Insurance Agents and Brokers
Our firm specializes in defending insurance agents and brokers in a wide range of legal matters, providing comprehensive legal representation tailored to the unique challenges faced by these professionals. We understand the complexities of the insurance industry and the critical role that agents and brokers play in serving their clients. Our experienced team is well-versed in handling disputes related to errors and omissions (E&O) claims, professional liability, regulatory compliance, and contractual issues.
We work diligently to protect the reputations and careers of insurance agents and brokers, utilizing strategic defenses and expert knowledge of the industry’s standards and practices. Whether navigating litigation, arbitration, or regulatory investigations, our attorneys are committed to achieving the best possible outcomes for our clients. With a focus on minimizing risk and resolving disputes efficiently, we provide the legal support that insurance professionals need to continue their work with confidence.
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Insurance Agents and Brokers Team
Christy Montoto is Of Counsel in Lydecker’s Miami office. Ms. Montoto concentrates her practice in civil litigation with a primary focus on insurance defense, general liability, premises liability, wrongful death, catastrophic injury, construction litigation, and related liability matters. She represents insurance carriers, corporate clients, businesses, and individuals in state and federal courts throughout Florida.
Ms. Montoto brings nearly 20 years of litigation experience representing clients through all phases of civil litigation, from pre-suit evaluation through trial and appeal. She regularly advises clients on litigation strategy, liability analysis, risk management, and the efficient resolution of disputes. Her practice includes the evaluation of complex medical and liability issues, damages analysis, and the defense of a wide variety of civil litigation matters.
Throughout her career, Ms. Montoto has represented national insurance carriers, corporate clients, businesses, governmental entities, and individuals in matters involving insurance defense, general liability, premises liability, personal injury, wrongful death, and disability claims. She has also worked extensively with medical experts, healthcare providers, engineers, vocational specialists, and other professionals in the evaluation and defense of complex claims.
Ms. Montoto is committed to delivering practical legal solutions, exceptional client service, and effective advocacy tailored to each client’s objectives.
Peter Agola is an Associate in Lydecker’s Miami office. Peter is a 2023 graduate of the University of Miami School of Law, and a member of the Florida Bar. Prior to joining Lydecker, Peter spent time as a law clerk at a boutique complex commercial litigation firm, and an insurance defense firm, both located in Miami.
Oluwatomi Ajimatanrareje is an Associate in Lydecker’s San Francisco office. His practice focuses on civil litigation, construction defect, labor and employment, workers’ compensation, with an emphasis on product liability and mass torts.
He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, with an emphasis in Political Theory, from the University of California, Berkeley, before earning his Juris Doctor at Penn State Law.
While in law school, Mr. Ajimatanrareje completed concentrations in Labor and Employment Law; Arbitration, Mediation, and Negotiation; Advocacy and Litigation; and Corporate Law and Practice. He was also an active member of the Black Law Students Association.
Before joining Lydecker, Mr. Ajimatanrareje began his legal career as a law clerk at a civil litigation firm, bringing valuable experience to serve the needs of the firm’s clients.
Dianna L. Albini, a Partner at Lydecker’s California Offices, has been a trial attorney for more than 34 years. She is recognized by Martindale-Hubbell® Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers™, and the Martindale-Hubbell® Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers™ Judicial Edition as an AV Rated-Preeminent member.[1]
Ms. Albini primarily handles complex catastrophic injury litigation, as well as mass tort litigation involving environmental, medical device implant, and pharmaceutical matters, and civil litigation. Ms. Albini has been admitted Pro Hac Vice as a trial attorney throughout the United States, including New Jersey, Florida, Montana, Georgia, Minnesota, Puerto Rico, Louisiana, and Illinois.
Ms. Albini founded her boutique law firm in San Francisco, California. As the firm’s trial attorney, she secured multimillion-dollar verdicts and settlements, and over the course of her career thus far, her clients have recovered more than $100 million. Ms. Albini also served on the Board of Directors for the San Francisco Trial Lawyers. She is a Lifetime Member of the Million Dollar Trial Lawyers and the Multi-Million Dollar Trial Lawyers Association. Ms. Albini, is a California and San Francisco Trial Lawyer of the Year Finalist on numerous occasions.
Ms. Albini is a member of the United States District Court for the Eastern and Northern Districts of California and has appeared in the Court of Appeal of California, First, Second, and Fifth Appellate Districts.
Ms. Albini has served as a Judge Pro Tem for the Counties of Contra Costa, Alameda, and San Francisco, in the State of California. She has also volunteered as an Adjunct Professor at the University of San Francisco, Hastings, and Golden Gate University Law Schools.
Ms. Albini received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Sports Management and Administration from the University of San Francisco, where she attended on a full-ride athletic scholarship. Ms. Albini was the third female athlete inducted into the University of San Francisco Athletic Hall of Fame. She received her Juris Doctorate from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, where she made the Dean’s list.
[1] AV-Preeminent ratings are the Highest possible rating, reflecting the confidential opinions of California Bar and Judiciary members who know Ms. Albini’s legal ability and ethical standards.
Forrest Andrews is the Chair of Lydecker LLP’s Errors & Omissions Department and Co-Chair of its Commercial Department. Forrest has extensive experience defending claims against attorneys, insurance agents and brokers, real estate agents and brokers, property managers, directors and officers, and other types of professionals. Forrest understands that his clients have spent years establishing their businesses and reputation, which is why he focuses his practice on providing effective legal strategies and solutions to protect those interests.
With respect to environmental claims, Forrest handles cases involving mold damage and exposure, air and water pollution, and other contaminates.
Forrest is also Chair of Lydecker LLP’s Appellate Department and is Board Certified in Appellate Practice by The Florida Bar. Forrest handles all types of appellate proceedings, including extraordinary writs, in state and federal courts, and provides litigation support services to trial counsel by developing effective strategies at the trial level in anticipation of an appeal.
Before joining Lydecker LLP, Forrest had an extensive career in the public sector, including serving as an Assistant City Attorney for the City of Miami where he represented the City of Miami in many federal civil rights suits, personal injury, commercial, and appellate cases.
Victoria A. Arthington is Of Counsel in Lydecker’s Orlando office where she concentrates her practice in civil litigation with a primary focus on personal injury and premises liability law. In her personal injury and premises liability practice, Ms. Arthington primarily represents and advises business owners and condominium associations in various civil matters, and litigation.
Prior to joining Lydecker, Ms. Arthington worked with investors and landowners by helping them navigate complex zoning and compliance issues with real estate investments. Ms. Arthington earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Florida School of Law, where she also served in the Conservation Law Clinic.
Mr. Arthington was admitted to practice in the State of Florida in 2020 and is an active member of the Florida Bar.
Jamie Baboolal is a Senior Associate with the firm’s Miami office. Ms. Baboolal’s practice involves all aspects of federal and state civil litigation with a focus on products, premises, and general liability. Ms. Baboolal’s experience includes representing premises owners and operators, local and global manufacturers, major national retailers in numerous areas within the wider tort-based field, such as catastrophic injury, premises liability claims, 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. Baboolal graduated summa cum laude from Nova Southeastern University’s Shepard Broad College of Law. During law school, Ms. Baboolal received Dean’s List Honors and multiple CALI Excellence for the Future Awards. She was an active member of the Nova Moot Court Society and served as an Articles Editor on the Nova Law Review. Ms. Baboolal also held positions as teaching assistant for Constitutional Law and research assistant for Health Law.
While attending law school, Ms. Baboolal worked as a law clerk at a boutique firm where she gained practical experience handling wills, estates, family law, and real estate transactions. Ms. Baboolal also worked as a legal intern at a securities litigation firm where she gained valuable experience in securities class actions.
Ms. Arlene Barton serves as Of Counsel at Lydecker, where she partners with litigation teams throughout the Firm’s California offices to navigate some complex and high-exposure matters. With more than 25 years of litigation experience, Ms. Barton is regarded as a formidable advocate with a proven record of success across toxic tort, product liability, mass tort, general liability, and complex civil litigation. Her practice is defined by strategic precision, exceptional case management, and an unwavering commitment to advancing client objectives in high-stakes environments.
Throughout her career, Ms. Barton has defended owners, manufacturers, contractors, distributors, and suppliers in litigation involving a broad spectrum of industrial and pharmaceutical products—including chemicals, talc, pesticides/herbicides, and asbestos. She has led numerous trial teams and is known for her sophisticated command of end-to-end litigation, from initial case assessment and discovery through expert work, dispositive motions, trial preparation, and trial. She is equally adept at steering both individual high-exposure cases and complex national litigation portfolios, developing tailored strategies that protect client interests while anticipating long-range legal and factual risks.
Ms. Barton’s litigation experience also includes defending catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases. She has represented global manufacturers, national retailers, and major premises operators in cases involving consumer and industrial substances and materials. Her clients rely on her forward-looking guidance on emerging areas of liability, issues of first impression, and proactive measures to mitigate and limit large-scale or anticipated exposure. Her ability to integrate legal analysis with practical business considerations has made her a trusted advisor to companies facing multifaceted and evolving litigation challenges.
From 2012 through 2018, Ms. Barton served as a Judge Pro Tem in the San Francisco Superior Court’s Discovery Department, where she presided over discovery disputes and provided judicial guidance in complex civil matters. This experience deepened her insight into judicial expectations and procedural strategy, further enhancing her effectiveness in navigating discovery battles and pre-trial litigation.
A seasoned strategist, respected litigator, and dedicated leader, Ms. Barton brings exceptional advocacy, foresight, and experience to every matter she handles.
Justin M. Bettis is Of Counsel Lydecker’s Jersey City, New Jersey office. He is an experienced litigator who represents clients in a wide range of complex civil matters, with a particular focus on personal injury and premises liability claims.
Mr. Bettis has substantial experience managing complex cases and handling matters through all phases of litigation, including pleadings, discovery, depositions, motion practice, and appeals. He has appeared before state and federal courts in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, and is recognized for his effective oral advocacy and strategic, results-driven approach to litigation. His experience includes obtaining favorable outcomes through dispositive motion practice, arbitration, mediation, and negotiated settlements.
Prior to joining Lydecker LLP, Mr. Bettis served as a trial attorney at prominent regional and national law firms, where he represented both individuals and corporate clients in high-exposure matters. He has successfully negotiated significant settlements, identified and mitigated fraudulent claims, and advised clients on risk management and regulatory compliance. Earlier in his career, he founded and operated a solo practice, providing him with a comprehensive perspective on client advocacy, case management, and business considerations in litigation.
Mr. Bettis earned his Juris Doctor from Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law and his undergraduate degree from La Salle University. He is admitted to practice in the States of New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, as well as the United States District Courts for the District of New Jersey and the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
He has been recognized by the National Black Lawyers Association as a “Top 40 Under 40” attorney. Mr. Bettis is an active member of several bar associations, including the New Jersey State Bar Association, the Metropolitan Black Bar Association, and the LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York.
Matthew Biondi is a partner in Lydecker’s New Jersey. New York and Connecticut office and has since established a solid reputation across a broad range of legal fields. His practice areas include construction litigation, general liability, New York Labor Law, professional liability, commercial litigation, and insurance coverage. Matthew is skilled at navigating the complex legal landscapes of both New York, New Jersey and Connecticut where he is fully licensed to practice.
His practice is particularly focused on defending claims arising under New York Labor Law and handling catastrophic personal injury matters. Matthew represents insurers, contractors, and property owners in high exposure cases involving serious injuries and complex liability issues, providing strategic counsel from early case assessment through trial.
Matthew’s commitment to legal excellence is evident in his meticulous approach to case preparation and client advocacy. His analytical skills and comprehensive knowledge have led to successful outcomes in numerous high-stakes cases. He is particularly noted for his strategic use of pre-trial motions, which often result in favorable resolutions for his clients.
