Cypress Gardens Appeals & Appellate Lawyers

David Hill obtained his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida, and all state courts of Florida. Mr. Hill has practiced exclusively in criminal defense in the state of Florida, primarily in the Central Florida community, since graduating from law school and represents clients in a far-ranging array of matters, including felony, misdemeanor and traffic allegations, in both State and Federal courts. He has twenty years of experience as a criminal defense lawyer having been admitted to practice in 1991,...

Chris is a Partner at Johnson, Newlon & DeCort, P.A., a business litigation law firm in Tampa, Florida. The Firm was founded in 2014 and is dedicated to representing businesses involved in a broad range of litigation matters, including general commercial litigation actions, contract disputes, fraud claims, trademark and other intellectual property disputes, employment law matters, breach of fiduciary duty claims, securities litigation actions, and other litigation practice areas.

Mark McCulloch is the managing attorney/owner at MKM LAW PLLC. He holds licenses to practice in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Florida and is admitted to practice in several federal courts across the country including the United States Supreme Court. Mr. McCulloch began his legal career in 2009 in the legal department at Liberty Mutual Insurance Company before opening his own practice in 2010. As a Bar Advocate in Massachusetts, Mr. McCulloch represented indigent criminal defendants charged with misdemeanors and felonies in state courts across the Commonwealth. His clients benefitted from his belief that regardless of economic status, a criminal defendant...

After obtaining his law degree with honors from the University of Florida, Mr. Alexander clerked under the Honorable Thomas D. Sawaya at Florida’s Fifth District Court of Appeal. Upon Judge Sawaya’s retirement, he continued clerking for the Fifth District under the Honorable James A. Edwards, rising to the level of Senior Law Clerk.

At the Fifth District Court of Appeal, Mr. Alexander was involved in the decision-making process for dozens of complex appellate cases, including multi-million dollar commercial disputes, intricate real estate transactions, life-altering personal injury cases, complicated divorce and family law litigation, convictions for capital offenses, and other sophisticated,...

Thomas A. Burns is a board-certified appellate specialist with extensive experience defending and prosecuting lawsuits at the trial and appellate levels, in both federal and state courts. Before returning to Florida, Mr. Burns practiced for five years in Washington, D.C., with the appellate departments of Sidley Austin LLP and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP. In Tampa, Mr. Burns practiced for three years in the appellate departments of Hill Ward Henderson and Greenberg Traurig, P.A. In those capacities, Mr. Burns represented leading companies from diverse industries in a wide variety of disputes. Mr. Burns has substantial experience with appellate...

Sherri K. DeWitt was born and grew up in Middletown, New York. She was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1982 and has been authorized to practice before the U.S District Court of the Middle District of Florida since 1983 and before the U.S. Court of Appeal since 1985. She received her B.A. Cum Laude in 1973 and Ph.D. in 1977 from State University of New York at Binghamton. Dr. DeWitt received her J.D. Degree from Cornell University in 1982. She was an editor of the Cornell Law Review and is the author of a book and numerous articles. Dr....

Attorney Heather Harwell has been practicing law for 27 years, gaining extensive experience in litigation and consumer debt issues. Her practice is focused in Bankruptcy, Consumer Credit Card Defense, Debt Defense, Fair Debt Collection Practice Violation Actions and Consumer Credit Reporting Issues.

Elaine Thompson has been practicing law since 1989. She began her legal career working as an Assistant Attorney General in the Criminal Appeals Division of the Florida Attorney General's Office in Tampa. Ms. Thompson work in private practice includes work on workers compensation matters, criminal appeals, civil appeals, civil litigation, family appeals, medical malpractice, and personal injury cases. As an Assistant Public Defender, she served as a supervisor of the Appellate Division, represented clients in Baker Act proceedings, and handled post-conviction matters.

Ms. Thompson decided to focus her practice on the most rewarding work she performs...

Windy L. Wilkerson obtained her juris doctor with honors from Florida State University College of Law in 2001. Her professional legal services include the areas of personal injury, probate, family law, civil litigation, criminal defense, and workers' compensation. Her office, serving the Greater Tampa Bay area and surrounding counties, is located in Brandon, Florida 33511. There is easy parking and consultations are free!

Attorney Stephanie Modica is a native of Clermont, Florida. Stephanie attended the University of Florida (Go Gators!) graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. Subsequently, she earned her Juris Doctor, Cum Laude from Roger Williams University School of Law where she was a participant in the Honors Program and Assistant editor of the Law Review.

Stephanie began her career as a Judicial Staff Attorney in Lake County for the Honorable Don F. Briggs, Honorable Mark A. Nacke, Honorable Michael G. Takac, and Honorable James Baxley. As Staff Attorney in both Circuit & County Court, Ms. Modica developed extensive knowledge...

Originally hailing from Maryland, Attorney William B. Wynne moved to Florida in 2001, and attended Valencia Community College and The University of Central Florida, earning an associate’s degree in general studies and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business, respectively. Mr. Wynne then went on to earn a law degree from The Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law, in Orlando, Florida. Additionally, Mr. Wynne holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration from The University of Central Florida.

Mr. Wynne currently resides in Tampa, where he runs his own law practice. He has represented clients in nearly a thousand different cases, including...

Stephen J. Calvacca has over thirty-five years of litigation experience in a broad range of practice areas ranging from murder to legal malpractice. He began his career as a criminal trial lawyer in New York City working as a Public Defender in one of the busiest courts in the country. He was later appointed by New York’s Attorney General as Special Assistant Attorney General to investigate and prosecute corruption in the nursing home industry during its most scandalous heydays. He was lead prosecutor in some of the most significant Medicaid fraud cases in New York City and earned the...

