Pahokee Personal Injury Lawyers

MATTHEW K. SCHWENCKE began his legal practice as a defense attorney, where he gained experience in all facets of civil litigation. Defending hospitals and healthcare providers against multi-million dollar claims has given him insight into defense strategies and tactics, especially in medical malpractice litigation. Mr. Schwencke earned his law degree from Stetson University College of Law, where he was a member of Stetsons award-winning Moot Court Board. While in law school, he served as intern to a federal magistrate judge, and prosecuted misdemeanor criminal offenses as a Certified Legal Intern for the Pinellas County State Attorney’s office. As an undergraduate,...

Florida personal injury and commercial litigation attorney Mariano Garcia has been practicing in West Palm Beach since 1994. AV-rated from Martindale-Hubbell and a member of the Million Dollar and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, Mr. Garcia has been with Searcy Denney since 2011 as a bilingual lawyer with long-standing commitment to representing the Latino community.

JORDAN A. DULCIE began his legal career in medical malpractice defense at a boutique firm in Palm Beach Gardens, followed by broader civil litigation practice at a larger civil defense firm in Florida. His practice areas include not only medical malpractice, but automotive accidents and nursing home and assisted living cases. In 2019, 2020 and 2021 he was selected by Palm Beach Illustrated magazine as a top lawyer in the area of medical malpractice, and Florida Super Lawyers Magazine lists him as a 2021 “Rising Star.” As an attorney with Searcy Denney, Mr. Dulcie shares the firm’s...

ELISE SHERR ALLISON joined Searcy Denney in 2019 after clerking for The Honorable Jose E. Martinez, United States District Court Judge for the Southern District of Florida, and then working with a complex commercial litigation and personal injury firm in Miami. At Searcy Denney, she represents clients in personal injury and wrongful death cases resulting from medical malpractice, defective products, motor vehicle accidents and unsafe premises.

Trial attorney focused on wrongful death, automobile negligence, medical malpractice, products liability, and premises liability.

Mr. Halvorson is a Shareholder and Partner of the firm. He is Board Certified by the Florida Bar in the areas of Personal Injury and Wrongful Death and has successfully prosecuted numerous high profile cases. His practice is devoted 100% to litigation and he has specialized in the areas of motor vehicle accidents, medical malpractice, personal injury, products liability and wrongful death since 1977.

Greg Yaffa joined Cunningham Whalen & Gaspari in 2004 and currently concentrates his practice in the areas of personal injury, wrongful death and insurance company bad faith. Prior to joining the firm, Greg practiced in the Miami-based law office of Stewart G. Greenberg, where he focused on automobile negligence, wrongful death, medical malpractice and product liability cases. Greg is admitted to practice law not only in the State Courts of Florida, but also in the Florida Federal Courts, including the United States District Court, Middle District Court of Florida, the United States District Court, Southern District of Florida...

Thomas M. Prestia began his legal career serving as a prosecutor at the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office. During his tenure as a prosecutor, Mr. Prestia gained the knowledge and experience necessary to manage and litigate cases from the government’s perspective. This knowledge and experience has been critical in defending individuals facing criminal charges, as well as in his general trial practice. After leaving the State Attorney’s Office, Mr. Prestia further developed his trial practice by working at a leading medical malpractice firm. There he gained valuable insight into the operation of medical practices, experience in evaluating and litigating serious...

R. Scott Taylor Jr. is a civil trial attorney who represents car accident victims and individuals who have been injured due to the negligence of another. Before starting his legal career, Mr. Taylor graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s degree in building construction and a master’s degree in management. After graduating from Florida Coastal School of Law, Mr. Taylor worked as an associate for a civil litigation firm in Jacksonville, Florida. In 2014, Mr. Taylor returned to the Treasure Coast and began working as an insurance defense lawyer for a highly respected firm in Stuart, Florida. He gained...

Gregg Kone has a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Drew University, 1987, and a J.D. Degree from University of Connecticut Law School, 1996. He was admitted to the Connecticut Bar in November of 1996 and admitted to the Florida Bar in April of 1999. He has been in practice for over sixteen years and specializes in personal injury. He also brings to the table an extensive background in the insurance industry (claims investigator, claims examiner, and then In House Counsel for major insurance companies).

