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.

Chuck Douglas is a practicing lawyer in the state of Georgia. He received his J.D. from Georgia State University. He currently works for his privately owned firm of Wakhisi-Douglas, LLC.

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.

James Elliott is a native of Tampa, Florida. After graduating from Tampa Jesuit High School, he attended the University of Florida where he received a Bachelor of Arts, and then continued his education at the Florida State University where he received a Master of Arts. Mr. Elliott received his Juris Doctor degree from the Syracuse University College of Law, where he served as Articles Editor for the Labor Lawyer Journal, and earned a Certificate of Concentration in Corporate Counsel. Mr. Elliott also earned a Certificate in Financial Management from Cornell University, and was named a Super Lawyer rising star in 2017. He has published several articles in various legal journals around the country, including the American Bankruptcy Institute Journal. Mr. Elliott began his career as a judicial extern with a former bankruptcy judge, Judge Stephen D. Gerling of the Northern District of New York. Mr. Elliott then continued to practice bankruptcy law and consumer protection in Tampa, Florida and joined the McIntyre Thanasides law firm in 2010. Mr. Elliott represents clients through personal and business bankruptcy, as well as out-of-court debt restructurings. Whether representing businesses or individuals, Mr. Elliott takes pride in advocating for his clients’ interest and assisting clients in creating financial plans that meet their particular goals. Mr. Elliott is a member of the Tampa Bay Bankruptcy Bar Association, the Temple Terrace Bar Association and the Florida Bar. In addition to growing up in Tampa and dedicating his career to assisting Tampa Bay area residents, he also raises his family of two children in Tampa. He enjoys volunteering as a youth soccer coach and is the President of the Florida Soccer Club, Spirit of Tampa Bay.

The Hilton Law Group, PLLC is a Central Florida-based law firm offering services in business law.