On the Pulse...Profile of Our Orlando, Florida Office

Orlando, also known as "The City Beautiful," is located in Central Florida and is a year-round vacation destination for stateside and international travelers. The Orlando office is ideally located within blocks of the state courthouse serving Orange County and the federal courthouse for the Middle District of Florida. The Orlando office serves all of the counties in Central Florida, including Orange, Seminole, Lake, Marion, Polk, Osceola, Brevard, Volusia, Indian River and St. Lucie Counties.

Marshall, Dennehey, Warner, Coleman & Goggin's Central Florida clients are capably represented by the five shareholders and six associates comprising the Orlando office. The Orlando attorneys have a tremendous range of experience, including successful representation of clients defending claims involving wrongful death, catastrophic injury and business/property-related damages. The casualty practice group defends theme parks on all issues related to their operation. In addition, this group defends cases that involve motor vehicle liability, alcohol liability, defamation and a wide range of premises liability cases including slip and fall, malicious prosecution, false arrest and negligent security. The professional liability group defends clients on product liability, complex construction defect litigation, breach of contract and director and officer liability matters. The Orlando office has a substantial presence in health care liability defense, representing hospitals, physicians and long-term care facilities in both liability and administrative matters.

Notably, Marshall Dennehey has four offices throughout the state of Florida, including Orlando, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale and Jacksonville. The oversight for all of the Florida offices is vested in the Regional Managing Attorney, G. Mark Thompson. Mark is a shareholder with the firm and also serves as a senior vice president and a member of the board of directors. In addition to his administrative responsibilities, Mark also practices law in the central Florida area and defends a variety of casualty cases with an emphasis in representation of theme parks and brewing industries. Mark brings over 20 years of legal experience to his clients.

Adam C. Herman is a shareholder with the Orlando office and is a member of the Professional Liability practice group. Adam concentrates his practice in areas of complex construction defect litigation and property and casualty matters. Adam frequently defends individuals and businesses associated with the construction industry on professional liability matters, such as architects and engineers. He has also handled a multitude of ERISA claims in state and federal court. Adam brings over 13 years of experience to the representation of his clients.

In an effort to expand and develop a presence in health care liability in central Florida, Bradley P. Blystone joined the Orlando office in 2005. Brad is a shareholder and also serves as the supervising attorney for the Health Care Liability practice group throughout the state of Florida. Brad has 20 years of experience representing not only health care liability clients, but also premises and automobile liability cases. Brad frequently lectures in the local community on emerging medical-legal issues.

As a further effort to expand the firm's presence in the health care liability arena in central Florida, Janice L. Merrill joined the Orlando office as a shareholder in 2009. Janice is licensed to practice law in the states of Florida and California. She brings over 24 years of experience in state and federal courts, as well as administrative agencies, in the areas of medical negligence, long-term care, corporate and premises liability and commercial litigation. Janice's practice has a strong emphasis on the representation of physicians, nurses, hospitals, mental health professionals, skilled nursing facilities and assisted living facilities in health care liability matters. Janice is also fluent in Spanish.

As a shareholder and managing attorney in the Orlando office, I have responsibility for the daily operations of the office. I am licensed to practice in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the state of Florida. My practice comprises over 20 years of experience in the representation of both health care professionals, as well as non-medical professionals, including realtors, insurance agents/brokers and directors/officers of homeowner and condominium associations. I also provide representation to commercial businesses, retail establishments and motor vehicle carriers, for both personal and commercial vehicles.

Of the five associates in the Orlando office, Thomas F. Brown is the senior associate and a member of the Casualty Department. Tom has over 10 years of experience and devotes his practice to representation of clients in premises liability, wrongful death and product liability matters. Over the course of his career, Tom has also defended cases related to labor and employment law, negligent security, motor vehicle accidents, sexual abuse and workers' compensation. At the present time, Tom devotes the majority of his practice to the representation of theme parks.

Robert Garcia is a member of the Professional Liability practice group. Robert's practice focuses on defending all varieties of professional negligence and breach of contract claims. He has experience working with construction defect litigation, as well as homeowner and condominium association director and officer liability claims. With a background in business administration, Robert is able to use that education and training in the defense of his current clients. Robert is also fluent in Spanish.

Amanda J. Podlucky is an associate in the Casualty Department. Amanda's representation is focused on premises liability matters, including the defense of hotels, restaurants, retailers and recreational facilities, as well as a host of other general liability matters. Amanda represents clients in other general liability matters, such as motor vehicle and negligent security cases. Amanda also has experience in commercial litigation matters.

Andrea Lozano is an associate in the Health Care Liability practice group. While Andrea has experience in general liability matters, including premises liability and automobile negligence, she currently focuses her practice on health care liability matters. Prior to becoming an attorney, Andrea worked as a paralegal for seven years specializing in complex medical malpractice cases. Andrea is also fluent in Spanish.

In order to round out the full complement of defense-related services provided by Marshall Dennehey, Troy Beecher recently joined the firm as an associate. Troy practices primarily in the areas of coverage and bad faith, first-party litigation and has substantial experience in the areas of sinkhole disputes, hurricane, windstorm and residential water and mold damage. In addition to his law degree, Troy has an LLM in intellectual property and information law. Troy has also impressively served our country, having completed two tours of duty as a Surface Warfare Officer, including participation in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. Troy received his commission through the University of Pennsylvania's Navy ROTC program.

The most recent addition to the Health Care Liability practice croup is Chanel Mosley. Chanel worked for several years as a paralegal in the insurance defense arena prior to attending law school. Since graduation, her practice has focused on representing skilled nursing facilities, home health agencies, nurses and other medical specialists in health care litigation. Chanel also serves as a board member for the Young Lawyers Section of the Orange County Bar Association.

The Orlando attorneys are assisted by certified paralegal Reena Dolla. Reena exemplifies a high degree of integrity and intellectual curiosity, which makes her an invaluable part of the defense team in Orlando. The Orlando attorneys are supported by the finest legal assistants, who are managed by Marlene Simonson, the Orlando office manager.

The Orlando attorneys enjoy the mutual benefit of association with a regional defense firm of over 400 attorneys. Shared access to the firm's resources and the legal talent assembled by Marshall Dennehey provide you with high-quality, cost-effective, results-oriented and forward-thinking representation.

For additional information about the firm or the attorneys practicing in the Orlando office, please visit the firm's website at www.marshalldennehey.com. You are also free to contact me or any of the attorneys in the Orlando office. We stand ready to assist you with your defense needs in central Florida. Our office is located at Landmark Center One, 315 E. Robinson Street, Suite 550, Orlando, FL 32801. Our main number is 407.420.4380, and our fax number is 407.839.3008. My direct telephone number is 407.420.4388.

*Cynthia is a shareholder and the managing attorney of our Orlando, Florida, office. She can be reached at 407.420.4388 or cjkohn@mdwcg.com.

Defense Digest, Vol. 17, No. 3, September 2011