An aggressive litigator, Karina Perez Ilić has diverse expertise in civil litigation including catastrophic workplace accidents, contracts, commercial disputes, premises liability, and Tampa motor vehicle accidents. She is not afraid to be a fierce advocate for clients who have been wronged or injured. A Florida native, she ventured to New Orleans to receive her bachelor’s degree in business law with a minor in French language at Tulane University. She continued her legal education in New Orleans, graduating from Loyola University in 2010 cum laude. Attorney Karina Perez Ilić is a member of the Florida State Bar and is admitted to practice in both the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida and the Southern District. She is also a Certified Continuing Education Instructor in the State of Florida. As Managing Attorney at our firm, she is devoted to providing our clients with superior service to ensure that each of their unique needs have been met and that they have achieved the highest compensation possible. Se habla español.

Stephen Bernhardt has been an attorney since he was 25 years old. Now, nearly a decade later, Bernhardt has extensive trial experience in both criminal and civil law. He began his legal career as a prosecutor, first handling misdemeanor offenses such as DUI, Battery, Possession of Controlled Substance, Violation of Injunction and many others. Bernhardt was quickly moved to a felony division and become the State Attorney’s Office’s representative for the county’s Drug Court Program. In this role, Bernhardt learned many techniques to help individuals overcome addictions as well as the differences between the many rehabilitation establishments throughout Florida. Prior to leaving the State Attorney’s Office, Bernhardt was the lead prosecutor in his division. Bernhardt conducted several jury trials that ended in convictions and sentences of more than thirty years, including a mandatory life in prison sentence. After leaving the State Attorney’s Office, Bernhardt began practicing civil law for one of the largest creditors’ rights firms in the United States. Bernhardt quickly became the lead litigating attorney for the firm’s Florida office and handled countless civil hearings and trials before leaving to start Bernhardt Law, PLLC. Bernhardt Law focuses on the practice areas of Criminal Defense, Personal Injury and Debt Defense. Using the knowledge gained throughout the years, Bernhardt Law is dedicated to making sure each client’s specific situation is handled with the utmost professionalism, attention to detail, and integrity.

Board Certified Civil Trial Attorney Lee Gunn focuses his practice of law upon the prosecution of cases involving substantial losses in the State of Florida. These cases frequently involve wrongful death and serious injuries to patients victimized by medical malpractice, defective products, and construction accidents. He also prosecutes direct and bad faith insurance claim dispute actions against insurance companies. Often these cases involve hurricane and other property owner claims where an insurer refuses to pay fully, fairly and promptly. Before representing plaintiffs, Lee defended insurance companies, hospitals, product manufacturers and other large corporations from 1983 until 2000. Lee Gunn is Board Certified in Civil Trial by The Florida Bar and the National Board of Trial Advocates, AV® Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell and has been named among Leading American Attorneys by his peers, to Florida Trend Magazine’s Legal Elite and named in Florida SuperLawyers Magazine since its first Florida attorneys rating.

