Bar Admissions

Florida
U.S. District Court Middle District of Florida
U.S. District Court Northern District of Florida
U.S. District Court Southern District of Florida
U.S. Court of Appeals 11th Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals 5th Circuit
Texas
U.S. District Court Southern District of Texas

Education

Stetson University College of Law, St. Petersburg, Florida
Juris Doctorate

Honors: Magna Cum Laude
Honors: Class Valedictorian
Honors: Dean's List Each Semester
Honors: West Publishing Awards for Outstanding Scholastic Achievement
Honors: Corpus Juris Secundum Award for Scholastic Excellence, Civil Procedure
Honors: Lazan & Trute, P.A. Trusts Award

Cedar Crest College
Bachelor of Science

Honors: Magna Cum Laude

Published Works

Lessons Learned After the Storms, Co-Author with William F. Merlin, Jr. and Amy Bach, Trial - Journal of the American Association for Justice, August, 2007

Practical Considerations for Plaintiff Attorneys Handling First-Party Insurance Claims. Mold A Mold, Co-Author with William F. Merlin, Jr., Property and Personal Injury Litigation Magazine, November, 2004

Colossus:  Taking on a Giant, Co-Author with William F. Merlin J.R., Trial - Journal of the American Association for Justice, September 2000

Classes/Seminars Taught

"Depositions - A Survivor's Guide", First Party Claims Conference, 2011

"Insurance Fraud from All Perspectives", 12th Annual Windstorm Insurance Conference, 2011

"Depositions and Examinations Under Oath:  The Good...The Bad...The Ugly", First Party Claims Conference, September 2010

“Deposition ABC's - Preparation is Key to Survival”, First Party Claims Conference 2009

"Speed Adjusting: A Fast and Furious Look at the Concerns and Considerations of Insurance Claims and How They Can Affect Public Adjusting", FAPIA Summer Conference 2009

"The Merlin Guide: How to Ethically and Efficiently Adjust Claims in Texas", Seminar for Texas Public Adjusters, 2009

"Delay of Game, Panel discussion of specific types of business interruption claims", NAPIA/MAPIA, 2008

"The Perfect Game, Best Practices for Claims Handling when it comes to Maximizing the Recovery for a Client", NAPIA/MAPIA, 2008

Professional Associations and Memberships

The Florida Bar, Appellate Practice and Trial Lawyers Section
Florida Justice Association, Amicus Curiae Committee
American Bar Association, Tort and Insurance Law Section
American Association for Justice
Hillsborough County Bar Association
Tampa Bay Inn of Court
Florida Association of Public Insurance Adjusters (FAPIA) Associate Member
National Association of Public Insurance Adjusters (NAPIA) Associate Member
Windstorm Insurance Network, Chair of Conference Committee, 2012
First Party Claims Conference, Education Committee, 2009 - Present
Texas Association of Public Insurance Adjusters, Associate Member

Pro Bono Activities

General Counsel for Florida Association of Public Insurance Adjusters, June 2008 - June 2011
Florida Bar Grievance Committee 13C, 2009 - 2011
Counsel for Texas Association of Public Adjusters, 2009 - Present

Fraternities/Sororities

Phi Delta Phi