Jamie B. Schwinghamer

Shareholder, Practice Group Manager, Probate, Trust & Guardianship Litigation
Naples
999 Vanderbilt Beach Road
Suite 401
Naples, FL 34108
P 239.213.3887
F 239.261.3659
P 239.213.3887 | F 239.261.3659



Overview

Jamie concentrates her practice in the areas of estate, trust and guardianship administration and 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 guardianship administration, guardianship administration for adults with intellectual disabilities, guardianship litigation and injunctions for exploitation of the elderly. Jamie regularly represents individual and institutional trustees, personal representatives, guardians and agents under durable powers of attorney and health care surrogate designations. Jamie also has an extensive background in commercial litigation (business contracts, shareholder and partnership disputes, real estate disputes, etc.). 

Experience

Estate/Probate Administration & Litigation

  • Represented a surviving spouse in filing and resolving a contested elective share claim
  • Represented personal representatives in multi-party litigation concerning the alleged professional malpractice of the decedent during his lifetime
  • Represented estate beneficiaries in action seeking removal of a personal representative for breach of fiduciary duty
  • Represented personal representatives in an action to invalidate a will that was allegedly obtained by undue influence
  • Represented beneficiaries in an action to invalidate a will that was allegedly obtained by undue influence
  • Represented personal representatives seeking to admit a lost or destroyed will to probate

Trust Administration & Litigation

  • Represented trustees in an action to invalidate a trust agreement that was allegedly obtained by undue influence
  • Represented beneficiaries in an action to invalidate a trust agreement that was allegedly obtained by undue influence
  • Successfully defended individual and corporate trustees against beneficiaries’ claims of misconduct
  • Drafted and negotiated beneficiary waivers and releases on behalf of individual and corporate trustees 
  • Represented trust beneficiaries in action seeking removal of a trustee for breach of fiduciary duty
  • Successfully removed an individual trustee for theft and misappropriation of trust assets
  • Filed complaints for declaratory judgment seeking court guidance on the interpretation of will and trust agreements
  • Represented beneficiaries and fiduciaries in action to reform trust agreements
  • Drafted private settlement agreements among trustees and beneficiaries to modify trust terms without seeking a court order
  • Represented multiple beneficiaries in filing objections to estate and/or trust accountings
  • Participated in mediations involving actions concerning the validity of a will and trust, the removal of the personal representative and/or trustee, breaches of fiduciary duty, and mismanagement of assets

Guardianship Administration & Litigation

  • Represented numerous professional guardians in contested guardianship proceedings and administrations 
  • Successfully obtained orders appointing emergency temporary guardians after evidentiary hearings before the court
  • Successfully obtained an injunction against exploitation of the elderly against a former caregiver mentally and financial abusing an elderly individual
  • Filed numerous petitions to determine incapacity and appoint plenary guardians on behalf of family members of incapacitated individuals
  • Successfully obtained orders appointing plenary guardians after discovery and evidentiary hearings before the court
  • Participated in mediations involving contested guardianship proceedings with multiple parties seeking appointment as plenary guardian
  • Filed numerous petitions to appoint a guardian advocate for parents of adult children with intellectual disabilities
Services

Education

  1. University of Miami School of Law, J.D.
    • magna cum laude
  2. Florida Gulf Coast University, B.A., Interdisciplinary Social Science
    • summa cum laude

Credentials

Bar Admissions
  1. Florida
Court Admissions
  1. U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida
  2. U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida

Recognitions

  • AV® Preeminent™ rating from Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory
  • Named to The Best Lawyers in America® for Trusts and Estates (2021-2024); Litigation - Trusts and Estates (2021-2024); Elder Law (2023-2024)
  • Selected as a "Florida Super Lawyers Rising Star" by Florida Super Lawyers magazine (2009-2020)
  • Selected as a "Legal Elite" in Litigation by Florida Trend magazine (2021)
  • Selected as Naples Illustrated “Top Lawyer” - Trusts and Estates (2019-2022); Elder Law (2021-2023) 
  • Selected to Florida Trend's 2023 Legal Elite NOTABLE - Women Leaders in Law
  • American College of Trust & Estate Counsel Florida Fellows Institute Graduate (2017)
  • Named in Gulfshore Business Magazine "40 Under 40" (2016)
  • Leadership Collier Foundation, Growing Associates in Naples (GAIN™) Program Graduate (2015)

