Denise Wheeler Wright

Before joining the firm in 2013, Joel H. Brown was elected by his colleagues to serve as Chief Judge for the 11th Judicial Circuit of Florida in 2009. Joel was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1971 and had been practicing personal injury law as a civil trial lawyer prior to his appointment by former Governor Bob Martinez to the County Court in 1990. Following his appointment, Joel served as Associate Administrative Judge of the County Court, Criminal Traffic Division, and then served as Adminis...

Philip V. Howard is a partner in the Fort Myers office. He focuses his practice in the areas of Trust and Estate Litigation, Guardianship Litigation, Fiduciary Litigation, and Estate Planning. Philip has significant trial experience in the areas of inheritance disputes, fiduciary disputes, contested wills and trusts, guardianship disputes, elder exploitation injunctions and elder exploitation lawsuits and other contested probate matters. Although Philip focuses his practices on the 20th Judic...

Theodore L. Tripp Jr. has more than four decades of experience handling a wide range of complex civil lawsuits in both state and federal courts. This includes acting as lead trial counsel in significant business disputes, probate, trust and other litigation matters. He has represented businesses, business owners, personal representatives, trustees, municipal and county governments, and landowners in multimillion-dollar litigation at both the trial and appellate level in state and federal cour...

J. Matthew Belcastro is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Construction Law. J. Matthew, who practices law in Fort Myers, Florida, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which J. Matthew is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Phoebe S. Wise is a trial attorney with a track record of successfully litigating cases for individuals, private companies, and public entities. She represents clients in civil matters including breach of contract, insurance coverage disputes, commercial and construction litigation, and probate and trust litigation. She has significant courtroom experience in state court and Federal court. Insurance Recovery Over the past 9 years, Phoebe has recovered millions of dollars in insurance proceeds...

Scott Atwood is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employment Law - Management. Scott, who practices law in Fort Myers, Florida, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Scott is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Practice Areas: Estate Planning Elder Law Guardianship Trust Administration Estate, Gift, and Fiduciary Income Taxation Art Law Edward E. Wollman is a founding Partner of Wollman, Gehrke & Associates, P.A. law firm. He is Board Certified in Wills , Trusts & Estates by The Florida Bar and has a Masters Degree in Taxation from the University of Florida. Ed focuses his busy practice exclusively on estate planning, trust and probate administration, art law, tax planning, elder law, and ch...

Mary Beth Crawford is a Principal in Cummings & Lockwood's Private Clients Group and is based in the Bonita Springs office. She focuses her practice on estate planning, tax planning and probate and trust administration. Mary Beth brings a caring and comprehensive approach to estate planning and provides her clients and their families with both the technical and personal guidance they need in developing the proper plan.

John D. Gast has decades of experience working with families as they plan their estates. John has lived in Southwest Florida for over 30 years and concentrates his practice on estate planning, charitable gift planning, life insurance, domicile planning, probate litigation, trust and estate settlement and taxation. John knows each family is different and works with them to craft a custom plan that fits their individual needs.

Danielle M. Balczon is a partner in the firm’s Ft. Myers office. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree from Louisiana State University in Sociology with a concentration in Criminology. She subsequently obtained her Juris Doctor Degree from Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law in Birmingham, Alabama. While in law school, Balczon studied abroad at Cambridge University and served as an intern in Alabama State University’s Athletic Department. Prior to joining Cole, ...