Kevin C. Ambler served in the Florida House of Representatives from 2002 to 2010, representing House District 47 encompassing most of Northwest Hillsborough County. During his 4 consecutive terms in elected office, he served on over 47 legislative councils and committees, including serving as Chairman of the Health Appropriations Committee in which he was responsible for nearly $20 billion dollars in appropriations for more than 3 million Medicaid beneficiaries and 80,000 health care providers and 15,000 health care facilities. During his tenure in the House of Representatives, Rep. Ambler received numerous awards and accolades from professional organizations, boards, and foundations as the top legislator of the year for his outstanding accomplishments for championing numerous important legislative issues. Representative Ambler attended Cornell University on a four-year Air Force ROTC scholarship where he received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics and Business Administration in 1983. Upon graduation, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force. In 1986, he received his Juris Doctorate degree from Southwestern University School of Law in Los Angeles, California. Soon after, he was appointed as an Air Force judge advocate and assigned to the Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, where he served on active duty for nearly 5 years in several positions including Chief of Claims, Chief of Legal Assistance, Chief of Military Justice and Chief of the Civil Law Divisions. During this same time, he also was appointed by the U.S. Attorney General as a Special Assistant United States Attorney and was responsible for prosecuting criminal cases in federal court against civilians arising on MacDill AFB. Later, his responsibilities expanded to defending the United States in federal court in medical malpractice and personal injury cases arising under the Federal Tort Claims Act. Representative Ambler entered private practice and transferred to the Air Force Reserves in 1991. During his first year as a reservist, he was awarded the Harmon Award by the Air Force Judge Advocate General as the Most Outstanding Reserve Judge Advocate in the U.S. Air Force. Representative Amblerʼs other military decorations include the Air Force Achievement Medal, two Air Force Meritorious Service Medals, the Air Force Commendation Medal, and the National Defense Services Medal. He continued to serve as a Judge Advocate in the reserves until 2005. Representative Ambler began his career in private practice as a litigation attorney in 1991. In 1996, Representative Ambler opened his own firm, the Ambler Law Group, focusing in the areas of medical malpractice, products liability, wrongful death and personal injury litigation in both state and federal courts. His firm also handles complex business litigation and transactional matters as well as entertainment and sports law. Representative Ambler is a member of the Florida, Georgia and D.C. Bars and the American Bar Association, Hillsborough County Bar Association and the American Justice Association. He is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, the United States District Court for the Middle District Court of Florida, and the U.S. Court of Military Appeals. He previously served as the Chair of the Florida Bar Military Affairs Committee (2002-2003) and Chair of the Hillsborough County Bar Association (HCBA) Military Liaison Committee (2002-2003). He has chaired the HCBA Entertainment and Intellectual Property Law Section (1999-2002) and he has been a regular and active participant in the HCBA “Ask A Lawyer” Pro Bono Program from 1995 to 2002. In 2002, he received the HCBA “Have a Heart” award for outstanding pro bono service. Representative Ambler and his firm hold an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell National Law Directory reflecting the highest possible rating for professional competence and ethical conduct. Representative Ambler served as President of the Board of Trustees of the Northdale Special Tax District for 7 years. He was Chairman of the Cornell University Alumni Admissions Ambassador Network Committee for West Central Florida as well as a member of the Board of Directors for the Cornell Club of the Suncoast for 5 years. For over 10 years, Representative Ambler served as president and a member of the Board of Directors of the Brentwood Park Homeownerʼs Association. In 2000, Representative Ambler was appointed to and served a one year term on the Hillsborough County Charter Review Board. In his youth, Representative Ambler served on the White House Conference for Children and Youth Task Force and was inducted into the American Academy of Achievement which awarded him the Golden Eagle Award of Excellence as the top student in the United States. Representative Ambler has been an adjunct law professor on the faculty for Stetson University College of Law for the past 8 years.

Frank Kerney III is a managing partner of The Consumer Lawyers. Frank grew up in central New Jersey before moving to Florida to attend the University of South Florida. After graduation, Mr. Kerney attended Stetson University College of Law where he was inducted into the law school’s honors fraternity and awarded the William F. Blews pro bono service award at graduation. Prior to co-founding The Consumer Lawyers, Frank worked for Morgan & Morgan’s national consumer protection department where he represented consumers across the Untied States in a variety of cases, with a focus on consumer credit reporting and illegal debt collection. Frank has been named a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers magazine every year since 2016. Only the top 2.5% of lawyers in each state receive this award. In 2020, Frank was named a Top Attorney Under 40 by Law360, and was one of only two Plaintiff’s lawyers to be included in that list. Frank has been interviewed as legal analyst by multiple publications, including Law360, ABC, NBC, and Fox, and stories about his cases have been featured all over the world.

I help people that have been injured by others recover what has been wrongfully taken from them. After practicing law for over a decade with an established Tampa law firm, I started my own law firm with a partner that shares my legal philosophy. We opened this firm, to dedicate our careers to just and righteous causes. We advance our own funds to fight to obtain justice for people that have been wronged by the careless and reckless behavior of others. We have obtained millions of dollars on behalf of our clients. If you or someone in your family needs the help of an attorney, please do not hesitate to contact me. Dan handles a variety of complex civil cases including medical malpractice, catastrophic injury, wrongful death, and automobile accident cases as well as breach of contract, real estate, and construction disputes. Dan is a relentless litigator and has obtained numerous judgments and settlements for his clients throughout the state of Florida. Recently, Dan obtained a $3.4 million jury verdict on behalf of his client who was injured in an automobile collision in Polk County, Florida. Dan has been recognized by the most prestigious lawyer rating services in Florida. He was recognized in the 2018 edition of Florida Trend’s Florida Legal Elite™, as part of a select group of lawyers voted by other lawyers in Florida as among the best in the state. He is rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell, which is the highest rating awarded by that organization. He was selected to Super Lawyer Magazine's list of Rising Stars from 2009-2015. He is rated a 10 by AVVO, its highest rating. Most importantly, Dan strives to achieve excellent results for his clients to earn their highest ratings, and those are the ratings that he values the most. Click here to see Dan’s client reviews.

