AlaEldean Elmunaier handles matters related to first-party property insurance defense.
Prior to working at the firm, AlaEldean worked at a statewide law firm defending insurance carriers in first-party property matters. AlaEldean has successfully defended his clients in an array of matters, brought by policyholders and contractors pursuant to an alleged assignment of benefits agreement.
AlaEldean has been able to prevail on dipositive motions, such as motions to dismiss under Florida Statutes 627.70152 and 627.7152. AlaEldean has also been successful prevailing on motions for summary judgment, having his clients being awarded fees, and disposing cases quickly when needed.
AlaEldean received his Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science, cum laude, as an Honors College Graduate, from the University of South Florida. He then received his Juris Doctor degree from Barry University, Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law, where he was a recipient of the Merit-based Scholarship and the Dean Award Scholarship. In law school, AlaEldean was selected to be a part of the Child and Family Law Journal, Trial Team, and The Florida Bar Foundation Summer Fellowship.
Alexander Dowding is an associate attorney focusing on first party property liability defense. Mr. Dowding graduated from Florida State University where he earned a B.S. in Criminal Justice and went on to earn his Juris Doctor from St. Thomas University School of Law in 2013.
Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Dowding practiced bankruptcy law helping individuals navigate the Bankruptcy Code in the federal court system. Mr. Dowding has also defended nursing homes and medical personnel in lawsuits based in claims of negligence.
Mr. Dowding is licensed to practice in all state courts of Florida and all federal districts of Florida.
Allegra Knopf is a civil litigation attorney who has been practicing in Florida for over 20 years. She is admitted in both state and federal court.
Allegra attended the University of Mary Washington in Virginia to earn her Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations, after which she moved to Florida. She then attended the Levin College of Law at the University of Florida where she earned her Juris Doctor. While in law school, Allegra earned honors for her legal research and writing, and was editor for the Journal of Law and Public Policy. She also began her career as an intern for the Office of the State Attorney of Florida’s Fifth Judicial Circuit, where she began practicing as an assistant state attorney after graduating from law school.
Allegra then spent several years as an advocate for dependent children. She was a children’s legal services attorney for the Florida Department of Children and Families where she managed a heavy caseload and daily emergency shelter hearings, dependency hearings and trials and termination of parental rights trials.
After serving in Children’s Legal Services, Allegra joined private practice and worked for several prominent Florida firms practicing insurance defense, real estate, regulatory, and commercial litigation. During the great recession, Allegra represented institutional lenders and mortgage servicers as they waded through rapid regulatory change involving default services and foreclosures. She successfully obtained judgments for her clients in hundreds of trials and assisted them in ensuring regulatory compliance.
Allegra also has extensive insurance defense experience. She has defended property insurers in first party coverage disputes, including breach of contract and declaratory judgment actions. Allegra is well versed in recent changes to Florida’s property insurance statutes and, as a result, has been successful in obtaining dismissals of some cases due to the plaintiff’s failure to comply with them. She has worked with contractors, engineers, and other expert witnesses to evaluate claims and prepare dispositive motions. She also has worked with adjusters in resolving claims and applying the recent statutory changes made by the Florida Legislature.
Allegra also has third party defense experience. She has represented corporations in commercial contract disputes, D&O liability, and general liability claims. She has extensive title insurance experience and has represented title insurers to resolve title claims.
Allegra has over 20 years of litigation experience. As a result, she prepares each case with an assessment of how it may resolve if it were to go to trial while striving for the most expeditious outcome that meets the client’s needs and goals. Toward that end, Allegra enjoys working with clients to develop and execute a litigation plan that best suits the client.
When not working, Allegra enjoys riding horses, reading, and spending time with friends and family.
Mr. Labbe concentrates his practice on first and third party insurance defense. He has experience handling various property claims including windstorm, water damage, fire and sinkhole. Mr. Labbe also has experience defending third-party liability claims, coverage disputes, subrogation and construction defect. Prior to joining Groelle & Salmon, Mr. Labbe worked as an associate attorney at an insurance defense firm specializing in first/third party liability defense. Mr. Labbe is licensed to practice in all state courts of Florida, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Mr. Labbe is also Certified in Appellate Law.
Groelle and Salmon, P.A.
-Tampa, Florida
Walton, Lantaff, Schroeder & Carson, L.L.P.
-Tampa, Florida
University of Florida J.D., cum laude
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts B.A.
Florida Bar
Massachusetts Bar
New York
New Jersey
Pennsylvania
Office Location:Tampa, FL / Boston, MA
Andrew Davies was born in Cardiff, Wales and has lived in the US since 2017, having lived in 8 different nations around the world prior to moving to the US. Andrew attended Swansea University and graduated with a BSc in Business & Business Management in 2017. Following his graduation from undergraduate school, Andrew moved across the Atlantic in order to attend Rutgers Law School, from which he graduated in 2020, achieving two placements on the Dean’s list during his time at Rutgers. While at Rutgers, Andrew also became a member of Phi Alpha Delta, a legal fraternity which provides networking opportunities across the country. Andrew was admitted to the New Jersey Bar in January 2021 and admitted to the Florida Bar in 2022.
Having practiced in the arenas of criminal, personal injury with some experience in contract and insurance-related litigation in New Jersey, Andrew Joined the Groelle & Salmon team as an associate attorney at the Tampa office in December 2022. Andrew works primarily defending insurance carriers in first-party property claims.
When not defending Groelle & Salmon’s clients, Andrew spends his time Weight-lifting, swimming, traveling with his wife and family and reading.
Education:
Swansea University, BSc
Rutgers Law School- Newark, J.D.
Annie Antos joined the firm in 2022 and is an associate in the St. Petersburg office in the insurance defense and first-party property litigation practice group.
During law school, Annie was a law clerk with Louison, Costello, Condon, & Pfaff, working with litigation lawyers with significant experience in state and federal trial and appellate courts. Annie also served as a Senior Staff Member for the Suffolk University Transnational Law Review, Team Captain for the 2020 Suffolk Law Bankruptcy and International Insolvency Law Moot Court Team at the Annual Ian Fletcher International Insolvency Moot Court Competition, Vice President of Suffolk’s Federalist Society, Admission Ambassador for the Suffolk University Law School Admission’s Office, and teaching assistant to Business Entities Professor Carter Bishop.
Annie is licensed to practice law in the state of Florida and is also a member of the St. Petersburg Bar Association. She received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia in 2015 and earned her Juris Doctor from Suffolk University Law School in 2021.
Education:
Suffolk University, J.D.
University of Georgia, B.A.
Bar Admissions:
Florida Bar
Groelle & Salmon, P.A.
-Orlando, Florida
Bradford, Cederberg, P.A.
-Orlando, Florida
Cameron, Hodges, Coleman, LaPointe & Wright, P.A.
-Orlando, Florida
Barry University School of Law, J.D., Valedictorian
-State University of New York at Fredonia, B.S., Cum Laude
Florida Bar
-United States District Court Middle District of Florida
-United States District Court Northern District of Florida
Office Location::Orlando, FL
Brad J. Mitchell is a partner in Groelle and Salmon’s Miami office. Mr. Mitchell received his Juris Doctor from The Florida State University College of Law. While in law school, Mr. Mitchell served as a Legal Extern with the Florida Attorney General’s Criminal Appeals Division in Tallahassee as well as a legal intern to Judge Rayford Means on the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania.
