Marion County Probate Lawyers

Ms. Kerkhoff is a general civil attorney who also handles probate an trust administrations throughout the State of Florida. She prepares estate planning documents, such as wills, trusts, powers of attorney, various types of deeds, contracts and business entity formation to provide peace of mind to families. Ms. Kerkhoff is a dispositive motion writer in both state and federal courts in Florida and accepts cases from individuals, firms and corporate clients to narrow issues and prepare cases for trial. Call today for a free consultation. (727) 300-6701

Dallas Hedstrom is a proud Palatka native who earned her Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from The University of Central Florida in 2007. From there, she went on to the Florida Coastal School of Law, graduating with her Juris Doctor in 2010. For two years following law school, she worked as an associate attorney at a Jacksonville general practice law firm handling cases related to estate planning, family law, criminal defense, contracts, and landlord-tenant actions. She now focuses mainly on probate and estate planning and works to provide clients with thorough, knowledgeable representation. Call Hedstrom and Harris today to...

I was born and raised in Central Florida, growing up in the small town of Fruitland Park. After graduating from Leesburg High School in Leesburg, Florida, I attended the University of Florida in Gainesville where I obtained my BA in History in 2008. I then went to Barry University Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law in Orlando, Florida, where I earned my Juris Doctorate in 2011. I was sworn in and admitted to practice by the Florida Bar in September of 2011.

Todd Mazenko is a decorated U.S. Navy veteran who received his law degree from the University of Florida (Cum Laude). Attorney Mazenko is the founder and owner of the Mazenko Elder Law Firm located in Mount Dora, Florida. His law practice focuses on estate planning, probate, Medicaid Planning, and will contests and trust litigation. Attorney Mazenko is the chairman of the Advent Health Waterman Foundation Board of Directors, is a member of the Christian Legal Society and is active in his local Church. He also serves as a volunteer for several Veteran’s groups including the Wounded Warrior Project...

Wendy A. Mara attended Stetson University and graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1993
Ms. Mara taught language arts in high school for 13 years. While teaching full time, she earned her MBA degree from the University of Central Florida in 2006. Deciding to pursue a legal career, she entered law school at Florida Coastal School of Law where she graduated in the top 10 percent of her class. While in law school, she was a teaching and research assistant, earned the Dean’s Certificate for Pro Bono Work and became an award winning oralist for the Jessup International Moot Court Competition....

You might find it helpful when selecting a lawyer to know a bit about them. You probably know all lawyers have to graduate from law school, but beyond the basics, who are they? As for me, you should know that I'm married to my wife Joan, and I have five children. They are all hard working, and each had their turn cleaning my Orlando office growing up. They are and will remain the most important part of my life. They are the lights of my life.

I met my wife Joan at a Methodist church picnic. We were married in...

Florida Bar Board Certified Elder Law Attorney focused on providing custom solutions and personalized legal and asset protection planning for caregivers and families in Northeast Florida. Offices located in Jacksonville, FL and Orange Park, FL. Kellen is a partner and co-founder of Berg Bryant Elder Law Group after having spent 7 years building his own practice from scratch. Kellen started his solo practice at 26 years old during the 2009 recession, with no contacts and no prior legal experience in elder law. Kellen has since built a practice that has served over 1500 families and supports a full office staff to...

Judy-Ann Smith, BSN, MS, JD My passion as an attorney is being able to help people. Resolving someone’s legal issues is the most rewarding aspect of the work I do. I am an empathetic and compassionate lawyer, willing to listen to my clients’ issues, to get a deeper understanding of what they would like to achieve and accomplish. Most importantly, I am an assertive advocate for all my clients and I will fight for what is fair and just according to the laws of the land. My practice areas range from family law to estate planning and probate. I have extensive success...

Katherine is a native of Jacksonville, Florida. She is the immediate Past-President of the Jacksonville Women Lawyers Association. She is a member of the Jacksonville Chapter, D.A.R.. She attended Riverside Presbyterian Day School and is a graduate of The Bolles School. She is happily married to Cameron Naugle, owner of Naugle Funeral Home and has two small children, Abigail and Logan, who are the light of her life. Katherine graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Emory University in 1998. She then graduated with a Juris Doctorate from Stetson University College of Law in 2001, and an M.B.A. from...