When I was young, I never knew what I wanted to do with my career, other than help people. As a personal injury lawyer, I get to do that every day and it is the most fulfilling job I have ever done. I take pride in listening to my clients' concerns and fighting for them. If you need an advocate or someone that will work tirelessly for you or your family member, give me a call and let me be your voice. I am a civil litigator. I have handled numerous cases involving, among other things, medical negligence, premises liability, car accidents, trip and falls, business disputes, wrongful death, and federal tort claim act claims. I have handled numerous medical malpractice matters which have resulted in six and seven-figure settlements for my clients. Recently, I resolved a wrongful death/medical malpractice matter where the total settlement value of the case exceeded $1.4 million. I have been recognized for my work on behalf of injured Floridians by having been placed on Florida Trend Magazine’s Legal Elite List and have been awarded rising star status by Thomson Reuters’ Super Lawyers list. I am also active in the Tampa Bay community. I presently serve as the Chairman of the board of directors for a Tampa based non-profit, Wheels for Success. I have served on that board for five years. Wheels of Success is an organization that provides transportation in the form of donated cars to persons who have a job but cannot afford to purchase a car to get there. I was also a past board member of the Young Lawyer Board for the Florida Justice Association where I assisted in the FJA's activities of fighting for the rights of injured Floridians. I was a member of the Cheatwood Inn of Court from 2010-2011 and 2013-2016 and am presently a member of the Wm Reece Smith, Jr. Litigation Inn of Court.

A civil trial lawyer since 1983, Alan Wagner brings an unusual skill set to his partnership in the firm. True to the firm’s dedication to plaintiffs’ rights, Alan’s experience plays a vital role in helping clients. Alan has distinguished himself as a trial lawyer, gaining extensive experience in handling claims of professional negligence, products liability, bad-faith litigation, complex commercial disputes, toxic torts, and legal and medical malpractice. One of Alan’s key areas of expertise is in the examination of expert witnesses — frequently a critical component in personal injury litigation — which he has perfected while honing a reputation for general excellence in trial advocacy. Alan became a partner in the firm in 1994 and today serves as President of Wagner McLaughlin. His exceptional skills and competence have refueled the practice’s growth and success.

Bill Winters was born in Pennsylvania, grew up in Florida, and graduated from the University of Florida College of Business (1981) and College of Law (1984). Bill has been a personal injury attorney his entire career. Bill has substantial trial experience in a wide variety of cases and has been board certified in civil trial law by the Florida Bar since 1995.Prior to forming the Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers law firm, Bill Winters and Marc Yonker had many years of experience at a very large personal injury firm. Perhaps due to that experience, Bill feels that many large law firms are not responsive enough to their client's needs and are not aggressive enough in their pursuit of their claims. At our firm, we strive to give our clients the attentiveness that is characteristic of small law firms, while providing the resources of a large law firm. Our aggressive representation, responsiveness to our client's needs, and prompt resolution of claims have resulted in our firm's excellent reputation in the communities in which we practice. Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers was founded in 2001 by Bill Winters and Marc Yonker, since the beginning, the firm has recovered millions of dollars on verdicts and settlements for their clients across the Tampa Bay area. Our legal team has over 115 years of combined experience handling cases of personal injury victims. If you or a beloved one has suffered the consequences of someone else negligence, contact us. We are here to take your call 24/7.

Mr. Cruz Carino achieved his Doctor of Jurisprudence, from Stetson University College of Law. Before that, he received his Bachelor of Arts, finishing in the top ten percent of his class, from The University of Florida. He served as a Certified State Intern in the State’s Attorney’s Office, where he tried more than ten cases, and was also privileged to serve as a Federal Judicial Intern to the Honorable District Judge Elizabeth A. Kovachevich, of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida. Upon graduation, Mr. Cruz worked as a Judicial Staff Attorney for four years in the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court. From there, he served as a Senior Assistant Attorney General from 2001-2012, handling criminal appeals and collateral petitions on behalf of the State of Florida. Mr. Cruz has argued before the Second District Court of Appeal, the Fifth District Court of Appeal and the Florida Supreme Court. He is admitted to practice in all Florida State Courts, and is also admitted to practice in the Middle District of Florida. He is fluent in Spanish, and has taught as an adjunct professor at Saint Petersburg College. He currently heads the Appellate Section of The Pendas Law Firm and is the (interim) Managing Attorney for the Tampa office. He oversees all appellate matters and provides litigation support to attorneys throughout the firm. Additionally, he handles his own litigation case load. His practice focuses on general civil litigation, appeals and trial support. Mr. Cruz guides all appeals from the filing of a notice of appeal through the filing of a motion to recall mandate.