Wakulla County Lawyers

For 36 years I have represented persons accused of felony and misdemeanor offenses. I offer personal service and have the experience and dedication to help you through a difficult time.

Legacy of Success

I have been working within the criminal justice system with prosecutors and judges for over 32 years. I consider myself to have a proven track record of success against the prosecution.

I am a 1988 graduate from the University of Florida Law School. I work in all Florida state courts and the Northern District of Florida Federal Court. I have worked three years as a public defender and have been in private practice for over 30 years. I became a lawyer to defend the people to make sure their rights are protected. I believe everyone...

Jason E. Havens is a Partner at Holland & Knight LLP, practicing in its Jacksonville (also serving Ponte Vedra Beach) and Tallahassee (also serving Destin, Santa Rosa Beach, and Rosemary Beach) locations. He specializes in complex estate and charitable gift planning (domestic and international), probate/trust administration, and probate/trust litigation for affluent individuals and families and on behalf of charitable organizations. He is admitted to practice law in Florida and Tennessee. Mr. Havens received his LL.M. in International Taxation from Regent University, his LL.M. in Estate Planning from the University of Miami, his J.D. from the University of...

Don Pumphrey, Jr., represented clients throughout North Florida's Big Bend region, with offices in Tallahassee. His practice is devoted entirely to Criminal and DUI defense. After graduating from Valdosta State, Don had a brief stint as an NFL football player with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1987. He also worked as a law enforcement officer before graduating from Florida's Stetson College of Law where he obtained his Juris Doctorate in 1996. After graduating from law school, Don began his legal career as an Assistant State Attorney for the State Attorney's office in Pinellas County....

Serving Tallahassee and North Florida in criminal and personal injury cases. I am a Florida Bar Board Certified Criminal Trial Lawyer, also Board Certified in Criminal Law by the National Board of Trial Advocacy, AV* rated by Martindale-Hubbell lawyer rating service (the highest), and a very experienced criminal trial, civil trial, and appellate attorney. I have handled thousands of cases, been to jury trial on hundreds, and have written dozens of appellate briefs. I have won reversals in several Florida District Courts of Appeal, and even the Florida Supreme Court. I also teach Trial Advocacy, Florida...

James Gustafson, Jr. is a Tallahassee injury attorney at Searcy Denney and managing partner of the firm's Tallahassee office. He focuses on cases involving product liability, tobacco litigation, trucking negligence, and catastrophic injury and death.

Collin earned his degree from St. Mary's University School of Law in San Antonio, Texas. He received his undergraduate degree in Business Finance and minors in Economics from Florida State University. He served as a State Prosecutor in Felony, Misdemeanor, Traffic, and Juvenile divisions where he handled over 6,000 criminal cases. He also served as the lead prosecutor as State Attorney Liaison for the Weed and Seed drug program. As a criminal defense attorney Collin defended one of the largest marijuana cases in North Florida in excess of 9,000 lbs. Collin worked as Senior Counsel for the Florida Department...

Diana Cohn, a partner at Cohn Slater, is a civil litigator and child advocate with extensive experience in family law and divorce cases. In honor of her service to Florida’s families, Cohn has received several of the state’s top family law accolades, including the Children’s Home Society of Florida Family Champion Award and the Excellence in Child Welfare Award. She was also named a Women of Distinction Award finalist by the Girl Scouts of the Florida Panhandle.

While serving as Managing Attorney at Children’s Legal Services, Attorney Cohn led the active litigation and prosecution of several hundred legal cases each year....

A lawyer for over 30 years, Mark's extensive legal background representing large corporate entities and artists both established and emerging, as well as his work as a gigging musician, make him equally comfortable navigating the halls of Corporate America and the mustiest of music halls. Licensed to practice law in all the federal and state courts of Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina and Alabama, as well as the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, Mark is an alumnus of the University of Alabama (B.A.) and Cumberland School of Law (J.D.), and served two years as judicial law clerk to a federal judge....

