Lawyers
David B. Kowalski is a partner in the Orlando office of Lydecker. He has extensive experience in the defense of civil disputes. Mr. Kowalski represents a wide range of clientele, including condominium associations, homeowners associations, governmental entities, trucking companies, products manufacturers, resorts, restaurants, and other establishments within the hospitality industry. This diverse background provides him with a unique perspective on the needs of each individual client. He has significant experience in cases of catastrophic personal injury, large settlement negotiation, mediation, and arbitration.
While earning his Juris Doctorate, Mr. Kowalski worked as a law clerk with Jacksonville area law firms where he focused on complex commercial litigation. During the course of his clerkships, he gained experience litigating high value cases in state courts as well as the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. His interest in litigation lead him to Lydecker where he now practices a range of topics in civil defense.
Mr. Kowalski earned his Juris Doctorate in 2013 from the Florida State University College of Law where he graduated cum laude. There, he was an active member of the Dispute Resolution Society, Business Law Society, and Estate Planning & Elder Law Society. During the course of his legal education, Mr. Kowalski received numerous merit-based scholarships and was a five time recipient of the Dean’s List award. Prior to law school, he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Florida State University.
Ms. LaFaurie is a Lydecker Partner overseeing teams throughout the Firm’s Florida and California offices, with extensive experience handling a wide variety of high exposure and complex general liability and personal injury matters. Ms. LaFaurie is the Head of the Firm’s Product Liability Department and the co-chair of the Mass Tort Department. She is one of the firm’s trial attorneys, who regularly handles matters through all phases of litigation, from evidentiary hearings, arbitrations, and through trial, before Local, State and Federal Courts in connection with a wide variety of complex civil and commercial litigation matters.
Ms. LaFaurie’s general liability, product liability, and mass tort litigation experience includes representing premises owners and operators, local and global manufacturers, as well as major national retailers in numerous areas within the wider tort-based field, such as catastrophic injury, premises liability claims, class action, mass and toxic tort litigation, recalled product claims, as well as defending claims involving consumer and commercially available substances and materials. Her experience includes high exposure injury, wrongful death, and commercial matters. Ms. LaFaurie proactively manages and advises her clients on legal and factual matters of first impression, including efforts to mitigate and limit the prospective of emerging and anticipated claims, future class action and large-scale legal exposures.
Ms. LaFaurie is actively involved in leadership and mentorship in several national organizations focused on defense of business owners of all kinds. She sits on several committees with a focus which reflects her practice in civil litigation, product liability and mass tort.
Quinn LaHiff is a partner in the firm’s Tampa office where his practice encompasses a broad range of civil defense matters.
A Florida native, Quinn received his Bachelor of Science of Legal Studies from the University of Central Florida. He then went on to earn his Juris Doctor from Stetson Law, where he served as Deputy Chief of the Stetson Ambassador and Mentorship Program. Upon graduation, Quinn began his practice as a civil litigation attorney representing clients in both state and Federal Court in a broad range of cases. In addition to litigating, Quinn also spent a significant portion of his career working in private capital and investment advisory firms serving as in-house counsel and chief compliance officer.
In his free time, Quinn enjoys spending time with his family in the great outdoors immersed in the natural beauty that his home state has to offer.
Jessica Less is an Associate at Lydecker’s Bankruptcy and Insurance Receivership Practice Group in Miami, Florida. Her practice involves representing clients in both federal and state court litigation with a primary focus on insolvency and creditors’ rights related cases. She regularly provides legal counsel to court-appointed receivers, secured creditors, and unsecured creditors in federal and state courts cases.
Prior to joining the firm in 2024, Ms. Less served as a judicial intern to the Honorable Pamela Ruest, Center County Court of Common Pleas in Pennsylvania. She earned her J.D. from The Pennsylvania State University, The Dickinson School of Law. During her legal studies, Ms. Less also served as President of the Black Law Students Association and chaired the Student Bar Association’s Diversity Committee.
Mr. Lewis is Of Counsel to the firm’s Miami office. Mr. Lewis spent over 35 years as a partner at a well known Miami insurance defense firm. Mr. Lewis concentrates his practice on defense of large corporations and insurance companies in premises liability, negligent security, products liability, legal malpractice and general tort liability.
At Lydecker Mr. Lewis serves as senior trial counsel having tried over 100 jury trials. Mr. Lewis has secured defense verdicts throughout the State of Florida, is AV rated and admitted to practice in all state and Federal Courts in the State of Florida.
