Mr. Smith, a founding member of Smith, Hood, Perkins, Loucks, Stout, Bigman, Lane & Brock, P.A., has been practicing law for more than thirty-five years.  He focuses his practice in the areas of family law and criminal litigation.  Mr. Smith was Board Certified as a specialist in criminal trial law from 1987 to 1997 and is currently Board Certified as a specialist in Marital and Family law.

Recognized as one of the most accomplished personal injury attorneys in Florida, William M. Chanfrau, Jr., has been practicing law for over 20 years. His career began at the State Attorneys Office, where he served from August 1997 through 2000. While there, he successfully handled hundreds of Misdemeanor and Felony cases through the final resolution either by plea negotiations and/or trial. In January 2001, William started practicing law at Chanfrau, Chanfrau and Bouck as an Associate where he focused on handling both plaintiff's personal injury claims and criminal cases. In July 2007, William became the managing partner at Chanfrau & Chanfrau where he continues today to focus primarily on plaintiff’s personal injury claims. Acknowledged as one of America’s Top 100 Attorneys, he has held and continues to hold leadership positions both professionally and in the community.

Trisha Dellinger received her Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her Juris Doctor from the University of Miami School of Law. She was admitted to the bar in 1997 and joined the firm in that same year. During her 25 plus years with Pyle, Dellinger & Naylor, PLLC, she has continuously concentrated in the areas of real estate and business transactions, elder law, estate planning, probate and trust administration. She is a member of the Volusia County Bar Association and Florida Bar Association. She is also a member of the Real Property Council of Volusia County, Academy of Florida Elder Law Attorneys, National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and the Elder Law Section of the Florida Bar.

Allan L. Ziffra is a founding partner and president of Rue & Ziffra. For over two decades, Mr. Ziffra has litigated cases primarily involving catastrophic injury and death in the State of Florida. He has extensive experience in handling auto accidents, big truck accidents, and motorcycle accidents. Mr. Ziffra has successfully represented over 2, 800 individuals and recovered over 100 million dollars for his clients. Born in Chicago, IL, on February 23, 1964, Mr. Ziffra graduated from Elmwood Park High School in three years and attended DePaul University, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Commerce (Accounting) in 1985. He then attended Stetson University College of Law, where he graduated in December of 1987 at the age of 23. After law school, Mr. Ziffra attended the University of Miami, where he received a Master of Laws Degree in Taxation. After returning to the Daytona Beach area, he met John D. Rue, and together they started Rue & Ziffra, P.A. Over thirty years later, Rue & Ziffra has grown to ten attorneys and over sixty staff members. The lawyers at Rue & Ziffra have dedicated their professional careers to representing the citizens and visitors of the State of Florida. We have represented individuals visiting Florida from many different nations, including Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, South America, Great Britain, Germany, France, Saudi Arabia, and Russia.

Luis R. Gracia is a partner and vice president at the Law Firm of Rue & Ziffra. Born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, Mr. Gracia attended the University of Puerto Rico’s main campus in Rio Piedras before transferring to Florida Southern College in Lakeland, where he graduated in 1994 with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science. Mr. Gracia obtained his law degree in 1998 from Texas Southern University in Houston, and shortly thereafter joined Rue & Ziffra. Mr. Gracia focuses his practice on personal injury and wrongful death cases as well as social security disability and workers’ compensation claims. He handles numerous social security disability cases throughout the United States and is intimately familiar with the relevant regulations and procedures that play a critical role in obtaining benefits. Mr. Gracia has been recognized as an expert in Social Security Disability law and is board-certified in the area of Social Security Disability by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. He has earned the highest rating (10.0) and “Top Attorney” classification from AAVO, one of the country’s most recognized online legal services. Mr. Garcia also holds an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell, which is that publication’s highest rating for professional excellence in legal ability and ethical standards. He is a frequent lecturer at national Social Security Disability conferences. Fully fluent in Spanish, he is a frequent guest on Spanish radio shows dealing with legal matters. In addition to being admitted to the Florida Bar Association and all Florida Courts, Mr. Gracia presently holds admissions in the Volusia County Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the Florida Justice Association, the American Association for Justice, the National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives where he is a sustaining member, the National Board of Social Security Disability Advocacy and the National Trial Lawyers Association among others. He is also admitted to practice in the United States District Court for the Southern and Middle Districts of Florida as well as the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

