Edgel C. "Ed" Lester, Jr.

Burke G. Lopez is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Insurance, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants and Product Liability Litigation - Defendants. Burke G., who practices law in Tampa, Florida, has been recognized since 2023. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Burke G. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Robert Warram practices in the firm's Real Estate Department. Mr. Warram is experienced in commercial real estate acquisition and disposition, financing and leasing transactions. Mr. Warram has other career experience in commercial real estate appraisal. Prior to entering law school, he worked as a commercial real estate appraiser for AppraisalFirst, Inc., in Southwest Florida, conducting appraisals of various types of commercial real estate. During law school, Mr. Warram served as a member o...

Krysta Torok is a partner with the firm’s Tampa office. Her practice areas include premises liability, defense of claims against condominium, homeowner and community associations and their officers and directors, SIU insurance fraud, fraud litigation, actions for breach of vendor contracts, as well as personal injury and general civil litigation. Ms. Torok attended Gannon University, in Erie, Pennsylvania, where she graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science....

Vit Gulbis brings an emphasis in tax and business planning to his representation of closely-held businesses and professional practices. His practice integrates the personal and estate tax planning concerns of business owners with business planning. He has represented closely-held businesses throughout their life cycle. He is experienced in the corporate governance and financial concerns of small businesses, and regularly represents clients in their merger and acquisition and financing transac...

Ed's practice focuses primarily in the areas of banking and insolvency. He has represented lenders, lessors, trustees, committees, and debtors in chapter 11 cases and has extensive legal experience in mortgage foreclosures, workouts, lending transactions, lending-related litigation, and assignments for the benefit of creditors. Ed's bankruptcy experience includes the defense and prosecution of preference actions, fraudulent transfer actions, and other avoidance actions, claims litigation, dis...

Lawrence R. Kemm is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Tax Law. Lawrence R., who practices law in Tampa, Florida, has been recognized since 2015. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Lawrence R. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Kirk Davis is the chair of the Healthcare Practice Group, a multidisciplinary team recognized nationally for representing sector participants in regulatory compliance, insurance, and transactional issues. An accomplished litigator, Kirk represents hospitals and health systems in complex regulatory compliance issues and disputes with a focus on medical malpractice and peer review hearings. Kirk has decades of experience in the peer review process and has been involved in all aspects of hearing...

John Giordano is regularly involved in complex business-related transactions. Mr. Giordano’s practice encompasses a broad range of areas, including federal and state securities law, corporate finance, mergers, acquisitions and tax law. Mr. Giordano has substantial experience in counseling clients, including start-up enterprises, in obtaining capital and advising clients about obstacles to successfully growing a business.

Kristin A. Norse practices exclusively in the areas of appellate practice and civil litigation support. She has over 30 years of legal experience, including more than 20 years representing clients in trial and appellate courts and ten years working as a senior staff attorney for the Honorable Chris W. Altenbernd at the Second District Court of Appeal. She has successfully represented individuals and businesses in well over 100 involving various areas of law including complex commercial cases,...

Joseph H. Varner III is a partner in Holland & Knight's Tampa office and serves on the firm's Directors Committee. Mr. Varner is experienced in complex commercial litigation, business torts, securities litigation, professional negligence, and personal injury and wrongful death litigation. Mr. Varner has litigated complex liability and medical issues ranging from corporate shareholder disputes to wrongful death arising from medical malpractice. He has obtained significant jury verdicts and...