Top best R Lawyers in ZIP 33756 | 106 available

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Steven E. Hitchcock is a Florida Bar Board Certified Elder Law Attorney, who practices in the areas of Social Security Disability Law, SSI and Medicaid, Special Needs Trusts, Guardianship and Guardian Advocacy, Long Term Care Planning, Veteran's Benefits law, Estate Planning and Probate and Trust Administration.. Mr. Hitchcock received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Pharmacy from Union University in upstate New York.  Mr. Hitchcock received his Law Degree, Cum Laude, with a Certificate of Concentration in Elder Law, and his LL.M. in Elder Law, with Distinction, from Stetson University College of Law in St. Petersburg, Florida.. He is a member of the Elder Law, the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law, Health Law and Administrative Law sections of the Florida Bar.  Mr. Hitchcock is also a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA), the Academy of Florida Elder Law Attorneys (AFELA) and the Academy of Special Needs Planners (ASNP).. Mr. Hitchcock is licensed to practice law in the State of Florida, the United States District Court of the Middle District of Florida, and is accredited to practice before the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).. Mr. Hitchcock is active in the local community, providing service to those less fortunate members of the community by assisting local charitable organizations in providing pro-bono clinics and workshops.  He has also served as Court Appointed Counsel in Guardianship, also Court Appointed Attorney Ad Litem, and Guardian Ad Litem.. Mr. Hitchcock is also a registered Pharmacist licensed in the State of Florida.

Michele was born in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois, but like many Floridians, relocated here when her parents chose to move to Sarasota. After graduating from Riverview High School, she was accepted to the University of Florida on a full academic scholarship. She graduated a year early with Bachelor’s degrees in Political Science, and Spanish and was awarded membership into Phi Kappa Phi, an honor society for students in the top 10% of their class.. Michele’s hard work paid off when she was awarded another full academic scholarship to Stetson University College of Law. As the student with the best oral argument in her Research and Writing class, Michele was selected to compete in the prestigious Carlton-Fields First-Year Appellate Advocacy Competition. She enjoyed her campus involvement, serving on the Executive Board for various organizations. Michele was inducted into the oldest legal organization in the United States, Phi Delta Phi, before graduating ninth in her class.. Michele works as corporate counsel for the cybersecurity awareness training company, KnowBe4, located in Clearwater, Florida.

Michael Mastrogiovanni has lived in the Tampa Bay area since he was 5 years old. His career started out in the medical field where he worked for over a decade as an medical administrator and in early 2000’s he was selected to attend Stetson University College of Law, consistently picked as the best trial law school in the country where he graduated in 2004.. Upon graduation, Michael was hired by the State Attorney’s Office for the 6th Judicial Circuit in Pinellas-Pasco County where he gained invaluable experience with handling thousands of cases and countless jury trials. In 2012 he opened his own firm where he continues to handle criminal defense ranging from murder and DUI manslaughter, down to a first time DUI, domestic battery, drug and even traffic tickets matters.. In addition, Michael combined his prior medical experience with his legal knowledge and fights for the rights of injured workers handling worker’s compensation claims and Social Security disability matters for over a decade where he has established a 99% success rate.. Volunteering is not uncommon for Michael, he has handled numerous pro bono cases during his career and continues to give back to the community.. His memberships and affiliations include:. Top 100 Trial Lawyers in FloridaVice President Allgood-Altman Inn of Court, Pasco County, 2009-2010Florida Workers’ AdvocatesLicensed by Florida Supreme Court County Court Mediator, 2004-2009Volunteer Judge, Pinellas County Teen Court, 2004-2005Florida Bar AssociationMember Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers 2012-currentClearwater Bar AssociationWest-Pasco Bar AssociationHernando County Bar Association

Joan Vecchioli is a partner with Johnson, Pope, Bokor, Ruppel & Burns, LLP. She joined the firm in 1986 upon graduating with honors from Stetson University College of Law, where she was a member of the Law Review and competed on the Moot Court Board. Joan is Board Certified by The Florida Bar in the area of Labor and Employment Law and is a Certified Circuit Civil Mediator. She has taught employment discrimination and legal research and writing courses at Stetson University College of Law and St. Petersburg College and has presented seminars and written articles on various labor and employment issues. Joan is admitted to practice in the Middle and Southern District Courts of Florida and the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. She is a former Chair of the Board Certification Committee for the Labor and Employment Law Section of The Florida Bar, a past President of the Clearwater Bar Foundation, and a past Board Chair for Saint Paul's School in Clearwater. She currently serves as a Trustee for the Upper Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce and sits on the Pinellas County Unified Personnel Board. Joan is AV rated through Martindale-Hubbell and is listed in Best Lawyers in America and Superlawyers.

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 at our nation's first law school, William and Mary, 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.  I am a marathon swimmer and live aboard a 48 foot yacht in a marina at Clearwater Beach, Florida.. I am so blessed to 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 them plan for the future.  It is amazing to see the relief that clomes from a successful conclusion, whether it be a recovery from a bad stockbroker, the completion of an estate or the preparation of an estate plan that fits the client's circumstances with precision.