Attorney David L. Sweat has been representing injured people and their families for nearly twenty years in this community. As an avid motorcyclist himself, he understands motorcycles, their riders, and their operation on the local roads and highways. Early in his career, Mr. Sweat was on a team of lawyers who successfully settled a group of product liability cases in excess of $200,000,000. In 2010, 2011, and 2012, Mr. Sweat achieved settlements or verdicts totaling over $8,200,000 for motorcyclists or their families. He frequently rides in local and regional motorcycle benefits or memorial rides, many of which are sponsored by the Law Firm of Rue & Ziffra. Additionally, he has been a featured speaker regarding motorcycle safety, insurance, and crashes at conferences and motorcycle events. Mr. Sweat also practices in the areas of workers’ compensation and has successfully tried complicated workers’ compensation cases, including receiving an award of permanent total disability to a veteran, which resulted in reimbursement of over $1,000,000 from the Veterans’ Administration. He has also been successful in court proving the connection between another client’s medication and his catastrophic stroke.

Mrs. Bouck has lived in Florida with her family for over 40 years. She graduated cum laude in 1979 with a Bachelor of Arts in Education from the University of West Florida and received her Juris Doctorate in 1984 from Loyola University School of Law. Admitted to the Florida Bar in 1985, Mrs. Bouck has practiced law in the Daytona Beach area for nearly two decades, joining the Law Firm of Rue & Ziffra in 2005. Mrs. Bouck has represented and defended healthcare providers and the insurance industry for allegations of breach of contract, failure to obtain informed consent, as well as failing to perform, and breaching the acceptable standard of care. The majority of time has been spent representing victims of medical malpractice. During her career in law, Mrs. Bouck has been fortunate to work with many fine, bright, and talented professionals. Law has proven to be an amazing career, and disputed resolutions are at the heart of her practice. Medical malpractice litigation requires great scrutiny of detailed documents. Mrs. Bouck prefers and often conducts this analytical review herself. Mediation and arbitration are common methods of resolving litigation cases, and she has been very successful in this endeavor. Mrs. Bouck is a certified risk manager and a member of the Board of Arbitrators, Dispute Resolution, Inc., the National Association of Securities Dealers, Volusia County Bar Association, the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers, and other professional organizations. Mrs. Bouck is also one of the Top 25 Medical Malpractice Trial Lawyers.

Darren Coleman has been practicing workers’ compensation and personal injury law in Central Florida for over two decades. Mr. Coleman has personal experience with the devastation that an on-the-job accident can cause a family. Mr. Coleman’s grandfather had to drop out of school at a very young age and go to work in factories to support his mother and younger sisters following a crippling work-related accident to his father while working for a railroad company. Mr. Coleman has empathy for all Florida’s injured workers. Originally from Virginia Beach, he received his Bachelor of Science degree from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. After his undergraduate studies, Mr. Coleman worked as an insurance adjuster in Columbus, Ohio, representing many large insurance companies in automobile and slip and fall accident claims. Before attending law school, he also worked as a teacher in several developing countries. After the fall of the Soviet Union, Mr. Coleman traveled to the Republic of Latvia (his mother’s homeland), where he helped start the nation’s first charitable organization for the aid of orphaned or abandoned children. Mr. Coleman took his law school entrance exam while teaching in Seoul, Korea, and thereafter obtained his law degree from Golden Gate University in San Francisco. He began his legal career defending insurance companies and employers in workers’ compensation claims. Seeking greater job fulfillment, Mr. Coleman joined Rue & Ziffra in 2004 and was named a partner in 2014. He now uses his first-hand knowledge of the insurance industry to fight for the rights of Florida’s injured workers. Mr. Coleman is also accredited through the Veterans’ Administration to represent veterans with their disability claims. For more than a decade, Mr. Coleman has supported a disadvantaged African child through the Children’s Fund and a chimpanzee rescued from a research lab through Help Save the Chimps. For enjoyment, Mr. Coleman played rugby for many years and now engages in the much safer sport of running. He likes to run in Central Florida 5K’s, several of which have been for charitable organizations sponsored by Rue & Ziffra. He is also the very proud owner of a very handsome but rambunctious Irish Setter named Riley. If you ever pass by someone in Port Orange running with a big red dog, it will be Mr. Coleman and Riley.