I grew up in a large NAVY family. My father flew out of Tampa's MacDill Air Force Base in the sixties and I fell in love with the Tampa Bay community. After law school I came back to Florida to pursue my legal career with a passion for helping out individuals and families. I really enjoy the waterfront lifestyle here (when I can find the time to do so). I have a strong and long serving staff that makes client communication a top priority. My greatest joy is to work alongside my clients to help...

James W. Martin is an experienced probate attorney in St. Petersburg, Pinellas County, Florida with the highest lawyer ratings on Justia, Super Lawyers, Martindale, and Avvo and 50 years of law practice experience. Pinellas County probate matters are his primary focus. He is also an Adjunct Professor of Law at Stetson University College of Law and serves on the Board of the Dali Museum. He welcomes new clients in Pinellas County probate cases involving wills, trusts, and probate estates. Most cases begin with a free phone consultation where he learns the facts of the case and decides whether it is one that...

I give families peace of mind by helping them create estate plans that make sure their family is protected upon their death of incapacity. I also help families in difficult times when their elder is no longer to safely stay home due to the aging or disease process by helping protect assets and apply for Medicaid and VA benefits.

I was fortunate to grow up in Pinellas County with my father being a well-known and respected attorney. With my father’s encouragement and my own passion for helping others, I knew that estate planning and elder law was the career path for...

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...

The firm works with Asset Protection, Estate Planning, Wills, & Trusts, Probate, Elder Law, Guardianship, Gun Trust, NFA Firearms, NFA Trust, Gun rights, Probate, Probate Litigation, Trusts, and Trust Litigation. Licensed in Texas and Florida

Monica Balyasny is a licensed attorney in the States of Florida and New York. She is fluent in both English and Russian.

Mrs. Balyasny graduated from John Jay College with a Bachelors in Science in Criminal Justice in 2012. After graduation, she moved to South Florida to attend Nova Southeastern University, Shepard Broad College of Law, where she obtained her Juris Doctor in 2018. While in law school, Mrs. Balyasny received her concentration in Health Law while actively participating in extracurricular activities at Nova. She was a representative for the Jewish Law Society Association and a member of the “Pulse” Health...

David Pilcher is an attorney for the Central Florida law firm of Bogin, Munns & Munns. He specializes in Estate Planning, Probate & Trust Administration, Guardianship, Business Entity Formation, Business Law, Commercial Litigation, and Civil Litigation.

He is a native to Florida, born in Orlando and raised in Sanford. He attended Brigham Young University on a full academic scholarship, receiving his B.S degree in Computer Science.

He worked for large companies including IBM before deciding on a career in law. David Pilcher returned to Brigham Young University (once again on scholarship) to its J. Reuben Clark Law School...

John M. Hemenway is a founding partner of Bivins & Hemenway, P.A. John serves as a trusted legal advisor to business owners, real estate investors, and families seeking to preserve and pass down their wealth and values. His practice focuses on estate planning and probate, small and closely held businesses, and real estate, combining experience in each of these areas to provide a comprehensive approach to transactions and planning.

John earned his law degree, cum laude, from the University of Florida. John regularly presents at legal education seminars on both probate and estate planning topics, and is published on estate planning...

Attorney Joy Owenby serves clients throughout Florida with aggressive and relentless representation for a wide-range of practice areas. While her knowledge and experience are extensive, Attorney Owenby particularly handles matters involving divorce, adoption, trusts / wills, probate, bankruptcy, criminal defense, child support, and family law. Over the course of the years, she has obtained much recognition and has become an accomplished lawyer with an Avvo Rating. Prior to the founding of Owenby Law, P.A., Attorney Owenby serves as legal counsel for Florida’s Guardian ad Litem Program. During this time, she explored the intricacies of family law which have allowed...

Jason Turchin, Esq. is an Attorney, Author, Media Correspondent, Producer and Entrepreneur who has handled more than 6,500 Personal Injury, Accident, Product Liability, Life Insurance, and Wrongful Death Claims. Jason has appeared throughout the national and international news on various legal topics, including car accidents, wrongful death, product liability, Takata airbag shrapnel claims, exploding pressure cooker claims, life insurance, personal injury and more. Several major media outlets have turned to Jason for legal opinions or stories on his cases, including CBS Evening News, Wall Street Journal, Miami Herald, Bloomberg News, CBS Miami, Orlando Sentinel, Sun Sentinel, Telemundo, The New...

