- Wrongful Death
- MisdemeanorsEarlier in his legal career, Joe was an Assistant State Attorney in Florida, where he prosecuted numerous criminal jury trials and bench trials. As an Assistant State Attorney, Joe practiced in County Court, handling misdemeanors, in Circuit Court, handling felonies, and in Repeat Offender Court, handling complex prosecutions involving Florida’s worst recidivist criminals who qualified for felony sentencing enhancements.
- Arson
- Mergers and Acquisitions
- Business DisputesDuring law school, Craig was a member of Florida State's Public Interest Law Center, where he worked as a student advocate for the COVID-19 Veterans Clinic. As a student advocate, Craig assisted Tallahassee veterans with a number of issues, primarily focused on housing and evictions. Craig also studied a variety of business law subjects, including intellectual property, commercial law and tax law.
- Business Transactions
- Intellectual Property
- Workers CompensationErin Dernis began her career in workers compensation over 20 years ago representing employers and insurance carriers in the field of workers compensation. She assists her clients throughout the claim process, from investigating the work place accident to defending litigated issues, responding to requests for different forms of benefits, and guiding the client towards successful claim resolution. Erin represents local and regional employers and national insurers, providing the right counsel for each to effectively protect our clients.
- Wrongful Termination
- Employment DiscriminationDave Terry’s practice consists of insurance defense in the areas of workers’ compensation, employment law (including the defense of employment discrimination, retaliation, whistleblower and civil rights claims in both state and federal courts), general liability and appellate matters. Mr. Terry has extensive administrative law experience, having worked for a number of agencies of Florida government and participated in numerous formal hearings before Administrative Law Judges at the Division of Administrative Hearings. He has made presentations at continuing legal education seminars and claims manager conferences. His clients include private insurance carriers, private employers and the State of Florida. Dave has been given the rating of “AV Preeminent,” the highest rating possible by his peers through Martindale-Hubbell.
- Employment Contract
- Employment LitigationThe depth and breadth of our experience is evidenced by our attorneys having effectively defended cases concerning issues as diverse as minor property damage to multi-party business and contractual disputes, all forms of employment litigation, and cases involving catastrophic personal injuries.
- Premises LiabilityJoe Herro practices a broad spectrum of litigation in the areas of insurance defense and civil liability defense. Joe handles both trial practice and appellate practice, and represents state agencies, national insurance companies, TPAs, and self-insureds. He handles matters in the areas of premises liability, negligent security, auto liability, products liability, sovereign immunity, defamation defense, professional-malpractice, and wrongful death.
- Construction LitigationMelissa Volk practices in the areas of workers' compensation and insurance defense as well as civil liability defense. By peer review, she has been given the rating of “AV Preeminent,” the highest rating possible through Martindale-Hubbell. Her clients include large national insurance companies, governmental bodies, construction companies and general contractors, self-insureds, statewide servicing agents, and large national to small local employers. She previously worked as an Assistant State Attorney for the 8th Judicial Circuit where she gathered large amounts of litigation and trial experience. Melissa has also practiced in the areas of civil and construction litigation, real estate, and estate planning. Melissa frequently lectures at seminars throughout the State and Country on many complex workers' compensation topics.
- Property Damage
- Personal InjuryDuring his time in law school and after graduation, he worked in personal injury firms that represented injured individuals. This experience helped him gain additional knowledge and insight regarding the handling and insight of claims from the claimant/plaintiff’s point of view, which helps him to create a well-rounded approach to his cases.
- Medical MalpracticeHayley practices a broad spectrum of employer-centered litigation. Specifically, she handles defense work in the areas of workers' compensation defense, insurance defense, and civil liability defense. Hayley handles trial practice, appellate practice, and administrative hearings before the Florida First DCA, County and Circuit Courts, the Judge of Compensation Claims and the Florida Department of Administrative Hearings. She has represented state agencies, national insurance companies, PEOs, TPAs and self-insureds. Hayley handles matters in the areas of premises liability, auto liability, sovereign immunity, medical-malpractice, professional-malpractice and wrongful death.
- Social Security DisabilityJoe's background has resulted in his having one of the more eclectic practices within the firm. Joe's primary practice is workers' compensation defense. Being also an accountant, Joe approaches each case from a quantitative approach, i.e. determining the most cost efficient approach to defending the case for his client. With his background, Joe does not believe workers' compensation defense should be practiced in a vacuum, but should be practiced with consideration of the other parties' resources and goals as there is often interplay between the injured parties workers' compensation claim and their other claims such as third party claims and/ or Social Security disability claims, their other resources such as Medicare, Tricare, private insurance and retirement benefits, and their ultimate goals regarding their workers' compensation claim. This approach has resulted in Joe's ability to settle cases which others have considered impossible to settle.
- Estate Planning
- Tax Law