Luke Newman is an experienced Tallahassee criminal defense attorney who began his practice in 2004 as part of a small law firm handling only criminal matters, from civil traffic infractions to murder appeals. In 2009, Luke opened his own law practice dedicated to criminal trial advocacy and criminal appeals. He is one of fewer than 70 Florida attorneys board certified by the Florida Bar in criminal appeals. He has been appointed by the Florida Bar to chair the committee which tests and evaluates other attorneys (including prosecutors and judges) seeking criminal law board certification. He has been elected by his...

Carter W. Scott is a Tallahassee injury attorney at Searcy Denney. He focuses his practice on wrongful death, catastrophic injury, automobile and truck accidents, medical negligence, products liability and premesis liability.

Born and raised in Key West, Luke Lanasa founded the Lanasa Law Firm in Tallahassee, Florida after graduating in the top 15% of his class at the Florida State University College of Law. He is the son of a commercial fisherman and grew up in a family that emphasized the cornerstone values of hard work, character, honesty, and service. Those same values continue on today and serve as the founding principles of the firm's philosophy.

As a former prosecutor and criminal defense lawyer he has litigated thousands of misdemeanor and felony cases at the trial, appellate, and post-conviction level, including attempted...

Dwight Slater is a Board-Certified Specialist in Appellate Practice. He was born and raised in Miami, Florida. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Stanford University in 2002, and his law degree from Emory University in 2006.

Dwight Slater has extensive trial and appellate litigation experience. He began his career as a criminal defense attorney in Orlando, Florida, where he tried numerous misdemeanor and felony cases. He moved to Tallahassee in 2009 to the join the General Counsel’s Office at the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration. There, Slater handled health facility licensure and Medicaid overpayment cases at the trial level and...

I have been a licensed attorney in Florida since April 2007 and have represented hundreds if not thousands of people. As a former Assistant Public Defender, I represented hundreds of people in criminal cases ranging from misdemeanor traffic cases to serious felonies. I created the Law Office of Mario R. Theodore in 2008 and strengthened my criminal defense experience while broadening my legal knowledge and representing people in administrative cases before agencies such as the Social Security Administration and Agency for Persons with Disabilities. In that same year I began expanding my knowledge and committing firm resources to Family Law. I...

I represent clients with personal injury claims, including wrongful deaths, caused by automobile collisions, truck collisions, motorcycle accidents, ATV accidents and dangerous products.

Scott R. McMillen has been successfully handling medical malpractice cases for almost 40 years. He started his legal career as a hospital attorney, but for over 30 years, he has been exclusively representing patients and their families. He received his Doctor of Law degree from Emory University in 1979 and his B.S. in 1976 from Florida State University, majoring in Government. He has been licensed to practice law in Florida since 1980, and in Georgia since 1979. He has been recognized in "Best Lawyers in America" in the area of medical malpractice, rated a "Super Lawyer" by Thomson Reuters, received a...

Daniel Woodring was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but has lived in Florida for the past twenty years. In Florida, he has lived and worked in Pensacola, Clearwater, Jacksonville, Gainesville and Tallahassee. His wife Jean, who is also an attorney, was born in Miami, and grew up in Ft. Myers. Daniel Woodring is a member of the Florida and Georgia Bars, and is admitted to practice before the Florida Federal Southern, Middle and Northern District Courts, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court. He has worked at the trial level on cases in...

Born and raised in Florida, Aaron Wayt, focuses on defending men and women accused of DUI and other alcohol related crimes in Tallahassee. While attending law school, Aaron Wayt proved his dedication for helping those through law when he earned the Outstanding Pro Bono Service Award from Florida State University College of Law for providing over 500 hours of community service to the Leon County Public Defender’s Office. He has extended his knowledge and practice in blood and breath testing for Driving under the Influence (DUI) cases when he attended the lecture series put on by the...

Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer Partner/Shareholder in a regional personal injury and wrongful death law firm with a national client base. Experience includes aviation, automobile and trucking injury and wrongful death litigation. Mass torts include pharmaceuticals, medical devices and construction materials.

Specialties: Personal Injury Law . . . It's All We Do!

