Lindsay C. Whelan

JAMES W. GUSTAFSON JR . is a Shareholder with Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley, P.A., a member of the firm’s executive committee, and the managing partner of the firm’s Tallahassee office. He is a sixth generation Florida native who served with the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division and studied at St. Edmund Hall, Oxford, before becoming a trial lawyer. Mr. Gustafson is a member of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, a worldwide organization limited to ju...

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

Bruce Wiener serves as managing partner of Akerman’s Tallahassee office. Board Certified by The Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization and Education in Real Estate Law, he focuses his practice on transactional real estate law, commercial lending, and land use. He represents buyers and sellers in the purchase and sale of commercial, office, multifamily, student housing, acreage, and timberland property. His lender representation includes: preparing loan documents for commercial mortga...

Michael J. Cherniga is Co-Chair of the firm's Health & FDA Business Practice. On a regional and national basis, Mike's practice involves representation of a diverse client base consisting of health care organizations (and clients which support the business of health care), both for-profit and not-for-profit. He also has substantial experience serving health care professionals and allied health care personnel who serve or support those organizations. The types of clients involved in the bu...

Thomas A. Range is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Administrative / Regulatory Law and Health Care Law. Thomas A., who practices law in Tallahassee, Florida, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Thomas A. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Eileen Stuart is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Government Relations Practice. Eileen, who practices law in Tallahassee, Florida, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Eileen is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

David L. McGee is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Criminal Defense: White-Collar. David L., who practices law in Pensacola, Florida, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which David L. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

J. Nixon Daniel III is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Plaintiffs, Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs and Product Liability Litigation - Plaintiffs. J. Nixon, who practices law in Pensacola, Florida, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which J. Nixon is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Halley B. "Hal" Lewis, III, is an 11th Generation Floridian who is Board Certified in Personal Injury Law. He has obtained more than 55 verdicts or settlements in excess of $1,000,000 for his clients over his career, and his wrongful death verdict of $75,000,000 in 1997 was the third highest in the United States for that year. He is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, and has been regularly selected to Best Lawyers in America and SuperLawyers.

Chris Barkas is a shareholder in Carr Allison’s Tallahassee, Florida office where his practice focuses primarily on the defense of commercial vehicle claims, employment-related claims, professional liability claims and retail/premises liability claims. An AV-rated attorney through Martindale-Hubbell, Chris has practiced law in the North Florida area for more than 20 years and has conducted jury trials in many of the counties in the area. In the early part of his career, Chris was an Ass...