Corey, a Connecticut native, grew up in South Florida and Northern Virginia where he discovered an early interest in Law.

After graduating from high school, Corey served in the U.S. Navy onboard the U.S.S Harry S. Truman CVN-75 aircraft carrier as a Machinist Mate (MM) in Reactor Propulsion Division. As an MM, Corey helped operate and maintain vital equipment in the ship's nuclear power plant. Additionally, Corey participated in Command and Reactor Department drills to maintain mission readiness during the ship's 2010 Middle East Deployment. During the deployment the Truman provided close air support to coalition forces operating in...

Barry S. Mittelberg has twenty-eight years of extensive experience as an attorney in south Florida. His areas of concentration are consumer bankruptcy and personal injury. Barry believes in providing each client with personal attention, and he responds promptly to telephone calls and e-mails.

Barry S. Mittelberg attended college at Hobart & William Smith where he received a B.A. in Political Science in 1980. He attended law school at University of Miami and graduated in 1983 with a Juris Doctorate. Barry S. Mittelberg is a member of the Florida Bar and the New York Bar.

William John DiPetrillo has resided in South Florida since 1969. He attended the University of Florida where he played on the rugby team and graduated in 1986 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree. Mr. William “Bill” Dipetrillo went on to study law at the Shepard Broad Law Center at Nova Southeastern University, where he graduated with a Juris Doctor degree in 1997. That same year he was admitted to The Florida Bar, having passed the bar exam in the top ten percent on the first try. in addition, he assisted in teaching and speaking for the bar...

With over 30 years of experience as a personal injury attorney, Mr. Ehrlich S. Ehrlich has represented thousands of clients in claims against insurance companies of all kinds.

Ruben E. Socarras, Esq., a founding member of Chane Socarras, PLLC, focuses his practice in the areas of Complex Commercial Litigation, Business Law & Litigation, Employment Law & Litigation, Construction & Real Estate Litigation & general civil litigation. As an experienced litigator, Ruben often represents individuals and businesses in a variety of cases before state & federal courts, including cases involving contract disputes, temporary/permanent injunctions, torts, trade secrets, unfair competition, non-competition/non-solicitation agreements, fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, employment related disputes, real estate and title claims, business dissolution, and shareholder/member disputes. Ruben also represents his clients before arbitration panels and in mediations,...

Joseph Abdallah is a partner in the Firm’s Personal Injury Practice. Joseph received a B.A. from Binghamton University, where he received multiple honors for his academic excellence and his commitment to the community. He completed his J.D. at Nova Southeastern University. Prior to joining Kanner & Pintaluga, Joseph was a Judicial Clerk for the 17th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida in Broward County, Florida. There, he served as an advisor for the Circuit Court on original jurisdiction and appellate matters. Joseph was recently appointed by the President-Elect of the Florida Bar to serve as a member of the Judicial Administration and...

Corey Leifer was born in Queens, New York and grew up on Long Island, New York. He attended college at the University of South Florida (“USF”) in Tampa, Florida, where he received a degree in Criminal Justice. Mr. Leifer was a member of the Dean’s List at USF and was the recipient of the prestigious Honors Convocation Award during his senior year. He earned his law degree at Thomas Cooley Law School in Lansing, Michigan. Mr. Leifer began his legal career as a Prosecutor at the Broward County State Attorney’s Office, where he served as lead counsel in...

Benjamin Matthew Kurtz has been practicing in Maryland since 2016. During that time, he has successfully represented individuals and entities in a variety of cases, focusing most of his time on personal injury and criminal defense.

Personal Injury

Benjamin Kurtz successfully represents individuals who have been seriously injured. With compassion and confidence, he deftly navigates his clients through the legal maze to an outcome designed to mitigate their pain and suffering and maximize recoveries for clients in need. The fact that many of Benjamin's clients are referred to him by his former clients and other attorneys is a resounding testament...

Lee Cohen is a partner in Kanner & Pintaluga’s Personal Injury Practice and the managing attorney of the litigation team. With nearly 30 years of legal experience, Lee is a distinguished litigator who has been fighting for the rights of victims his entire career. Lee received a B.A. from Tulane University and completed his J.D. at the University of Miami. He has been a member of the Florida Bar since 1989, the United States Supreme Court Bar since 2004, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida since 2012 and has been authorized to practice for numerous specific cases...