Affiliations

Professional Affiliations
  • The Florida Bar, Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section (2006-present)  
    • Executive Council at Large Member (2016-2020)
    • Probate & Trust Litigation Committee (2015-present)
    • Probate Law & Procedure Committee (2015-present)
    • Guardianship and Power of Attorney Committee (2014-present), Co-Vice Chair (2019-2020)
  • Collier County Bar Association (2010-present)
    • Board of Directors (2018-2023)
      • Director (2018-2022)
      • Officer, Secretary & Editor-in-Chief of the Adverse Witness (2022-2023)
  • Collier County Women’s Bar Association (2010-present)
    • Board of Directors (2015-present)
      • Immediate Past President & Membership Committee Chair (2021-22)
      • President (2020-2021)
      • Vice President and Program Committee Chair (2019-2020)
      • Secretary and Sponsorship Committee Chair (2017-2019)
      • Director & Special Events Committee Chair (2015-2017)
  • Collier County Bar Foundation, Board of Directors (2022-present)
  • Florida Twentieth Judicial Circuit Professionalism Committee
Community Affiliations
  • Collier County Bar Association Wellness Initiative, Peer-to-Peer Program Panel Member (2022- present)
  • Volunteer, Harry Chapin Food Bank (2021-present)
  • Florida Gulf Coast University Planned Giving Advisory Council (2016-2020)
  • Champions for Learning™ Planned Giving Advisory Council (2017-2020)
  • Champions for Learning™ Classroom Grant Review Committee (2016-2018)
  • Guardian Ad Litem Foundation 20th Judicial Circuit, Director (2014-2016)

Insights

  1. Alerts
    IRS Issues Inflation Adjustments for 2024 (Nov 13, 2023)
    Saving for College While Also Saving for…Retirement? (Oct 10, 2023)
    Rising Inflation Affects Ceilings on Retirement Contributions, Transfer Tax Credits and Income Tax Brackets for 2023 (Oct 25, 2022)
    What You Should Know About Proposed Estate Tax Law Changes (Sep 7, 2021)
    The New Year Brings a More Relaxed, Pro-Business Summary-Judgment Standard (Jan 4, 2021)
  2. Articles
    R.E.S.P.E.C.T. My Last Wishes - Adverse Witness, Collier County Bar Magazine (December 2023)
    Guardianship 101: Incapacitated Clients - The Docket, Sarasota County Bar Association (January 2022)
    Guardianship 101 - Incapacitated Clients - Adverse Witness, Collier County Bar Magazine (December 2021)
    Best Practices - Litigating During COVID-19 - Adverse Witness, Collier County Bar Magazine (May 2020)
    The Fiduciary Lawyer-Client Privilege: A Long Road to Confidentiality - The Docket (June 2018)
  3. Presentations
    "Oops! I Did it Again: Avoiding Ethical Pitfalls in Guardianship" - Florida Bar Real Property, Probate & Trust Law Section Annual Guardianship Seminar , Tampa, Florida (Apr 28, 2023)
    “The Estate Planner’s Guide to Guardianships" - Collier County Bar Association Trust & Estate Section, Naples, Florida (March 2023)
    “Oops! I Did it Again – Avoiding Ethical Pitfalls in Guardianship” - Florida State Guardianship Association, Southwest Chapter, Annual Seminar (Apr 22, 2022)
    “Taking Care of Business Means Taking Care of Yourself” - Collier County Bar Association Attorney Wellness Initiative (Feb 11, 2022)
    "Hijacking Your Inheritance" - Sanibel Captiva Trust Company (Feb 1, 2022)
  4. Firm News
    Roetzel Attorneys Recognized as Florida Trend Legal Elite NOTABLE-Women Leaders in Law (Nov 30, 2023)
    Jamie Schwinghamer Appointed to Florida Twentieth Judicial Circuit Professionalism Committee (Oct 19, 2023)
    Eight Roetzel Attorneys Recognized as “Top Lawyer” by Naples Illustrated (Sep 1, 2023)
    Roetzel & Andress Earns Recognition in 2024 Best Lawyers (Aug 17, 2023)
    Jamie Schwinghamer Named 2023 FAWL ‘Leader in the Law' (May 2, 2023)

Overview

Jamie concentrates her practice in the areas of estate, trust and guardianship administration and 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 guardianship administration, guardianship administration for adults with intellectual disabilities, guardianship litigation and injunctions for exploitation of the elderly. Jamie regularly represents individual and institutional trustees, personal representatives, guardians and agents under durable powers of attorney and health care surrogate designations. Jamie also has an extensive background in commercial litigation (business contracts, shareholder and partnership disputes, real estate disputes, etc.). 