Jenny M. Thomas has devoted the majority of her career to criminal defense and opposing domestic violence injunctions. She has conducted many jury trials in criminal cases through verdict and has more than seven years of experience fighting for individuals charged with a criminal offense. After completing her undergraduate degree at the University of Findlay in Ohio, Jenny graduated from law school at Stetson University College of Law in St. Petersburg, FL, in 2004. Prior to law school, Jenny worked as an adoption assessor and social worker in Ohio with special needs and high risk foster children....

Judge Michael J. Scionti is a Circuit Court Judge with the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit in the State of Florida, who has served our community and country for over two decades, upholding the rule of law in and out of the courtroom, on and off the battlefield, and throughout all branches of government.

Judge Scionti is a Tampa native and lifelong resident of Hillsborough County. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Florida State University and his Juris Doctor from South Texas College of Law. Judge Scionti has held various positions of public trust as a...

Asad Ali is a criminal defense attorney who represents clients in state and federal courts. Mr. Ali relies on his extensive criminal law experience at the trial and appellate level to zealously advocate for his clients. Mr. Ali began his career at the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Public Defender’s Office in Tampa, Florida. There, he discovered his passion for defending people against an often unfair criminal justice system. As an Assistant Public Defender, Mr. Ali successfully represented adults and juveniles charged with offenses ranging from misdemeanors to serious felonies during pretrial proceedings and at trial. After his tenure with the Public Defender’s...

Amir Ghaeenzadeh graduated from the University of South Florida, with honors, with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biomedical Sciences and a minor in Public Health in 2009. He then attended Florida Coastal School of Law, where he graduated Cum Laude, and is admitted to practice law in Florida and the District of Columbia. Mr. Ghaeenzadeh passionately represents injured clients, and has the knowledge as he formally worked as an insurance defense attorney. He also represents corporations. Mr. Amir Ghaeenzadeh has considerable experience dealing with automobile and trucking negligence, and premise liability (malls, hotels, restaurants, venues, etc.) resulting in catastrophic injuries...

Before moving to Orlando last summer, I worked as an assistant county attorney in southwest Florida for 4 years. I was the primary drafter of Lee County’s comprehensive plan, land development code, and administrative codes while representing a number of county departments including planning and zoning, transportation, utilities, natural resources, and parks and recreation. Prior to working for Lee County, I worked at a private law firm practicing Real Estate, Local Government, Environmental Law, Land Use, HOA Law, and Condominium Law for nearly 10 years.

Attorney Samuel A. Walker heads CPLS, P.A.’s federal and Virgin Islands appeals team, and is its chief federal and Virgin Islands appellate attorney. Mr. Walker earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Loma Linda University and a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from Howard University School of Law. After law school Mr. Walker served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Ishmael A. Meyers at the Superior Court of the United States Virgin Islands. Mr. Walker advised Judge Meyers on a variety of civil and criminal matters, including appeals. Since completing his judicial clerkship, Mr. Walker...

Jason Margolin represents businesses and individuals in resolving controversies through court proceedings, trials, alternative dispute resolutions, and administrative proceedings. He advocates for clients involved in both jury and non-jury actions, in state and federal court cases, as well as in arbitrations.

In addition to his general commercial litigation experience, Jason also represents creditors, debtors, and Ponzi-scheme victims in bankruptcy matters, including adversary proceedings and federal court receivership proceedings.

Loren Rhoton P.A. is exclusively a criminal appeals and post conviction relief law firm. Our office focuses only on post conviction relief and criminal appeals for state and federal cases arising in the state of Florida. With over twenty years of combined experience in post conviction and criminal appeals cases, we strive to vigorously pursue post conviction relief for our clients throughout the state of Florida and in all phases of federal collateral proceedings

Brent Steinberg is a Florida Bar board-certified appellate specialist – a distinction achieved by only 217 of the more than 100,000 members of the Florida Bar. He handles catastrophic injury, insurance bad faith, legal malpractice and insurance coverage cases throughout Florida and Georgia, at both the trial and appellate levels. Mr. Steinberg began his employment with Swope, Rodante P.A. as a law clerk in 2009, joined the firm full time after graduating law school in 2010, and became a partner in 2018. He has served as lead appellate counsel in cases at the Florida Supreme Court, all six of Florida’s District Courts...

Kevin Darken divides his practice at The Cohen Law Group between complex civil litigation and white collar criminal defense, including both civil and criminal appeals. He has close to twenty years of experience in all aspects of litigation and trial. A renowned expert in health care fraud, false claims, and qui tam (whistleblower) actions, Kevin plays an integral part in the firm’s most challenging cases, drafting the intricate legal arguments that go into briefs and motions. In Civil Litigation, Kevin has focused on bringing civil rights actions and business tort cases. Kevin’s diverse background includes stints as a federal...

Jennifer grew up in Cape Girardeau, Missouri and obtained her bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida in Human Resource Development with a minor in Business Administration. Jennifer later returned to the University of Florida to earn her law degree in 2009. During law school, Jennifer served as a Managing Editor for UF Law Review and an officer for UF Moot Court. She competed in both regional and national competitions for appellate advocacy and consistently won top honors for her writing and oral arguments. Prior to joining McIntyre Thanasides Bringgold Elliott Grimaldi & Guito P.A., Jennifer served both the...