I am a partner in the law firm of Johnson, Pope, Bokor, Ruppel and Burns, LLP.  I have been at the firm for 25 years. I am  Board Certified by the Florida Bar in Civil Trial law.  I practice in the areas of commercial litigation and trust and estate litigation.  I handle all types of commercial litigation cases, including cases involving non-competition agreements, trade secrets, restrive covenants, breach of contract, shareholder disputes and matters involving business disputes.  I also handle cases involving estate and trust disputes.

Brandon D. Bellew, a partner at Johnson Pope Bokor Ruppel & Burns, LLP, provides outstanding representation in the areas of trust, estate and guardianship litigation and has done so during his entire career. He represents clients throughout Florida in all types and phases of contested issues relating to trusts, estates and guardianships.. He frequently writes articles and lectures on trust, estate and guardianship litigation topics. He is very active in the Florida Bar’s Real Property, Probate, and Trust Law Section where he serves on its Executive Council, is active on the Trust Law, Probate Law and Procedure and Probate & Trust litigation committees and currently serves as a Vice Chair of the Guardianship, Power of Attorney and Advanced Directives Committee. Brandon is also currently serving as the President of the Clearwater Bar Association, 2018-2019.. Brandon has been recognized for his professional accomplishments by being named Best Lawyers® 2019 Litigation Clearwater – Trusts and Estates – “Lawyer of the Year", listed in The Best Lawyers® in America for Litigation- Trusts and Estates (2018, 2019), recognized as a Rising Star in the practice area of Estate and Trust Litigation by Super Lawyers (2010, 2015-2018) and by earning an Avvo “Superb” 10.0 rating.. Brandon’s cases are often highly emotional and sensitive because they involve family disputes relating to the recent death or incapacity of a loved one. He approaches his cases with a problem solver mindset. While he is an experienced trial attorney and aggressively pursues his clients’ desired outcomes, he believes that most cases should be resolved outside of the courtroom because often, that is the most efficient and cost-effective way to give his clients the best results possible.. When Brandon is not practicing law, he spends his time with his family and coaching youth basketball and flag football.

Alan S. Gassman is an attorney practicing in Clearwater, Florida with the firm of Gassman, Crotty & Denicolo, P.A. Mr. Gassman’s primary practice focus over the past 23 years has been on the representation of physicians, business owners, and high net worth individuals in estate planning, taxation, and business and personal asset structuring.  Mr. Gassman has a law degree and a Master of Law degree (LL.M.) in Taxation from the University of Florida, and a business degree from Rollins College.. He is board certified by the Florida Bar Association in Estate Planning and Trusts Law, and is a commentator for the Leimberg LISI Estate Planning Network, past President of the Pinellas County Estate Planning Council, and co-chair and lecturer for two annual Florida Bar Tax Section conferences  (Physician Representation and Wealth Conservation). He is also an Executive Council Member of the Florida Bar Tax Section.. Mr. Gassman has published over 150 articles in national publications on estate tax planning, limited partnerships, asset protection, and medical practice planning.  Mr. Gassman is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and has been quoted on many occasions in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Florida Trend, Modern Healthcare, Medical Economics, Modern Health Care, and many other publications.. In 2004, Mr. Gassman was selected for inclusion in the Florida Trend magazine “Legal Elite”, which selected “the top 846 lawyers” in Florida based upon independent specialist lawyer evaluation.  In 2006 and 2007, Mr. Gassman was selected for inclusion in “Florida Super Lawyers”, which profiles the “top 5 percent of Florida lawyers” based upon peer review surveys and advisory boards.  He has also been listed in Who’s Who in American Law, Who’s Who in the Southeast, Who’s Who in Science & Industry, and Who Buys All the Who’s Who Books?

After many years as a partner in a large Clearwater personal injury law firm, Jim Dodson founded his own law office, Jim Dodson Law in 2001, to make a reality of his vision of providing client-centered legal services exclusively to those whose lives have been shattered by someone else's reckless or negligent act. Jim has over 25 years experience representing clients in all types of injury claims including car accidents, motorcycle crashes, pedestrian and bicycle collisions, slip and fall accidents, medical malpractice & wrongful death.In some larger law firms, cases are handled mostly by file processors and case managers, but not at Jim Dodson Law. Jim limits the number of cases he accepts so he can provide personal attention and top notch service to his clients. Though his main office is in Clearwater, he serves a wide area of Florida's West Coast with satellite offices in Bradenton, Fort Myers, New Port Richey, Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda, Sanford, Sarasota and Venice.. Jim is a native Floridian and graduate of the Florida State College of Law. A well respected trial lawyer and former federal prosecutor and Assistant State Attorney, Mr. Dodson is highly respected in the legal community. He is a member of the prestigous Million Dollar Advocates Forum, has achieved the highest possible AV rating by his peers for legal abilities and ethics, was awarded a 10.0 superb rating from AVVO, a lawyer rating service, has been named a Tampa Bay Top Personal Injury Lawyer and was recognized as a Florida Super Lawyer in 2014.. As a community activist and advocate for consumer education and safety, Jim founded the "Bikes for Kids" and "Helmets for Kids" programs. He is the author of nine publications related to various areas of injury law and they are available at no cost at . The firm website also contains hundreds of educational videos, informative articles and commonly asked questions people have following an accident or injury. It has become a trusted resource of legal information for accident victims throughout Florida.Jim and his wife have two grown children and four beautiful grandchildren. Jim is a second generation native Floridian. In his free time Jim also enjoys golfing, boating, mountain and road biking, wood working, reading and spending time with his family.