Upon earning his law degree, Matthew had the honor of serving as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Jamie S. Perri, J.S.C., in the Law Division of Monmouth County. This role provided him with invaluable insights into judicial processes and deepened his understanding of civil litigation, directly influencing his practical and thorough approach to legal challenges.
In addition to his courtroom achievements, Matthew is dedicated to the legal community, regularly contributing to legal journals and speaking at conferences focused on his areas of expertise.
Matthew’s professional principles are characterized by a steadfast commitment to justice and integrity, making him a respected figure in the legal profession and a trusted advocate for his clients.
Jane M. Braugh is a partner in Lydecker’s Los Angeles office and received her B.A. in English from the University of Kentucky. She attended law school at the University of Houston, Law Center in Houston, Texas. During law school, Jane M. Braugh studied abroad in Innsbruck Austria and Mexico City, Mexico, where she completed a law internship at Petróleos Mexicanos (PEMEX), Mexico’s state-owned petroleum company.
After obtaining her juris doctorate degree, Jane M. Braugh was appointed Assistant Attorney General for the State of Texas in the Financial Crimes Division, and practiced in Austin, Texas from May 1995 through December 1999. While an Assistant Attorney General, Jane M. Braugh took her first jury trial to verdict obtaining a judgment for the State of Texas against a nightclub owner in Fort Worth. Ms. Braugh co-authored the Texas County and District Attorney’s Practice Guide on Asset Seizure and Forfeiture, drafted proposed legislation and testified before Legislative committees regarding pending legislation.
Jane M. Braugh then transferred her practice to Southern California in January 2000 where her practice focused on a variety of complex litigation matters involving catastrophic injury, wrongful death, product liability, premises liability, vehicular and trucking accidents, aircraft accidents, workplace accidents, labor and employment claims, and a variety of business and commercial disputes. Included in her practice is the participation in the complex courtrooms of Los Angeles County Superior Court, Judicial Council Coordination Proceedings (JCCP) for products liability cases involving auto and tire manufacturers. Such complex coordinated matters included those filed in, In Re Firestone Tires (including a jury trial to judgment in Ramon Moreno Sr., et al. v. ATV, Inc.) and In Re Winston Tires. Jane M. Braugh was part of the trial team that obtained a judgment after jury trial in the products liability case of Mendoza v. Ford Motor Co., in Kern County Superior Court.
Jane M. Braugh is a member of the State Bar of Texas and the State Bar of California. She is admitted to practice before the United States District Courts for the Northern, and Western Districts of Texas, as well as the Central District of California. Jane M. Braugh is admitted to practice before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Jane M. Braugh, a Native American, is also a member of the judiciary. In 2004, Jane M. Braugh was elected District Court Judge of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation (CPN) of which she is a tribal member, where she served until 2010. On June 26, 2010, Jane M. Braugh was elected Associate Supreme Court Justice of the CPN Supreme Court where she remains serving for multiple consecutive terms.
Samantha Brown is an Associate in the firm’s Boca Raton office. Ms. Brown’s practice involves Catastrophic Injury & Loss Defense, Complex Commercial Litigation, Professional Liability, Municipal Defense, Environmental / Toxic Tort, Premises Liability, Products Liability, and Transportation Liability.
Ms. Brown earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice, a minor in Legal Studies, and a Certification in Criminal Profiling and Intelligence and National Security from the University of Central Florida in May 2020.
Ms. Brown earned her Juris Doctorate Degree from Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad College of Law, graduating Magna Cum Laude. Upon graduation, Ms. Brown was inducted into the Order of Barristers, a national honor society. During law school, Ms. Brown was part of the honor program and received the Dean’s List award every semester. Ms. Brown served as NSU’s Trial Association’s Vice President of External Operations. She was a national competitor for the NSU Trial Team and NSU’s Moot Court Honor Society. Ms. Brown was a Senior Associate of Nova Law Review and a teaching assistant for criminal law and criminal procedure classes. Ms. Brown was President of NSU’s Federalist Chapter and National Security Society.
Before joining the firm, Ms. Brown was a Judicial intern for the Honorable Judge Weekes. Ms. Brown previously worked at a large defense firm practicing vehicular negligence.
Shavon Brooks is an Associate attorney in Lydecker’s Orlando office. Ms. Brooks focuses her practice on employment law, commercial litigation, general liability, and construction matters.
Prior to joining Lydecker, Shavon represented clients in a range of complex legal matters. Shavon graduated cum laude from the State University of New York at Albany and earned a Juris Doctor from Barry University School of Law. While at Barry, Shavon completed an externship with the Department of Children and Families, where she gained experience assisting with petitions and supporting matters involving children and families. She also completed internships at small law firms focused on general liability work.
Edward R. Butler III is a Senior Associate in Lydecker’s Orlando office. With more than 10 years of litigation experience, his primary practice areas include bodily injury, premises liability, probate, and general liability matters.
Edward has extensive litigation and trial experience, having successfully represented clients through all phases of complex disputes. He has secured full defense verdicts in cases involving potential exposure in the multimillion-dollar range.
Known for his meticulous attention to detail and proactive communication, Edward prioritizes strong client relationships and strategic advocacy. He is committed to delivering thoughtful, results-driven representation and upholding the highest standards of professionalism and legal integrity in every matter he handles.
Hagen Brody is Of Counsel in Lydecker’s Tampa office and the former Mayor of the City of Sarasota. Hagen was a felony prosecutor for Florida’s Twelfth Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office. As an experienced trial attorney, he now focuses on representing clients in civil and commercial disputes across Florida.
Hagen is also a committed community member and recipient of the prestigious Sarasota County Bar President’s Award for Community Service having served several governmental, non-governmental, and philanthropic organizations over the years including:
Sarasota City Commission
Sarasota County Bar Association Board of Directors
Twelfth Judicial Circuit Juvenile Justice Advisory Board
Sarasota County Tourist Development Council
Sarasota Bay Park Improvement Board
Sarasota Affordable Housing Advisory Committee
Florida League of Cities, Land Use & Economic Development Committee
Teen Court of Sarasota Board of Directors
Brandi’s Wish Foundation Board of Directors
Booker High School Mock Trial Team Coach
Mayors Feed the Hungry
Hagen Brody is a Florida native, a graduate of Sarasota High School where he won a Men’s Tennis State Championship. The sport took him out west where he captained his Division I Men’s Tennis team at The University of California, Santa Barbara where he earned his undergraduate degree. Hagen returned to Florida to earn his law degree from The University of Miami and now lives in southwest Florida—but remains a Miami Hurricane fan.
Yina Cabrera is a Partner in Lydecer’s Miami office. Ms. Cabrera’s practice involves all aspects of federal and state civil trial litigation with a primary focus in personal injury, government liability, and civil rights litigation. Ms. Cabrera also handles employment litigation matters, including FLSA and FMLA violations, and Title VII violations including discrimination, retaliation, and sexual harassment.
Ms. Cabrera earned her J.D. from Florida International University College of Law in May 2021, graduating with honors. During law school, Ms. Cabrera interned at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and was a research assistant at FIU Law, responsible for researching topics in employment discrimination. Ms. Cabrera was on the Executive Board of the FIU Law Review, serving as the Executive Comments Editor; her Law Review student note was chosen for publication in the FIU Law Review. Ms. Cabrera was also a member of the FIU Board of Appellate Advocates and was a semifinalist in the Intramural Moot Court Competition. Ms. Cabrera was the President of the Cuban American Bar Association, Vice President of the Employment and Labor Law Society, and served as a Student Ambassador. Furthermore, Ms. Cabrera was a Dean’s Scholar and was awarded an Excellence in Civic Engagement Medallion for her pro-bono work.
Christopher J. Campbell is a Partner at Lydecker’s Newport Beach, Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco offices, serving as lead counsel in state and federal courts, as well as high-stakes arbitration. Mr. Campbell’s practice focuses on defending companies across materials, industrials, utilities, healthcare, information technology, financials, and consumer discretionary sectors. Mr. Campbell prioritizes organizational objectives over legal convenience to secure favorable verdicts, settlements, and dispositive judgments.
As a trial attorney for Lydecker’s EPLI Department, Environmental Mass Tort, Product Liability Department and Professional Liability Department, Mr. Campbell has defended against complaints involving consumer and commercially available substances and materials, class action, mass, and toxic tort litigation, and recalled products claims. Mr. Campbell spearheaded growing nationwide silicosis litigation by bringing its bellwether case to verdict in Los Angeles County. His work with EPLI offers clients invaluable guidance on navigating the complex landscape of employment law. With a focus on defending employers in employment-related claims, Mr. Campbell has experience handling a wide range of workplace issues, including wrongful termination, harassment, discrimination, and wage and hour disputes. Mr. Campbell has a deep understanding of the complexities involved in professional liability cases and is committed to protecting the reputations and careers of his clients. His dedication to delivering tailored solutions and safeguarding his clients’ interests makes him a trusted advocate in professional liability defense.
Finding his roots in the in-house legal department of an international company with over 13,000 employees, Mr. Campbell brings a unique perspective to the courtroom, tailoring litigation strategies to his clients’ executive philosophies and microeconomic constraints to advance long-term organizational goals through a trial-focused approach that forces outcomes on his clients’ terms. This has allowed Mr. Campbell to adopt a proactive methodology in developing internal employment policies and procedures to reduce risks and avoid costly litigation in the first place.
Mr. Campbell’s representative clients are diverse, ranging from multinational corporations, medical device and pharmaceutical companies to local business and municipal governments, as well as global manufacturers, distributors, and major retailers. Mr. Campbell specifically focuses on defending companies against complaints involving consumer and commercially available substances and materials, class action, mass and toxic tort litigation, recalled products claims, employment discrimination, wrongful termination, and wage disputes.
Before joining Lydecker, Mr. Campbell defended businesses operating throughout California, and has acted as lead trial counsel throughout strategic discovery, pre-trial motion practice, and to completion of trial. His prior experience includes a range of manufacturer defect, fraud, employment, and regulatory compliance litigation on a state and federal level. In law school, Mr. Campbell was a Dean’s Merit Scholarship Recipient, and finalist and Best Opening Statement winner in University of California, Irvine School of Law’s Mock Trial competition. Mr. Campbell continues to participate in the development and mentorship of aspiring civil litigators.
Filippo Carnazzi is an associate in the firm’s Miami office. Mr. Carnazzi’s practice focuses on construction defect litigation. In his practice, Mr. Carnazzi represents developers, general contractors, subcontractors, design professionals in a variety of contexts arising from the construction and design defect. Mr. Carnazzi joined the firm in February 2022.
Mr. Carnazzi was born and raised in Italy and he obtained his Juris Doctor and Master of Laws in International Arbitration from the University of Miami School of Law. While in law school, Mr. Carnazzi interned with the in-house counsel with two multinationals companies, and he started his practice of law in Miami based law firm as an associate to assist companies in litigation and transactional matters.
Christopher Chapaneri is the managing partner for our offices in Texas and Oklahoma and the founding partner of our Dallas office. Christopher is a strategic, results-oriented litigator obtaining favorable settlements where appropriate and trying cases before a judge or jury when needed, including first and second chair jury trial experience in state and federal courts. Christopher intuitively anticipates litigation methods pursued by all parties in a lawsuit, allowing him the ability to engage in “outside the box” strategies where appropriate.
Christopher is experienced in and enjoys practicing in a wide array of cases involving commercial litigation, wrongful death/survivor actions, products liability, premises liability, construction defect, catastrophic injury, transportation matters, employment litigation, commercial landlord-tenant disputes, professional liability for engineers, amusement park law, and environmental law. Moreover, Christopher has handled a variety of appellate matters to the Texas Supreme Court and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Christopher has taught the following Lydecker U courses “Handling Complex Litigation in Amusement Park Industry in Texas” and “Enforcement of Arbitration & Pre-Injury Waivers Against Minors in Texas” for CE/CLE credit.
