Rory C. Ryan

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. ...

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.

A first-chair trial lawyer, Megan Costa DeVault prosecutes and defends complex commercial, business, and real estate litigation in state and federal courts. On behalf of Fortune 500, publicly traded, and privately owned business, including builders, developers, investors, financial institutions, and corporate fiduciaries, she litigates contractual disputes, shareholder class actions, and derivative suits, including serving as lead counsel in dozens of trials and arbitrations. Owing to the com...

Sherry A. Lambson-Eisele is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation. Sherry A., who practices law in Maitland, Florida, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Sherry A. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Benton Wood is a partner in the firm's Orlando office. He represents private and public sector employers in all aspects of employment and labor law. Benton specializes in employment law litigation and has litigated a multitude of employment-related claims on behalf of management, including: sex discrimination, race discrimination, age discrimination, national origin discrimination, disability discrimination, unlawful retaliation, Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) violations, Fair Labor Stan...

Michael J. Bittman is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Health Care Law. Michael J., who practices law in Orlando, Florida, has been recognized since 2006. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Michael J. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Peter J. "Tres" Gulden III is a partner at Faiella & Gulden, P.A. He’s a third-generation lawyer who joined his mother Elizabeth Hawthorne Faiella’s practice in 2004, becoming a partner in 2008. Before receiving his Doctor of Jurisprudence from Vanderbilt University Law School, Mr. Gulden earned a Master’s Degree in Theological Studies from the Divinity School at Duke University. This unique background, combined with the fact that his father was a doctor of internal medi...

Alicia M. Chiu is a principal and the office litigation manager of the Orlando, Florida, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. She devotes the majority of her practice to employment litigation, defending employers in federal and state courts, as well as before the EEOC and other administrative agencies. Alicia also provides clients with day-to-day advice and counseling regarding employer policies and various workplace law issues as they arise. While attending law school, Alicia served as an associate ...

James M. McCrae is a Florida Bar Board Certified Construction Lawyer who represents contractors and subcontractors in the area of construction litigation. Most recently, Mr. McCrae represented a floating dock contractor in appeals regarding the bond principal's defense of the surety's claim for indemnification before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and the Florida Supreme Court. Prior to practicing law, Mr. McCrae worked as a project manager for a local general commercial c...

Jonathan Rose is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Criminal Defense: General Practice. Jonathan, who practices law in Orlando, Florida, has been recognized since 2023. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Jonathan is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.