After law school, Mr. Mitchell served as an Assistant-State Attorney in the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office where he prosecuted hundreds of crimes ranging from felony charges punishable by life in prison to misdemeanor charges such as driving under the influence. During his time as an Assistant State Attorney, Mr. Mitchell gained invaluable courtroom experience, trying twenty jury trials and approximately fifty bench trials to verdict.
Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Mitchell practiced first-party property, personal injury and subrogation litigation both at a National Firm in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and at a boutique firm in Hollywood, Florida. A native of Long Island, New York, Mr. Mitchell earned his Bachelor of Science degree in business administration and a minor in philosophy from Nova Southeastern University.
Bruce A. Epple is a partner in the firm’s Orlando office handling first party property and insurance coverage matters. He has a long history of civil litigation and trial experience handling third party and first party insurance claims, both pre-suit and litigation, in almost every venue in Florida and he has personally participated as first chair attorney in over 20 civil jury trials through verdict during his lengthy legal career.
Before joining the firm, Mr. Epple served 12 years as Senior In-House Staff Counsel for The Hartford Insurance Group. His prior insurance defense experience also includes representation of a wide variety of insurance carriers. He has served in the past as a Certified Circuit Court Mediator and for four years operated his own Mediation practice.
Mr. Epple grew up in Orlando, FL and received his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Central Florida in 1977, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude. He then attended law school and obtained his Juris Doctor degree, Cum Laude, from Stetson College of Law in 1980. He is licensed to practice in all state courts of Florida and the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
Bruce is an avid supporter of the UCF Knights (“Charge On!”) and enjoys attending live sporting events throughout the state whenever his schedule permits.
Stetson College of Law , J.D., Cum Laude
University of Central Florida, B.A., Summa Cum Laude
Florida Bar
-United States District Court Middle District of Florida
Office Location::Orlando, FL
Ms. Finneman is an Associate focusing her practice primarily on first party property disputes in the St. Petersburg office. Before joining Groelle & Salmon as an Associate, Ms. Finneman spent over two years with McCue Reams Bucha & Associates as a Personal Injury Attorney, and while there litigated over 100 cases against insurance companies. Ms. Finneman also has experience in construction defect, and debt collection litigation. She is well versed in all phases of litigation, from preliminary negotiations to appeals.
Caitlin Finneman graduated from Tulane Law School in May of 2016 in New Orleans, Louisiana, and prior to attending law school she was a member of AmeriCorps VISTA.
Bar Admissions:
Florida Bar
Education:
Tulane Law School, JD
Florida Gulf Coast University, BA
Mr. Marante joined Groelle & Salmon, P.A., as an associate in the firm’s Miami office in 2017. Prior to becoming an attorney, Mr. Marante obtained valuable experience in the areas of personal injury litigation and property and contract disputes. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Florida, and received his Juris Doctor from Barry University School of Law. Mr. Marante now practices in the area of first-party insurance defense, with a focus on residential property claims investigation and litigation. Mr. Marante is fluent in Spanish.
Florida Bar
-Middle District of Florida
Barry university School of Law
University of Florida, B.A.
Office Location::Orlando, FL
Ms. Vargas completed her undergraduate studies at the University of South Florida. She then obtained her Juris Doctor degree at Western Michigan University Cooley Law School, Tampa Bay Campus, in 2017. Before joining Groelle & Salmon as an Associate, Ms. Vargas started her legal career as an Assistant State Attorney in Hillsborough County, 13th Judicial Circuit, Florida. As an Assistant State Attorney, she litigated various misdemeanor and felony cases. She gained extensive jury trial and courtroom experience and prosecuted violent felony offenders of special concern. Before joining the Groelle & Salmon team as an Associate, she spent over two years with McCue Reams Bucha & Associates as a plaintiff’s personal injury attorney prosecuting medical malpractice and nursing home negligence cases. Ms. Vargas is well versed in all phases of litigation, from preliminary negotiations to appeals. She is a strong advocate and is involved in the community as a board member of Are You Safe, a non-profit organization that is dedicated to helping victims of domestic violence.
Carrington Madison Mead is an associate attorney in our Maitland office practicing in the area of first-party insurance defense. Prior to joining Groelle & Salmon, Mr. Mead was an associate general counsel handling first-party insurance claims on behalf of one of Florida’s largest private home insurers as a defense attorney throughout the State of Florida. Mr. Mead also has almost twenty years of legal experience as an attorney, and brings extensive experience in other areas of law which is helpful in assisting clients on issues that may be unique to their particular matter.
Aside from Mr. Mead’s background in first-party insurance claims, he also is a nationally recognized expert in LGBTQ+ matters, has engaged in intense litigation involving probate, estate planning, guardianship, unique adoption matters, business formations, contracts, family matters, federal litigation, veterans issues, and other litigation matters, which also includes appellate work.
Mr. Mead received his Juris Doctorate in 2003, and an undergraduate degree in Sociology at the University of North Florida in 2000, prior to attending law school, while minoring in accounting. Along with being a member of the Florida State Bar, he is also a member of the Middle District Court of Florida, and the Northern District Court of Florida.
When not working, Mr. Mead enjoys fishing, boating, hiking, and camping. He also enjoys participating in biological surveys of the flora and fauna of Florida conducted by biologists, which allows him to use his advanced certification as a Florida Master Naturalist through the University of Florida. When he isn’t outside enjoying the weather he spends time with his family and what has been described as his personal petting zoo at home.
Cassidy J. Fordiani is an associate in the Tampa office where she focuses her practice on first party property litigation and insurance defense.
After obtaining her B.A. in Criminology from the University of South Florida, Mrs. Fordiani attended the Stetson University College of Law in 2016. While at Stetson, she served as the President of the Business Law Society, as well as the Historian of Phi Delta Phi, International Legal Honor Society. After graduating law school in 2019, Mrs. Fordiani obtained valuable civil litigation experience defending debt collection and foreclosure matters. In the past few years, Mrs. Fordiani has defended hundreds of first party property claims across the state from inception to resolution.
Chelsey Polgar did her undergraduate studies at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg Florida. She spent a significant portion of her career working for a Fortune 500 healthcare insurance company. She comes to us from Stetson University College of Law where she graduated in May of 2020. Ms. Polgar is licensed to practice law in the state of Florida.
Ms. Michel is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. She received her commission in 1996 and served five years as a Surface Warfare Officer onboard the guided missile destroyer, USS Ross (DD-71) and the strike destroyer, USS John Hancock (DD-981). She obtained her juris doctor from University of Miami School of Law in 2004. In 2004 she became licensed to practice in Florida as well as the Northern, Middle, and Southern Districts Courts of Florida and in 2005 she became licensed to practice in Illinois.
Ms. Michel started her legal career as a prosecutor in Charlotte County and was quickly promoted to Drug Court Prosecutor and Domestic Violence Liaison Officer and given the responsibility of a felony docket.
