James G. "Jim" Kattelmann

Managing Shareholder Brian Gilchrist is Board Certified by The Florida Bar in the area of Intellectual Property Law. Certification is the highest level of evaluation by The Florida Bar for competency, experience professionalism and ethics in an area of law. He has substantial experience in all phases of intellectual property litigation, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, deceptive trade practices and restrictive covenants. Mr. Gilchrist has been attorney of record in ov...

Suzanne Gilbert practices in the areas of financial and real estate litigation, business litigation and creditors' rights. Ms. Gilbert has experience representing clients in complex commercial disputes in federal, state and bankruptcy courts. Ms. Gilbert has substantial experience representing financial institutions and other lenders in a variety of matters, including complex commercial foreclosures, loan workouts, defense of lender liability claims, and in fraudulent transfer and preferentia...

Dan Mantzaris concentrates his practice in the areas of local government, land use and zoning, and general business. Since his admission to The Florida Bar in 1986, Dan has represented clients in matters related to real estate development, corporations, contracts, property rights and eminent domain, civil and commercial litigation, personal injury and casualty defense, personal injury claims, employment discrimination defense and international adoptions. Since 1997 he has served as the City A...

Jason C. McDonald is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Corporate Law. Jason C., who practices law in Orlando, Florida, has been recognized since 2018. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Jason C. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Jim McNeil serves as chair of Akerman’s Residential Development Practice, a highly experienced team representing national builders and developers of master planned and mixed-use residential communities throughout the real estate development process. Known for his ability to provide pragmatic, strategic, and forward-thinking planning advice, Jim represents developers, homebuilders, and private equity funds in all phases of the acquisition, entitlement, development, and sale of property. ...

Kimberly A. Mello is a member of the firm's National Appellate Practice. She has briefed and argued dozens of appeals in state and federal court, including the Florida Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, and Florida's District Courts of Appeal. In addition to focusing on appellate matters, Ms. Mello has extensive experience briefing complex legal issues at the trial court level during both the pre-trial and post-trial phases. She regularly consults with trial la...

Clifford B. Shepard holds the AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell and is listed in the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers®. Cliff is a trial lawyer who practices and mediates extensively in the areas of government law, employment, defense, real estate, construction law, complex commercial litigation, and community association law. He is Board Certified by The Florida Bar in City, County and Local Government Law. He is the City Attorney for Maitland and Apopka and Town Attorney for the Towns...

Jason L. Odom is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - Trusts and Estates and Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs. Jason L., who practices law in Vero Beach, Florida, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Jason L. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Jessica DeBono Anderson is a Partner in the Orlando, Florida office. Since 2008, Ms. Anderson has represented management in employment litigation before state and federal courts in Florida and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Florida Commission on Human Relations, Department of Labor and other administrative agencies. Ms. Anderson has experience litigating issues such as employment discrimination, sexual harassment, retaliation, whistleblower, overtime and unpaid wages, leave and ...

Born in Vero Beach, Florida, Todd W. Fennell is the managing partner of our firm and a valued member of the Estate Planning & Tax Group. He focuses his practice on sophisticated estate and tax planning strategies for high net worth individuals and families. He is “AV” rated by Martindale-Hubbell’s peer review rating system, the highest such rating available to any individual lawyer. Mr. Fennell’s areas of practice include tax planning strategies for high net worth ...