Prior to joining Lydecker, Laura was a partner at an insurance defense firm in Tampa for 12 years.
After receiving her Bachelor’s degree from the University of The South (Sewanee), Laura returned to her home state of Florida and graduated from Stetson University College of Law.
Mr. Conto is a Partner at the firm’s Boca Raton Office. Mr. Conto began his career in law representing corporations in legal matters concerning maritime law. Mr. Conto then joined a well-known litigation defense firm with offices throughout Florida. There he focused his practice on defending corporations in construction defect matters, premises liability matters and negligent security matters involving claims of wrongful death. He also represented insurance companies in high exposure first-party property disputes.
At Lydecker Mr. Conto is concentrating his practice on defending developers, general contractors, subcontractors, design professionals, environmental consultants, product manufacturers and insurance carriers in a variety of contexts arising from the construction and use of real property. Mr. Conto has successfully represented clients in all phases of litigation including trials, summary judgment proceedings and mediations.
Colby Corso is an Associate in Lydecker’s Miami office. Mr. Corso’s practice involves all aspects of federal and state civil trial litigation, with a primary focus on general liability and labor and employment law.
Mr. Corso earned his J.D. from St. Thomas University College of Law in 2022 and was admitted to the Florida Bar that same year. During law school, he worked with a Miami-based immigration legal services organization assisting with immigration-related matters. In recognition of his service, Mr. Corso received the Pro Bono Award from St. Thomas University College of Law for completing more than 100 hours of pro bono legal work.
Prior to joining Lydecker, Mr. Corso practiced at a Miami-based law firm where his work focused on healthcare and insurance-related litigation, with an emphasis on claims involving Medicare reimbursement. In that role, he gained experience across all phases of litigation and developed a strong foundation in complex case analysis and advocacy.
Mr. Costa is an Associate Attorney at Lydecker, handling matters throughout the State of Florida, in both State and Federal Courts. He engages in a wide variety of insurance defense and commercial litigation areas, including general bodily injury and casualty. He also handles labor and employment matters and various other civil litigation matters.
Prior to joining Lydecker, Mr. Costa handled civil rights claims, labor and employment claims, personal injury claims, and workers’ compensation claims. Mr. Costa obtained trial experience as first chair in multiple jury trials prior to joining Lydecker, and had received favorable judgments on behalf of his clients.
Graham Cox is an Associate in Lydecker’s Texas office. Mr. Cox’s practice involves all aspects of civil litigation, with a primary focus on representing clients in complex disputes from inception through resolution. He is experienced in managing cases across a wide range of matters, including commercial litigation, business disputes, general liability claims, as well as Directors and Officers liability and employment matters.
Prior to joining Lydecker, Mr. Cox practiced at a Texas based law firm where he managed a substantial caseload, taking an active role in all phases of litigation. His experience includes drafting pleadings and dispositive motions, conducting and defending depositions, appearing in court on behalf of clients, and negotiating favorable settlements. He has served as first chair attorney in depositions and has worked closely with clients to develop strategies tailored to their legal and business objectives.
Eliz Demren is an Associate in the Products Liability department of Lydecker’s Miami office. Prior to working at Lydecker, Ms. Demren was an associate at a boutique complex civil litigation firm. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from the Honors College at Florida International University and her Juris Doctor from the University of Miami School of Law.
During law school, Eliz received the Dean’s Certificate of Achievement Award and CALI Excellence for the Future Award for receiving the top grades in her courses. She also competed in Moot Court, interned for Circuit Court Judge Spencer Eig, and externed for Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge John J. O’Sullivan. While earning her Juris Doctor, Eliz completed several internships at various law firms to fully maximize her time in law school before beginning to practice as an attorney.
Anoop Desai is an associate in Lydecker’s Orlando office, where his practice is focused on construction defect litigation and complex civil matters. These representations include construction and design defect disputes, construction transactions, construction contract/payment disputes, environmental/pollution claims and construction accident claims.
Mr. Desai handles matters involving construction and design defects, construction delay claims, payment and lien disputes, breach of contract, professional liability, and regulatory issues. He is known for his practical, detail-oriented approach and commitment to achieving efficient, results-driven outcomes for his clients throughout all phases of litigation, including pre-suit resolution, mediation, arbitration, and trial.
Anoop earned his J.D. from Barry University School of Law and his B.S. from the University of Miami. While in law school, he served on the Executive Board of Phi Alpha Delta and gained valuable experience that informs his strategic approach to complex litigation.
Mrs. Diverio is a shareholding partner at Lydecker’s Miami office and is the chair of the property practice group. She is a trial and appellate attorney for first and third party lawsuits. She handles bad faith claims, third party claims nationally, fire/theft/fraud investigations, windstorm coverage insurance defense, personal injury, general liability, subrogation claims, fraud investigations, and all types of property damage claims.
In addition to her broad insurance coverage practice, Ms. Diverio has significant experience in Directors & Officers (D&O) condominium litigation, where she represents boards, associations, and insurers in matters involving governance disputes, fiduciary duty claims, and coverage issues. Her work in this area provides clients with strategic counsel on both preventative risk management and litigation defense.
Mrs. Diverio litigates insurance disputes involving high exposure commercial and personal lines in both State and Federal court. Mrs. Diverio’s practice group handles claims from pre-suit investigations through trials and appeals.
Mrs. Diverio has handled a multitude of appellate and trial matters and has been first-handedly involved in changing and upholding Florida Statutes on significant current insurance defense issues.
Most importantly, Mrs. Diverio’s strength lies in client relations and professionalism. She maintains an open line of communication with her clients during all phases of litigation, settlement of a dispute, and works in conjunction with her adjusters to quickly and efficiently resolve claims.
Jessica Dos Santos is an Associate attorney in Lydecker’s Miami office, where her practice focuses on Government Liability, Labor and Employment, and Tort Liability.
Mrs. Dos Santos earned her Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Florida International University, where she interned with the United States Marshals Service for the Southern District of Florida. She went on to earn her Juris Doctor from St. Thomas University College of Law in May 2024. During law school, Ms. Dos Santos was an active member of the Trial Team and was recognized on the Dean’s List.
Ms. Dos Santos began working with Lydecker LLP as a law clerk during the summer of her first year of law school and continued with the firm throughout her legal education. Upon her admission to the Florida Bar in September 2024, she joined the firm as an Associate.
Christopher Dow is a Partner in Lydecker’s San Francisco office and has over 15 years of defense litigation experience in the areas of environmental law, products liability, mass tort and general liability matters. He also advises clients on compliance with regulations promulgated under many federal and state environmental statutes addressing contaminated soil and water, stormwater runoff and air pollution.
After graduating law school, Chris was Assistant Counsel, and later Associate Counsel, at the New York State Governor’s Office of Regulatory Reform where he advised state policymakers on the promulgation and implementation of environmental regulations. In this capacity, he helped oversee the drafting of regulations implementing the stationary source permitting program mandated by Title V of the federal Clean Air Act. He also worked to find common ground between environmental regulators, private industry and environmental advocates in conjunction with pre-permitting of shovel-ready land use development sites in New York State’s successful effort to attract silicon chip manufacturers.
In private practice, Chris specialized in hazardous waste cleanup cost recovery litigation under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) and has represented public and private clients involved in hazardous waste cleanup efforts projected to cost hundreds of millions of dollars. In 2024, Chris wrote and argued a successful cross-motion for summary judgment on behalf of his client based on plaintiff’s failure to adequately follow federal hazardous waste cleanup rules, i.e., the National Contingency Plan.
On behalf of a California county sued by a city for hazardous substances contamination stemming from a former landfill, Chris played a key role in authoring successful demurrers and also a motion for determination of good faith settlement which, combined, allowed the county to entirely escape liability from all of plaintiff’s causes of action, including those brought under California’s Hazardous Substances Account Act and continuing nuisance theory.
Chris has also found success in defending clients in products liability and negligence matters. For example, in 2025, Chris second chaired two trials, one for a retailer of big rig trucks and another for a retailer of big rig truck parts. In the first trial, a strict products liability action involving an exploding truck which injured the plaintiff-driver, his client was found nominally liable with the jury finding the other two defendants collectively liable for 90 percent of plaintiffs’ damages. In the second, a personal injury action in which a deliverer of truck parts suffered injury while unloading a truck trailer, Chris played a key role in achieving a defense verdict.
Chris graduated with honors from Albany Law School in Albany, New York where he was elected to the Justinian Society.
Udhaya Elangovan is an Associate in Lydecker’s Los Angeles office with approximately a decade of litigation experience. She is licensed to practice law in California and India and brings an international legal perspective to complex civil matters. Her practice spans a broad range of litigation, including products liability, toxic tort, real property disputes, employment matters, accident and personal injury claims, elder abuse, medical malpractice, immigration related issues, unlawful detainer actions, and family law.
Prior to practicing in the United States, Ms. Elangovan practiced at the Law Offices of Justice G.R. Swaminathan before the High Court of Judicature at Madras in India. During this time she handled a diverse docket of civil matters involving real property, employment disputes, accident claims, and family law proceedings. She was also appointed Advocate Commissioner by the Madras High Court (Madurai Bench) in a significant labor dispute, where she assisted the court in fact finding and contributed to a resolution that protected the rights of hundreds of employees.
In addition to her litigation experience, Ms. Elangovan previously served as Compliance Counsel on Google’s Legal Investigations Team. In that role she advised an international team on issues involving data security, user privacy, and regulatory compliance, providing legal insight on sensitive and complex matters involving global technology operations.
Ms. Elangovan is deeply committed to serving diverse and immigrant communities and assisting clients through complex and often life changing legal challenges. She approaches her work with a combination of strategic legal analysis, clear communication, and empathy to help clients navigate difficult situations with confidence.
Earlier in her career, Ms. Elangovan served as Secretary of the Women Lawyers Association in India, where she helped organize and lead legal aid initiatives designed to expand access to justice for underserved communities.
Her professional philosophy is influenced by leadership thinkers such as Brené Brown and Simon Sinek, whose work on vulnerability, purpose, and leadership informs her client centered approach to the practice of law.
Mark A. Emanuele, a Partner at Lydecker and an AV-rated member of The Florida Bar, has practiced law in South Florida for over 35 years. His primary areas of practice include environmental litigation, healthcare, and administrative and regulatory litigation.
Mr. Emanuele has appeared before the Division of Administrative Hearings (DOAH), Circuit Courts, and Appellate Courts throughout Florida on various matters. His experience includes participation in Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration (Agency) workshops, drafting development and implementation of Agency Rules in accordance with the Florida Administrative Procedures Act, defending Agency Rules as a valid exercise of delegated legislative authority, and challenging Agency Rules deemed unconstitutional or in violation of the Florida Administrative Procedures Act. Additionally, he has handled extensive healthcare litigation matters involving formal administrative proceedings under Chapters 120 and 408 of the Florida Statutes.
Mr. Emanuele has represented multiple publicly traded healthcare companies, including acute care hospital systems, long-term acute care hospitals (LTACH), comprehensive medical rehabilitation facilities (CMR/IRF), nursing homes, and hospice entities. His administrative litigation experience encompasses various proceedings involving licensure matters, compliance issues, and certificate of need matters. Furthermore, his practice involves challenges to procurements, bid protests, and related proceedings before various governmental agencies and DOAH.
Mr. Emanuele is a member of the United States District Court for the Northern, Middle, and Southern Districts of Florida, as well as the United States 11th Circuit Court of Appeal. He has practiced before all Florida courts, including County Court, Circuit Court, DOAH, District Courts of Appeals, and Bankruptcy Court. Additionally, he holds memberships with the Broward County Bar Association, the American Health Lawyers Association (AHLA), and the Administrative Law, Labor and Employment Law, Trial Law, and Health Law Sections of The Florida Bar.