RISE UP LEGAL | Cain & Cain Wills & Trusts | Probate & Trust Administration | Business & Bankruptcy We help families with their estate planning, from basic Wills & Trusts to complex Private Family Foundations. Execute or update your Revocable Living Trust, Last Will & Testament, Durable Power of Attorney, HIPAA waiver, and nominate a Healthcare Surrogate. We also handle Florida Probate and Trust Administration matters. We generally represent Successor Trustees or Personal Representatives in this regard, helping them through the process of tracking, managing, and distributing estate assets. Finally, our firm offers business planning and asset protection. ...

Peggy is a founding partner of The Law Offices of Hoyt & Bryan, a family wealth and legacy planning law firm specializing in wills, trusts and estates and elder law. She is a three-time Stetson University graduate receiving her B.B.A., cum laude, in 1981, her M.B.A. in 1982 and her J.D., cum laude, in 1993. Her passion is her pets - all of them - including 4 horses, 6 dogs and 2 cats! She enjoys long distance trail riding on Heaven and Vogue. Peggy practices in the areas of family wealth and legacy counselling, including trust and estate planning...

Jonathan May, Esq., M.A. studied communications at the University of Illinois, the University of Miami and Law at Nova Southeastern University. Attorney May developed skills in leadership, teaching, coaching and physical training as a collegiate football coach with the University of Miami, University of Illinois and Florida International University.
Attorney May then became a communications professor and has taught at over sixteen schools in the area. This is a unique background that has helped contribute to his success in the legal field. Most people are not aware that a communications background involves education and the development of...

The passion to practice law is #1 in my life! I enjoy the everyday opportunity to work with individuals, families and businesses; I help them to save time and trouble! Outside of work, I enjoy a number of activities and hobbies. For me, travel is paramount; I have been to all 50 US States, seven of seven continents and 117 countries! I enjoy photography (travel and landscape particularly), public speaking, non-fiction reading, creative writing and publishing articles, visiting art museums, jazz, gardening, hiking, kayaking, backgammon, attending performing arts and theatre productions, and dining on exotic cuisine. I have offices in Winter Haven and...

Jason Mark Ranew is a litigation and corporate attorney for the Central Florida full service law firm of Bogin, Munns & Munns. Mr. Ranew practices Corporate Law, Commercial Litigation, Employment Law, Estate Planning, and Probate. He received his B.A. in Finance from Hillsdale College in 1998 and his J.D. from University of Akron in 2002.

A native of Ormond Beach, Mr. Shapiro is a proud graduate of Seabreeze High School. Mr. Shapiro received his Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Florida International University where he finished ranked in the top ten in his class. As a law student, he was an associate member of his school’s law review and had the honor of having his comment selected for publication. He also served as a teaching assistant for his law school’s legal research and writing program; was an intern at the Fifth District Court of Appeal; and was the recipient of book awards in Legal Research and...

In 2016, Carla Trinca-Conley joined Berg Bryant Elder Law Group, PLLC, where she specializes in assisting elderly individuals and their families. Carla is passionate about getting to know each client's unique story and tailoring her legal services to their needs. She is a Board-Certified Elder Law attorney by the Florida Bar. At Berg Bryant, Carla is the lead attorney for guardianship cases, including guardianships over incapacitated adults, guardian advocacy proceedings for developmentally disabled individuals over 18, and guardianship proceedings for minors with funds from personal injury actions or inheritance. Carla is committed to helping her clients navigate the requirements of...

Gregory J. Lesak, Jr., places great emphasis on attaining a profound comprehension of his clients' underlying businesses and their specific needs. While being results-driven and assertive, Mr. Lesak consistently prioritizes cost-effectiveness in all his endeavors. With extensive experience as a transactional attorney and litigation attorney, he has cultivated a unique perspective in assisting clients. His dual role as both client and attorney equips him with a comprehensive understanding of clients' business requirements and enables him to solve problems effectively. As a solution-oriented lawyer with a strong foundation in business knowledge, Mr. Lesak views problem-solving as the core responsibility of legal...