James G. "Jim" Willard

MELVIN BOWEN WRIGHT was born in Albany, Georgia on August 1, 1959 and was raised on a family farm still in operation in Warwick located in Worth County, Georgia. He moved to Central Florida in 1985, is married and has two children. He received his Juris Doctor degree in 1985 and was admitted to the State Bar of Georgia in 1985 and the Florida Bar in 1986. Mr. Wright is also licensed to practice law in Tennessee. Mr. Wright is also a member of the Supreme Court Bar, the District Courts for the...

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

Judith M. Mercier is a partner in the firm's Orlando office and concentrates in complex business and commercial litigation in trial and appellate courts. She represents companies in a wide range of industries, including technology, sports, financial services, hospitality and news and entertainment. Her practice focuses on contract disputes, business torts, intellectual property, media law and defending consumer claims. Ms. Mercier has defended consumer claims such as breach of fiduciary duty,...

Phillip Joseph co-chairs Ball Janik LLP’s construction litigation practice, which is growing in national reach and prominence. He is a commercial litigator whose primary focus is construction and real estate litigation, including design and construction disputes, construction defect, general counsel for community associations, purchase/sale disputes, real estate disputes, commercial landlord/tenant, and collections. Mr. Joseph has received the AV® Preeminent™ Rating from Marti...

Christina Bredahl Gierke is a partner in the firm’s Orlando office. Mrs. Gierke focuses her practice in the areas of complex commercial and civil litigation, with an emphasis in construction litigation, community association law, and professional malpractice law, including representing attorneys, insurance agents/broker, design professionals, and real estate brokers. Additionally, Mrs. Gierke is a member of the firm’s Architects and Engineers, Construction, Real Estate and Title I...

Mark E. Levitt is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employment Law - Management, Labor Law - Management and Litigation - Labor and Employment. Mark E., who practices law in Orlando, Florida, has been recognized since 2007. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Mark E. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Tom DeLattre was born in Yorktown, New York, and was raised in Syracuse, New York. He joined the firm in 1994 and is currently a partner in Wieland & DeLattre, P.A. Mr. DeLattre devotes the majority of his practice to pursuing justice for clients injured from trucking collisions, motor vehicle collisions and motorcycle collisions. Mr. DeLattre also has significant experience litigating cases involving injuries as a result of negligent road construction design, premise liability, defective...

Kathryn W. Oberto is a partner in the Orlando office of Holland & Knight. Ms. Oberto has extensive experience representing landlords and tenants in the commercial leasing of shopping centers and outparcels, restaurants, high-rise office buildings, mixed-use projects, raw land and industrial/warehouse facilities. She also represents buyers, developers and sellers in the acquisition, development (including infrastructure development) and disposition of commercial properties; lenders and bor...

Jarrett Bingemann represents residential homebuilders, master planned community developers, commercial property owners, and institutional investors on all aspects of the evaluation, acquisition, sale, and development of properties throughout the United States. In addition, Jarrett has experience concerning the evaluation, remediation, and the institutional closure of former golf courses and environmentally impacted properties throughout Florida.

Nate Balint represents private equity funds, strategic acquirers, and entrepreneurs on the purchase and sale sides of merger, acquisition, and leveraged buyout transactions, including associated equity and debt arrangements. His experience spans sectors such as business services, retail, restaurants, technology, consumer products, education, and energy. Nate also works with venture capital and growth equity funds, advising on the completion of early and growth stage investments. Related to hi...