Mr. Emanuele is a native of Hartford, Connecticut and has resided in Florida since 1973. He earned his Juris Doctor at Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad Law Center in 1985 and his Bachelor of Arts Degree from St. Thomas University in 1980. While earning his Bachelor and Juris Doctorate Degree, Mr. Emanuele worked as a police officer with the Cities of Hollywood and Hallandale. Mr. Emanuele lives in Broward County, Florida, is married to Claudia Emanuele, and has two (2) children.
Naomi Estella is an associate in the firm’s Orlando and Miami offices. Her practice focuses on products liability, premises liability, and general liability matters.
She earned her J.D. from Barry University School of Law, Dwayne O. Andreas, in 2024, and her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Central Florida.
Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Estella gained valuable experience as an associate at a general civil litigation practice, focusing on bodily injury defense.
Ms. Franks is a partner in the firm’s Miami office, where she defends local, national, and international organizations, as well as individuals, and tries catastrophic personal injury actions, premises liability matters, professional liability claims, construction defect matters, and medical/substance abuse treatment malpractice claims throughout the State of Florida.
Ms. Franks is originally from Pennsylvania and moved to South Florida in 2002 to study journalism and political science. Prior to pursuing her law degree, Ms. Franks taught as an adjunct professor at the University of Miami in the Department of Political Science for five years. Her classes included Intro to American National Government, the Legislative Process, and Congressional Representation. Ms. Franks earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Miami School of Law in 2011.
Ms. Franks has considerable experience dealing with automobile negligence, professional malpractice, medical malpractice, and premises liability matters involving catastrophic injuries, wrongful death, and extra contractual exposure, including a focus on evidentiary issues, dispositive motion practice, complex liability claims, and damages mitigation.
Ms. Franks earned a Bachelor of Science in Communication from the University of Miami in 2004. She graduated cum laude with a double-major in journalism and political science. Ms. Franks went on to complete a Master’s degree in Communication at the University of Miami in 2005, also graduating cum laude.
Ms. Franks earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Miami School of Law in 2011. At the University of Miami School of Law, Ms. Franks was the recipient of the Hugh L. Wood Scholarship, Outstanding Merit Scholarship, and the Ehrich Scholarship. Ms. Franks served as a research assistant to multiple highly regarded University of Miami School of Law professors in the areas of environmental litigation and legislation, the first amendment, and communication regulation.
Paola Garcia’s practice involves all aspects of federal and state civil trial litigation, with a primary focus on general liability. Ms. Garcia’s General Liability experience includes premises liability, personal injury, property damage, professional liability, automobile and trucking accidents, wrongful death, cruise ship accidents, and negligent security cases. Ms. Garcia’s practice includes specific experience with a variety of lawsuits for one of the largest transportation network companies. Ms. Garcia regularly handles actions involving issues such as intentional torts, negligence, negligence security, premises liability, dram shop, products liability, and slip and fall.
Alex Garrett is Of Counsel in Lydecker’s Tampa office and is a former Public Defender with extensive experience in a broad range of civil disputes. Mr. Garrett represents a wide range of clientele, including condominium associations, homeowners associations, small businesses, governmental entities, resorts, restaurants, and other establishments within the hospitality industry.
A Florida Native, Mr. Garrett is a “Double Gator” and received his Bachelor of Science in Finance and his Juris Doctorate at the University of Florida.
Mr. Garrett is committed to staying up to date on new developments in the law and is dedicated to providing his clients exceptional outcomes with a focus on their individual needs.
Matthew Gelder is an Associate in Lydecker’s Jersey City office. Mr. Gelder’s practice involves all aspects of state civil trial litigation with a primary focus in insurance litigation.
Mr. Gelder earned his J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law in May 2024. During law school, Mr. Gelder interned at the New Jersey Alcoholic Beverage Control (NJABC), where he was responsible for researching issues relating to alcohol licensing enforcement. Mr. Gelder also earned a concentration in gaming, sports, entertainment, hospitality, and administrative law while at Seton Hall Law. Furthermore, Mr. Gelder was a member of the Sports and Entertainment Law Society. Mr. Gelder spent the year after graduating law school clerking in the New Jersey Superior Court Family Division.
Doug Gerber is Of Counsel with Lydecker and works in the Firm’s Orlando office. Mr. Gerber been a member of the Florida Bar since 2005 and the Middle District of Florida since 2006. Mr. Gerber’s areas of practice include but are not limited to civil litigation, commercial litigation, general liability litigation, premises liability, property practice, and business law throughout the State of Florida. He has extensive experience in representing business entities, insurers, and individuals in litigation often involving motion practice, mediations, and trials.
A native Floridian who was born in and raised in South Florida and who has lived in Central Florida for more than 25 years, Mr. Gerber is a double Gator, having earned his bachelor’s degree in Public Relations from the University of Florida in 1992 and his master’s degree in Exercise and Sports Sciences with a Specialization in Sports Management from the University of Florida in 1996. While at the University of Florida, Mr. Gerber was admitted and a member of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society.
After working for various sports organizations in Central Florida involving amateur sports events, college bowl games, NFL exhibitions, and the 1996 Olympic Games, Mr. Gerber attended the Shepard Broad Law Center at Nova Southeastern University, where was first a Staff Member and then became an Articles Editor for the Nova Law Review. Mr. Gerber had his article on the validity of arbitration clauses in personal injury suits involving minors published in the Fall 2003 issue of the Nova Law Review. He was also a member of the Pro Bono Honor Society while at the Shepard Broad Law Center after interning with the Administrative Judge for the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit of Florida and with the City Attorney’s Office with the City of Coral Springs.
Mr. Gerber has served as the Chairman of the Real Property Law Committee of the Orange County Bar Association, was a member of the Small Claims Rules Committee of the Florida Bar, and most recently served as the Chair of Section C of the Grievance Committee of the Florida Bar for the Ninth Judicial Circuit.
Madeleine Gerdes is an Associate in the firm’s Dallas office. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, with a Minor in Legal Studies, from the University of Mississippi. Madeleine returned to her home state of Texas to pursue her Juris Doctor at the University of North Texas at Dallas College of Law.
During law school, Madeleine demonstrated a strong commitment to public service. She volunteered with the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program, assisting veterans through the program’s legal clinic. She also served at UNT Dallas’s Community Lawyering Center, providing pro bono legal assistance in a variety of civil matters to underserved communities across North Texas.
Following her admission to the bar, Madeleine began her legal career as a plaintiff’s personal injury attorney, where she managed a range of personal injury cases throughout the litigation process. She joined Lydecker with valuable experience advocating for clients in complex civil matters.
Morgan Taylor Gieser is a Partner in the Miami and Tampa office. Ms. Gieser represents clients throughout the state in a variety of federal and state civil litigation claims with a focus on labor and employment. These claims involve allegations of violations of Title VII, whistleblower claims, ADEA claims, Title IX, EPA claims, ADA claims, Family and Medical Leave Act claims, Fair Labor Standards Act claims and Florida Civil Rights Act violations. As part of her practice, Ms. Gieser represents clients in pre-suit claims, in addition to handling charges filed with government agencies such as the EEOC and NLRB.
Prior to joining Lydecker, Ms. Gieser represented private companies in all aspects of labor and employment litigation. Ms. Gieser has additional litigation experience in insurance defense, defending clients in a wide array of general liability matters as well as property damage cases.
Brett Goldman is an Partner in the firm’s New York and New Jersey offices. His practice focuses on employment law including discrimination and retaliation cases before state and federal courts and agencies, professional liability matters, and insurance coverage, as well as general liability cases and commercial disputes. Brett has represented health care, treatment and long term care facilities and professionals in cases involving employment claims , professional liability, personal injury, and other matters.
Prior to joining Lydecker, Brett spent two years at a large insurer in Jersey City, New Jersey handling employment practices liability claims, including discrimination, harassment, and retaliation matters. While a claims representative, Brett provided litigation and claims management services, made coverage decisions, and oversaw settlement discussions and mediations. Insured clients, found nationwide, ranged from large education networks to healthcare institutions, as well as car dealerships and supermarket chains.
Additionally, Brett spent time as a management consultant for the advisory services division of a Big 4 accounting firm, for which he provided consulting services to clients in the financial services industry. His projects included mortgage remediation for a large U.S. bank and project management for a notable financial services corporation’s anti-money laundering efforts. Brett also gained valuable experience as a volunteer attorney for the New York State Unified Court System’s Access to Justice program, assisting pro se litigants in New York and Kings County Housing Courts.
Emily Gunderson is an Associate in Lydecker’s Los Angeles office, where her practice focuses on General Liability and Employment Practices Liability (EPLI) litigation. She defends employers, businesses, and insurers in a wide range of civil matters, including bodily injury, premises liability, property damage, and employment-related claims such as discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, and wage and hour disputes. Ms. Gunderson is known for her sharp legal analysis, client-focused approach, and commitment to strategic, cost-effective defense.
Ms. Gunderson earned her J.D. with honors from Seattle University School of Law, where she served as Research and Technical Editor for the Seattle Journal for Social Justice. She was actively involved in the Women’s Law Caucus, acting as the King County Washington Women Lawyers Liaison.
While in law school, Ms. Gunderson completed a high-level internship with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Washington, D.C., and served as a judicial extern with the Los Angeles County Superior Court.
Before joining Lydecker, Ms. Gunderson worked as a judicial law clerk with the Los Angeles County Superior Court, gaining valuable experience across a wide range of civil litigation matters. She earned her undergraduate degree in Political Science from Fordham University.
Ms. Gutierrez is an Associate Attorney at Lydecker’s Miami office handling matters throughout the State of Florida. She maintains a varied practice in insurance defense and commercial litigation matters, including general liability defense, bodily injury defense, professional malpractice, and a variety of other matters.
Prior to joining Lydecker, Ms. Gutierrez worked as an Associate at Florida defense firms where she gained significant litigation experience representing numerous insurance carriers in a wide range of litigation matters. After graduating from law school, Ms. Gutierrez was an Assistant State Attorney where she gained significant trial experience.
Mr. Harutunian was born and raised in suburban Boston, Massachusetts. He practices in the areas of bankruptcy law, commercial litigation, and labor and employment law.
Mr. Harutunian has litigated numerous bankruptcy, commercial, and employment cases in federal and state courts in Florida and New York. Prior to joining Lydecker, he worked as an Associate attorney at Phillips Nizer LLP, a medium sized general practice law firm, and Gazes LLC, a bankruptcy boutique, in New York, New York. Mr. Harutunian negotiated and litigated matters in large scale bankruptcy cases, including complex claims in the Enron Corp. and Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. bankruptcy cases in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. Mr. Harutunian also has litigated a variety of commercial disputes involving shareholder liability, insurance law, sales agreements, and other matters. From 1997-2000, he worked as an Associate attorney at Ford & Harrison LLP, a national labor and employment law firm, in Tampa, Florida. He litigated numerous employment discrimination cases including class action and other cases involving national retailers and grocery chains. After graduating from Tulane Law School, Mr. Harutunian served as a Judicial Law Clerk for the Honorable Thomas B. McCoun III at the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida in Tampa.
Mr. Harutunian has counseled clients, given lectures, and authored articles on a variety of legal subjects in his practice areas. His publications include Trademark License Agreements: The Rights of a Debtor/Licensee to Assume, or Assume and Assign, are Uncertain, Vol. 237, No. 42, P. 10, New York Law Journal (March 5, 2007), focusing on whether a bankruptcy trustee or debtor in possession as licensee may assume, or assume and assign, trademark rights, and Market Value Is Key For ESOP Buys, Vol. 24, No. 47, P. B8, National Law Journal (August 12, 2002), exploring the duties of fiduciaries of Employee Stock Ownership Plans in light of the accounting scandals at Enron, WorldCom, and Arthur Andersen.
