Practical counsel, from the first contract to the last word.
Six areas we lead with, and a long roll of others. Each matter is handled by a partner who will tell you plainly what it is worth.
Commercial litigation, sized to the dispute.
Business disputes don't all deserve the same war. Some should be settled with a phone call between lawyers; others need to be tried. We help you decide which, and we scale the work to what is actually at stake, in state court, federal court or arbitration.
We represent companies, owners and partners in breach-of-contract claims, partnership and shareholder disputes, and civil RICO matters, on either side of the caption.
And because so much of our transactional work is about preventing litigation, we bring a drafter's eye to the courtroom: we know how the contract was meant to work.
- Breach of contract
- Partnership & shareholder disputes
- Civil RICO
- State, federal & arbitral forums
Commercial transactions that reach the finish line.
From forming the company to signing the supply agreement, we handle the paperwork that businesses run on: entity formation and governance, purchase and sale agreements, supply, distribution and franchise relationships, and intellectual-property licensing.
We draft to close. That means anticipating the post-closing dispute and writing it out of the deal, without turning the negotiation into a contest the other side walks away from.
We get the deal closed.
Some lawyers treat a real estate closing as a hunt for reasons to walk away. We treat it as a commitment to get you to the table, protected. We handle residential and commercial transactions from contract to closing, and we act as title agent, so the closing itself happens under one roof.
Buyers, sellers, lenders and investors come to us for the same thing: a clean closing, and no surprises afterward.
- Residential closings
- Commercial closings
- Title agent services
Protecting what you've built, privately.
An estate plan is about control: who decides, who receives, and when. We draft wills, revocable trusts and powers of attorney that keep those decisions with you, and that hold up when a family is more complicated than a form assumes, including blended families with children from more than one marriage.
A properly funded revocable trust can also spare your heirs the cost, delay and public record of probate. When probate can't be avoided, we guide personal representatives through it, step by step.
- Wills & revocable trusts
- Planning for blended families
- Probate & trust administration
For employers and the people they employ.
We advise employers and employees on wage and hour disputes, discrimination and whistleblower claims, and day-to-day compliance. Our particular depth is with small and family-owned businesses, where one employment mistake can threaten the whole enterprise and good policies cost less than any lawsuit.
Personal injury, with a person on the other end of the line.
Auto accidents, premises liability, product liability and other wrongful injuries.
Free consultation. Contingency fee: no attorney's fee unless we recover for you.
Call or text Steve Mortimer: (727) 215-9473
Mediation
Steve Mortimer is a Florida Supreme Court Certified Circuit Civil Mediator and a member of the National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals. Parties and their counsel can engage him to mediate civil disputes.
Also in our practice.
- RM-41Mediation
- RM-42First Amendment, media law & public records
- RM-43Business formation & governance
- RM-44Condominium
- RM-45Construction
- RM-46Contracts
- RM-47Creditors' rights
- RM-48Landlord–tenant
- RM-49Foreclosure defense
- RM-50Trademark & copyright
- RM-51Elder law
First Amendment and media law is the firm's founding practice. For decades, our founder counseled newspapers and journalists on libel, access and public-records questions.