Donald S. Bennett

Chris Johnson defends both local and national employers in litigation and administrative proceedings against all claims arising from the employment relationship. Chris also focuses a significant portion of his practice on litigation prevention efforts including the review and revision or personnel policies and procedures to ensure compliance with evolving labor and employment laws. He understands where an employer is most vulnerable and works with his clients to eliminate those vulnerabilitie...

Reed Russell practices in the area of labor and employment focusing on representing employers in wage and hour and employment discrimination law, with an emphasis on collective and class action litigation, other complex litigation and strategic advice. He also represents employers in claims raising equal employment opportunity issues, including claims of single-plaintiff, multi-plaintiff, or class discrimination, and provides advice on employment practices, including through statistical analy...

An aggressive litigator, Karina Perez Ilic has diverse expertise in civil litigation including catastrophic workplace accidents, contracts, commercial disputes, premises liability, and Tampa motor vehicle accidents. She is not afraid to be a fierce advocate for clients who have been wronged or injured. A Florida native, she ventured to New Orleans to receive her bachelor’s degree in business law with a minor in French language at Tulane University. She continued her legal education in N...

Erin Raschke practices in the area of insurance and reinsurance. She has exclusively represented insurers and their agents since she joined Phelps Dunbar in January 2008. Her practice is focused on complex insurance coverage, counseling, and litigation and includes advising and defending insurers regarding allegations of insurer “bad faith.” Erin advises surplus lines and admitted, both foreign and domestic, insurance carriers and routinely represents them in both state and federa...

Elena Paras Ketchum focuses her practice on Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, representing clients throughout Tampa and the Middle District of Florida. Her practice centers on guiding businesses and individuals through complex insolvency matters, with extensive experience representing debtors in possession in Chapter 11 proceedings. She has worked with companies across a wide range of industries, including trucking, manufacturing, construction, retail,...

Ed Carlstedt serves as the office managing partner for FordHarrison's Tampa office. His practice focuses on trade secret, non-compete and restrictive covenant disputes as well as representing management in employment law matters, including defending employers against harassment, discrimination and retaliation claims. Ed has extensive experience in matters involving trade secret, non-compete and restrictive covenant related issues, and has handled dozens of evidentiary hearings in federal and ...

Christian M. Givens is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Collaborative Law: Family Law and Family Law. Christian M., who practices law in Tampa, Florida, has been recognized since 2020. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Christian M. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Katherine Earle Yanes was born in Los Angeles, California. She graduated from Williams College, magna cum laude, with honors in economics, in 1993. In 1997, she graduated from Stetson University College of Law, magna cum laude, as valedictorian of her class. She was an associate member of the Stetson Law Review. Following law school, Ms. Yanes served as a law clerk to Chief Judge Elizabeth A. Kovachevich, United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida. Since 1999, she has rep...

Guy has over 40 years of trial experience with over 100 trials in State and Federal Courts, as well as dozens of trials conducted before arbitration panels. He primarily represents plaintiffs in complex commercial, securities, financial malpractice and consumer fraud litigation and in class actions, generally on a contingency fee basis. He also represents defendants in selected large, complex commercial disputes. He has successfully represented plaintiffs in numerous disputes against brokerag...

David P. Steffen has represented clients in both state and federal courts, before the Florida Commission on Human Relations, the EEOC, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, and the NLRB. He has also advised clients on ways to manage their Workers’ Compensation claims and how to properly enforce employment policies. David regularly assists clients on preemptive strategies to limit their future exposure. Before joining C...