Professional Experience
I founded THE LAW FIRM FOR FAMILY LAW because I believe that focusing solely on cases in the area of Family and Marital Law would allow me to develop the people, systems and procedures necessary to better assist those of you facing a difficult situation in life.
Since the law firm opened in 2005, I have handled over 1,200 family law cases and have acquired significant trial experience on the many issues involved with a divorce or other family law matter. I founded THE LAW FIRM FOR FAMILY LAW with a single mission and that was to assist our clients in dealing with the changes occurring in their lives and to do so with Professionalism, Integrity and Compassion. In addition to my legal experience, I am also a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst and have received the AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell. We now have a staff of Associate Attorneys and other legal professionals who work together as a team to make sure that there is always someone available for you to talk to who is familiar with your case. The size of our staff also allows us to make sure that your case keeps moving forward at the appropriate pace.
Before opening The Law Firm for Family Law I also spent three years as a litigation support specialist for Catherine W. Real, one of Tampa's premier family law attorneys. As a litigation support specialist, I was extensively involved in managing Ms. Real’s cases, and in preparing those cases for hearings, depositions and trials. I also assisted Ms. Real in preparing discovery requests and financial affidavits for clients and I acted as the Law Firm's Administrator and was responsible for the day-to-day management of the firm. In my first life, I spent over 20 years in the mortgage banking and finance industries and I also obtained my Masters in Business Administration from the Florida Institute of Technology. My extensive experience in personal financial, credit, budgeting and rehabilitating credit histories provides me with an advanced understanding of the nature of assets and liabilities and with the financial and credit issues that newly divorced people frequently face.
I received my Law Degree from Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport, Florida, where I was honored to receive the Dean's Award for Outstanding Service, to be named to Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges and to serve as a member of the Moot Court Board and as a Justice on the Honor Court. I graduated with my MBA from the Florida Institute of Technology, graduating Magna Cum Laude, and with a BA in Business from Eckerd College, where I also graduated with honors. I am a member of the Florida Bar and the Bar Associations for Clearwater, St. Petersburg and for Hillsborough County. I am also a member of the Collaborative Divorce Institute of Tampa Bay and I am a certified Guardian Ad Litem. I am a graduate and member of Leadership Pinellas and I am also a member of the Institute of Divorce Financial Analysts.
Memberships
Leadership Pinellas
Collaborative Divorce Institute of Tampa Bay
International Academy of Collaborative Professionals
Institute for Divorce Financial Analysts
The Florida Bar
The American Bar Association
St. Petersburg Bar Association
Clearwater Bar Association
Florida Trial Lawyers Association
Guardian Ad Litem
Real Life Experience
I have been divorced and I have survived almost all of the various types of divorce cases. Simple negotiated divorces, complicated business divorces, and a divorce that involved a difficult and protracted custody fight. I have also been a divorced single father faced with raising a young child on my own. So, I have personally experienced the emotional and financial upheaval that comes with going through a divorce. I have also been the client, the one who was writing the checks to the attorney; the one who was trying to balance a life, a child and a legal case all at the same time. And, I have had the unfortunate experience of suffering the loss of a loved one and that of having to deal with the planning for end of life issues, Living Wills, Wills and Probate Planning, Medicaid Planning too. I understand the very real stress, anxiety and frustration that comes with having to reorganize your entire life while dealing with a family law judicial system that seems slow and cumbersome. I believe in order to represent someone in a Family, Marital or Elder Law case it is vitally important for the attorney to have the real-life experience of going through what you are facing if they are going to be able to understand your true needs and motivations, rather than just the legal aspects of your divorce.
