Alumni on the Move

• Kristina Merritt, J.D. ’16

  joined Holland & Knight as a Practice Development Manager.

• Michael B. Robinson, J.D. ’11

  joined as partner with Barnes Walker Goethe Perron Shea & Robinson PLLC Firm.

• Matthew S. Kramer, J.D. ’10

  has been named partner at Brinkley Morgan. Mr. Kramer is a member of the firm’s Real Estate and Corporate Law group, focusing his practice on representing lenders, borrowers, sellers, buyers, landlords, tenants and businesses in a variety of real estate and business transactions and disputes.

• James Haliczer, J.D. ’82

  was recently selected as a “Top Lawyers of 2022,” in the area of Medical Malpractice Law, by the magazine Fort Lauderdale Illustrated. Haliczer is the founding partner at Haliczer Pettis & Schwamm. Attorneys selected to this prestigious list received the highest number of votes by attorneys in the region in their respective practice areas. Established in 1996, the law firm of Haliczer Pettis & Schwamm focuses on representing clients in the areas of medical malpractice, wrongful death, personal injury, and workers’ compensation matters, with offices located in both Fort Lauderdale and Orlando.

• Katie Russo, JD ’22

  has joined the law office of Glausier Knight-Jones, PLLC in downtown Tampa as an associate, and will be practicing Community Association law.

• Tino M. Lisella, JD ’07

  has joined the law firm Carlton Fields in their Miami, FL office. Lisella joins the firm's National Securities Litigation and Enforcement Practice, which provides counsel to the securities industry and public companies across a range of investigation, enforcement, and litigation matters.

• Robert (Bob) G. Riegel, JD ’81

  has joined the firm Lippes Mathias as a partner. He has more than 40 years of experience representing management clients across the full spectrum of employment, with a particular focus on litigation and crisis management.

   

• Brian E. Smith, JD ’07

  has been appointed chair of the Eminent Domain Committee for The Florida Bar. Brian is a shareholder at Lowndes in Orlando, where he represents property owners and select condemning authorities in eminent domain matters statewide.

   

  Omar Amin, JD ’20

  has joined the Tampa office of Wood, Smith, Henning & Berman.

• Cynthia Oster, JD ’95

  has been appointed to serve as a judge on the 13th Judicial Circuit Court by Gov. Ron DeSantis. Oster fills the judicial vacancy created by the resignation of Judge Emmett Battles.

• Marc Makholm, JD ’96

  has been appointed to serve as a judge on the Hillsborough County Court by Gov. Ron DeSantis. Makholm fills the judicial vacancy created by the resignation of Judge James Moody III.

• Barbara-Jo Bell, JD ’06

  has been appointed to serve as a judge on the Hernando County Court by Gov. Ron DeSantis. Bell fills the judicial vacancy created by the resignation of Judge Kristie Healis.

• Michael Casey, M.Jur. ’22

  joined the Moyer Law Group as Director of Human Resources and Director of Marketing. The firm is located in St. Petersburg, Florida and represents clients throughout the state in the areas of commercial and construction litigation.

• Mark Sanders, LLM ‘09

  was named the new Dean for The Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM)’s Louisiana campus. Mark has served as the Interim Dean for VCOM-Louisiana since July 1, 2021.

• Julius Matusewicz, J.D. ‘17 and Jade Turner, J.D. ’19

  joined Trenam Law as Associate.

• Bobby Morvay, J.D. ‘07

  joined Kemp Ruge and Green Law Group and will practice in the area of Personal Injury.

• Blane McCarthy, B.A. ’92, J.D. ’95

  has been elected the President-Elect for the Jacksonville Bar Association for 2022-2023. He is slated to assume the Presidency on July 1, 2023.

• Jason Sausner, J.D. ’21

  joined the Fort Lauderdale office of Bressler Amery & Ross as an Associate.

• Stephanie Miles, J.D. ’05

  recently opened Cathey & Miles, P.A. in St. Petersburg. The firm is committed to representing clients in the area of catastrophic personal injury and insurance bad faith.

• Patricia Flanagan, J.D. ’08

  has been recognized by South Florida Business Journal as a 40 Under 40 honoree.

• Michael W. Showers, J.D. ‘90

  owner of Turning Point Legal Services, LLC in Milton, Pennsylvania, recently opened a second office in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania. The firm operates a general practice in rural Pennsylvania handling a variety of legal matters such as real property, estate planning and administration, family law, corporation law, and business entities, as well as criminal law.

