Marion County Probate Lawyers

Attorney Patrick L. Smith was born in Lakeland, Florida. He graduated from Lake Region High School and went on to receive degrees in Political Science and Economics from Stetson University. He received his J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law. Prior to coming to Pippen & Associates, Patrick Smith worked at the Walt Disney World East coast tax department from 2002-2003. Patrick Smith is currently an attorney practicing in the fields of estate planning, corporations, and charitable giving. In addition to his current position as a partner at Pippen & Associates, he serves on the...

I was born and raised in Central Florida, growing up in the small town of Fruitland Park. After graduating from Leesburg High School in Leesburg, Florida, I attended the University of Florida in Gainesville where I obtained my BA in History in 2008. I then went to Barry University Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law in Orlando, Florida, where I earned my Juris Doctorate in 2011. I was sworn in and admitted to practice by the Florida Bar in September of 2011.

Many people ask me why I wanted to be an Attorney. It is a simple answer - It is what I always wanted to do. Everyone deserves a voice in a matter. That voice should be compassionate and realistic. That voice should explain to you what is going on in plain English. I went back to school later in life. I graduated with Honors, but the most important part of my journey was being a research assistant. Part of my job was to keep the first year students on track to succeed in Law School. I...

Dallas Hedstrom is a proud Palatka native who earned her Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from The University of Central Florida in 2007. From there, she went on to the Florida Coastal School of Law, graduating with her Juris Doctor in 2010. For two years following law school, she worked as an associate attorney at a Jacksonville general practice law firm handling cases related to estate planning, family law, criminal defense, contracts, and landlord-tenant actions. She now focuses mainly on probate and estate planning and works to provide clients with thorough, knowledgeable representation. Call Hedstrom and Harris today to...

Kaytlin M. Keen (formerly Kaytlin M. O’Sullivan) is a Managing Partner of PTM Trust and Estate Law, and licensed to practice law in the State of Florida. Kaytlin is a former trial attorney who now devotes her practice to helping people protect their loved ones and themselves with creative estate plans, and helping fiduciaries administer trusts and probate estates. Kaytlin also handles exploitation injunction matters, fiduciary litigation, guardianships, and premarital agreements (also known as “prenups”). After graduating from UF Law and passing the Florida Bar Exam, Kaytlin started her career in Clearwater, Florida as an Assistant State Attorney in...

Todd Mazenko is a decorated U.S. Navy veteran who received his law degree from the University of Florida (Cum Laude). Attorney Mazenko is the founder and owner of the Mazenko Elder Law Firm located in Mount Dora, Florida. His law practice focuses on estate planning, probate, Medicaid Planning, and will contests and trust litigation. Attorney Mazenko is the chairman of the Advent Health Waterman Foundation Board of Directors, is a member of the Christian Legal Society and is active in his local Church. He also serves as a volunteer for several Veteran’s groups including the Wounded Warrior Project...

Wendy A. Mara attended Stetson University and graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1993 Ms. Mara taught language arts in high school for 13 years. While teaching full time, she earned her MBA degree from the University of Central Florida in 2006. Deciding to pursue a legal career, she entered law school at Florida Coastal School of Law where she graduated in the top 10 percent of her class. While in law school, she was a teaching and research assistant, earned the Dean’s Certificate for Pro Bono Work and became an award winning oralist for the Jessup International Moot Court Competition....

I represent beneficiaries and personal representatives of probate estates throughout Pinellas County, Florida, including areas such as St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Largo, Pinellas Park, and the beaches. I have received the highest lawyer ratings on platforms like Justia, Super Lawyers, Martindale, and Avvo. I serve as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Stetson University College of Law. Throughout my career, I have written nationally-published books and articles for lawyers on topics such as real estate, wills, trusts, and probate law. I have also been a member of the Florida Bar Probate Rules Committee and have chaired the St. Petersburg Bar Association Probate Law Section. I...

Jason Turchin, Esq. is an Attorney, Author, Media Correspondent, Producer and Entrepreneur who has handled more than 6,500 Personal Injury, Accident, Product Liability, Life Insurance, and Wrongful Death Claims. Jason has appeared throughout the national and international news on various legal topics, including car accidents, wrongful death, product liability, Takata airbag shrapnel claims, exploding pressure cooker claims, life insurance, personal injury and more. Several major media outlets have turned to Jason for legal opinions or stories on his cases, including CBS Evening News, Wall Street Journal, Miami Herald, Bloomberg News, CBS Miami, Orlando Sentinel, Sun Sentinel, Telemundo, The New...