Experience

Estate/Probate Administration & Litigation

  • Represented a surviving spouse in filing and resolving a contested elective share claim
  • Represented personal representatives in multi-party litigation concerning the alleged professional malpractice of the decedent during his lifetime
  • Represented estate beneficiaries in action seeking removal of a personal representative for breach of fiduciary duty
  • Represented personal representatives in an action to invalidate a will that was allegedly obtained by undue influence
  • Represented beneficiaries in an action to invalidate a will that was allegedly obtained by undue influence
  • Represented personal representatives seeking to admit a lost or destroyed will to probate

Trust Administration & Litigation

  • Represented trustees in an action to invalidate a trust agreement that was allegedly obtained by undue influence
  • Represented beneficiaries in an action to invalidate a trust agreement that was allegedly obtained by undue influence
  • Successfully defended individual and corporate trustees against beneficiaries’ claims of misconduct
  • Drafted and negotiated beneficiary waivers and releases on behalf of individual and corporate trustees 
  • Represented trust beneficiaries in action seeking removal of a trustee for breach of fiduciary duty
  • Successfully removed an individual trustee for theft and misappropriation of trust assets
  • Filed complaints for declaratory judgment seeking court guidance on the interpretation of will and trust agreements
  • Represented beneficiaries and fiduciaries in action to reform trust agreements
  • Drafted private settlement agreements among trustees and beneficiaries to modify trust terms without seeking a court order
  • Represented multiple beneficiaries in filing objections to estate and/or trust accountings
  • Participated in mediations involving actions concerning the validity of a will and trust, the removal of the personal representative and/or trustee, breaches of fiduciary duty, and mismanagement of assets

Guardianship Administration & Litigation

  • Represented numerous professional guardians in contested guardianship proceedings and administrations 
  • Successfully obtained orders appointing emergency temporary guardians after evidentiary hearings before the court
  • Successfully obtained an injunction against exploitation of the elderly against a former caregiver mentally and financial abusing an elderly individual
  • Filed numerous petitions to determine incapacity and appoint plenary guardians on behalf of family members of incapacitated individuals
  • Successfully obtained orders appointing plenary guardians after discovery and evidentiary hearings before the court
  • Participated in mediations involving contested guardianship proceedings with multiple parties seeking appointment as plenary guardian
  • Filed numerous petitions to appoint a guardian advocate for parents of adult children with intellectual disabilities

Education

  1. University of Miami School of Law, J.D.
    • magna cum laude
  2. Florida Gulf Coast University, B.A., Interdisciplinary Social Science
    • summa cum laude

Credentials

Bar Admissions
  1. Florida
Court Admissions
  1. U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida
  2. U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida

Recognitions

  • AV® Preeminent™ rating from Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory
  • Named to The Best Lawyers in America® for Trusts and Estates (2021-2024); Litigation - Trusts and Estates (2021-2024); Elder Law (2023-2024)
  • Selected as a "Florida Super Lawyers Rising Star" by Florida Super Lawyers magazine (2009-2020)
  • Selected as a "Legal Elite" in Litigation by Florida Trend magazine (2021)
  • Selected as Naples Illustrated “Top Lawyer” - Trusts and Estates (2019-2022); Elder Law (2021-2023) 
  • Selected to Florida Trend's 2023 Legal Elite NOTABLE - Women Leaders in Law
  • American College of Trust & Estate Counsel Florida Fellows Institute Graduate (2017)
  • Named in Gulfshore Business Magazine "40 Under 40" (2016)
  • Leadership Collier Foundation, Growing Associates in Naples (GAIN™) Program Graduate (2015)