Jonathan J. Levy is of counsel to the firm and based out of the Boca Raton office. Mr. Levy’s practice includes Construction and Design Defect claims focusing on defending developers, general contractors, subcontractors, design professionals, including architects, engineers, and surveyors, as well as environmental consultants, and product manufacturers.
A large portion of Mr. Levy’s practice involves construction and design defect disputes, including representation of clients during the Chapter 558 pre-suit process, litigation and arbitration.
Additionally, Mr. Levy has experience working on construction transactions matters, construction contract/payment disputes, environmental/pollution claims, design claims, and construction accident claims.
Mr. Levy joined the firm in March 2022. Prior to joining the firm Mr. Levy was an associate attorney at a boutique law firm specializing in Foreclosure Defense, Complex Business and Commercial Litigation, Appellate Advocacy, and Corporate Transactional Law.
Mr. Levy obtained his law degree from Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad College of Law in 2019. During law school Mr. Levy served on the executive board for the Jewish Law Society and was a student delegate at AIPAC Policy Conference. Mr. Levy was also a law clerk at NSU’S Berger Entrepreneurship Clinic, providing legal work to underserved small businesses, and achieved Dean’s List for multiple semesters. Prior to law school Mr. Levy worked for high tech companies in Tel-Aviv, Israel, garnering substantial international business experience.
Cuiyun Li AKA Laura Li is an Associate in the firm’s Jersey City office. Prior to joining Lydecker, Laura has engaged in several firms litigating employment issues, commercial issues, real estate issues, and other civil issues. Laura has zealously represented clients to resolve employment issues under the Title VII of Civil Rights of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the New York State Human Rights Law, the New York City Human Rights Law, the New York Labor Law, etc. Laura also represented clients in commercial litigation where contract disputes require meticulous interpretation. Real Estate Disputes regarding ownership and partition are orthodox and perplexing where Laura undertook painstaking.
Crystal Lichtenberger is an Associate in Lydecker’s Jersey City office, where she focuses her practice on Labor and Employment law.
Ms. Lichtenberger earned her J.D. from the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University in 2024, graduating magna cum laude. While at Pace, she was a Merit Scholarship recipient, served on the Executive Boards of the Latin American Law Students Association and the Sports, Entertainment & Arts Law Society, and co-authored a published article on tax policy in the George Washington Business & Finance Law Review. She also competed in the Baseball Filing Day Negotiations Competition and served as a peer mentor to fellow students.
Following law school, Ms. Lichtenberger served as a Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable Stevie D. Chambers in the New Jersey Superior Court, where she drafted judicial opinions and orders, managed case communications, and facilitated consent conferences with litigants. Her prior legal experience includes externships and internships with Jaguar Land Rover North America, NUS Consulting Group, the Bronx District Attorney’s Office, the Pace Women’s Justice Center, and Jeffries & Corigliano, LLP. Through these roles, she gained experience in litigation, corporate contracts, compliance, family law, and immigration matters.
Ms. Lichtenberger is admitted to practice law in New Jersey. She is a member of the Hispanic Bar Association of New Jersey and the Hudson County Bar Association. Outside of the office, she enjoys cooking, gardening, reading, and strength training.
Valentina Lopera is an Associate at the Firm’s Miami office. Valentina’s practice focuses on civil litigation and insurance defense. Valentina has experience defending claims for personal injury sounding in auto negligence, premises liability, product liability, and construction negligence, as well as defending first party property damage claims, civil rights claims, employment-based claims, and workers’ compensation claims.
After graduating cum laude from Florida International University with a degree in Political Science, Valentina obtained her Juris Doctor degree from Nova Southeastern University, Shepard Broad College of Law. While in law school, Valentina was a Junior Associate and Bilingual Translator for the school journal, ILSA Journal of International and Comparative Law.
Valentina has a commitment to pro-bono work and received an honorary distinction for completing more than 200 hours of pro-bono services during law school career. Valentina interned with Mission United Veterans Pro Bono Legal Aid Services of Broward County, where she helped low-income veterans appeal their military discharge status and/or their benefits; as well as assisting veterans in various civil matters including evictions and child custody disputes. Valentina also interned at the Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Law Clinic, providing legal assistance services to caregivers of adults with intellectual disabilities. Additionally, Valentina has experience having interned with the Miami-Dade Public Schools Board of Education. Valentina continues to do pro-bono work.
Alfredo Lorenzo is an Associate in Lydecker’s Los Angeles office and practices in the area of General Liability, representing clients in a broad range of civil litigation matters. His experience includes handling complex disputes and providing strategic defense in cases involving premises liability, personal injury, and other general liability claims. He brings a practical, detail-oriented approach to litigation, focusing on protecting his clients’ interests while navigating the procedural and substantive complexities of California law.