In 2007 she joined the Tampa office of Hinshaw & Culbertson, LLP where she handled matters in the areas of professional liability claims, Fair Debt Collection Practices litigation, Employment Law, Workers Compensation, and other insurance defense litigation.
In 2011, Ms. Michel opened her own practice where she focused on complex commercial litigation matters, the defense of insurance claim disputes, foreclosure defense, and administrative law matters with the Department of Professional Business Regulation. As a sole practitioner, Ms. Michel became Of Counsel to Alliance Legal Group, heading their contested foreclosure defense department and, subsequently, Of Counsel to the firm of Moriarty & Chiofalo, P.A. to introduce the foreclosure defense practice area to their firm as her specialty, and handle all trust and estate litigation and complex business litigation for the firm.
In 2016, Ms. Michel joined HD Law Partners, PA where she was tasked with opening their Sarasota Bradenton office and continuing a general civil litigation practice, where she focused on complex business litigation, personal injury, family law, and insurance claim disputes.
Ms. Michel is a co-founder and sits on the Board of Directors of Open Door Mission, a non-profit organization located in Cameroon, Africa, which offers free medical services to the local communities and schools young men and women to become physician assistants with the hope that they will provide medical services to their communities
Ms. Mitchell is an associate attorney practicing from our West Palm Beach office focusing on first party property and insurance coverage matters. She brings to our firm two decades of experience in civil litigation in federal court. Prior to joining Groelle & Salmon, P.A., Ms. Mitchell’s areas of practice included civil rights, consumer rights, and commercial litigation.
Ms. Mitchell is licensed to practice in all state courts in Florida. She is also admitted to practice in the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit and the U.S. District Courts in the Southern, Middle, and Northern Districts of Florida.
Groelle & Salmon, P.A.
-West Palm Beach, Florida
Cynthia K. Mitchell, P.A.
-West Palm Beach, Florida
Aurilio & Associates, P.A.
-Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
Florida State University College of Law, J.D.
Florida Atlantic University, B.A.
Florida Bar
Court Admissions:
Florida Supreme Court
U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal, 11th Circuit
U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida
U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida
U.S. District Court, Northern District of Florida
Mr. McClelland is an associate attorney focusing his practice primarily on subrogation, representing insurers in matters related to products liability, premises liability, negligence, construction defects, and contract disputes.
Mr. McClelland graduated from Stetson University College of Law in May of 2011. While in law school, Mr. McClelland interned for the Honorable Alexander L. Paskay in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Middle District of Florida. Prior to joining the Tampa office of Groelle & Salmon, P.A., Mr. McClelland practiced corporate bankruptcy, business litigation, and represented businesses making claims under the BP oil spill settlement agreement. Mr. McClelland is licensed to practice in all state courts of Florida and the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
Groelle and Salmon, P.A.
Tampa, Florida
Stetson University College of Law, J.D.
B.A. Criminology and B.S. Public Relations
Florida Bar
Office Location::Tampa, FL
David J. Salmon, born in 1966, St. Louis, Missouri. Admitted to the Florida Bar in 1995. Also admitted to the Missouri Bar, 1991, and Illinois Bar, 1993. Education: Boston College (B.A., 1988), Washington University School of Law (J.D. 1991). Also admitted to the United States District Courts for the Middle and Southern Districts of Florida.
Mr. Salmon is a founding partner in the law firm of Groelle and Salmon, P.A. After practicing law in Missouri and Illinois from 1991 to 1995, Mr. Salmon moved to south Florida, where he actively litigated Hurricane Andrew claims and developed his practice on suspicious first party property losses. In 2003, Mr. Salmon moved to St. Petersburg, Florida to open the firm’s first west coast office in Tampa. The firm now operates in six cities throughout Florida and has expanded practice areas, which include all aspects of insurance, construction defect litigation, commercial litigation, and the defense of charitable organizations and not for profits.
Mr. Salmon practices civil litigation, with his primary focus on first party insurance litigation, claims investigation and evaluation of coverage issues in property claims. Mr. Salmon has tried over a hundred cases in state and federal courts in Florida, Missouri, and Illinois. Mr. Salmon formerly handled and supervised subrogation recovery. While practicing in the Midwest, Mr. Salmon was the lead attorney on all litigation cases in the city of St. Louis and the State of Illinois.
Mr. Salmon is certified by the Department of Insurance as an instructor for continuing education courses. Mr. Salmon has participated in and delivered numerous educational seminars and presented case law analysis and commentary to the insurance industry and claim associations. These include the presentation of continuing education and instructional workshops and courses for the Windstorm Insurance Network and FIFEC. He has also presented case analysis and claim handling instruction at internal seminars for insurers throughout the United States.
Mr. Salmon is a member of the Council on Litigation Management, the Defense Research Institute, the Risk Management Society, the Florida Advisory Committee on Arson Prevention, the WIND Insurance Network, and the Florida Property Fraud Task Force.
Office Location:: St. Petersburg, FL
Diva Totten is an associate attorney in our Maitland office practicing in the area of first-party insurance defense, with an emphasis on residential property claims, investigation, and litigation. Prior to joining Groelle & Salmon, Ms. Totten worked for an insurance defense firm also concentrating in the area of first-party insurance defense for residential property claims. Aside from Ms. Totten’s defense background, she also has ample experience practicing in the areas of law involving real estate, business litigation, creditor’s rights, landlord/tenant disputes, plaintiff’s foreclosure litigation, HOA/Condo litigation, title and lien clearing, and probate. Additionally, Ms. Totten gained invaluable experience clerking for the current Chief Judge of the Ninth Judicial Circuit, the Honorable Donald A. Myers, Jr.
Ms. Totten earned her law degree from Barry University School of Law, where she served as the Research & Technical Editor for the Barry Law Review, a Dean’s Writing Fellow, and a Legal Research & Writing Teaching Assistant.
Ms. Totten is a member of the Florida Bar, the Orange County Bar Association, and the Young Lawyers Section of the Orange County Bar Association. Ms. Totten is licensed to practice law in all Florida Courts and the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
Attorney Edward Izquierdo graduated from Stetson University College of Law in 2013. Prior to law school, he was a graduate of the Univeristy of Florida. Prior to joining Groelle & Salmon, Attorney Izquierdo worked nine years for the law firm of McCue, Reams, Bucha & Associates. There, he represented injury plaintiffs and handled thousands of claims. He brings his experience to Groelle and Salmon to defend first party property claims.
Gabriela is a Partner Attorney, part of the Tampa Litigation Team at Groelle & Salmon P.A. Gabriela has a legal skillset that includes insurance defense, financial services, mortgage banking litigation, employment law, and trademark prosecution. Gabriela worked in the legal field as a paralegal for many years before becoming a lawyer, now concentrating in defending insurance companies in first-party property actions. Gabriela has handled all aspects of commercial litigation cases – from inception to trial including, appellate work – and has resolved countless cases, by focusing on counseling her clients to achieve their goals in the most cost-effective manner, often before reaching trial, avoiding its uncertainty.
