I have been a Florida licensed attorney for more than 25 years since graduation from Stetson College of Law in 1992 with honors. In addition to Law Review, I gained practical experience by an internship with the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office and a clerkship with the Florida Bar. Thereafter, I worked in commercial litigation for three years for private law firms until I started my own practice in 1995.
I have always taken education very seriously and have always tried to be on the cutting edge of new legal developments in my field. I have taken every opportunity to learn from the best, such as the prestigious Max Gardner's Bankruptcy Boot Camp which has been featured in Business Week magazine and on ABC's Nightline. This has helped to arm the law firm with the knowledge and resources to fight mortgage companies in foreclosure actions as well as adversary proceedings in bankruptcies. I also attended a specialized training bootcamp offered in Minneapolis by Pete Barry, Esq. Mr. Barry is a well known consumer rights attorney having represented thousands of clients who were victims of unscrupulous debt collectors. I also attended a Student Loan Bootcamp by Josh Cohen and many other CLEs specifically directed toward representing consumers aggressively for premium results.
Networking with fellow attorneys is always good to ensure you stay on top of your game. I am a member of the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys, the National Association of Consumer Advocates, the American Bankruptcy Institute and the Tampa Bay Bankruptcy Bar Association.
I am a frequent speaker myself at various consumer oriented continuing legal education seminars for other attorneys before the American Bankruptcy Institute and the Tampa Bay Bankruptcy Bar Association (the “TBBBA”). I also write a quarterly column for the TBBBA, Student Loan Sidebar, about recent student loan related laws, regulations and developments nationwide. Whenever possible, I take the opportunity to share my knowledge about student loans gained from my prior work as trial counsel for Sallie Mae, ECMC and other student loan servicers or guarantors, and from my practice now on the consumer side of things.