Bobbie Ann Henderson is Of Counsel in Lydecker’s Atlanta office. Ms. Henderson has over 25 years of experience representing clients in all aspects of civil litigation. Her practice is focused on complex commercial and business litigation, insurance tort liability/defense, and premises liability/negligent security matters.
Ms. Henderson began her legal career with a 15-year focus on construction law, in which she represented sureties, developers, contractors, owners and design professionals in complex construction matters. Her work included payment and delay claims, regulatory compliance, construction defects and performance claims. A significant part of her practice involved business transactions and disputes and the assertion of creditor rights.
Prior to joining Lydecker, Ms. Henderson’s practice included defense of insurance companies and their insureds in matters involving first and third party insurance claims, complex civil litigation, serious bodily injury, and wrongful death cases.
Ms. Henderson received her undergraduate degree and her Juris Doctorate from the University of Florida. She is admitted to practice in the states of Georgia and Florida.
Mr. Hendricks is the Managing Partner for Lydecker LLP. He practices out of the firm’s Miami and Boca Raton offices where he maintains an active trial and civil litigation practice in the Federal, State, and Appellate Courts throughout the State of Florida. Mr. Hendricks’ areas of practice include general civil litigation and trial practice, commercial litigation, professional liability/malpractice defense, insurance/tort liability defense, and labor and employment. He also serves as lead trial counsel for the firm’s clients and carriers and oversees the firm’s trial teams. He has over 25 years of experience representing clients and has successfully defended clients against multi-million dollar cases as lead trial counsel. He is often called upon to assist clients and carriers on high exposure and large loss claims in his capacity as monitoring counsel or co-counsel.
Upon graduating with Honors from the University of Miami School of Law, Mr. Hendricks began practicing as an associate Greenberg, Traurig, in the environmental litigation and land use department. Looking to further his litigation experience he accepted a position as a practiced commercial litigation associate with Kimbrell & Hamann. In 1990, Mr. Hendricks relocated to Palm Beach County where he spent several years practicing insurance defense and commercial litigation at Walton Lantoff. He subsequently joined the firm of Carman, Beauchamp and Sang as a senior associate and trial attorney. From 1999 thru 2007, Mr. Hendricks was employed as a partner at Panza, Maurer, Maynard & Noel where he served as a senior litigation partner and lead trial attorney for many of the firm’s corporate, institutional and governmental clients.
In law school, Mr. Hendricks was the winner of the University of Miami Law School’s Mock Trial Competition and member of the National Trial Competition Team. He also served as a member of the Inter-American Law Review, member of the Society of Bar & Gavel, Society of Wig and Robe, and was inducted into the school’s Moot Court Board.
Mr. Hendricks’ representative clients include private and public educational institutions, environmental, pollution and toxic tort defense, prison liability, prison healthcare and liability, public and private corporations, municipal governments, state agencies and political subdivisions, insurance companies and self-insured entities. Mr. Hendricks’ trial experience includes Federal, state and appellate proceedings including public procurements and bid protests.
Angelique Hernandez is a trial lawyer in Lydecker’s Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Miami offices, trusted by sophisticated clients to defend their highest-stakes litigation. Her practice spans all aspects of federal and state civil trial litigation, with a concentrated focus on employment, general liability, premises liability, and wrongful-death matters.
Angelique represents multinational corporations, Fortune 25 companies, municipalities, and high-profile “A-list” clients in complex disputes involving FLSA, FEHA, and FMLA claims, as well as wrongful termination, harassment, discrimination, and wage-and-hour class and representative actions. She has tried more than a dozen cases to verdict and is equally formidable in driving efficient, strategic resolutions outside the courtroom. Known for her disciplined and tailored litigation strategy, Angelique develops case-specific defenses that position her clients for decisive wins, earning her a reputation as a trusted advisor and relentless advocate. Angelique began her legal career as an Assistant Public Defender, where she represented more than 1,000 indigent clients and honed the courtroom instincts that define her trial practice today.
Angelique earned her Juris Doctor, with honors, from Florida International University College of Law in May 2021. She served as Director of Coaches for the Moot Court Team, was awarded Best Orator, and was an Emory Civil Rights and Liberties Moot Court Competition Semifinalist. Angelique competed on her law school’s Trial Team and received the award for Outstanding Trial Team Member of the Year, the Tom Gamba Trial Advocate Scholarship, and recognition as an AAJ Student Trial Advocacy Semifinalist. She was also a Senior Staff Editor on the FIU Law Review and held board positions with the Women’s Law Society and the Cuban American Bar Association.
Driven by an unwavering commitment to service, Angelique’s dedication to her community is foundational to her practice. Her pro bono work has earned outstanding service awards, and she has received high recognition from the Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office for her “Loyalty, Excellence, and Dedication to the Cause of Justice.” These values continue to define her approach to advocacy and leadership today.
Andres Hidalgo is an Associate in Lydecker’s Miami office. Mr. Hidalgo’s practice involves all aspects of federal and state civil trial litigation with a primary focus in personal injury and government liability. Prior to working at Lydecker, Mr. Hidalgo was an associate at a prominent boutique civil litigation firm.
Mr. Hidalgo graduated from the University of Miami School of Law in 2023 through the school’s four-year joint J.D./M.B.A program. While in law school, Mr. Hidalgo was an active member of the University of Miami Race and Social Justice Law Review and of the Charles C. Papy, Jr. Moot Court Board, which was ranked as the third-best program Moot Court Team in the nation at the time of his graduation. Mr. Hidalgo also excelled in Miami Law’s renowned Litigation Skills program, where he earned multiple honors distinctions. Outside of the classroom, Mr. Hidalgo gained invaluable experience interning at the Third District Court of Appeal, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.
Nicholas A. Hidalgo is an Associate in Lydecker’s Miami office. Mr. Hidalgo’s practice encompasses all aspects of federal and state civil litigation, with a primary focus in personal injury, negligent security, and premises liability matters. Prior to working at Lydecker, Mr. Hidalgo practiced as an Attorney at a prominent full-service law firm based in Miami, Florida, where he gained experience across all phases of litigation and developed a strong foundation in complex case analysis and advocacy.
Mr. Hidalgo earned his J.D. from St. Thomas University College of Law in 2025 and was admitted to the Florida Bar that same year. He began his legal career in 2019 as a law clerk for various law firms, where he developed a strong foundation in Florida civil litigation practice and procedure.
Jade Howard is Of Counsel in Lydecker’s Orlando office, where her practice encompasses all aspects of insurance defense, with a primary focus on construction law and premises liability.
Prior to joining Lydecker, Ms. Howard practiced at two well-regarded insurance defense firms, representing carriers in homeowners, premises liability, bodily injury, and first party property claims.
Ms. Howard began her legal career as an Assistant Public Defender in Florida’s Seventh Judicial Circuit, where she handled over 2,000 cases and represented clients at every stage of the criminal process, including arrests, depositions, motion practice, and jury trials.
She earned her Juris Doctor in 2013, a Master of Public Administration in 2009, and a Bachelor of Science in 2008, all from Florida A&M University.
Brandon L. Iskander is an Associate Attorney in Lydecker’s Los Angeles office. He specializes in civil litigation, with a focus on premises liability, product liability, and personal injury defense. Mr. Iskander represents corporate clients, insurance carriers, and property owners, delivering strategic defense strategies from inception through case resolution.
Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Iskander also practiced family law, where he developed a robust foundation in courtroom advocacy, intensive document discovery, and strategic dispute resolution that he now brings to his civil defense practice. He brings a sharp, analytical focus to every case and builds robust defense strategies tailored to each client’s unique goals.
Sheida Javadkhani is an Associate in Lydecker’s Los Angeles office and concentrates her practice in employment law defense and employment-related litigation. She represents employers in a wide range of workplace disputes, including claims involving discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and wage and hour issues.
Ms. Javadkhani is involved in all phases of litigation, including motion practice, discovery, depositions, and trial preparation. She works closely with clients to develop practical, strategic solutions while efficiently managing cases from inception through resolution.
Prior to joining the firm, Sheida gained defense-side litigation experience in insurance defense matters at California law firms, as well as international legal advisory and litigation roles. She brings a strategic, detail-oriented approach to defending employers and guiding cases from early evaluation through resolution.
Sheida earned her LL.M. from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, and holds a Ph.D. in Private Law. Her academic background includes advanced coursework in employment-related contracts, business associations, evidence, and dispute resolution.
Marylin Jenkins is a partner in Lydecker’s San Francisco office and is a highly experienced first chair litigator, who has tried more than 50 matters to verdict or judgment without a loss. She has been recognized by her peers with an AV Rating with Martindale-Hubbell.
Ms. Jenkins concentrates her practice on complex commercial litigation, including general business litigation, and environmental, commercial real estate, maritime, antitrust, bankruptcy, and insurance-related litigation, in state and federal courts, and before administrative agencies, including the FAA, FERC, and the California PUC.
Prior to joining Lydecker, Ms. Jenkins was a partner at two prominent international law firms. She was also general counsel to Ultramar Ltd in Montreal, deputy general counsel and director of litigation to Ultramar Diamond Shamrock in San Antonio, and senior vice president and general counsel to Gilbarco Veeder-Root in Greensboro, North Carolina. Her in-house experience has made her particularly sensitive to the needs of corporate clients, including counsel, C-level executives, and boards of directors.
Mr. Johnson specializes in the representation of professionals, corporations and insurers in a broad range of business and tort matters, including employment claims, environmental claims and other complex actions. Mr. Johnson also has experience litigating government municipal matters throughout the state of Florida, as well as representing journalists and media companies in intellectual property and defamation litigation. Mr. Johnson’s practice also includes the defense of attorneys, accountants and real estate professionals in professional liability matters and non-profit corporations as well as their directors and officers in a range of matters.
Before joining Lydecker, Mr. Johnson began his career as an associate in the Miami office of a business litigation boutique headquartered in New York, where he represented banking and corporate interests in multiple international business and commercial disputes. Mr. Johnson is also an experienced and accomplished appellate attorney, having multiple published Federal and Florida opinions, as well as oral arguments and appellate mediations across multiple appellate courts.
In addition to his professional commitments, Mr. Johnson recognizes his responsibility to serve the community. He is a member of the 100 Black Men of South Florida, one of the leading youth mentoring organizations in the country, as well as the Miami-Dade County Black Affairs Advisory Board. He is also a director of BAC Funding Corp. a non-profit state funded lender for disadvantaged business. He is also Secretary of the Coppin State University Development Foundation which raises money for scholarships to his alma mater, Coppin State University. He also Serves as Vice Chair of the Miami-Dade School District Audit and Budget Committee. He has also served as a member of the Executive Board of the Miami-Dade Chapter of NAACP and the Polemarch (President) of the Richmond-Perrine (FL) Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.
Ralph Joseph is an Associate in Lydecker’s Jersey City office. His practice focuses on Professional Liability and Labor and Employment Law.
Prior to joining Lydecker, Mr. Joseph worked as an attorney for a legal aid organization and a municipality.
Mr. Joseph earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Florida and a J.D. from Cornell Law School in May 2019.
During law school, Mr. Joseph interned with the National Labor Relations Board, the U.S. Postal Service Law Department, and Legal Services of Greater Miami. He was also a student intern at the Cornell Labor Law Clinic, where he handled various employment and labor disputes in the Ithaca community. Mr. Joseph was a member of the Black Law Students Association.
Shaun Robert Koby is a Shareholder with the Firm’s Florida offices. His practice focuses in the areas of complex commercial litigation, professional malpractice, insurance defense, and constitutional law.
Mr. Koby earned his undergraduate degree from the Florida State University in 2004. He graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Criminology. Mr. Koby graduated first in his class out of over 9000 students.
Besides academics, he was also actively involved in Student Government and created two community service organizations that enabled students to perform countless hours of service to the FSU campus and surrounding community. During the summer before graduation, Mr. Koby was an intern in the Governor’s Office of Legislative Affairs for Governor Jeb Bush.