Gabriella Sarah Barr is a Partner at the Firm’s Personal Injury Practice. Gabriella received a B.S. in Accounting from Florida State University. She completed her J.D. at Nova Southeastern University. She currently has admissions to practice in Georgia, Florida, Texas, Arizona and Massachusetts.

Todd Passman has practiced law since 1998 and is admitted to the Florida Bar as well as the Georgia Bar.

He was born and raised in Fort Pierce, Florida, where he graduated from Fort Pierce Westwood High School in 1991. On graduating, Todd was awarded both a Florida Undergraduate Scholars Scholarship and a Florida State University Academic Scholars Scholarship. He attended Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida and graduated in 1995 with a degree in accounting. While attending Florida State, Todd Passman studied abroad in London, England as part of Florida State University’s International Program. Finally, Todd attended the very prestigious...

Aggressive Advocate Focus on Trial and Appellate Litigation Represent Plaintiffs Multi-Jurisdiction Bar Admission in State and Federal Courts

Attorney Sergio D. Vichera has over 17 years of experience working with personal injury cases. He has extensive knowledge in automotive cases and that is one of the reasons why he is so successful at what he does. He has worked as a Tech in many Automotive Shops while going to college. He is fluent in Spanish and can help both English- and Spanish-speaking clients. Before opening his firm, Sergio spent nearly 9 years in a mid-size firm, and several years in two of the largest personal injury firms working as a personal injury lawyer in the State of Florida. During...

Cheyenne Pearson was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. She attended Hawaii Pacific University for her first two years of undergrad but graduated from University of Tennessee, Chattanooga in 2019. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts in History with a minor in Africana Studies. After finishing college, she attended St. Thomas University College of Law in Miami, Florida where she graduated in 2022 with her J.D. Her second year of law school she received the CALI Excellence for the Future Award in Healthcare Compliance, along with many semesters of being on honor roll. During her time at St. Thomas,...

MARA RITCHIE PONCY HATFIELD, who holds dual degrees in environmental law, began consulting with Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley on issues related to environmental and entertainment law in 2006 before becoming an associate with the firm in 2012. Since then, she has assisted the firm’s clients in obtaining recoveries for injuries arising out of environmental contamination, medical malpractice, nursing home neglect, catastrophic automobile crashes, defective products and premises liability (including but not limited to slip and falls). She continues to work on intellectual property and consumer-based class action lawsuits as well.

Even though I'm a New York Native, having Graduated from St. Thomas University School of Law in 2006, I've been involved in South Florida and Litigating in the Personal Injury Field for over 10 years, representing Clients in all types of Accidents. Even though I Specialize in Truck Accidents, I'm also familiar with Automobile Accidents, Motorcycle Accidents, Bicycle Accidents and Dog Bite Cases. In my free time, I'm a full time baseball coach for my two sons and a dance partner for my daughter. I'm also a volunteer with Habitat for Humanity and was a awarded the Presidential...

Michael “Mike” Celeste, Jr. was born and raised in Milford, Mass. He received his B.A. in American Studies at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut in 1975, where he also played varsity football and lacrosse – with Bill Belichick, the head coach of the New England Patriots. Mike graduated with honors from Nova Law School in 1986, where he was the president of the student chapter of ATLA (American Trial Lawyers Association) and represented Nova Law in the Southern Regional Mock Trial Competitions. While attending Nova Law, Mike was the recipient of the first Krupnick & Campbell, P.A. award, which was...

KAREN E. TERRY is a shareholder at Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley in West Palm Beach, and has been with the firm for 14 years. She recently received the highest honor of being chosen by the Daily Business Review as the "Most Effective Lawyer" in the State of Florida for products liability, along with Chris Searcy. She also was selected as one of The Best Lawyers in America. Ms. Terry has tried many big cases, but in August of 2007, Ms. Terry received a jury verdict of over 25 million dollars in Polk County, Florida against Walgreens for misfilling...

ADAM HECHT, a veteran of more than 75 felony and misdemeanor jury trials as an Assistant State Attorney, now works with Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley, P.A. handling medical malpractice, personal injury, wrongful death and products liability cases.