Mr. Lorenzo worked on a vast array of mass tort cases on behalf of thousands of plaintiffs, most notably contributing to the historic $4 billion settlement against Los Angeles County involving juvenile abuse claims. During his time in private practice, he also worked as a real estate associate, where he handled tax credit finance, secured real estate finance, leasing, and related transactional matters.
He is a native Spanish speaker and regularly integrates his language skills into his legal practice, allowing him to effectively communicate with and advocate for a diverse client base.
Prior to beginning his legal career, Mr. Lorenzo served as a substitute teacher in his local high school district, where he filled in as an Algebra I teacher, demonstrating his commitment to education and community engagement.
Mark Loevinger is an Associate in Lydecker’s Jersey City office. His practice focuses on civil defense litigation, including casualty, professional liability, employment law, general liability, and complex civil matters in state and federal court.
Before joining the firm, he served as a Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable Linda Grasso Jones, J.S.C., in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Civil Division, Monmouth Vicinage. In that role, he worked on dispositive motions, discovery disputes, motions in limine, mediations, hearings, and trial preparation.
He earned his J.D. from Touro University Law Center. During law school, he externed with the Westchester County Attorney’s Office and interned with the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office Financial Crimes Unit.
His background includes legal research and writing, motion practice, discovery, mediation, factual investigation, litigation strategy, and experience involving real property, municipal agency matters, financial crimes, insurance issues, commercial disputes, and construction-related matters.
Andrea is a trial lawyer in Lydecker’s Los Angeles and Newport Beach and concentrates her practice in product liability matters and business litigation. She has served as national counsel for an elevator/escalator manufacturer and a coatings manufacturer and serves as regional counsel for other product manufacturers. She regularly represents clients in high-stakes litigation in state and federal courts throughout the country and has tried cases to successful verdicts in both state and federal courts.
Andrea utilizes her experience to create strategies to defend the products in catastrophic injury litigation and to convey highly technical issues in an easily understandable manner. Andrea’s ability to understand clients’ businesses and products has made her a trusted advisor to multiple clients who regularly trust her to handle some of their most significant matters.
Since 2018, Andrea has been recognized a number of times as a Rising Star ® by Thomson Reuters. When Andrea is not practicing law, she enjoys surfing and attending Lakers basketball games.
David B. Kowalski is a partner in the Orlando office of Lydecker. He has extensive experience in the defense of civil disputes. Mr. Kowalski represents a wide range of clientele, including condominium associations, homeowners associations, governmental entities, trucking companies, products manufacturers, resorts, restaurants, and other establishments within the hospitality industry. This diverse background provides him with a unique perspective on the needs of each individual client. He has significant experience in cases of catastrophic personal injury, large settlement negotiation, mediation, and arbitration.
While earning his Juris Doctorate, Mr. Kowalski worked as a law clerk with Jacksonville area law firms where he focused on complex commercial litigation. During the course of his clerkships, he gained experience litigating high value cases in state courts as well as the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. His interest in litigation lead him to Lydecker where he now practices a range of topics in civil defense.
Mr. Kowalski earned his Juris Doctorate in 2013 from the Florida State University College of Law where he graduated cum laude. There, he was an active member of the Dispute Resolution Society, Business Law Society, and Estate Planning & Elder Law Society. During the course of his legal education, Mr. Kowalski received numerous merit-based scholarships and was a five time recipient of the Dean’s List award. Prior to law school, he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Florida State University.
Ms. LaFaurie is a Lydecker Partner overseeing teams throughout the Firm’s Florida and California offices, with extensive experience handling a wide variety of high exposure and complex general liability and personal injury matters. Ms. LaFaurie is the Head of the Firm’s Product Liability Department and the co-chair of the Mass Tort Department. She is one of the firm’s trial attorneys, who regularly handles matters through all phases of litigation, from evidentiary hearings, arbitrations, and through trial, before Local, State and Federal Courts in connection with a wide variety of complex civil and commercial litigation matters.
Ms. LaFaurie’s general liability, product liability, and mass tort litigation experience includes representing premises owners and operators, local and global manufacturers, as well as major national retailers in numerous areas within the wider tort-based field, such as catastrophic injury, premises liability claims, class action, mass and toxic tort litigation, recalled product claims, as well as defending claims involving consumer and commercially available substances and materials. Her experience includes high exposure injury, wrongful death, and commercial matters. Ms. LaFaurie proactively manages and advises her clients on legal and factual matters of first impression, including efforts to mitigate and limit the prospective of emerging and anticipated claims, future class action and large-scale legal exposures.
