. Her primary areas of practice and expertise are estate planning, business transactions, real estate and real property. Ms. Thornton is a former Assistant Attorney General for the State of Florida, where she managed cases from intake through trial preparation, including making regular court appearances and arguments on behalf of a state agency. While a student at USF St. Petersburg she launched her mother’s senior care business, worked as a Legal Assistant for an attorney representing Homeowners and Condominium Associations, and interned for local and state-level political campaigns. During law school,...