Sarasota County Lawyers

Melissa Karp Elsbree has lived in Sarasota since 1972. After graduating high school, she attended The American University in Washington, D.C., obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice in 1983. Melissa subsequently earned her J.D. degree from Florida State University College of Law in December of 1990, immediately began her law practice in her hometown of Sarasota, and has practiced exclusively in Sarasota since that time. Formerly a partner of Karp & Karp, P.A., Melissa has longstanding experience in handling complex civil litigation matters, concentrated primarily in the areas of family law and divorce, foreclosure defense...

TASO M. MILONAS is admitted to practice before all courts in Florida and the U.S. Tax Court. He received his LL.M. in Taxation from the University of Florida Frederic G. Levin College of Law and J.D. from Stetson University College of Law. He has been qualified and testified as a subject-matter expert in State and Federal Courts in the areas of estate planning, undue influence, breach of fiduciary duty, fiduciary accounting, Florida Probate Code, Florida Trust Code, Florida Uniform Principal and Income Act, federal income, gift and estate tax and legal ethics. A significant portion of Taso’s...

I practice civil litigation and criminal defense. I began my legal career in the Washington, D.C. office of Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, a New York-based international law firm, where I was a member of the business fraud litigation group. In 2010, I returned to Sarasota, where I was born a raised, to practice law with my father, a board certified civil trial lawyer with over 40 years of experience, and his law partner, Elliott Metcalfe, an AV rated former public defender with over 30 years and thousands of trials worth of experience. I have experience representing commercial...

My mission is to work with my clients and limit their legal costs and liability while I zealously represent them on employment law and health law matters. As a solo practitioner, my clients have direct, unfettered access to me as your attorney. This is a different concept than what you will find in larger law firms or even some solo practitioners. I believe that this type of access is something my clients should expect from their lawyer.

As a partner at Band, Gates & Dramis, P.L., Chad Gates is proud to represent clients throughout the Sarasota area. He brings more than 20 years of impressive legal experience to the table, taking on a wide range of cases in that time. Attorney Gates handles matters involving estate planning, probate, personal injury, real estate law, corporate law, and various other issues. He boasts unwavering dedication to his clients, always striving to secure the best possible outcome on their behalves. From tenacious advocacy to skillful negotiations, he knows how to deliver it all. Attorney Gates is currently a member of...

David has practiced law for 15 years and specializes in estate planning, wills, trusts, probate and defense of medical malpractice and civil rights lawsuits. He is a shareholder of Chapman Law Group and is licensed in both Michigan and Indiana. David is a Special Fiduciary at the Oakland County Probate Court. He is dedicated to educating the public on issues in estate planning including providing assets and care to loved ones, limiting taxes, and establishing healthcare protocols. David strives to serve each individual clients estate planning needs, tailoring each plan to address wealth preservation and family financial security. David holds a Certificate...

Mr. Clayton has been practicing law since 1987 and is admitted to practice in Florida, New Jersey and New York. He attended Washington & Lee University and received his undergraduate and law degrees from Seton Hall University. He founded The Clayton Law Firm, P.A. in 1996 after practicing with highly regarded law firms prior to that time. After 20 years of having his own law firm, Mr. Clayton became a shareholder in Icard Merrill in 2016.

Mr. Clayton has been “AV” rated by Martindale Hubbell since 1998 and has been designated as a Florida Super Lawyer from 2012 to...

Serving individuals and families in Charlotte County, North Port, Florida, and the surrounding areas for over 30 years. Our Law Firm specializes in Estate Planning (Trusts, Wills, and Health Planning documents), Probate (Formal Administration, Summary Administration, Ancillary Administration, Trust Administration), and Real Property Law (Deeds, Assignment of Lease, Contract review).

Allan is an Attorney and CPA whose practice focuses on legal and business management services for passionate clients in the entertainment/media and fashion/apparel industries. His unique background allows him to service clients with all aspects of transactional entertainment matters, copyright and trademark matters, licensing, and financial and tax consulting. Allan serves as counsel to musicians, records producers, managers, record labels, music publishers, actors, film and photography production companies, designers and apparel companies. His past professional experience includes EMI Music, Woods & Middleton, LLP, Deloitte (tax, licensing, royalty audits), and Tommy Hilfiger. He also has experience...

John Cole has over 40 years of experience in bankruptcy ;aw and family law. His office is located in Sarasota Florida. In bankruptcy he has represented both individuals and companies assisting them in both Chapter 111 reorganizations and in liquidation proceedings under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code. He is AV rated by Martindale Hubbell. He was a member of the Law Review at the University of Florida where he graduated with a Juris Doctor degree with honors. Prior to law school he was an offcier in the United States navy and graduated from Auburn...

Tonya Willis Pitts, Esq. represents consumers in all consumer rights matters including, but not limited to credit reporting, debt collection, foreclosure, bankruptcy, and credit billing matters. She is admitted to the practice of law in the State of Florida and the U.S. Middle District Court of Florida. She is a member of the Sarasota County Bar Association. In 2000, Mrs. Pitts earned her Juris Doctorate from the University of Florida College of Law. Mrs. Pitts joined McIntyre Thanasides Bringgold Elliott Grimaldi & Guito P.A. in 2010. She continues to provide litigation and consultation services in the areas of credit reporting,...

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Kevin Sanderson serves your legal needs throughout all of West Central Florida, including Sarasota, Casey Key, Siesta Key, Longboat Key, Bradenton, North Port, Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte, Fort Myers, Arcadia, Englewood, and Naples.

Education
Kevin F. Sanderson is a graduate of Boston University (B.A., Psychology) and obtained his juris doctor from St. Thomas University School of Law in Miami, FL. He continued his education, obtaining his LL.M. (legal laureate masters) in international taxation and offshore finance, also at St. Thomas University School of Law. Kevin was born and raised in New Jersey.

Licenses
Mr. Sanderson is a member of the Florida Bar, a member...

Matt Erjavec is a native Floridian who graduated from Florida State University with a degree in Business Management and received his law degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. Upon graduation from law school, Matt returned home to Florida and began practicing as a personal injury attorney at a high volume law firm in Tampa, Florida. During this time, Matt gained invaluable experience handling all aspects of personal injury cases while representing thousands of injury victims. However, this experience also exposed Matt to the shortcomings of high volume law firms - namely, that many times...