• Stephanie Palacios, J.D. ‘12

  joined Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida as Director of Advocacy & Government Relations.

• Sharon Galantino, J.D. ‘13

  joined Twitter as a Public Policy Fellow for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.  She is also a Law Ph.D. candidate, researching European regulation of disinformation. Her article on the effects of the EU Digital Services Act and the Code of Practice on Disinformation on freedom of expression and the rule of law will be published in the Journal of Law, Technology, and Society in 2022.

• Greta Kolcon, J.D. ’94

  was named Senior Counsel, Labor & Employment for CooperCompanies, an innovative medical device company operating through CooperVision and CooperSurgical. She also recently received In-House Counsel Certification (ICC) from the Association of Corporate Counsel Credentialing Institute.

• Robert Fountain, J.D. ’12

  was named Corporate Counsel for the Texas Rangers.

• R. Keith Gordon, J.D. ‘03

  joined Duncan Weinberg Genzer & Pembroke, P.C. which has offices in Washington, D.C., and Sacramento CA.

• Nikki C. Day, J.D. ‘09

  was awarded the 2022 Chair Service Award, presented annually by the City, County, and Local Government Law (CCLGL) Section of The Florida Bar.  Day is a Shareholder and practice group leader with the Tampa office of Bryant Miller Olive P.A.

• Dr. Steven D. Brownlee, J.D. ’12

  who is a Florida Bar board certified Health Law attorney, has joined H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute in Tampa, Florida as Assistant General Counsel for Clinical Affairs.

• Paul Suppicich, J.D. ’05

  Paul Suppicich was elected to serve a two-year term as President of the Tampa-Hillsborough Friends of the Library Council.

• Nicolette Vilmos, BA ‘98, JD ‘00

  Nicolette Vilmos was elected Chair of the International Women’s Insolvency and Restructuring Confederation of Florida.

• Judy Thomas, J.D. ‘19

  opened her own boutique law firm, Heathrow Family Law in Lake Mary, Florida.

• Viviana Vasiu, B.A. '15, J.D. '18

  will complete her Department of Justice Honors Program appointment this summer and has accepted a Clerk position for a U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York.

• Stanton A. Fears, J.D. '15

  joined the Tampa Office of Freeborn & Peters as an Associate.

• Matthew McMurtrey, J.D. ’13

  was elected to a shareholder at Lowndes, where he concentrates his practice on the acquisition, financing, and development of commercial and residential projects.

• Anisha Patel, J.D. '14

  was named  President-Elect Designate of the Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division.

• Kennedy Legler, B.A ’08, J.D. ‘11

  was promoted to Felony Division Chief of the Office of State Attorney for the 12th Judicial Circuit.

• Hannah Ibañez, JD ‘16

  Appointed by President Biden as a member of the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Access Board.

• Colton McCorkle, J.D. ’20

  joined the Ragsdale Liggett litigation team in Jacksonville, Florida office as an Associate.

• Fred Piccolo, J.D. ’03

  joined McNicholas & Associates as Vice President of Public Affairs.

• Harold E. “Ed” Patricoff, Jr., JD ’85

  joined Duane Morris LLP as a Partner in the firm’s Trial Practice Group in its Miami office.

• Trevor Sammons, JD ‘15

  joined Hale Law in Sarasota, Florida.

• Marissa Milazzo, JD ’21

  joined Berlin Patten Ebling, which has offices in offices in Sarasota, Lakewood Ranch, Venice, Tampa and St. Petersburg.

• Miranda Martinez, JD ‘19

  joined Saint Leo University as Assistant General Counsel.

• Ryan Angel, JD ’12

  Hill Ward Henderson promoted and Ryan Angel Jill Bell, JD ’09 to Shareholder.

• Wendy Loquasto, JD ’88

  of Fox & Loquasto, LLC, in Tallahassee was appointed as Chair of the Workers’ Compensation Rules Advisory Committee for 2021-2022. Her term as Chair caps off her six years of service on the WCRAC.

• Jonathan “Boomer” Hart, JD ‘14

  was named Partner with the Tampa office of Wood Smith Henning and Berman, LLP.

• Tiffany Love, J.D. '11

  joined the Tampa office of Adams and Reese a will practice in the area of civil litigation.

• The Hon. Julie O’Kane, J.D. ‘91

  retired as a Circuit Judge for the Ninth Judicial Circuit and established O’Kane Mediation & Arbitration, LLC in Orlando.