Prior to joining Groelle & Salmon, P.A., Gabriela worked as a Litigation Paralegal for the intellectual property law firm, Sanchelima & Associates, P.A., then as a Litigation Paralegal and Attorney for Lapin & Leichtling, LLP, and then as a Senior Associate for Perlman, Bajandas, Yevoli & Albright, P.L, all Miami-based law firms. Gabriela has worked in the legal field for 23 years and has experienced all aspects of litigation, which has allowed her to gain a highly pragmatic view of the law through her work as a legal assistant before she became a lawyer herself. She also holds a degree in fashion design, indicative of her ability to find creative solutions to legal disputes, and is a licensed real estate sales associate in Florida.
While representing servicers in mortgage foreclosure, Gabriela handled a highly-contested mortgage foreclosure case that was the subject of an appeal, which established new precedent in the state of Florida in the mortgage foreclosure context. See U.S. Bank, N.A. v. Becker, 211 So. 3d 142 (Fla. 4th DCA 2017) (Appellate Court reversed order of involuntary dismissal at trial based on Plaintiff’s alleged lack of standing due to original note containing an allonge bearing a special indorsement payable to a third-party, holding that Plaintiff sufficiently established its standing, and establishing precedent in Florida concerning the effect of an “anomalous indorsement” when a note is negotiated.)
Gabriela graduated with honors (Cum Laude) from Nova Southeastern University, Shepard Broad Law Center, was a member of the Nova Law Review, and also served as the Subscriptions Editor of the Law Review.
Born and raised in Guayaquil, Ecuador, Gabriela is fluent in Spanish and has some knowledge of French. She has a multinational and multicultural perspective that allows her to easily relate to clients and opposing parties through her candid approach and diligence.
Cory Wilkinson is an associate in the Tampa office where he primarily defends insurance carriers in first-party property claims. Prior to joining Groelle & Salmon, P.A., Mr. Wilkinson gained valuable litigation experience representing insurance carriers and employers in workers’ compensation disputes, particularly in nuanced heart and lung claims.
Mr. Wilkinson is licensed to practice law in the state of Florida and is also a member of the Hillsborough County Bar Association. He received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 2011 before returning to the Tampa Bay area and earning his Juris Doctor from Stetson University College of Law in 2015.
Stetson College of Law , J.D.
University of Texas, B.A.
Florida Bar
Office Location::St. Petersburg, FL
Jacob Linhart is a partner in the firm’s West Palm Beach office. He brings to our firm over three decades of experience as a litigator. He has spent the great majority of his career representing insurance carriers and insureds in first and third-party claims and subrogation claims in the areas of homeowners’ insurance, property damage, auto negligence, premises liability and rental car law. For twelve years, he was the managing partner of a prominent multistate insurance subrogation litigation firm.
Jacob grew up in Brooklyn, New York and entered the University of Miami at age 15, obtaining his Bachelor’s degree, cum laude, at age 19 and his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Miami School of Law at age 22. He is licensed to practice in all the State Courts of Florida, New York, Texas and the District of Columbia and has lectured extensively nationwide to insurance adjusters and other insurance professionals on the subjects of automobile and property loss. He is certified by the Florida Department of Insurance as an Instructor for continuing education courses, qualified by the Florida Supreme Court as an Arbitrator, certified by the Better Business Bureau as an Auto Line Arbitrator and is a former Florida Circuit and County Court Mediator. He has served as both a Collections Court General Master and a Traffic Court Magistrate with the Palm Beach County Court and has been a member of the Florida Bar Civil Procedure Rules Committee, Traffic Court Rules Committee, Small Claims Rules Committee and Consumer Protection Law Committee.
Office Location::West Palm Beach, FL
Jason Sexton is a partner in the firm’s Orlando office, with his practice focused primarily on first party property disputes and litigation. In addition to his extensive experience representing insurers in all types of property damage claims, including both pre-suit and in litigation, he has also defended a wide array of third-party premises liability and property damage claims against insureds, giving him significant experience and perspective in identifying and analyzing potential subrogation, and other exposure shifting, issues for his clients.
As a part of his practice, Mr. Sexton has handled both residential and commercial property damage claims, including those caused by hurricane and windstorm, lightning, hail, fire, water intrusion, plumbing/”slab” leaks, sinkhole, and vandalism/theft.
Prior to joining Groelle and Salmon, Mr. Sexton worked for many years in insurance defense, and prior to that developed significant trial and courtroom experience as an Assistant Public Defender. Mr. Sexton received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Florida and his Juris Doctor from Vanderbilt University Law School. He is licensed to practice in all state courts of Florida, as well as the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, and maintains an inactive license in Tennessee.
Mr. Sexton is a native Floridian, and was born and raised in the suburbs of Orlando. Outside of the office, Mr. Sexton enjoys spending time with his family, visiting the theme parks, and is an avid fan of horror movies.
Jayson Serrano graduated from The John Marshall Law School in Chicago, Illinois in 2011. Since then he’s been practicing civil law and has successfully litigated numerous jury and bench trials. He was admitted to the Florida Bar in May 2018 and joined our firm soon thereafter. He practices in our Tampa office and focuses on first party property insurance defense and contract disputes.
Florida Bar
University of Central Florida, B.A.
John Marshall Law School, J.D.
Office Location::Tampa, FL
Jesse Peterson is an attorney in the Miami office of Groelle & Salmon, P.A. where his practice focuses primarily on first party property disputes, advising insurance carriers on issues related to insurance coverage, bad faith allegations and claims of unfair trade practices. He joined Groelle & Salmon, P.A. with seven years’ experience in the field of first party property insurance litigation. Mr. Peterson works with clients, claims adjusters, general contractors, forensic engineers and other expert witnesses to develop the most effective litigation strategies to defend insurance companies.
Mr. Peterson received his Juris Doctorate from St. Thomas University School of Law. In law school, Mr. Peterson was selected as a research assistant to two law professors. He also served as an intern for the Broward County Attorney’s Office, and worked as law clerk for a boutique firm handling federal litigation related to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. He graduated magna cum laude in the top 10% of his class.
Mr. Peterson received a Bachelor of Fine Arts, with focus on studio art, from Florida International University and was presented with the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum purchase award for best in show in his graduating class.
Mr. Peterson is licensed to practice law in the state of Florida and is admitted to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
Jessica L. Donner is an Attorney in the Miami office of Groelle & Salmon, P.A. where her practice focuses primarily on property damage, providing defense representation to insurance companies. She regularly litigates and advises insurers on property insurance coverage issues, allegations of bad faith, and unfair claims settlement practices. Mrs. Donner works with general contractors, engineers, and other expert witnesses, to develop the most effective litigation strategy for each case.
In 2013, Mrs. Donner graduated from the University of Florida earning a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Criminology. She then attended Nova Southeastern University’s School of Law, where she graduated early in December 2015 earning her Juris Doctor. While in law school, she was involved in the school’s trial association, Florida Association for Women Lawyers, Jewish Law Student Association, and Phi Alpha Delta. In addition, she competed in multiple Mock Trial Competitions. Prior to joining Groelle & Salmon, Mrs. Donner practiced at a large, multi-state firm, where she handled lawsuits involving first and third party property defense, bad faith, insurance coverage disputes, premise liability, and construction defect matters. Mrs. Donner is licensed to practice law in the state of Florida and is admitted to the U.S. District Court for the Northern, Middle, and Southern District of Florida. She is an active member of The Florida Bar and Broward County Bar Association.