Ms. LaFaurie is actively involved in leadership and mentorship in several national organizations focused on defense of business owners of all kinds. She sits on several committees with a focus which reflects her practice in civil litigation, product liability and mass tort.
Quinn LaHiff is a partner in the firm’s Tampa office where his practice encompasses a broad range of civil defense matters.
A Florida native, Quinn received his Bachelor of Science of Legal Studies from the University of Central Florida. He then went on to earn his Juris Doctor from Stetson Law, where he served as Deputy Chief of the Stetson Ambassador and Mentorship Program. Upon graduation, Quinn began his practice as a civil litigation attorney representing clients in both state and Federal Court in a broad range of cases. In addition to litigating, Quinn also spent a significant portion of his career working in private capital and investment advisory firms serving as in-house counsel and chief compliance officer.
In his free time, Quinn enjoys spending time with his family in the great outdoors immersed in the natural beauty that his home state has to offer.
Jessica Less is an Associate at Lydecker’s Bankruptcy and Insurance Receivership Practice Group in Miami, Florida. Her practice involves representing clients in both federal and state court litigation with a primary focus on insolvency and creditors’ rights related cases. She regularly provides legal counsel to court-appointed receivers, secured creditors, and unsecured creditors in federal and state courts cases.
Prior to joining the firm in 2024, Ms. Less served as a judicial intern to the Honorable Pamela Ruest, Center County Court of Common Pleas in Pennsylvania. She earned her J.D. from The Pennsylvania State University, The Dickinson School of Law. During her legal studies, Ms. Less also served as President of the Black Law Students Association and chaired the Student Bar Association’s Diversity Committee.
Mr. Lewis is Of Counsel to the firm’s Miami office. Mr. Lewis spent over 35 years as a partner at a well known Miami insurance defense firm. Mr. Lewis concentrates his practice on defense of large corporations and insurance companies in premises liability, negligent security, products liability, legal malpractice and general tort liability.
At Lydecker Mr. Lewis serves as senior trial counsel having tried over 100 jury trials. Mr. Lewis has secured defense verdicts throughout the State of Florida, is AV rated and admitted to practice in all state and Federal Courts in the State of Florida.
Jonathan J. Levy is of counsel to the firm and based out of the Boca Raton office. Mr. Levy’s practice includes Construction and Design Defect claims focusing on defending developers, general contractors, subcontractors, design professionals, including architects, engineers, and surveyors, as well as environmental consultants, and product manufacturers.
A large portion of Mr. Levy’s practice involves construction and design defect disputes, including representation of clients during the Chapter 558 pre-suit process, litigation and arbitration.
Additionally, Mr. Levy has experience working on construction transactions matters, construction contract/payment disputes, environmental/pollution claims, design claims, and construction accident claims.
Mr. Levy joined the firm in March 2022. Prior to joining the firm Mr. Levy was an associate attorney at a boutique law firm specializing in Foreclosure Defense, Complex Business and Commercial Litigation, Appellate Advocacy, and Corporate Transactional Law.
Mr. Levy obtained his law degree from Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad College of Law in 2019. During law school Mr. Levy served on the executive board for the Jewish Law Society and was a student delegate at AIPAC Policy Conference. Mr. Levy was also a law clerk at NSU’S Berger Entrepreneurship Clinic, providing legal work to underserved small businesses, and achieved Dean’s List for multiple semesters. Prior to law school Mr. Levy worked for high tech companies in Tel-Aviv, Israel, garnering substantial international business experience.
Cuiyun Li AKA Laura Li is an Associate in the firm’s Jersey City office. Prior to joining Lydecker, Laura has engaged in several firms litigating employment issues, commercial issues, real estate issues, and other civil issues. Laura has zealously represented clients to resolve employment issues under the Title VII of Civil Rights of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the New York State Human Rights Law, the New York City Human Rights Law, the New York Labor Law, etc. Laura also represented clients in commercial litigation where contract disputes require meticulous interpretation. Real Estate Disputes regarding ownership and partition are orthodox and perplexing where Laura undertook painstaking.
Crystal Lichtenberger is an Associate in Lydecker’s Jersey City office, where she focuses her practice on Labor and Employment law.
Ms. Lichtenberger earned her J.D. from the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University in 2024, graduating magna cum laude. While at Pace, she was a Merit Scholarship recipient, served on the Executive Boards of the Latin American Law Students Association and the Sports, Entertainment & Arts Law Society, and co-authored a published article on tax policy in the George Washington Business & Finance Law Review. She also competed in the Baseball Filing Day Negotiations Competition and served as a peer mentor to fellow students.