Peggy is a founding partner of The Law Offices of Hoyt & Bryan, a family wealth and legacy planning law firm specializing in wills, trusts and estates and elder law. She is a three-time Stetson University graduate receiving her B.B.A., cum laude, in 1981, her M.B.A. in 1982 and her J.D., cum laude, in 1993. Her passion is her pets - all of them - including 4 horses, 6 dogs and 2 cats! She enjoys long distance trail riding on Heaven and Vogue. Peggy practices in the areas of family wealth and legacy counselling, including trust and estate planning...

You might find it helpful when selecting a lawyer to know a bit about them. You probably know all lawyers have to graduate from law school, but beyond the basics, who are they? As for me, you should know that I'm married to my wife Joan, and I have five children. They are all hard working, and each had their turn cleaning my Orlando office growing up. They are and will remain the most important part of my life. They are the lights of my life.

I met my wife Joan at a Methodist church picnic. We were married in...

I give families peace of mind by helping them create estate plans that make sure their family is protected upon their death of incapacity. I also help families in difficult times when their elder is no longer to safely stay home due to the aging or disease process by helping protect assets and apply for Medicaid and VA benefits.

I was fortunate to grow up in Pinellas County with my father being a well-known and respected attorney. With my father’s encouragement and my own passion for helping others, I knew that estate planning and elder law was the career path for...

Florida Bar Board Certified Elder Law Attorney focused on providing custom solutions and personalized legal and asset protection planning for caregivers and families in Northeast Florida. Offices located in Jacksonville, FL and Orange Park, FL. Kellen is a partner and co-founder of Berg Bryant Elder Law Group after having spent 7 years building his own practice from scratch. Kellen started his solo practice at 26 years old during the 2009 recession, with no contacts and no prior legal experience in elder law. Kellen has since built a practice that has served over 1500 families and supports a full office staff to...

The passion to practice law is #1 in my life! I enjoy the everyday opportunity to work with individuals, families and businesses; I help them to save time and trouble! Outside of work, I enjoy a number of activities and hobbies. For me, travel is paramount; I have been to all 50 US States, seven of seven continents and 117 countries! I enjoy photography (travel and landscape particularly), public speaking, non-fiction reading, creative writing and publishing articles, visiting art museums, jazz, gardening, hiking, kayaking, backgammon, attending performing arts and theatre productions, and dining on exotic cuisine. I have offices in Winter Haven and...

The firm works with Asset Protection, Estate Planning, Wills, & Trusts, Probate, Elder Law, Guardianship, Gun Trust, NFA Firearms, NFA Trust, Gun rights, Probate, Probate Litigation, Trusts, and Trust Litigation. Licensed in Texas and Florida

I was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida, where I continue to live and work. My journey in law began after completing my education at Riverside Presbyterian Day School and The Bolles School. I pursued higher education at Emory University, where I obtained a Bachelor of Arts in 1998. I furthered my studies at Stetson University, earning both a Juris Doctorate and an M.B.A. in 2001 from the College of Law and School of Business Administration, respectively. I am married to Cameron Naugle, who runs Naugle Funeral Home, and we are blessed with two children, Abigail and Logan. My family is...

Jason E. Havens is a Partner at Holland & Knight LLP, practicing in its Jacksonville (also serving Ponte Vedra Beach) and Tallahassee (also serving Destin, Santa Rosa Beach, and Rosemary Beach) locations. He specializes in complex estate and charitable gift planning (domestic and international), probate/trust administration, and probate/trust litigation for affluent individuals and families and on behalf of charitable organizations. He is admitted to practice law in Florida and Tennessee. Mr. Havens received his LL.M. in International Taxation from Regent University, his LL.M. in Estate Planning from the University of Miami, his J.D. from the University of...

I grew up in a large NAVY family. My father flew out of Tampa's MacDill Air Force Base in the sixties and I fell in love with the Tampa Bay community. After law school I came back to Florida to pursue my legal career with a passion for helping out individuals and families. I really enjoy the waterfront lifestyle here (when I can find the time to do so). I have a strong and long serving staff that makes client communication a top priority. My greatest joy is to work alongside my clients to help...