Mr. Graham is a plaintiff's civil trial lawyer who represents injury victims and their families in automobile collision, wrongful death, nursing home neglect, and medical malpractice cases. He has tried civil cases to verdict in Leon County, Wakulla County, Gadsden County, and Taylor County, Florida, respectively. Mr. Graham has also recently expanded his practice to include criminal defense. Mr. Graham graduated from Boston College in 1982 with a B.A. in political science. He was commissioned as an Air Force officer shortly thereafter, serving as an intelligence officer, an aircrew member, a special operations staff officer, and as a judge...

Mike Underwood was a key official at the predecessor of the Florida Department of Financial Services and authored many provisions of Florida securities and banking laws. Since leaving government, he has become recognized as a national leader in financial services regulation, especially in Florida. He represents securities broker-dealers, investment advisers, mortgage brokers, financial institutions and affiliated individuals in civil litigation, arbitration, regulatory investigations and enforcement actions. His experience includes defense of class actions, multi-district litigation and regular appearances before self-regulatory organizations as well as state and federal financial regulators.

Cameron M. Kennedy is a Tallahassee injury attorney at Searcy Denney, dedicated to representing clients across South Florida and the Southeastern United States. Cameron has recovered over $100 million for his clients in a variety of different cases.

Law Librarian/ Attorney

Born and raised in the small town of Altha, located in the Florida Panhandle west of Tallahassee and east of Panama City. I studied English Literature at Florida State University for my undergraduate degree, and minored in speech therapy, graduating with full honors. After graduation, I worked for Allstate Insurance Company as a bodily injury insurance claims adjuster. I made the decision to return to school to study law after having worked professionally for nearly 10 years. I received my Doctor of Jurisprudence, with honors, from Florida State University, having studied law at Oxford University in Oxford, England during that...

Lee Meadows grew up in Tallahassee, Florida, and attended Leon High School. After graduating from Florida State University with a degree in criminology, he attended Cumberland Law School in Birmingham, Alabama. After graduation from law school, Lee clerked for the First District Court of Appeals. He opened his private law practice in 1981 and has concentrated on criminal defense and driver license rehabilitation since. For six years he maintained a branch law office in Key West, Florida. Lee has practiced in all courts in Florida including county courts, circuit courts, the First District Court of Appeals, and the Florida...

Consulting on telecom issues since 1991 and representing legal interests on internet technologies, telecommunications infrastructure and telecommunications business solutions since 1998. Representing clients from coast to coast on communications and media deployments. Nearly 30 years counseling and representing clients on business matters involving contracts, internet operations, mobility infrastructure, and telecommunications.

Jim began his legal career in the United States Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corp, where he represented the US government in federal criminal prosecutions and administrative hearings. He also provided command services and legal counsel to naval commands such as the USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67). Prior to joining Morgan & Morgan, Jim was the Managing Partner of the Tallahassee office of Banker Lopez Gassler, P.A., a statewide litigation firm. He represented national and regional truckload carriers, trailer manufacturers, airports, national department stores, restaurants and hotels, as well as insurance carriers. Jim specialized in lawsuits involving catastrophic injuries and wrongful...

Ellie Neiberger practices appellate advocacy and litigation, with an emphasis on representing Florida governments in high-profile and complex cases and cases of first impression. She represents clients in appeals, original proceedings for extraordinary writs, and trial and administrative-level litigation. Her practice involves a variety of business and government-related disputes, including challenges to state statutes, finance issues, public records and Sunshine Law claims, and bid protests. Ellie is a member of the Publications Committee of the Florida Bar Appellate Practice Section, the ABA Council of Appellate Lawyers, and the Florida State Chapter of the Order of the...

Our founding partner, Joshua D. Zelman, was born and raised in Miami-Dade County. The son of two small business owners, he learned the value of hard work and a good name at an early age. He attended high school at MAST Academy where he was heavily involved in the only Coast Guard Junior ROTC program in the country. After serving aboard the United States Coast Guard Barque Eagle, Josh left high school early to matriculate at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida.

Josh graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminology in 2000. His last semester was spent...