Mr. Koby earned his Juris Doctor Degree, with honors, from the University of Florida in 2007. He was a Teaching Assistant for Legal Research and Writing, Appellate Advocacy, and Trial Practice. Mr. Koby also created a community service organization named Gators United Together for Service and was awarded a Community Service Certificate upon completion of law school.
Prior to joining Lydecker, Mr. Koch served as a Public Defender for the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court in Orlando, Florida. During his time as a Public Defender Mr. Koch handled cases ranging from felonies to misdemeanors, from intake to trial preparation. He has extensive litigation experience, including representing businesses and associations in state court. Mr. Koch finds success in securing favorable outcomes for his clients, including a full defense verdict during a four-day jury trial in May of 2023 which saved his clients from a potential million-dollar liability exposure.
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.
Mr. Lieberman is a partner in Lydecker’s Syracuse, New York office and is an accomplished trial lawyer with over 20 years of experience in state and federal courts, trying many cases to verdict. He has practiced extensively in both Upstate and Downstate New York. Mr. Lieberman has expertise in all manner of general liability defense and has litigated a broad spectrum of civil matters throughout his career, with an emphasis on construction, New York Labor Law, motor vehicle accident, premises liability, and products liability cases. When necessary, he has also successfully argued before the New York State Appellate Division for the Third and Fourth Departments.
Mr. Lieberman recognizes the benefit of Alternative Dispute Resolution and has had great success resolving cases in an efficient and cost-effective manner through mediation and arbitration.
In addition to trial work, Mr. Lieberman is a skilled writer and has enjoyed a significant amount of success obtaining early dismissal of cases through motion practice.
Mr. Lieberman is admitted to practice law in New York State, as well as the United States District Courts for the Northern, Western, Southern, and Eastern Districts of New York.
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.
Christopher Lutzel is an associate at the firm’s Dallas and Miami offices. Mr. Lutzel is a detail-oriented, communicative litigator experienced in providing tailored strategies that conclude with superb results for his clients whether through favorable settlements or other means of resolution. Mr. Lutzel provides in-depth analysis of all facets of a case from presuit investigation through trial preparation in order to provide his clients with optimal strategy recommendations based on how any case develops through the course of litigation.
Mr. Lutzel concentrates his practice in cases involving Bodily Injury, Premises Liability, and Commercial and Homeowner’s First-Party Disputes. His experience involves matters dealing with traumatic brain injuries, physical altercations resulting in injury, slip/trip and fall, and motor vehicle accidents among others in addition to his experience in property matters centered around catastrophes, weather, and non-weather related property damage.
Mr. Lutzel graduated from the FIU College of Law. While in Law School, Mr. Lutzel was president of the Real Property, Probate, and Trust Law Society. While in college, Mr. Lutzel was a member of the Baylor University football team.
Richard Lydecker is a founding partner at Lydecker, a full-service AV-rated national law firm with offices throughout New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida, California, and Georgia. As a distinguished leader and visionary in the legal community, Richard has played an instrumental role in shaping the firm’s reputation and success since its inception in 1994 as an aggressive and responsive law firm.
With a career spanning over several decades, Richard J. Lydecker has established himself as a formidable force in the field of defense litigation. His practice predominantly focuses on complex commercial litigation, professional liability, bodily injury, auto negligence, environmental law, employment, D&O, E&O, accounting malpractice, commercial litigation, bankruptcy, bad faith litigation, and insurance coverage. His extensive background in these areas has earned him recognition as a trusted and skilled litigator, consistently delivering exceptional results for his clients. Richard’s diverse and extensive background makes Lydecker a premiere law firm.
Richard’s legal journey began with a robust education and training, laying the foundation for his future accomplishments. He earned his Juris Doctor from a prestigious law school and quickly rose through the ranks, gaining invaluable experience and expertise in civil litigation. Over the years, Richard has handled a wide array of cases, ranging from intricate commercial disputes to high-stakes professional liability claims.
Prior to Richard’s career in civil practice, he was a Senior Major Case Bureau Prosecutor in New York with an outstanding record of success in preparing, managing, and trying high-profile cases. Casework involved high-profile, high-visibility criminal prosecution of homicides, robbery, arson, rape, and burglary. Richard successfully tried in excess of 100 criminal cases, many resulting in guilty verdicts carrying life sentences. Before accepting his appointment to the District Attorney’s Office, Richard was an attorney at a prestigious Wall Street, N.Y. law firm.
Richard Lydecker’s remarkable career as a founding partner of Lydecker showcases his expertise in defense litigation, his leadership within the firm, and his dedication to client success. His diverse background and extensive experience have made him a respected figure in the legal community, and his contributions continue to shape the firm’s reputation as a premier law firm nationwide.
Today Lydecker has ten main practice areas:
- Appellate
- Bankruptcy and Banking
- Business, Corporate and Transactional
- Condominium & HOA
- Construction Design & Environmental
- Employment
- General Liability
- Government
- Insurance
- Professional Liability
Lydecker has the following sub practice areas:
Accounting Malpractice, Admiralty and Maritime, Appellate Advocacy, Appellate Practice, Architects and Engineers, Attorney Malpractice, Bad Faith Litigation, Banking and Financial Services Litigation, Bankruptcy and Creditors’ Rights, Bodily Injury Defense, Business Law, Business Reorganization, Catastrophic Injury & Loss Defense, Class Action Defense, Commercial Litigation, Commercial Property, Complex Commercial Litigation, Condominium & Homeowners’ Association Law, Construction & Design Contracts, Construction Accident Claims, Construction Defect Litigation, Construction Payment, Delay and Lien Disputes, Corporate Law, Corporate Liability, Coverage Disputes, Cyber Liability ⁄ Internet Law, Defamation, Directors and Officers, Education Law, Environmental Law, Errors and Omissions, Financial Litigation, General Liability, Government, Government Liability, Healthcare, Hospitality, Insurance, Insurance Agents and Brokers, Insurance Coverage and Extra-Contractual Litigation, Intellectual Property, Labor and Employment, Land Use and Zoning, Mass Environmental Toxic Tort Law, Mergers and Acquisitions, Negligent Security, Premises Liability, Products Liability, Property Practice, Real Estate Practice, Residential Property, Tort Liability, Transportation Liability and Workers Compensation.
Complex Commercial Litigation: Richard’s proficiency in complex commercial litigation is well-known. He has successfully represented clients in multifaceted legal battles, navigating intricate legal frameworks and securing favorable outcomes. His strategic approach and meticulous attention to detail have been pivotal in resolving disputes efficiently and effectively.
Professional Liability: Richard has extensive experience defending professionals across various industries against liability claims. His deep understanding of the nuances of professional conduct and standards enables him to provide robust defense strategies, protecting his clients’ reputations and careers.
Bad Faith Litigation: Richard is a recognized authority in bad faith litigation, representing clients in cases involving insurance companies. His tenacity and commitment to justice have resulted in significant victories, holding insurers accountable for their obligations.
Insurance Coverage: Richard’s expertise extends to insurance coverage matters, where he advises clients on complex coverage issues and disputes. His comprehensive knowledge of insurance law ensures that his clients receive the coverage they are entitled to, and he has successfully litigated numerous coverage cases.
Leadership and Oversight
As a founding partner, Richard oversees the firm’s practice groups and manages the firm’s relationships with its clients and carriers. His leadership is characterized by a commitment to excellence, innovation, and client-centric service. Richard is dedicated to fostering a collaborative and inclusive environment within the firm, ensuring that every client receives personalized attention and tailored legal solutions.
Richard’s strategic vision has been instrumental in the firm’s growth and expansion. Under his guidance, Lydecker has become a nationally recognized law firm, known for its dedication to client success and its ability to handle complex legal challenges. His emphasis on continuous improvement and professional development has cultivated a team of highly skilled attorneys who share his passion for legal excellence.
Commitment to Clients
Richard’s client-centric approach is at the heart of his practice. He believes in building long-standing relationships grounded in mutual trust and respect. By understanding each client’s unique needs and goals, Richard provides strategic counsel and representation that aligns with their best interests. His ability to navigate complex legal landscapes and deliver practical solutions has earned him a loyal client base and numerous accolades within the legal community.
Personal and Professional Values
Beyond his professional achievements, Richard is known for his unwavering commitment to integrity, ethics, and community service. He actively participates in various professional organizations and contributes to legal scholarship through speaking engagements and publications. Richard’s dedication to giving back to the community is reflected in his involvement in pro bono work and charitable initiatives.
Looking Ahead
As Lydecker continues to grow and evolve, Richard remains dedicated to leading the firm towards new heights of success. His vision for the future includes expanding the firm’s capabilities, embracing technological advancements, and maintaining the highest standards of legal practice. Richard’s legacy is one of excellence, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to justice.
Spencer Mallard is a Board Certified Construction Lawyer with a statewide practice in all facets of construction and oversees the Firm’s construction practice. Mr. Mallard represents developers, general contractors, design professionals, environmental consultants, subcontractors and product manufacturers in a variety of contexts. These representations include construction and design defect disputes, construction transactions, construction contract/payment disputes, environmental/pollution claims and construction accident claims.
A large portion of his practice involves construction and design defect disputes, including representation of clients during the Chapter 558 pre-suit process, litigation and arbitration.
Mr. Mallard has handled countless construction and design defect related disputes, including matters premised on building code violations, breaches of statutory implied warranties, contracts, indemnity agreements, and negligence. These disputes include alleged water intrusion through building exteriors, structural instability/cracking/settlement, mechanical/electrical/plumbing/fire suppression system performance/durability issues, inadequate building/site drainage and exterior coating/cladding failures. In addition to defending all clients from these claims, Mr. Mallard frequently represents developers and general contractors in the presentation of pass-through claims. He also has extensive experience litigating and advising on insurance coverage issues pertaining to construction and design defect claims. Mr. Mallard’s practice also includes representation of owners, contractors and design professionals in construction transactions.
This includes drafting/negotiation of contracts, advising clients during planning of developments, assisting with administration the construction process, resolving issues during project close-out and pre-turnover of condominium.
Jade Manning is an Associate in Lydecker’s Boca Raton office. Ms. Manning’s practice involves all aspects of trial and appellate litigation with a primary focus on appellate, general liability and commercial litigation. Ms. Manning also handles government liability, errors and omissions, negligent security, premises liability, and professional liability.
Ms. Manning earned her J.D. from Florida International University College of Law, graduating cum laude. During law school, Ms. Manning interned at the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida where she gained invaluable experience analyzing civil rights issues. Additionally, Ms. Manning was a research assistant at FIU Law, responsible for researching complex contractual issues, while also serving as a member of FIU’s Negotiation and Mediation Team. During law school, Ms. Manning earned CALI Excellence for the Future Awards in Sales, Bankruptcy, Secured Transaction and Banking Regulations. Finally, Ms. Manning was a Deans Scholar and awarded an Excellence in Civic Engagement Medallion for her extensive pro-bono work.
Rachel Marolf is an Associate in Lydecker’s Miami office. Ms. Marolf’s practice involves aspects of federal and state civil trial litigation with a primary focus in employment, personal injury, government liability, and civil rights litigation.
Ms. Marolf earned her J.D. from Florida International University College of Law in May 2025, graduating with honors and her bachelor’s degree from the University of Miami. During law school, she was a member of FIU Law Review, where she contributed to scholarly research and writing.
Meliz Martin is a Partner in the firm’s Miami office. Ms. Martin represents developers, general contractors, subcontractors, design professionals, and insurance carriers in a variety of contexts arising from the construction and use of real property. These representations include construction and design defect disputes, construction transactions, construction contract/payment disputes, environmental claims, and construction accident claims involving catastrophic injuries. Her practice involves disputes arising from water intrusion through building exteriors; structural integrity; mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire suppression system performance issues; inadequate site drainage; and exterior coating and cladding failures.