Following law school, Ms. Lichtenberger served as a Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable Stevie D. Chambers in the New Jersey Superior Court, where she drafted judicial opinions and orders, managed case communications, and facilitated consent conferences with litigants. Her prior legal experience includes externships and internships with Jaguar Land Rover North America, NUS Consulting Group, the Bronx District Attorney’s Office, the Pace Women’s Justice Center, and Jeffries & Corigliano, LLP. Through these roles, she gained experience in litigation, corporate contracts, compliance, family law, and immigration matters.
Ms. Lichtenberger is admitted to practice law in New Jersey. She is a member of the Hispanic Bar Association of New Jersey and the Hudson County Bar Association. Outside of the office, she enjoys cooking, gardening, reading, and strength training.
Valentina Lopera is an Associate at the Firm’s Miami office. Valentina’s practice focuses on civil litigation and insurance defense. Valentina has experience defending claims for personal injury sounding in auto negligence, premises liability, product liability, and construction negligence, as well as defending first party property damage claims, civil rights claims, employment-based claims, and workers’ compensation claims.
After graduating cum laude from Florida International University with a degree in Political Science, Valentina obtained her Juris Doctor degree from Nova Southeastern University, Shepard Broad College of Law. While in law school, Valentina was a Junior Associate and Bilingual Translator for the school journal, ILSA Journal of International and Comparative Law.
Valentina has a commitment to pro-bono work and received an honorary distinction for completing more than 200 hours of pro-bono services during law school career. Valentina interned with Mission United Veterans Pro Bono Legal Aid Services of Broward County, where she helped low-income veterans appeal their military discharge status and/or their benefits; as well as assisting veterans in various civil matters including evictions and child custody disputes. Valentina also interned at the Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Law Clinic, providing legal assistance services to caregivers of adults with intellectual disabilities. Additionally, Valentina has experience having interned with the Miami-Dade Public Schools Board of Education. Valentina continues to do pro-bono work.
Alfredo Lorenzo is an Associate in Lydecker’s Los Angeles office and practices in the area of General Liability, representing clients in a broad range of civil litigation matters. His experience includes handling complex disputes and providing strategic defense in cases involving premises liability, personal injury, and other general liability claims. He brings a practical, detail-oriented approach to litigation, focusing on protecting his clients’ interests while navigating the procedural and substantive complexities of California law.
Mr. Lorenzo worked on a vast array of mass tort cases on behalf of thousands of plaintiffs, most notably contributing to the historic $4 billion settlement against Los Angeles County involving juvenile abuse claims. During his time in private practice, he also worked as a real estate associate, where he handled tax credit finance, secured real estate finance, leasing, and related transactional matters.
He is a native Spanish speaker and regularly integrates his language skills into his legal practice, allowing him to effectively communicate with and advocate for a diverse client base.
Prior to beginning his legal career, Mr. Lorenzo served as a substitute teacher in his local high school district, where he filled in as an Algebra I teacher, demonstrating his commitment to education and community engagement.
Mark Loevinger is an Associate in Lydecker’s Jersey City office. His practice focuses on civil defense litigation, including casualty, professional liability, employment law, general liability, and complex civil matters in state and federal court.
Before joining the firm, he served as a Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable Linda Grasso Jones, J.S.C., in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Civil Division, Monmouth Vicinage. In that role, he worked on dispositive motions, discovery disputes, motions in limine, mediations, hearings, and trial preparation.
He earned his J.D. from Touro University Law Center. During law school, he externed with the Westchester County Attorney’s Office and interned with the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office Financial Crimes Unit.
His background includes legal research and writing, motion practice, discovery, mediation, factual investigation, litigation strategy, and experience involving real property, municipal agency matters, financial crimes, insurance issues, commercial disputes, and construction-related matters.
Andrea is a trial lawyer in Lydecker’s Los Angeles and Newport Beach and concentrates her practice in product liability matters and business litigation. She has served as national counsel for an elevator/escalator manufacturer and a coatings manufacturer and serves as regional counsel for other product manufacturers. She regularly represents clients in high-stakes litigation in state and federal courts throughout the country and has tried cases to successful verdicts in both state and federal courts.
Andrea utilizes her experience to create strategies to defend the products in catastrophic injury litigation and to convey highly technical issues in an easily understandable manner. Andrea’s ability to understand clients’ businesses and products has made her a trusted advisor to multiple clients who regularly trust her to handle some of their most significant matters.
Since 2018, Andrea has been recognized a number of times as a Rising Star ® by Thomson Reuters. When Andrea is not practicing law, she enjoys surfing and attending Lakers basketball games.
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