Outside work, Mrs. Donner is an avid tennis player and practitioner of yoga. She volunteers with multiple scuba diving organizations participating in ocean clean-ups as well as dives focused on planting new coral reefs.
Joseph Grosjean earned his Juris Doctorate from Regent University School of Law in Virginia Beach, Virginia and his Bachelor of Science in Business, Organizational Management and Ethics from the Oklahoma Wesleyan University.
Prior to joining Groelle and Salmon, Mr. Grosjean was a plaintiff’s attorney, providing representation for client’s beginning at pre-litigation and working through trial for personal injury, medical malpractice, and wrongful death claims.
David Kelly is an associate attorney at the Tampa office of Groelle & Salmon, PA, focusing on first party property liability defense.
Mr. Kelly obtained his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh, and in 1996 his Juris Doctor from the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. He later received an LL.M. in International Law, from the University of Miami School of Law.
Mr. Kelly has served as a trial attorney in the Tampa Bay Area and other venues throughout Florida, handling all phases of litigation in both state and federal court. Along with a variety of other legal areas, he also has experience in third-party insurance defense, including litigation involving catastrophic injury claims. In addition to handling numerous first-party property cases in both law firm and in-house settings, Mr. Kelly defended hundreds of personal injury protection lawsuits as a staff attorney for an insurance company.
Mr. Shevenell is a Partner in the Tampa office of Groelle & Salmon, P.A., focusing his practice primarily on first party property and insurance coverage matters. During his legal career, Mr. Shevenell has represented insurance companies and corporations in a variety of insurance-related matters throughout the State of Florida and New Jersey. He has also successfully represented condominium and homeowners’ association clients as both litigation and in-house counsel. Mr. Shevenell oversaw his prior firm’s expansion into New Jersey following Superstorm Sandy. Aside from his extensive civil litigation background, Mr. Shevenell has further represented clients in appeals before the Second District Court of Appeal. Mr. Shevenell is licensed to practice in all state courts in Florida, as well as Maine and New Jersey.
Office Location::Tampa, FL
Kevin Vorhis is an associate attorney at the firm’s Orlando office, where he practices first-party insurance defense. Before joining Groelle & Salmon, Mr. Vorhis spent six years handling first-party insurance claims on behalf of policyholders, contractors, and condominium associations. Mr. Vorhis has over ten years of litigation experience in a diverse range of practice areas, including contract and property disputes, personal injury cases, employment law matters, federal and state criminal cases, bankruptcy petitions, and more.
In 2009, Mr. Vorhis graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Florida. Mr. Vorhis obtained his Juris Doctorate from Brooklyn Law School in 2012, and then practiced law in New York and New Jersey for three years. A native Floridian, Mr. Vorhis then returned to his hometown of Orlando in 2015. Mr. Vorhis maintains active law licenses in Florida, New York, and New Jersey, and is a member of the bar in several federal districts.
When not working, Mr. Vorhis enjoys spending time with his family, traveling, and doing home improvement projects.
Kimberly A. Salmon, Esquire is a Partner with Groelle & Salmon, P.A. and has worked in the insurance industry for over 30 years. Mrs. Salmon was born in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and graduated from Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Summa Cum Laude. She was on the Dean’s List, graduated with Honors and was a member the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and the Golden Key National Honor Society. She began her career as a litigation paralegal for the principals of the firm in 1993, and worked as a law clerk while earning her law degree at Stetson University College of Law. Mrs. Salmon is a zealous oral advocate who has successfully litigated first and third party insurance disputes throughout Florida.
The primary focus of her practice has been devoted to all types of first and third party insurance disputes, including complex litigation, arson and fraud, assignment of benefits and litigation-for-profit schemes. Her services include pre-suit investigation, coverage analysis, active litigation and motion practice, individual or mass settlement negotiation, trials and appeals. She has extensive experience analyzing issues of first impression, developing novel legal theories, and assisting clients with implementing internal claims and litigation procedures based upon industry issues and legislative changes. Mrs. Salmon was a pioneer in the defense of assignment of benefits cases and worked closely with lobbyists, legislators, and regulators for legislative reform for seven years. She was retained to testify as an expert on the legal issues relating to assignment litigation before the Office of Insurance Regulation. She served as a member of the Insurance Consumer Advocate’s Working Group in 2013 at the request of the Consumer Advocate to revise the Homeowners’ Policy and Claims Bill of Rights, which was later codified.
Mrs. Salmon manages a busy litigation practice, and also counsels CEOs, product managers, underwriters and lobbyists on claims handling, product development, and underwriting and identification of issues in need of legislative reform.
In 2014, Mrs. Salmon was recruited by one of our publicly traded insurance company clients, where she was hired as its first general counsel, chief legal officer, and corporate secretary of the company and its subsidiaries. There, she created the company’s legal department, oversaw all internal legal matters, including implementation of internal legal risk management, contract negotiation, and managed all outsourced legal functions, including responsibility for corporate governance, multi-state insurance regulation, business litigation, real estate development, mergers and acquisitions, and other financial transactional matters. Mrs. Salmon acted as liaison with regulators, legislators, and lobbyists and actively participated as an industry advocate, addressing pertinent topics of proposed legislation at every legislative session. She was actively involved with policy language revisions and form filings, including protection of trade secret information. Ultimately, Mrs. Salmon was also tasked with oversight of the company’s litigation department, where she worked closely with the internal litigation team and managed outside defense counsel. After almost 5 years in that role, Mrs. Salmon returned to Groelle & Salmon, P.A.
Mrs. Salmon is approved as an educational speaker with the Florida Bar and the Florida Department of Financial Regulation and has an impressive history of speaking engagements, including educational presentations for the Florida Chamber, presenting at the Annual Summit 2014 as a Panel Speaker (Cost Drivers in the Insurance Industry), USAA (A Survey of Florida Law), Olympus Insurance Company, Gulfstream Insurance Company, Paul Davis Restoration, Quality First Builders, Groelle & Salmon Annual Seminars (Civil Litigation and Rules of Procedure-A Roadmap to Becoming a Partner in Litigation Strategy; Premises Liability; Chipped Tile Claims; Assignment of Benefits Claims Handling), Paul Davis Restoration, United Property & Casualty Insurance Company, HSA Seminar (Avoiding Bad Faith Claims Handling), Rimkus Sixth Annual Seminar, Florida Insurance Fraud Education Committee Seminar, Sunshine Claims Conference, American Integrity Insurance Company (Defending Liability Claims), Colonial Claims, and Homeowner’s Choice Property & Casualty Insurance Company.
Office Location::St. Petersburg, FL
Laura Solis, Esq. is an associate in the Tampa office. Ms. Solis has experience handling litigation of first party property cases with damages resulting from hurricane, windstorm and water damages. Ms. Solis also has experience on personal injury and general liability. Prior to being barred, Ms. Solis was a Foreign Trial Attorney, in a civil law jurisdiction specializing its practice in commercial and general liability litigation.