Affiliations

Professional Affiliations
  • The Florida Bar, Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section (2006-present)  
    • Executive Council at Large Member (2016-2020)
    • Probate & Trust Litigation Committee (2015-present)
    • Probate Law & Procedure Committee (2015-present)
    • Guardianship and Power of Attorney Committee (2014-present), Co-Vice Chair (2019-2020)
  • Collier County Bar Association (2010-present)
    • Board of Directors (2018-2023)
      • Director (2018-2022)
      • Officer, Secretary & Editor-in-Chief of the Adverse Witness (2022-2023)
  • Collier County Women’s Bar Association (2010-present)
    • Board of Directors (2015-present)
      • Immediate Past President & Membership Committee Chair (2021-22)
      • President (2020-2021)
      • Vice President and Program Committee Chair (2019-2020)
      • Secretary and Sponsorship Committee Chair (2017-2019)
      • Director & Special Events Committee Chair (2015-2017)
  • Collier County Bar Foundation, Board of Directors (2022-present)
  • Florida Twentieth Judicial Circuit Professionalism Committee
Community Affiliations
  • Collier County Bar Association Wellness Initiative, Peer-to-Peer Program Panel Member (2022- present)
  • Volunteer, Harry Chapin Food Bank (2021-present)
  • Florida Gulf Coast University Planned Giving Advisory Council (2016-2020)
  • Champions for Learning™ Planned Giving Advisory Council (2017-2020)
  • Champions for Learning™ Classroom Grant Review Committee (2016-2018)
  • Guardian Ad Litem Foundation 20th Judicial Circuit, Director (2014-2016)

Insights

  1. Alerts
    IRS Issues Inflation Adjustments for 2024 (Nov 13, 2023)
    Saving for College While Also Saving for…Retirement? (Oct 10, 2023)
    Rising Inflation Affects Ceilings on Retirement Contributions, Transfer Tax Credits and Income Tax Brackets for 2023 (Oct 25, 2022)
    What You Should Know About Proposed Estate Tax Law Changes (Sep 7, 2021)
    The New Year Brings a More Relaxed, Pro-Business Summary-Judgment Standard (Jan 4, 2021)
  2. Articles
    R.E.S.P.E.C.T. My Last Wishes - Adverse Witness, Collier County Bar Magazine (December 2023)
    Guardianship 101: Incapacitated Clients - The Docket, Sarasota County Bar Association (January 2022)
    Guardianship 101 - Incapacitated Clients - Adverse Witness, Collier County Bar Magazine (December 2021)
    Best Practices - Litigating During COVID-19 - Adverse Witness, Collier County Bar Magazine (May 2020)
    The Fiduciary Lawyer-Client Privilege: A Long Road to Confidentiality - The Docket (June 2018)
  3. Presentations
    "Oops! I Did it Again: Avoiding Ethical Pitfalls in Guardianship" - Florida Bar Real Property, Probate & Trust Law Section Annual Guardianship Seminar , Tampa, Florida (Apr 28, 2023)
    “The Estate Planner’s Guide to Guardianships" - Collier County Bar Association Trust & Estate Section, Naples, Florida (March 2023)
    “Oops! I Did it Again – Avoiding Ethical Pitfalls in Guardianship” - Florida State Guardianship Association, Southwest Chapter, Annual Seminar (Apr 22, 2022)
    “Taking Care of Business Means Taking Care of Yourself” - Collier County Bar Association Attorney Wellness Initiative (Feb 11, 2022)
    "Hijacking Your Inheritance" - Sanibel Captiva Trust Company (Feb 1, 2022)
  4. Firm News
    Roetzel Attorneys Recognized as Florida Trend Legal Elite NOTABLE-Women Leaders in Law (Nov 30, 2023)
    Jamie Schwinghamer Appointed to Florida Twentieth Judicial Circuit Professionalism Committee (Oct 19, 2023)
    Eight Roetzel Attorneys Recognized as “Top Lawyer” by Naples Illustrated (Sep 1, 2023)
    Roetzel & Andress Earns Recognition in 2024 Best Lawyers (Aug 17, 2023)
    Jamie Schwinghamer Named 2023 FAWL ‘Leader in the Law' (May 2, 2023)