Florida's
Best Lawyers 2027

Abigail M. Cohen is a Senior Associate at Gladstone, Weissman, Hirschberg & Schneider, P.A. She is Board Certified in Marital and Family Law by the Florida Bar and a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. Ms. Cohen earned her J.D. (magna cum laude) from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where she was ranked 7 out of 238 in her graduating class. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Florida. Since her admission to the Florid...

David L. Hirschberg is a Principal/Shareholder at Gladstone, Weissman, Hirschberg & Schneider, P.A. He is a graduate of the University of Florida Levin College of Law, cum laude (J.D., 2003) and received his undergraduate degree from the University of Florida, with honors (B.A., 2000). Mr. Hirschberg is Florida Bar Board Certified in Marital and Family Law, a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, a Fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers, and is AV Preeminen...

Denise L. Schneider , Principal/Shareholder, is Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Marital and Family Law and a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. Ms. Schneider earned her J.D. (magna cum laude) as well as her Bachelor of Science from Nova Southeastern University. Prior to joining the firm in 2007, Ms. Schneider worked in several Fort Lauderdale area boutique marital and family law practices. Following her admittance to The Florida Bar in 2002, Ms. Schneider has strictl...

JOSHUA L. PLAGER is a Senior Associate of the law firm of Gladstone, Weissman, Hirschberg & Schneider, P.A. Josh graduated from the University of Florida with honors in 2006, earning a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the Warrington College of Business. Following undergrad and before law school, Mr. Plager was a Series 7 and Series 66 registered financial advisor at AIG, assisting clients with financial planning and investing, including 401(k) plans, 403(b) plans, and I...

Tova N. Tsikis, Senior Associate, earned her J.D. (summa cum laude) from Nova Southeastern University - Shepard Broad Law Center, where she ranked No. 5 of 244 in her graduating class. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Ramapo College of New Jersey (summa cum laude). In addition, Ms. Tsikis spent a semester abroad at Neve Yerushalayim College in Jerusalem, pursuing International Studies. Ms. Tsikis joined the firm after working as a law clerk at Gladstone, Weissman, Hirschberg &a...

Andrew Ellenberg helps individuals and families throughout Florida who have suffered devastating injuries or the loss of a loved one due to someone else’s negligence. He focuses on cases involving birth injuries, serious permanent harm, and wrongful death caused by medical errors, hospital and healthcare system failures, car, boat, truck, and air crashes, unsafe premises, and defective products. For more than 30 years, Mr. Ellenberg’s practice has been dedicated exclusively to pur...

Mr. Needle, a Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer. Mr. Needle's courtroom victories include multi-million dollar verdicts in cases that have often pushed the outer boundaries of existing legal precedent. For six years he was a member of the Florida Bar's Board of Governors, which sets policy and discipline (under the auspices of the Florida Supreme Court), for all lawyers practicing in the state of Florida. Andrew Needle has been an editorial consultant to Matthew Bender Law Books: Florida Tor...

Gaylord Merlin represents property and business owners in eminent domain and property rights litigation throughout the State of Florida. Our firm guides an owner through the condemnation process, protects an owner's property rights, and fights for an owner to receive full compensation. Andrew G. Diaz represents a variety of business and property owners in eminent domain and property rights litigation. He has handled cases involving the taking of large vacant parcels, national big box retailer...

Accomplishments Ms. Merlin has held several leadership positions in eminent domain during her career. These include: Chair of the ABA Condemnation, Zoning and Land Use Committee (1982 - 1985); Chair of the Florida Bar Eminent Domain Committee (1993 - 1994); Co-Chair of the Hillsborough County Bar Association Eminent Domain Committee (1997-1998) and member of the Florida Bar Eminent Domain Practice and Procedure Steering Committee (1999 - present). Her proudest career accomplishment is institu...

Background Lorena Hart Ludovici represents clients throughout the state of Florida. She has handled cases in Georgia, Louisiana and Texas. Her diverse clientele includes shopping center owners, retailers, supermarket chains, gas stations, restaurants, professional offices, cell tower owners, golf course owners as well as farmers, grove operators, home-owners and many others. Accomplishments .Ms. Ludovici's leadership in the field of eminent domain includes chairing The Florida Bar's eminent d...

Background Cary Gaylord has represented clients in over 30 counties in Florida as well as in the federal courts and courts of Illinois and Georgia. He has handled cases involving large vacant parcels, churches, national big box retailers, shopping centers, gas station/convenience stores, fast food restaurants, supermarket chains, professional offices, farmers, retailers, grove operators, golf course owners, homeowners, as well as other properties both in eminent domain and inverse condemnatio...

Alison K. Douglas is a Principal in Cummings & Lockwood's Private Clients Group and is based in the Naples office. She focuses her practice on estate planning, family business succession planning, charitable planning and estate and trust administration.

David M. Halpen is Principal-in-Charge of the Palm Beach office of Cummings & Lockwood. David has over twenty years of broad-based legal experience in trusts and estates planning, estate settlement, trust administration, business succession planning, and U.S. and international tax planning for a variety of high net worth clients. Prior to joining Cummings & Lockwood, he was a shareholder with Dunwody, White & Landon in their Naples and Palm Beach offices.

Howard M. Hujsa is a Principal in Cummings & Lockwood's Private Clients Group and is based in the Bonita Springs office. Howard focuses his practice on complex estate planning (including gift, estate, charitable and generation-skipping transfer tax planning), trust and estate administration and the representation of charitable organizations. He speaks frequently on estate and tax planning topics before both lawyer and non-lawyer audiences.

Kenneth D. Krier is a Principal in Cummings & Lockwood's Private Clients Group and is based in the Naples office. Since 1975, he has focused his practice on estate and tax planning, charitable giving and estate and trust administration. Ken moved to Naples from Fairfield, Connecticut in 1984. His wife, Beth Krier, is a Circuit Judge for the Twentieth Judicial Circuit of Florida (Collier, Lee, Charlotte, Hendry and Glades Counties). They have four children between them.

Mary Beth Crawford is a Principal in Cummings & Lockwood's Private Clients Group and is based in the Bonita Springs office. She focuses her practice on estate planning, tax planning and probate and trust administration. Mary Beth brings a caring and comprehensive approach to estate planning and provides her clients and their families with both the technical and personal guidance they need in developing the proper plan.