Prior to obtaining its Juris Doctor degree, Ms. Solis was a Certified Paralegal and Law Clerk in which she worked on insurance defense litigation. This supplied Ms. Solis with experience on Civil Litigation for common law jurisdictions. Especially on practice focused areas such as Commercial Litigation, First Party Property Insurance Coverage and Defense, Federal Practice Support, Premises Liability, PIP and General Liability.
Ms. Solis obtained her Juris Doctor from Nova Southeastern University – Shepard Broad School of Law. Ms. Solis is fluent in Spanish and French.
Dean List Certificate – Winter, 2020
Dean List Certificate – Fall, 2020
Florida Bar
Dominican Bar Association (CARD)
U. S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida
Pontificia Universidad Catolica Madre y Maestra – Licenciada en Derecho – 2010
Pontificia Universidad Catolica Madre y Maestra – Magister in Legal Practice – 2012
Nova Southeastern University (NSU) – Shepard Broad School of Law – Juris Doctor – 2020
American Bar Association
Young Lawyers Division – Florida Bar
Spanish
French
Leila Castro Moya has more than 17 years of experience in civil litigation, Mrs. Castro has worked civil rights, political discrimination, medical malpractice, institutional reform, personal injury and property damage cases.
Mrs. Castro was born and raised in San Juan, PR. She obtained a BA from the Sagrado Corazon University and a Juris Doctor from the Inter American University of Puerto Rico, School of Law in 2002. She is an active member of the Florida Bar since 2021 and is also admitted to the Northern, Middle and Southern District Courts of Florida. Mrs. Castro is also an active member in Puerto Rico Bar, the Federal Bar for the District of Puerto Rico, the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit since 2003 and the Texas Bar since 2016. She is fluent in Spanish.
Matthew Kerry is a partner attorney practicing from our West Palm Beach office focusing on first party insurance coverage and property claims investigation and litigation. He studied fundamental investigation procedures and techniques as part of his undergraduate education in Criminal Justice at the University of Central Florida and as an intern with law enforcement in the Orlando area. He obtained his Juris Doctorate from Stetson University College of Law and then gained courtroom and trial experience as an intern with the Office of the State Attorney in West Palm Beach, Florida and as a Certified Legal Intern with the Office of the State Attorney in Tampa, Florida. He received the William F. Blews Pro Bono Service Award on graduation from law school for his dedication to public service.
Mr. Kerry gained his insurance litigation experience with Groelle & Salmon P.A. and is licensed to practice law in all state courts of Florida. He has represented numerous insurers in coverage investigations and in property claim and bad faith litigation, defending insurers in hundreds of insurance claims. His experience with property insurance claims, damage and disputes includes representation of insurers in homeowners and other personal lines, automobile claims, and liability claims, and even under equine insurance policies. He has assisted insurers in the investigation of property damage claims arising from fire, water, mold, theft, vandalism, and fraud. Mr. Kerry has defended insurance companies against allegations of bad faith or tortious conduct in first party claims and has developed strategic defense plans and crafted responses designed to eliminate or mitigate insurers’ liability and financial exposure against such assertions. As a Florida native, Mr. Kerry worked in and assisted his family’s mechanical contracting business, getting exposure to practices and customs of contractors and tradesmen, and becoming familiar with construction or repair methods that he sees daily in his practice related to claims for property damage.
Groelle and Salmon, P.A.
-Wellington, Florida
Office of the State Attorney-Certified Legal Intern
-13th Judicial Circuit, Tampa, Florida
Office of the State Attorney-Legal Intern
-15th Judicial Circuit, West Palm Beach, Florida
Stetson University College of Law, J.D.
University of Central Florida, B.S.
Florida Bar
Office Location::West Palm Beach, FL
Mr. Hirschkowitz joined the firm as an associate in the firm’s Miami office. He has significant litigation experience in the areas of insurance coverage, bad faith, construction defect, and appellate practice. Prior to venturing into the private sector, Mr. Hirschkowitz served as a law clerk to the Honorable Frank A. Shepherd of the Third District Court of Appeal. He graduated cum laude from Florida International University College of Law, where he was the recipient of Book Awards in Florida Civil Procedure and Criminal Procedure, served as a Board Member of the Florida International University Moot Court Board, was Comment Editor for the Florida International Law Review, and authored Implying Against Intent: A New Test for Congressional Intent Under Cort v. Ash, 1 F.I.U.L.R. 239 (2006). Mr. Hirschkowitz is a member in good standing of the Florida Bar, and is admitted to practice in the U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Middle Districts of Florida and the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.
Groelle and Salmon, P.A.
Florida International University School of Law, J.D.
Florida Bar
-Southern District of Florida
-Middle District of Florida
Office Location::Miami, FL
Ms. Russell is a Partner in the West Palm Beach office of Groelle & Salmon, P.A. She practices primarily first party insurance defense litigation, handling first party property loss claims and coverage matters, as well as third party liability defense. Prior to joining Groelle & Salmon, P.A., Ms. Russell’s areas of practice included litigation in civil rights litigation, employment discrimination/Title VII, housing/landlord tenant, and most recently, medical malpractice defense.
Ms. Russell received her J.D. from Hofstra University School of Law, and her B.S. from St. John’s University. She is licensed to practice law in the states of Florida and New York.
Groelle & Salmon, P.A.
-West Palm Beach, Florida
Sonneborn Rutter Cooney & Klingensmith
-West Palm Beach, Florida
Allison M. Heilbraun, P.C.
-Westchester, New York
Hofstra University School of Law, J.D.
St. John’s University, B.S.
Florida Bar
New York Bar
-Southern District of Florida
-Southern District of New York
Office Location::West Palm Beach, FL
Nestor Marante focuses his practice on handling first-party insurance coverage disputes. His experience also includes representing commercial contractors in the State of Florida in construction defect litigation. Nestor frequently presents continuing education courses to Florida insurance adjusters.
University of Nebraska Lincoln College of Law, J.D., with distinction
University of South Florida, B.A., cum laude
Groelle & Salmon, P.A.
Wilson, Elser, Moskowitz, Edelman & Dicker, LP
Goldberg Segalla, LLP
Florida Bar
South Florida Claims Association
Office Location::West Palm Beach, FL
Rivkah Jaff is a partner attorney at the Tampa office focusing on first party property liability insurance defense. She has experience handling first party property liability insurance litigation related to commercial and residential properties and labor and employment litigation.
Directly prior to joining Groelle & Salmon, Rivkah served as a litigation associate attorney at a large law firm specializing in first-party property insurance defense where she gained invaluable experience and insight into contract law, pre-suit investigations, and all aspects of carrier defense (i.e. bad faith claims, complex commercial litigation, etc.).
Rivkah is licensed to practice in Florida, New York, New Jersey, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
Florida Bar, 2013
New Jersey Bar, 2013
New York Bar, 2014
United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, 2017.
Ryerson University, Honors Bachelors of Arts in Broadcast Journalism, 2007
Brooklyn College, Masters in Comparative English Literature, 2009
Florida Coastal School of Law, Juris Doctor, 2012
Robert “Bobby” Dehne is a partner managing the firm’s Orlando office, and focuses his practice primarily on first party property and insurance coverage matters. He has extensive experience in handling all types of property damage claims, both pre-suit and litigation, and has actively participated in a large number of SIU/fraud investigations.