• Bronwyn Stanford , JD '03

  was appointed as the new Director of the Miami-Dade Animal Services Department.

• Michael E. Marder, JD '77

  was recently recognized among Orlando Business Journal's 2021 Central Florida Power Players.

• Jeanette Secor JD '91

  has added being an Executive Movie Producer to her list of accomplishments. Her two films, Fear of Rain and Lady of the Manor are available on Amazon.

   

• William “Bill” Mitchell, Sr., JD '16

  was named Partner with the Tampa office of Conroy Simberg, P.A.

• Drew Patterson, JD ’21

  joined The Law Office of Robert Eckard & Associates, P.A. in Palm Harbor, Florida and will be practicing in both business litigation and criminal law.

• Kim Helper, JD '93

  Tennessee Governor Bill Lee appointed Kim Helper to the Governor’s Council for Judicial Appointments.

• The Hon. Noelle Sharp, JD '05

  was appointed as an Assistant Chief Immigration Judge.

• Alicia Dietzen, JD '12

  was recognized by the Business Observer for their 2021 40 Under 40 Awards.

• Senator Kathleen Passidomo, JD '78

  was unanimously selected by the Republican Caucus of the Florida Senate to serve as the President-Designate for the 2022-2024 Legislative Term.

• Blaze Bowers, JD '21

  was named Assistant Vice President for academic and student support services at Lincoln Memorial University.

• Jay VanDerZee, JD '96

  will join Stetson Law this fall as the Director of Trial Advocacy and Practitioner-in-Residence.

• James L. Doyle, JD '21

  joined Winderweedle, Haines, Ward & Woodman, P.A. in Orlando, Florida, and will be practicing in the areas of real estate law.

• Sandra Urban, JD '08

  joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office as a Federal Prosecutor.

• Professor Rebecca C. Morgan, JD '80

  received a lifetime achievement award from the Florida Bar Elder Law Section.

• Corey Roberts, JD '21

  joined the Tampa office of WSHB.

• T. Hardee Bass III, JD '04

  has become a Shareholder with Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley in West Palm Beach, Florida.

• The Hon. Michael C. Baggé-Hernández, JD '07

  was recognized as an outstanding jurist by twelve voluntary bar associations at The Florida Jurist: Recognizing Hispanic Excellence event in September.

• The. Hon. Leslie Schultz-Kin, JD '99

  was appointed to the bench and will serve in the Hillsborough and Pasco County courts.

• Ryan Loker, JD '18

  appointed to serve on both the South Dakota Bar Association Administrative Law Committee, as well as the South Dakota Bar Association In-House Counsel Committee.

• Erin Tilton, JD '13

  has joined the Tallahassee office of Stearns Weaver Miller as a Shareholder.

• Cole Carlson, JD '14

  was promoted to Shareholder with the Tampa office of GrayRobinson.

• Felicia Kitzmiller, JD '18

  has joined the Tallahassee office of Stearns Weaver Miller as a Shareholder.

• Jade Turner, JD '19

  joined the Tampa office of Freeborn & Peters as an Associate in the Litigation Practice Group and the Insurance/Reinsurance Industry Team.

• Mark Turner, JD '88

  was appointed to the Polk State College District Board of Trustees.

• Judge Susan Sexton, JD '77

  in collaboration with a co-host, has created a new podcast named The Judge and the Journalist. The first season is devoted to the Trial of Joe Exotic and is available on Apple, Spotify, and Anchor.

• Eric Page, JD '04

  was elected to the Board of Directors of the Gasparilla Festival of the Arts.

• Jeremy C. Smith, JD '14

  joined the Tampa office of Carlton Fields and will practice in the area of healthcare law.

• Aizaz Chaudhary, JD '20

  joined the litigation department of Winderweedle, Haines, Ward & Woodman, P.A. in Winter Park, Florida.

• Alexis Campisi, JD '19

  joined the insurance litigation practice group of Wood, Smith, Henning & Berman LLP in Tampa, Florida.

• Jeff Klein, JD '20

  joined the Pinellas County Attorney's Office as an Assistant County Attorney in Clearwater, Florida.

• Jeremy Ong, JD '20

  joined the creditor's rights practice group of Marcadis Singer P.A. in Tampa, Florida.

