Jun 22, 2018 | Fort Myers Office, Naples Office

Roetzel Announces Attorneys Named Among 2018 Florida Super Lawyers and Rising Stars

Roetzel & Andress, LPA is pleased to announce that 10 of its Florida attorneys have been selected as 2018 Florida Super Lawyers and 2018 Florida Rising Stars by Florida Super Lawyers Magazine.

The Super Lawyers selection process evaluates lawyers based upon multiple criteria, including professional achievement and peer recognition; honors and awards; firm and bar involvement and leadership; scholarship and professional writings; community service and pro bono activities; and other outstanding achievements. No more than five percent of the lawyers in the state are selected by Super Lawyers.

“Rising Stars” are the top up-and-coming attorneys who are no more than 40 years old or who have been practicing for no more than 10 years. Each year, no more than 2.5 percent of the lawyers in the state are selected by the research team at Super Lawyers to receive this honor.

Roetzel’s attorneys selected as 2018 Florida Super Lawyers:

  • Naples: John T. Blakely, Christopher D. Donovan, Marc A. Huling, Brian V. McAvoy, and Cathy S. Reiman
  • Fort Myers: Paul A. Giordano and Beverly Grady

Roetzel’s attorneys selected as 2018 Florida Rising Stars:

  • Naples: Sarah H. Grieb and Jamie B. Schwinghamer
  • Fort Myers: Amanda Chazal Smith

Mr. Blakely is a Shareholder in the firm’s Business Litigation Group and focuses his practice on business and commercial litigation and product liability. He represents plaintiffs and defendants in real estate and construction litigation, condominium disputes, municipal and government litigation, zoning and land use regulation disputes, personal injury, wrongful death, product liability and medical malpractice lawsuits, and unfair competition, fraud, and contract litigation. Mr. Blakely has been named a Florida Super Lawyer since 2006.

Mr. Donovan is also a Shareholder in the firm’s Business Litigation Group and is one of only three attorneys in Collier, Lee, and Charlotte Counties to hold a Florida Bar Board Certification in Appellate Practice. In his over 13 years of appellate experience, he has handled over 150 different appellate matters involving a broad range of legal areas, including commercial, real estate, admiralty, employment, probate, family, constitutional, and administrative law. This year marks his first appearance on the Florida Super Lawyers list. Mr. Donovan was previously selected a Florida Super Lawyer – Rising Star from 2010-2011, and every year since 2014.

Mr. Giordano is a firm Shareholder and Practice Group Manager of the firm’s Business Litigation Group. He handles a variety of business, commercial, and banking litigation, with a special focus on bankruptcy & creditors' rights, troubled debt restructuring, workouts, and related litigation, partnership disputes, commercial foreclosures, contract and corporate disputes, construction liens, and general and professional liability lawsuits. Mr. Giordano was named a Florida Super Lawyer – Rising Star from 2011-2013, and has been named a Florida Super Lawyer since 2015.

Ms. Grady is a Shareholder in the firm's Real Estate Group and focuses her practice on environmental, zoning and land use, administrative, governmental relations, and real estate matters. Her practice includes water resource matters, growth management issues, permitting issues, historic preservation designation, and land development code amendments. Her clients have included marinas, developers of master planned communities, utilities, and local governments. Ms. Grady has been named a Florida Super Lawyer since 2015.

Mr. Huling serves as the Partner-in-Charge of the firm’s Naples office and, as a Shareholder in the Business Litigation Group, represents clients in a variety of litigation matters. He represents financial institutions, developers, municipalities, employers, corporations, and individuals in contract and injury disputes. 

Mr. McAvoy, a Shareolder in the firm’s Corporate, Tax & Transactional Group, focuses his practice on estate planning, estate and trust administration, business succession planning, Florida domicile planning, probate litigation, and fiduciary litigation. He is board-certified in Wills, Trusts, and Estates by the Florida Bar. His clients include individuals, trust companies, and closely held business owners throughout south Florida. Mr. McAvoy has been named a Florida Super Lawyer since 2013.

Ms. Reiman is Of Counsel in the firm’s Business Litigation Group, focuses her practice on matters involving business and estate disputes. She represents individuals, corporations, partnerships, and other varying business entities in resolving their claims in state and federal courts, as well as in arbitration and other alternative dispute resolution forums. Ms. Reiman has been named a Florida Super Lawyer since 2009.

Ms. Grieb, an Associate in the firm’s Real Estate Group, focuses her practice on real estate law with an emphasis on commercial and residential transactions, residential and commercial loan structuring and the formation and structuring of business entities. Her practice also extends to corporate and business services. She has been named a Florida Super Lawyers – Rising Star since 2017.

Ms. Schwinghamer, a Shareholder in the firm’s Corporate, Tax & Transactional Group, concentrates her practice in the areas of estate, trust, guardianship and complex commercial litigation. She counsels her clients on a variety of matters including, but not limited to: will and trust contests, disputed estate and trust administrations, trust modification, revocation and termination, surcharge and removal proceedings, elder guardianships, guardianship advocacy, guardianship litigation, business contracts, shareholder and partnership disputes and appeals. Ms. Schwinghamer regularly represents individual and institutional trustees, personal representatives, guardians and business owners.  She has been selected as a Florida Super Lawyer – Rising Star since 2009.

Ms. Smith is an Associate in the firm’s Business Litigation Group.  She represents businesses and individuals in matters related to bankruptcy, debt restructuring, and insolvency. She has represented clients in a number of complex bankruptcy and litigation matters, including the representation of commercial debtors in Chapter 11 reorganizations and in contested matters, including confirmation issues. She has been named a Florida Super Lawyer – Rising Star since 2017.

Super Lawyers, part of Thomson Reuters, is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The annual selections are made using a patented multiphase process that includes a statewide survey of lawyers, an independent research evaluation of candidates and peer reviews by practice area. The result is a credible, comprehensive and diverse listing of exceptional attorneys. The Super Lawyers lists are published nationwide in Super Lawyers Magazines and in leading city and regional magazines and newspapers across the country. Super Lawyers Magazines also feature editorial profiles of attorneys who embody excellence in their practice of law. For more information about Super Lawyers, go to SuperLawyers.com.