Mr. Dehne is a certified Florida instructor of insurance adjuster continuing education, and has presented insurance seminars to insurance claims staff and professionals around the Country. Over the years, Mr. Dehne has handled property losses caused by hurricane, windstorm, lightning, hail, fire, water intrusion, plumbing leaks, sinkhole, and theft.
Mr. Dehne is rated AV by the Martindale Hubbell professional rating organization upon review by his peers; the highest rating conferred on practicing attorneys by the Martindale Hubbell organization. Further, Mr. Dehne has been selected to the Florida Super Lawyer Rising Star list from 2017 through 2022, an honor reserved for those lawyers who exhibit excellence in practice.
Prior to his legal career, Mr. Dehne received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Florida, and his Juris Doctor from the Florida Coastal School of Law located in Jacksonville, Florida. He is licensed to practice in all state courts of Florida, as well as the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida
In his free time, Mr. Dehne enjoys spending time with his family, watching football, playing golf, and coaching his son’s football team. Mr. Dehne is also an avid Green Bay Packers, Florida State Seminoles, and UCF Knights’ fan.
Office Location::Orlando, FL
Robert Groelle has been actively practicing in the area of insurance defense and insurance coverage law since law school. Mr. Groelle left a prominent insurance defense firm after twelve years with that firm, as an associate and then partner, to form Groelle and Salmon P.A. with another experienced litigator, David Salmon. Mr. Groelle’s active areas of practice and experience encompass both first and third party litigation, including bad faith and evaluation of insurance coverage issues. Mr. Groelle has well over twenty years of trial experience from the defense perspective, and has previously been retained as an expert witness on insurance coverage. Mr. Groelle is rated ‘AV’ by the Martindale Hubbell professional rating organization upon review by his peers; the highest rating conferred on practicing attorneys by the Martindale Hubbell organization.
Mr. Groelle is also a Florida Supreme Court certified Circuit Court Mediator, has extensively served as a property claims appraiser for several insurers in disputed property loss claims.
Mr. Groelle is certified by the Department of Insurance as an instructor for continuing education courses. Mr. Groelle has authored and presented at numerous insurance claims industry conferences and forums, and independent professional educational presentations for the legal profession, presenting on insurance coverage issues, claims investigation, ethics, trial preparation and presentation, fraud investigation, and case law analysis – both oral and published, to forums within the insurance industry and other public arenas. He has presented continuing education courses and instructional workshops for the Florida Insurance Fraud Education Committee, National Society of Professional Insurance Investigators, Florida Advisory Committee on Arson Prevention, Windstorm Insurance Network, Groelle and Salmon, P.A. Annual Property Claims Seminar, Broward Chapter of the CPA Law Forum, Fort Lauderdale Claims Association, South Florida Claims Association, Association of Fire Marshals of Palm Beach County, Property and Casualty Claims Professionals and Palm Beach Mariner’s Club. He has also presented numerous educational and training sessions for insurance claims groups in numerous insurance companies, including Allstate Insurance, Prudential Property and Casualty, American Bankers Insurance, Florida Select Insurance Company, Companion Property and Casualty, United Property and Casualty, Homeowners Choice, Insurance Network Services, Tower Hill Insurance Group and for numerous independent adjusting service companies.
Mr. Groelle has authored numerous articles on insurance coverage issues that have been published in the Florida Defense Lawyer Association’s periodical Trial Advocate Quarterly and in the Defense Research Institute’s periodical For the Defense, as well as serving as a contributing author for several legal compendiums on controversial topics and issues relating to insurance coverage and indemnity obligations.
Mr. Groelle regularly volunteers his time and resources to local youth recreational and charitable programs. He was a Junior Achievement business consultant for many years, teaching weekly classes in the eighth grade and senior high school levels of the Palm Beach School District.
Nova Southeastern University, JD
-Florida Atlantic University, B.B.A.
Florida Bar
-Middle District of Florida
-Southern District of Florida
-Eleventh District Court of Appeals
Texas Bar
Office Location::West Palm Beach, FL
Ms. Feibusch is a partner focusing her practice primarily on first party property and insurance coverage matters. Prior to joining Groelle & Salmon, Ms. Feibusch gained considerable experience investigating claims arising from windstorm, fire, sinkhole, theft and water losses, and defending personal lines and commercial insurers in state and federal court actions.
Ms. Feibusch began her legal career as an Assistant State Attorney in Palm Beach County, and litigated all types of criminal cases to verdict before being assigned to the Economic Crime Division, where she specialized in complex financial and fraud crimes. Through a grant from the Florida Division of Insurance, Ms. Feibusch was designated as Palm Beach County’s first Insurance Fraud Prosecutor where she worked closely with the Division of Insurance Fraud, and handled all insurance fraud cases from investigation and filing of criminal charges through successful prosecution.
Ms. Feibusch is licensed to practice in all state courts in Florida. She is also admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of the United States, and the U.S. District Courts in the Southern and Middle Districts of Florida.
Nova University Shepard Broad Law Center, J.D.
Barry University, M.S.W.
Florida State University, B.S.W.
Florida Bar
Florida Property and Casualty Insurance Fraud Task Force
Palm Beach County Bar Association
Florida Advisory Committee on Arson Prevention
Office Location::West Palm Beach, FL
Mr. Ross’ practice is devoted to third-party liability defense issues, the defense of businesses and professionals. He has substantive trial and mediation experience throughout Florida. Additionally, Mr. Ross has extensive experience in large-loss liability defense including, construction defect; wrongful death; catastrophic personal injury; premises liability; restaurant; theme park; hospital; and physician liability. He has defended clients in complex business matters, as well as professionals in licensure investigations and disciplinary proceedings before Florida Administrative Agencies. Mr. Ross is active in writing and presenting on cutting-edge legal topics, having been published by The Florida Bar Health Law Section; Florida Hospital Association; American Health Lawyers Association; and Florida Society for Risk Management & Patient Safety. He previously practiced with the Tampa office of a national law firm representing healthcare clients in complex business, medical malpractice and licensure matters.
Florida Bar
St. Thomas University School of Law, Cum Laude
University of Louisville, Cum Laude
Hillsborough County Bar Association
-United States District Courts for the Northern, Middle and Southern
Districts of Florida
Office Location::Tampa, FL
Samantha Mazer graduated from Mississippi Collee School of Law in 2014. Since graduating law school in 2014, she was admitted to the Washington State Bar Association in 2015 and gained experience as a legal professional working as a public defender as well as in family law. She relocated to Florida in 2018, was admitted to the Florida Bar in 2019, and shifted her focus to first party property insurance defense as an Associate Attorney at Pratt & Radford, P.L. in West Palm Beach, FL. Ms. Mazer joined our firm in June 2021 to continue her career in first party property insurance defense in our Port St. Lucie office.
In her free time, Ms. Mazer competes in half and full distance ironman competitions, maintains her vegetable garden, and enjoys doing needlework.
Bar Admissions:
Washington State Bar Association
Florida Bar Association
Education:
University of Mississippi, B.A.
Mississippi College School of Law, J.D.