• Eric M. Schorr, LL.M '14

  was named Managing Partner of Sessions, Fishman & Nathan, LLC. Based in New Orleans, Louisiana, the firm represents clients throughout Louisiana with regard to trusts, estate planning, special needs planning, probate, and incapacity, and provides services throughout the Southeast United States in the areas of bankruptcy, real estate, and commercial litigation.

• Melody Lynch, JD/MBA '07

  commenced a two-year term as President of the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra Board of Directors.

• John Lee Curtis, JD '04

  celebrated the two-year anniversary of founding Aviation Transaction Advisors, P.A. in Miami, Florida. The boutique firm represents small, medium, and large aviation industry businesses in a wide variety of commercial transactions.

• J. Tyler Payne, JD/MBA '15

  was elected Mayor of the City of Treasure Island, Florida, and will serve a 3-year term.

• Anthony A. Velardi, JD '09

  established AV Law PLLC serves clients in real estate, business, estate planning, probate, and trust matters in Key Largo and Islamorada, Florida.

• Thomas Oates, JD '03

  of the Law Offices of Oates & Oates, P.A. in Pompano Beach, Florida was recently elected Vice-Chair of Florida’s 17th Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission.

• Marcia S. Cohen, JD '84

  was appointed to the Board of Directors of the St. Petersburg Conference on World Affairs. The conference is an annual, multi-day event offering over 30-panel discussions on international topics at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg.

• Rhea Law, JD '79

  was confirmed as Interim President of the University of South Florida.

• Randy Mink, JD '06

  was unanimously approved by the Polk County Board of County Commissioners to serve as the next County Attorney.

• Kai Su, JD '19  

  has joined the Tampa office of Carlton Fields as an Associate with the Business Litigation Practice. Prior to joining Carlton Fields, she served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Thomas G. Wilson in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, working on a large docket of civil and criminal cases.

• Beth Jenkins Casey, JD '09

  accepted a position as a Compliance Analyst with Milliman in Tampa, Florida. Milliman is an independent risk management, benefits, and technology firm with offices in major cities around the globe.

• Mitchell Schermer, JD '15

  and Mary Schermer, JD '16 celebrated the birth of their first child, Madeline Anne “Maddie” Schermer in July 2020.

• Erik Johanson, JD '13

  recently celebrated the one-year anniversary of opening Erik Johanson PLLC in Tampa, Florida. The firm is a full-service civil litigation firm with experience representing individuals, fiduciaries, and small, medium, and large businesses.

• Danielle Weaver-Rogers, JD '13

  was invited to serve as a member of the Stetson Lawyers Alumni Association (SLAA) Advisory Council Board and will begin her three-year term in October.

• Robert P. Kelly, JD '92

  was named Managing Attorney for the Tampa Legal office of Liberty Mutual. Mr. Kelly has been with Liberty Mutual for more than 28.

• Korey Henson, JD '09

  established Runway Strategies, a legal recruitment and coaching company, and serves as the company’s Chief Strategy Officer.

• Ying “Laura” Gao, JD '16

  established the Gao Law Firm. With offices in Ocala and Tampa Bay, Ms. Gao serves clients in the areas of estate planning, probate, guardianship, and guardian advocacy.

• David C. Murray, JD/MBA '01

  formed a new law firm, Murray + Murray in Tampa, Florida.  Mr. Murray focuses his practice on insurance claims litigation, representing homeowners, businesses, condominiums, and hotels in first-party insurance disputes and bad faith claims. He was recently appointed to the Florida Justice Association’s property insurance board for the 21-22 year.

• Professor Peter Lake

  was named the First Place Winner of the “Everyday Hero in Education” by Margaritaville.

• Robert H. Nutter, JD '70

  Having practiced for 51-year, Robert H. Nutter will be retiring in January 2022

• Luis Prats, B.A. ‘78, JD '81

  Carlton Fields Shareholder is a co-editor and chapter author of the Construction Trial Deskbook, newly released by the American Bar Association Forum on Construction Law.

• Camille Iurillo, J.D. '91

  Iurillo Law Group has merged its practice with Englander Fischer’s practice effective August 2, 2021, and has been a member of the St. Petersburg legal community for more than 30 years and focuses her practice on commercial bankruptcy and bankruptcy litigation, corporate transactions, and commercial and real estate litigation.

• Kayla Richmond, JD/MBA '13, Amanda Sharkey Ross, JD '99, Russell Schropp, JD '78, G. Donald Thomson, JD '84

  Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt attorneys were named “Top Lawyers” by Naples Illustrated magazine.

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