Karen Persis

Chris N. Kolos focuses his practice on the defense of environmental contamination suits, CERCLA litigation, toxic substance exposure cases, and pharmaceutical, products liability, nursing home, assisted living facility, and many other types of personal injury cases. He has substantial experience defending cases involving industrial chemicals and asbestos. He also defends insurers in bad faith and insurance coverage cases. He has served as national coordinating counsel and regional trial couns...

Alan C. Sheppard, Jr. has wide-ranging experience in commercial real estate finance and development, with a particular emphasis on mortgage and construction financing, lease financing, mezzanine lending as well as asset-based finance and working capital loan transactions. His structured finance experience includes sale/leasebacks, synthetic leases, conduit lending, syndicated loans, Rule 144(a) exempt offerings and securitizations. Alan's practice has included both lender and borrower represe...

Ryan Sawyer is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants. Ryan, who practices law in Orlando, Florida, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Ryan is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Michael J. Sullivan is Co-Chair of the firm’s Hospitality Group. Mike has wide-ranging experience in the acquisition, development, finance and disposition of hotels, resorts, branded residences and condo-hotels, and health care-related properties; management, franchise and operating agreements for hotels; publicly financed hotel management agreements; seniors housing management and third-party lease agreements; construction and permanent financings (balance sheet and CMBS); and the purc...

Hugo de Beaubien is a Founding Partner of our firm. He was raised in Birmingham, Michigan, and Ormond Beach, Florida. After receiving an undergraduate degree in business from Florida State University in 1970, he was awarded his Juris Doctorate from Stetson University in 1973. At Stetson, Hugo served as Exchequer of Phi Delta Phi and as President of the senior class. Hugo has been active in the Orange County Bar Association through his service as Chairman of the Criminal Law Section and Legal ...

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

Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Construction Law, Trey focuses his practice on both contract preparation and negotiation and complex construction litigation. His work with complex construction litigation has a special emphasis on delay claims, construction defect claims, payment disputes, lien and bond claims, and bid protests for his construction clients. He handles construction contract negotiation and preparation on projects of all scale and type, from single family luxury homes and ...

Tom Neal is a native Floridian who was born and raised in Orlando. He graduated from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1982. As an undergraduate, he played football for the legendary Coach Bo Schembechler and participated in two Rose Bowls, the Gator Bowl, and the Blue Bonnet Bowl. Tom graduated from the University of Florida’s College of Law in 1985. He holds the highest ranking an individual attorney can receive (AV – Preeminent) as designated by the Martindal...

Michael Maher’s extensive experience as a trial lawyer has made him one of the nation’s outstanding client advocates with an impressive list of precedent-setting settlements and verdicts and a recognized leader in the legal profession. One of his most notable accomplishments was chairing the 11 legal firms making up the People’s Trial Advocates appointed by the state of Florida and resulting in the long-term recovery of more than $25 billion from the tobacco industry. Mr. Ma...

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...