John J. Thresher

Michael McGriskin practices in the area of insurance and reinsurance. He has exclusively represented insurers and their agents since he joined Phelps Dunbar in 2013. His practice is focused on complex insurance coverage, counseling, and litigation and includes advising and defending insurers regarding allegations of insurer “bad faith.” Michael’s litigation experience encompasses a range of insurance coverage matters. He represents admitted and surplus lines insurers regardi...

Stacy D. Blank practices primarily in the area of appellate and general commercial litigation. She has litigated appeals in the Florida District Courts of Appeal, the Florida Supreme Court, and the United States Circuit Courts of Appeals for the Fifth and Eleventh Circuits. She has handled appeals and trial court litigation in numerous subject areas including trust and estates, antitrust, employment law, state and federal taxation, environmental law, family law, administrative law, intellectu...

Howard Scholl is a partner based in our firm’s Tampa office and an experienced trial lawyer. He handles cases involving personal injury, wrongful death, nursing home neglect, trucking defense, hospitality industry defense, medical malpractice, contract disputes including insurance claims, construction defect claims, SIU fraud investigations as well as other general liability issues and claims for professional malpractice. Mr. Scholl is a native Floridian and graduated from the Universit...

Mr. Lauro has an extensive national practice as a trial lawyer with over 30 years of experience. He is a native New Yorker, and his firm has offices in New York and Florida. Mr. Lauro graduated from the Georgetown University Law Center, where he was an editor of the Georgetown Law Journal. He began his practice with the international law firm of Morgan, Lewis. Mr. Lauro was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of New York, where he prosecuted international narcotics and white co...

Angela E. Rodante is a nationally recognized civil trial attorney and is recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Insurance Law , Litigation – Insurance, and Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs. Over the course of her 28-year legal career, she has become a highly sought-after litigator, earning numerous awards for her groundbreaking work representing individuals who have suffered catastrophic injuries and for taking on large and powerful corporations. Her accolades ...

Seth Schimmel practices in the areas of construction and commercial litigation. He represents both plaintiffs and defendants in design and construction disputes and complex commercial litigation throughout the state of Florida. In his construction practice, Mr. Schimmel represents engineers, architects, commercial and residential developers, owners, and general contractors in a wide range of litigation matters which include construction defect and delay claims, professional liability and erro...

John Phillips practices in the area of labor and employment. He represents employer clients in labor and employment matters throughout the United States. Past and present clients include manufacturers, retailers, rental car companies, financial institutions, medical services, hospitals, hotels, physicians’ professional associations, employee leasing companies, government contractors, insurance companies, shipyards, mining companies, and restaurants. He regularly appears in both state an...

Leonard H. Johnson is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Real Estate Law. Leonard H., 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 Leonard H. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Craig's practice involves the defense of products liability and high-exposure personal injury claims on behalf of manufacturers and businesses. Craig has represented and served as national trial and litigation management counsel for a diverse range of clients, including global medical device companies, a major tobacco company, international hotel brands, asbestos manufacturers and numerous other Fortune 500 industrial, commercial and consumer manufacturers headquartered in the United States a...

Eric Newell Appleton is a founding partner and member of Appleton Reiss, PLLC. Mr. Appleton has practiced community association and real estate law in Florida, including litigation and transactional matters, since 1999. He has substantial experience representing real estate owners, developers, office parks, commercial associations and residential condominium and homeowners’ associations throughout Florida. Mr. Appleton’s law practice focuses on assisting association officers, dire...