A large portion of her practice involves construction and design defect disputes, including representation of clients during the Chapter 558 pre-suit process, litigation and arbitration. Ms. Martin’s practice involves all aspects of federal and state trial litigation. She has taken hundreds of depositions and has attended hundreds of hearings. She obtained favorable results in the vast majority of these matters.
Ms. Martin’s litigation philosophy involves having an eye towards detail, this is especially true in design and construction litigation, as these claims have multiple parties and voluminous multiyear records for the life span of a construction project. Equally important is a focus on plaintiffs’ claims, which typically involve tens of hundreds of defect items. Understanding these complex facts and issues facilitates opportunities for risk transfer and early resolution of matters.
Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Martin was practicing in the areas of condominium and homeowners association, construction and real estate litigation.
Mr. Masson is an experienced civil litigator with a history of success in handling a broad array of complex and high exposure civil matters for individuals, insurers, and other business entities. Mr. Masson prides himself on being an out of the box thinker that is dedicated to meeting his client’s specific needs, providing them with superb legal representation, and obtaining very favorable results.
Ms. Matthews is an Associate in the Firm’s Employment & Labor Practice Group, where she represents employers and insurers in a wide range of employment-related matters. Ms. Matthews assists with the defense of claims involving discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, wage and hour disputes, and other workplace-related issues. Ms. Matthews works closely with clients to develop practical strategies that minimize risk, ensure compliance with evolving employment laws, and efficiently resolve disputes through litigation, counseling, and alternative dispute resolution.
Ms. Matthews earned her Juris Doctor from St. Thomas University College of Law, where she was actively involved in student organizations and community outreach initiatives. During law school, she participated in the Palermo Program, mentoring high school students in Miami-Dade County interested in pursuing legal careers. Ms. Matthews was also a member of the Black Law Students Association, focusing on leadership, advocacy and diversity within the legal field.
Eric McAliley brings more than two decades of legal experience to his representation of professionals in E&O claims and of clients with respect to high exposure personal injury and CGL claims. He draws on his education in accounting/tax, and unique prior career experience in engineering with Pratt & Whitney and the South Florida Water Management District to bring added value to his practice.
Eric defends cases on behalf of clients involving E&O Claims including, legal malpractice, negligence, fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, and other common law and statutory claims. Eric represents attorneys, financial professionals, including securities brokers-dealers, accountants, retail and wholesale brokers and insurance agents. Eric also is part of the Appellate Practice team and handles all types of appellate proceedings and provides litigation support services to trial counsel by developing effective strategies at the trial level in anticipation of an appeal.
Eric’s CGL practice consists of defending claims involving physical and emotional injuries including, but not limited to, automobile negligence, negligent security, premises liability, 1983 claims, and intentional torts. With respect to claims against governmental entities, Eric regularly handles cases involving complex issues of constitutional law, sovereign immunity, civil rights, torts, and common law claims.
Eric also serves as trial counsel for the firm’s clients and carriers and assists with the firm’s trial teams.
Matthew McElligott is a Partner at Lydecker’s Miami office and is a veteran trial attorney with extensive experience litigating across the legal spectrum. At Lydecker, Mr. McElligott’s practice areas include premises liability, products liability, professional liability, bad faith litigation, complex commercial litigation, construction defect / accident claims, negligent security, and catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases.
Mr. McElligott is originally from Virginia and attended George Mason University where he obtained a Bachelor of Science in the Administration of Justice. Mr. McElligott then earned his Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law graduating cum laude and receiving book awards in Professional Responsibility and Evidence.
Mr. McElligott began his legal career at the Miami Dade Public Defender’s Office and amassed considerable trial experience representing clients over a wide range of criminal offenses. Since then, Mr. McElligott has represented individuals and companies in a wide range of civil matters as both plaintiffs and defendants with a focus on litigation and courtroom advocacy. Mr. McElligott also has substantial appellate experience having authored several writs and appeals throughout the District Courts of Florida.
Mr. McElligott’s comprehensive litigation experience is an asset to clients in need of zealous, professional, and effective representation.
Armando Mejias is a litigation associate based Lydecker’s Miami office, specializing in complex commercial litigation, contract disputes, and appellate matters. He is recognized for his precise legal research, strategic motion practice, and drafting of sophisticated briefs in both state and federal courts.
Armando has extensive experience handling high‑stakes litigation, complex corporate disputes, and international arbitration matters. His work encompasses trial preparation, discovery strategy, appellate advocacy, and transactional litigation issues. In addition, he provides bilingual legal support and has developed a reputation for combining analytical rigor with practical solutions for clients.
He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2022, including an exchange program at Universidad Pontificia Comillas in Madrid, and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Systems of Justice, summa cum laude, from Universidad del Sagrado Corazón. Armando is admitted to practice in Florida and the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
Mark Mercer is a partner in Lydecker’s Los Angeles and San Diego offices. He has over 25 years of experience representing private companies and public agencies in complex legal matters, with a practice deeply rooted in California construction law. Mark began his legal career in personal injury defense before transitioning to the representation of sureties in construction litigation, where he developed extensive experience handling multi-party construction claims and performance disputes. Mark later moved into public-sector practice, representing and advising California public agencies on construction claims, bid disputes, and environmental and regulatory compliance matters.
His current construction defect experience spans residential, commercial, and public infrastructure projects and includes claims involving alleged design defects, construction deficiencies, delays, and building performance issues. He regularly counsels owners, developers, contractors, subcontractors, and design professionals through all phases of construction defect matters, from pre-litigation risk assessment and dispute resolution to complex litigation.
In addition to construction defect litigation, Mark’s practice includes real estate, project entitlement, and insurance coverage matters, giving him a comprehensive understanding of the contractual, regulatory, and coverage issues that frequently intersect with California construction disputes. His practical, solutions-oriented approach is informed by a deep understanding of California’s construction statutes, public contracting requirements, and risk allocation frameworks.
Some of his successes include:
- Obtaining a defense verdict on a million-dollar contractor lawsuit for extra payment arising from unforeseen conditions.
- Settling a several million-dollar construction defect claim of a water treatment facility.
Ms. Mevers is the Chair of the Employment Practices Liability Division. During her practice, Ms. Mevers has been involved in complex litigation and administrative proceedings in the areas of education, labor and employment, professional liability and governmental immunity.
Ms. Mevers has also represented creditors in both Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) and Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act (FDUTPA) claims including class actions. We look at each claim with a view of costs, benefits while also seeking to limit risk and liability.
She has provided training and lectures to a vast array of corporate, public and private entities on the following topics: Corporate Compliance issues involving the following: Title VII, HIPAA, Sexual Harassment, ADA, Student Admission Issues and Standards, and Student Disciplinary Issues. Ms. Mevers has also developed and implemented corporate compliance plans for multiple public, private and governmental entities.
Ms. Mevers has been responsible for managing labor and employment matters from pre-suit, including prior to an administrative filing through trial. She has represented a private university at the administrative stage as well as in both federal and state courts in areas of labor and employment, educational law, and contract negotiations. Ms. Mevers has developed and implemented voluntary compliance programs for private educational institutions including training, ensuring compliance with statutory requirements and provision of services by outside vendors in conjunction with regular audits.
As part of her litigation practice, Ms. Mevers has investigated a number of cases of alleged discrimination, including sex/gender discrimination, disability claims, sexual harassment claims, national origin claims, marital status claims, sexual orientation claims, workers’ compensation retaliation claims, religion claims, age claims, and race discrimination claims. She has investigated hostile work environments and made recommendations to eradicate long-standing discriminatory practices. Besides investigations, Ms. Mevers has handled numerous employment claims in both state and federal courts involving allegations of violations of Title VII, whistleblower claims, ADEA claims, Title IX, EPA claims, ADA claims, Family and Medical Leave Act claims, Fair Labor Standards Act claims and Florida Civil Rights Act violations, favorably handling these cases.
Ms. Mevers received accolades for her involvement and leadership in the Voluntary Income Tax Assistance Program, providing free tax assistance to low-to-moderate income individuals.
Bryan Miller is a partner in Lydecker’s Los Angeles office and is an experienced senior level attorney and advisor with more than twenty-five years of success providing legal analysis and strategy to craft options and winning solutions for clients.
Bryan effectively represents parties in trial proceedings or artfully crafted approaches in arbitration, mediation, or alternative dissolution proceedings.
Bryan is able to through listening, engagement, and opening opportunities for resolution, is often able to guide diametrically opposed parties to come to acceptable resolution actions and results. Bryan balances attention to detail and management methodologies to expertly maintain a ‘big picture’ focus while minimizing client /company exposure to risk. He leverages powerful courtroom presence and consistently drives case strategies to achieve favorable outcomes for individual and corporate clients through the application of critical thinking and creative negotiation tactics.
He was a named equity partner in the civil rights firm of Litt, Estuar, Harrision, Miller and Kitson, LLP where he practiced high-impact, class-action litigation. He worked as counsel, co-counsel, trial counsel, and co-trial counsel.
Serving as Of Counsel at Norton & Melnik, APC, he litigated insurance defense cases in personal injury fraud, products liability, and intentional torts while practicing all forms of ADR. He settled multiple insurance defense cases for nuisance value, protecting his clients from exposure to significant damages.
While studying for his LL.M. in the Netherlands, he was a volunteer lawyer for the Israeli Embassy to The Hague, working for Ambassador Harvey Kney-Tal.
More recently he worked at the Wade Law Group as a Senior Trial Lawyer practicing real estate and labor and employment law.
He has practiced in all four district courts in California, argued before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and is admitted before the United States Supreme Court.
Crystal Miller-O’Brien is a partner in Lydecker’s Los Angeles office. Her labor and employment law practice includes counseling and defending multiple sectors of businesses against all workplace obstacles involved in employing labor (start-ups, small private, non-profit, public, and large companies). She is an experienced litigator and enjoys providing advice and counsel to help businesses manage restructuring, establishing corporate governance, responding to union organization concerns, defending wage & hour class actions, responding to state and federal harassment/discrimination/retaliation claims, and more.
Ms. Miller-O’Brien is licensed to appear in all courts in California. She has practiced law with large and boutique firms throughout the West Coast. She has provided counsel as Corporate and General Counsel to private and public employers. As a graduate of Willamette University in Oregon, she had the distinction of serving as the Editor-in-Chief of Willamette Law Online, a Forms Editor for the Willamette University Law Review, the Student Liaison to the Oregon State Bar’s Affirmative Action Committee, and was elected by her peers to serve as the Chair of Willamette University’s Minority Law Student Association.
Erika Mora is an Associate Lydecker’s Miami office whose practice focuses primarily on Construction Defect litigation. She represents developers, contractors, subcontractors, design professionals, and insurers in complex construction disputes, providing strategic guidance through every stage of the litigation process.
Before transitioning her practice to construction defect matters, Erika represented insurers in First Party Property litigation, where she developed a strong foundation in insurance coverage and claims related issues. Her diverse civil litigation experience enables her to effectively analyze complex legal issues and develop practical solutions tailored to her clients’ business objectives.
Steven Moskowitz is an Associate in Lydecker’s Jersey City office, where he focuses his practice on Insurance defense and Labor & Employment matters. He is admitted to practice law in both New York and New Jersey.
Mr. Moskowitz earned his Juris Doctor from Rutgers Law School in May 2024, where he was awarded the Rutgers Law Merit Scholarship. During his time at Rutgers, he gained hands-on experience as a Clinical Law Student in the Education and Health Law Clinic. He received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan in May 2019.
Before joining Lydecker, Mr. Moskowitz served as a Law Clerk at Hirsh Business Law P.C. during his third year of law school, where he supported a variety of corporate and litigation matters
Mewerick Mozza is an Of Counsel attorney at the Lydecker’s Miami office. Mr. Mozza concentrates his practice in all aspects of federal and state civil litigation.
Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Mozza worked for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida at the Chambers of Magistrate Judge John J. O’Sullivan, where he aided with matters from Social Security Disability determinations, maritime personal injury cases, to international breach of contracts. Furthermore, Magistrate Judge O’Sullivan and Mr. Mozza were invited to Bolivia to provide an international conference where they were awarded Distinguished Visitor status and laws passed under their names for aiding the judiciary system in Bolivia. Additionally, Mr. Mozza worked for Mozza & Abogados Asociados exposing him to a different legal system. He counseled in the administration and legal transactions of the clients’ international businesses throughout South America and in the United States, including the purchasing and leasing of real estate and their international commercial transactions. Furthermore, Mr. Mozza was the recipient of the Law Awards 2022 by Latin American Quality Institute due to the exceptional performance in representing clients in international business transactions. In addition, Mr. Mozza worked at the Law Offices of Anidjar and Levine, P.A., where he handled personal injury claims and property damage claims in the pre-litigation and litigation departments. Mr. Mozza is committed to providing aggressive representation for all his clients and ensuring all clients receive effective legal representation.
Mr. Mozza graduated from the Trinity University with a Bachelor of Arts and Majors in Political Science, Philosophy, and International Studies in addition to a Minor in Human Communication in 2011. Mr. Mozza graduated Cum Laude from his Juris Doctorate from St. Thomas University School of Law in 2015, and was a member of the Intercultural Human Rights Law Review. Subsequently, Mr. Mozza graduated from a Master in Law in International Commercial Arbitration from the University of Miami in 2017. Mr. Mozza additionally obtained a Bachelor of Humanities in Political Science from Universidad Autónoma Gabriel Rene Moreno, in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, in 2022. In addition to being a member in good standing of the Florida Bar, Mr. Mozza is also a member of the District of Columbia Bar and the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
Daniel Muggeo is an associate in the firm’s Boca Raton office. Mr. Muggeo focuses his practice on civil litigation including the defense of negligence, traumatic bodily injury, wrongful death, and malpractice. Mr. Muggeo is admitted to practice law in Florida state courts. Mr. Muggeo received his Juris Doctorate from the Shepard Broad College of Law at Nova Southeastern University where he was a member of the ILSA Journal of International & Comparative Law and the Nova Trial Association. He earned his undergraduate degree from Nova Southeastern University where he received his degree in legal studies.
Janeally R. Munoz is an Associate Attorney in the firm’s San Diego office. Ms. Munoz has gained valuable experience representing Clients in a wide range of matters and has participated in several trials, both serving as second chair and conducting them on her own. She has courtroom experience and is skilled in drafting and arguing the motions in Court. Her diverse background has provided her with a strong foundation in litigation, client advocacy, and case strategy.
Ms. Munoz earned her J.D. from Thomas Jefferson School of Law in May of 2023. During law school, Ms. Munoz she was an active member of the Mock Trial team and held various leadership positions, including serving La Raza, where she continues to be an active member today.
Bernard Nellari is an Associate Attorney at Lydecker’s San Diego office, where he focuses his practice on general liability litigation matters.
Mr. Nellari graduated from San Jose State University in 2021 with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and dual minors in Business Administration and Political Science. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of San Diego School of Law in 2024. Mr. Nellari was admitted to the California Bar in March 2025.
Mr. Nellari developed a strong foundation in legal research and client advocacy through his academic and professional experiences, such as assisting startups and local small businesses while working at the USD Entrepreneurship Legal Clinic. Following bar admission, Mr. Nellari began his career as an attorney working for a national full service law firm, where he handled a variety of complex civil litigation cases prior to joining Lydecker.
In his free time, Mr. Nellari enjoys hiking, reading, building custom computers, and is an avid basketball fan.
Victor C. Ng is Of Counsel in Lydecker’s California offices, representing employers in state and federal courts, arbitration proceedings, and before administrative agencies, including the California Civil Rights Department (“CRD”) and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”). His practice focuses on guiding employers through day-to-day workplace issues while defending high-exposure litigation.
Victor partners with business owners, executives, and human resources professionals to address terminations, reductions in workforce, disability accommodations, wage and hour compliance, workplace investigations, handbook and policy development, and hiring practices, including Ban the Box compliance. He approaches counseling with a practical risk assessment framework designed to align legal strategy with operational realities.
As a litigator, Victor defends employers in complex wage and hour class and PAGA representative actions, as well as discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, and whistleblower claims under FEHA and the ADA. He has represented employers in CRD and EEOC proceedings, including agency-initiated matters and EEOC class actions, and regularly manages matters from pre-litigation strategy through dispositive motion practice and resolution.
Victor has practiced at two national management-side law firms and represented clients across healthcare, hospitality, trucking, construction, manufacturing, retail, cannabis, education, nonprofit, and faith-based organizations. He also brings prior experience working with domestic and international insurers on complex privacy and cyber matters and high-exposure professional liability claims, providing him with additional insight into risk evaluation and litigation strategy. He previously second chaired a two-week jury trial resulting in a complete defense verdict.
Mr. Norris’s practice primarily involves representing, defending, and counseling business owners regarding a diverse array of legal issues. Mr. Norris has had the privilege of successfully representing hotel operators and other hospitality businesses, medical practices, airlines, MROs, universities, banks, governmental entities, large institutional clients, and small businesses.
Mr. Norris has extensively litigated matters involving labor and employment law, commercial law, professional liability, hospitality law, premises liability, ADA accessibility, real estate, admiralty and maritime, wrongful death, and various types of negligence. Mr. Norris has defended private and public employers in all phases of litigation, from administrative hearings through trial on matters arising under Federal, State and local employment laws.
Mr. Norris also has extensive experience servicing business owners in the preparation and negotiation of contracts, including stock purchase and asset purchase agreements, ensuring compliance with laws, rules, and regulations, and providing guidance to mitigate risk and limit liability.
Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Norris served as in-house counsel for a successful Real Estate Investment Company that focused on acquiring and re-positioning distressed assets.
Katrina Pacheco is an Associate at Lydecker handling Florida civil litigation matters. Ms. Pacheco has extensive experience in the defense of civil disputes. She maintains a varied practice in insurance defense and commercial litigation, including general bodily injury and casualty, and professional malpractice.
Prior to joining Lydecker, Ms. Pacheco was an Associate at a prominent Florida defense firm where she gained significant litigation experience representing numerous insurance carriers in First Party Property matters throughout Florida. While earning her Juris Doctorate, Ms. Pacheco clerked with the Honorable Judge Peter Lopez and also worked as a law clerk with boutique law firms in the Miami area who focused on insurance litigation at both the State and Federal levels.
Robert Pariser supervises a talented team of attorneys who practice in the New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania offices. The attorneys I collaborate with are comprised of former educators, prosecutors, law clerks to state and federal judges and insurance professionals.
Robert Pariser’s legal practice focuses on the defense of claims against professionals (E&O, A&B, LPL or MPL), directors and officers (D&O) and against employers (EPL). Mr. Pariser represents design professionals (A&E) and other real estate professionals, including managing agents, appraisers, title agents, condo and co-op boards and developers in various disputes. On behalf of construction owners and managers, he defends claims prosecuted by injured workers brought pursuant to the New York Labor Law.
Robert Pariser also represent clients on other types of discrimination claims, including alleged civil rights violations, including the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Robert Pariser defends environmental cases, involving mold, asbestos and ground contamination.
Robert Pariser represents public and private educators in breach of contract, employment, bullying, failing to promote and in due process matters.
Robert Pariser has had election, stock redemption, auction, foreclosure/ sheriff sale, false arrest, prosecutorial misconduct disputes. Robert Pariser has been on the New York Metro Super Lawyers list from 2011-present.
Mr. Patten is a Partner at Lydecker’s New York and New Jersey offices. He serves in the commercial litigation department where he works on third party insurance defense, including General Liability Defense, Bodily Injury Defense, New York Labor Law Defense, Construction Defect Litigation, Architects & Engineers litigation, Products Liability, and a variety of other civil litigation issues. Mr. Patten has litigated countless cases involving wrongful death and catastrophic accidents/injuries at construction sites, including claims brought under New York Labor Laws section 200, 240, and 241.
In addition, Mr. Patten is an expert in automobile negligence defense. He has been working in the auto negligence industry for the majority of his career and manages complex cases involving multi-vehicle accidents and catastrophic injuries or wrongful death. Mr. Patten provides legal guidance on issues involving vicarious liability, indemnity, as well as non-permissive use. He has experience in both trial and arbitration settings, reaching final judgments, verdicts, and beneficial settlements for his auto negligence clients.
Prior to joining Lydecker, Mr. Patten was a prosecutor for the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office where he obtained extensive trial experience prosecuting criminal misdemeanor and felony level charges. Mr. Patten also prosecuted for the State of Florida Department of Children and Families, where he litigated dependency issues and termination of parental rights cases.
Mr. Patten received his Juris Doctor from St. Thomas University School of Law, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude in the top 3% of his class. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts in History, Cum Laude, from St. John’s University in Minnesota.
While in law school, Mr. Patten served as Editor-in-Chief for the St. Thomas Law Review, as well as Student Bar Association President. Mr. Patten also tutored students in property law and worked as an intern for the Honorable Judge John O’Sullivan in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
Andrew is a Partner in Lydecker’s Orlando office. Andrew represents clients in a variety of construction related disputes including construction and design defect, transactional, contract drafting, review and negotiation, construction contract disputes, construction delay claims and licensure/regulatory matters.
Andrew provides a full-service practice to clients, providing advice at all states of a construction project from initial contract creation, mid-project disputes, termination and all phases of litigation from pre-suit to final disposition. Andrew has handles construction disputes throughout the State of Florida representing developers, general contractors and subcontractors at mediation, arbitration and trial. He also has extensive experience in general civil litigation in a variety of civil matters including residential finance and insurance defense.
Gabrielle Pepple is an Associate Lydecker’s Boca Raton, Florida office. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Pepple was an associate at insurance defense firms practicing in the areas of condominium/homeowner’s association disputes, premises liability, negligent security, emotional distress claims, defamation claims, and auto-negligence.
She was born and raised in Northern Indiana and has resided in Florida since graduating law school. She earned her Juris Doctor at Ohio Northern University, Claude W. Pettit College of Law in 2021 and her Bachelor of Arts (with focuses in Philosophy and Political Science) from Marian University, Indianapolis in 2018.
Christopher Perini is Of Counsel at Lydecker’s Miami office. Mr. Perini’s practice primarily focuses on personal injury defense, general liability and tort liability. Mr. Perini also has extensive experience defending employment litigation matters, including FLSA and FMLA violations, and Title VII violations including discrimination, retaliation, and sexual harassment.
Winfield Pollidore is a trial and civil litigation attorney in Lydecker’s Atlanta office. He has extensive experience representing clients in a variety of civil litigation matters, including the defense of tort claims such as construction defects, motor vehicle accidents, property damage, premises liability, and product liability. In addition to his civil litigation practice, Mr. Pollidore is well-versed in family law, handling all aspects of domestic relations issues, including divorce, child custody, mediation, spousal support, and post-divorce disputes.
Before pursuing a legal career, Mr. Pollidore worked as a mechanical engineer in the automotive industry, where he developed a keen analytical approach to problem-solving. His engineering background provides him with a unique perspective in handling complex construction defect cases, allowing him to effectively represent contractors, property owners, and other professionals facing intricate liability issues. His ability to navigate both technical and legal complexities makes him a valuable advocate for his clients.
A significant portion of Mr. Pollidore’s practice has been dedicated to construction defect litigation. His comprehensive understanding of construction-related claims, allows him to tailor effective legal solutions for his clients. Whether defending businesses against liability claims or guiding families through challenging legal matters, Mr. Pollidore is committed to delivering results-driven representation.
