Neil Lyons recognizes that a person’s skill should be used for the greater good. He decided to pursue a career in law for one reason: To help people. That commitment has been reinforced over and over again throughout his legal career.
In law school, he interned with Gulf Coast Legal Services which gave him the opportunity to provide services to the poor and vulnerable. After law school and a stint doing commercial insurance coverage work, he took time off to be a stay-at-home father to his son Luke. During that period, he still found time to volunteer with Gulf Coast Legal. His volunteer work brought him to the aid of a grandmother who was trying to secure the guardianship of four minors. That experience solidified his commitment to assisting, whenever possible, two very vulnerable groups: children and the elderly. Since then, Neil has focused much of his legal endeavors to doing just that.
Today he practices extensively in the realm of estate planning, elder law, and trust and probate administration. In this arena and since 2015, he has put his legal knowledge and desire to helping others to good end, contributing more than 500 hours of pro bono legal services to Sarasota and Manatee County residents.
Neil’s good deeds have been widely recognized, including by the Sarasota County Bar Association, which in 2018 awarded him with its Distinguished Community Service Award for “his dedication to helping the cause of the defenseless and oppressed through his countless hours of pro bono legal services.” More recently, in 2019, the Florida Bar recognized this with its President’s Pro Bono Service Award. His pro bono efforts have also been recognized numerous times by Legal Aid of Manasota and the Young Lawyer’s Division of the Supreme Court of Florida.
Beyond his legal work and his pro bono efforts, Neil is actively engaged in service to the legal community. He currently serves on the board of the Sarasota County Bar Association, co-chairs the local Elder Law Section and serves on the Gulf Coast Chapter Board of Directors of the Florida State Guardianship Association.
The experience and commitment to public service and excellence that Neil brings to Luhrsen Goldberg is the perfect complement to the compassionate guidance and counsel the Lakewood Ranch and surrounding areas have come to expect and appreciate from personal injury attorneys Julie S. Luhrsen and Christina A. Goldberg. As an attorney at a firm known for Law Powered By Women®, Neil is no stranger to the support and encouragement of strong women. He credits his wife, Mary, for enabling and encouraging him to help so many through his pro bono work.
Neil earned his Juris Doctor degree from Stetson University College of Law in 2011. Neil earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree with a major in History from the University of South Florida in 2004. He then went on to earn his Master’s Degree in Education from the University of South Florida in 2008. Neil is licensed to practice before all Florida State Courts, Florida’s Second District Court of Appeals and holds memberships with the Sarasota County Bar and Florida Justice associations.
Neil has lived in Sarasota since 1995 and graduated from Cardinal Mooney High School in 1999. He currently lives in Sarasota with his wife and sons Luke and Dylan.