Attorney Matthew Mitchell is a native of Volusia County, having been born and raised in Ormond Beach. After graduating with the highest honors from Seabreeze High School in Daytona Beach, Matthew went on to attend the University of Florida. Mr. Mitchell graduated with honors from UF in 2004, where he dual majored in Political Science and Criminology. In 2008, Matthew earned his Juris Doctorate from The Florida State University College of Law. Mr. Mitchell first joined Rue & Ziffra in October of 2008 and became a shareholder with the firm in January of 2019. With his practice now focused exclusively on first and third-party personal injury matters, Mr. Mitchell is committed to aggressively advocating for the rights of his injured clients and their families. Ever mindful of the needs of his clients, Mr. Mitchell believes in an individualized approach to each case, for which the ultimate goal is to achieve an outcome that is most favorable for the injured. As a detail-oriented lawyer, Mr. Mitchell is responsive to his clients and thoroughly prepares each case from its inception up to and through its resolution. Mr. Mitchell has recovered millions of dollars on behalf of those injured and wronged by others and insurance companies. In addition to being admitted to the Florida Bar Association and all Florida State Courts, Mr. Mitchell presently holds memberships with the Volusia County Bar Association, the Florida Justice Association, the American Association for Justice, and the Trial Lawyers Section of the Florida Bar. He is also admitted to practice in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida. When away from the office, Mr. Mitchell devotes much of his free time to boating, fishing, and spending time with family and friends. Mr. Mitchell is an avid supporter of the University of Florida Athletic Association, and you can frequently find him attending Gators sporting events.

Attorney Edward Rue joined Rue and Ziffra’s team of attorneys in 2006 and was announced as a partner in 2012. Mr. Rue concentrates his practice in several different areas, from auto accident cases to long-term disability to numerous general personal injury matters. Along with being a member of our trial team, Ed is one of the firm’s top researchers for cases. Before coming to Rue & Ziffra, Mr. Rue practiced criminal and insurance defense. He understands how insurance companies and defense attorneys evaluate and defend cases, and he uses that knowledge and experience to the advantage of his current clients. As a top law student at the University of Wisconsin Law School, Mr. Rue won the Wisconsin State Bar Law School Award for the Highest Achievement in Torts. Also, as a member of the Wisconsin Law Review, Mr. Rue won the William Herbert Page Award for the best Wisconsin Law Review article. Mr. Rue presently holds admissions in the Florida Bar Association, all Florida Courts, the Wisconsin Bar, all Wisconsin Courts, the Volusia County Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the Florida Justice Association, the American Association for Justice, and the National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives. He is also admitted to practice in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida. Having watched a close family member go through the process of applying for disability benefits, he knows it can be a long, complicated, and frustrating process. Mr. Rue applies that personal understanding to every disability case he handles throughout his career. His experience doesn’t stop there, as Mr. Rue handles slip and fall cases, premise liability cases, and has fought for justice for hundreds of auto accident victims. Clients find it easy to speak with Mr. Rue as he is a welcoming person and goes the extra mile for his clients.