Sergio Muñiz is an associate primarily focusing his practice on first party property claims and third-party liability representing insurance companies. He has extensive experience in many types of property damage claims, from pre-suit through litigation. While with Groelle & Salmon, he secured a directed verdict in Indian River County on a third-party liability claim for a residential homeowner. He also has experience representing sureties in construction payment and performance bond litigation involving all types of public and private construction project, including construction litigation. In addition, his practice involves Federal government contracts, claims, contractor disputes, bid protests before the GAO and prime/subcontractor disputes. He has extensive experience in Federal government claims and contract litigation before the U.S. Court of Federal Claims and various agency board of contract appeals. He has also defended contractors against government claims.
Mr. Muñiz also has experience representing creditors in bankruptcy court, including litigating in adversary proceedings enforcing creditor’s rights.
Mr. Muñiz served in the Air Force as a JAG Officer, attaining the rank of Major.
Education:
United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO, B.S. Operations Research
University of Texas School of Law, Austin, TX, J.D.
Bar Admissions:
Florida
Texas
United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida
United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida
United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida
United States Court of Federal Claims
Shane P. Doolin is an Attorney in the Miami office of Groelle & Salmon, P.A. where his practice focuses primarily on property damage, providing defense representation to insurance companies. He regularly litigates and advises insurers on property insurance coverage issues, allegations of bad faith, and unfair claims settlement practices. Mr. Doolin works with general contractors, engineers, and other expert witnesses, to develop the most effective litigation strategy for each case.
In 2002, Mr. Doolin graduated from the University of Florida on full academic scholarship, completing UF’s Honors Program, and earning a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science. He then received a scholarship to attend St. Thomas University School of Law, where he earned his Juris Doctor in 2016, graduating magna cum laude and in the top 10% of his class. While in law school, Mr. Doolin was awarded CALI Book Awards in Evidence, Business Associations, Florida Constitutional Law, Trial Advocacy, and Pre-Trial Practice. In addition, he was a finalist in the ABA Labor Law Mock Trial Competition and named Vice Magister of the law school’s chapter of the International Legal Honor Society of Phi Delta Phi. Prior to joining Groelle & Salmon, Mr. Doolin practiced at a large, multi-state firm, where he handled lawsuits involving first party property defense, bodily injury, trucking cases, and insurance coverage disputes.
Mr. Doolin is licensed to practice law in the state of Florida and is admitted to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. He is an active member of The Florida Bar, American Bar Association, and Broward County Bar Association.
Ms. Wurster is an associate attorney primarily focusing in the areas of first party property and insurance coverage matters. She graduated cum laude from Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad College of Law where she was the recipient of the Book Award in Securities Regulations. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Florida. Prior to joining Groelle and Salmon, she worked as an attorney for a healthcare company and gained experience in insurance contracts and disputes. Ms. Wurster also has extensive experience negotiating contracts for pharmaceuticals, consulting and technology solutions with hospitals and health systems. She is a member in good standing of the Florida Bar and is licensed to practice in all state courts in Florida.
Sunni DeGracia is an associate attorney in our Maitland office practicing in the area of first-party insurance defense. Prior to joining Groelle & Salmon, Mrs. DeGracia was an associate attorney handling first-party insurance claims on behalf of homeowners and third-party companies both throughout the State of Florida and in Federal Court. Aside from Mrs. DeGracia’s background in first-party insurance claims, she also has experience practicing in the areas of condominium law, personal injury, general civil litigation, and the defense of Personal Injury Protection (PIP)/No-Fault disputes that dealt with fraudulent claims, staged accidents, unnecessary medical treatment, and unlicensed medical treatment.
Mrs. DeGracia received her Juris Doctorate from Nova Southeastern University, Shepard Broad College of Law, where she was a member of the Student Bar Association, Student Animal Legal Defense Fund, Florida Association for Women Lawyers, Phi Alpha Delta Legal Fraternity, and participated in the Stephen R. Booher American Inns of Court. She also received a Bachelor of Science in Legal Studies as well as a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from the University of Central Florida.
When not working, Mrs. DeGracia enjoys competing in Olympic Weightlifting Meets both locally and internationally. Mrs. DeGracia also enjoys spending time with her husband, family, and her three dachshunds.
Sydjia earned her law degree from the Barry University Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law in Orlando, Florida. During law school, Sydjia was a member of Trial Team and won an ABA-sponsored national trial competition. Sydjia also served as the treasurer for the Black Law Student Association and as a research assistant to Professor F.E. Guerra-Pujol.
Prior to attending law school, Sydjia earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise and Sports Science/Sports Management from the University of Florida.
As an avid advocate for community service, Sydjia served as a volunteer at the Legal Aid Society for the Orange County Bar Association.
Outside the office, Sydjia enjoys traveling, cross-stitching, reading, and spending time with her family. Born in Jamaica and raised in Tarpon Springs, Sydjia is happy to consider Florida her home.
Tyler R. Groelle joined Groelle & Salmon, P.A., as an associate in the firm’s West Palm Beach office in 2018. Prior to becoming an attorney, Mr. Groelle obtained valuable experience in the areas of property litigation and contract disputes. He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Central Florida, and received his Juris Doctor from LSU Paul M. Herbert School of Law. Mr. Groelle now practices in the area of first-party insurance defense, with a focus on residential property claims investigation and litigation.
Wayne Pratt joined the firm as an associate in the firm’s West Palm Beach office after a successful career as a building contractor. His practices focuses on first party property and insurance coverage and building damage disputes.
Prior to joining Groelle and Salmon, Mr. Pratt operated a residential building contracting firm, and for several years served as a commercial property manager. His broad business experience includes ownership and management of a construction contracting company that focused on renovations in both residential and commercial properties, contract negotiation on projects in terms and scope for projects to $750,000.00; leadership of employees on-site; asset management; purchases and inventory control; permit procurement, inspection oversight; and establishing the procedures and process controls to ensure consistent performance to high standards. His experience includes hiring, developing, and training key employees in construction project management and property management.
IN addition to practicing law, he is a Florida State Certified Building Contractor and has gained extensive experience in arbitration presentation on building damage disputes as well as advocating coverage defenses in arbitration proceedings and dispute litigation. He gained initial court room experience as an extern with the State Attorney for the 15th Judicial District, West Palm Beach, Florida.
Wayne has participated in basketball coaching in the Upward, Boca Hoops program, and as a baseball pitching and hitting instructor for many years. He has also volunteered for the Foundation for Self Help in the past; as well as performed volunteer work in building schools, churches and homes in economically oppressed communities in Haiti, Dominican Republic, Africa, Western Europe, and the Navajo Nation in Arizona and New Mexico.
Mr. Pratt is licensed to practice in all state courts of Florida.
Mr. Pratt attended Lynn University where he followed a Criminal Justice major; and then attended Regent University School of Law in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where he received his Jurios Doctorate in December 2017.
Groelle and Salmon, P.A. – West Palm Beach, Florida
Regent University School of Law, J.D.
Lynn University, Boca Raton, Florida, B.A., Criminal Justice
Bar Admissions: Florida Bar
Office Location::West Palm Beach, FL