A Queens, New York native graduating from the State University of New York (SUNY) Albany in Political Science, History and a minor in Criminal Justice in 2010. Ms. Whitfield graduated Ave Maria School of Law, in Naples, FL in 2013 and became a member of the Florida Bar in 2015. She has established a practice in the Tampa Bay area where she lives and works. Having established several areas of practice including Estate Planning, Probate, Immigration, Criminal Defense, and Business Law matters. Her passion is to help those in her community through the court system with their legal issues and...

We assist families avoid impoverishment from long term care and nursing home expense by qualifying their loved ones for Medicaid and VA benefits. We prepare Wills, Trusts and Durable Powers of Attorney and settle Estates and Trusts. We seek maximum recovery when loved ones are abused or neglected in a Nursing Home or ALF. Ted moved to Florida in 1960 from Michigan and began his firm in 1990. Over the 32 years that he has been in practice, Ted has helped many hundreds of families qualify for Medicaid and protect the assets that they have worked a lifetime to...

Judy-Ann Smith, BSN, MS, JD My passion as an attorney is being able to help people. Resolving someone’s legal issues is the most rewarding aspect of the work I do. I am an empathetic and compassionate lawyer, willing to listen to my clients’ issues, to get a deeper understanding of what they would like to achieve and accomplish. Most importantly, I am an assertive advocate for all my clients and I will fight for what is fair and just according to the laws of the land. My practice areas range from family law to estate planning and probate. I have extensive success...

In 2016, Carla Trinca-Conley joined Berg Bryant Elder Law Group, PLLC, where she specializes in assisting elderly individuals and their families. Carla is passionate about getting to know each client's unique story and tailoring her legal services to their needs. She is a Board-Certified Elder Law attorney by the Florida Bar. At Berg Bryant, Carla is the lead attorney for guardianship cases, including guardianships over incapacitated adults, guardian advocacy proceedings for developmentally disabled individuals over 18, and guardianship proceedings for minors with funds from personal injury actions or inheritance. Carla is committed to helping her clients navigate the requirements of...

Monica Balyasny is a licensed attorney in the States of Florida and New York. She is fluent in both English and Russian.

Mrs. Balyasny graduated from John Jay College with a Bachelors in Science in Criminal Justice in 2012. After graduation, she moved to South Florida to attend Nova Southeastern University, Shepard Broad College of Law, where she obtained her Juris Doctor in 2018. While in law school, Mrs. Balyasny received her concentration in Health Law while actively participating in extracurricular activities at Nova. She was a representative for the Jewish Law Society Association and a member of the “Pulse” Health...

Markus A. Sermons, Esquire is a litigation attorney focusing in the areas of Probate, Guardianships, Divorce, and other Family Law issues, along with Trust Litigation, and general Civil Litigation. Prior to starting Sermons Law, PLLC, he spent several years in the Office of the Public Defender litigating criminal matters in the Juvenile and Felony divisions, but began his law career with the Office of the State Attorney as a Legal Trainee. With countless hearings and many jury and bench trials to his credit, Mr. Sermons has extensive courtroom experience.

Additionally, Mr. Sermons has also worked with...

Attorney Joy Owenby serves clients throughout Florida with aggressive and relentless representation for a wide-range of practice areas. While her knowledge and experience are extensive, Attorney Owenby particularly handles matters involving divorce, adoption, trusts / wills, probate, criminal defense, child support, and family law. Over the course of the years, she has obtained much recognition and has become an accomplished lawyer with an Avvo Rating. Prior to the founding of Owenby Law, P.A., Attorney Owenby serves as legal counsel for Florida’s Guardian ad Litem Program. During this time, she explored the intricacies of family law which have allowed her...

John M. Hemenway is a founding partner of Bivins & Hemenway, P.A. John serves as a trusted legal advisor to business owners, real estate investors, and families seeking to preserve and pass down their wealth and values. His practice focuses on estate planning and probate, small and closely held businesses, and real estate, combining experience in each of these areas to provide a comprehensive approach to transactions and planning.

John earned his law degree, cum laude, from the University of Florida. John regularly presents at legal education seminars on both probate and estate planning topics, and is published on estate planning...