Lenore Brakefield is a Naples native and graduated cum laude from the University of Florida Levin College of Law. She focuses her law practice on civil and commercial litigation, including construction litigation. Lenore also handles local government law, code enforcement violations, community association law, real estate law, and contract and transactional matters. Lenore serves as board counsel to the City of Everglades City Code Enforcement Board and represents the firm’s various municipal and special district clients. Additionally, Lenore is a Certified Financial Litigator (CFL™) by the American Academy for Certified Financial Litigators.

Anthony (“Tony”) P. Pires, Jr. is a partner at Woodward, Pires & Lombardo, P.A. in the Naples office. He provides legal services to clients throughout Collier and Lee Counties in Local Government Law, Municipal Law, Land Use and Zoning Law, Land Use Applications, Rezonings, Bond Validation, and Administrative Law. His decades of experience and extensive knowledge of the history and development of Collier County enable him to use his unique insight to solve problems elegantly and efficiently. Tony serves as long-standing general counsel to various Florida community development districts (CDDs) and as special counsel to various county constitutional officers. His exceptional knowledge of Southwest Florida’s growth and development and his legal expertise allow him to guide public and private clients through complicated land use, local government, and real estate matters. Tony’s law practice showcases his tireless dedication to public service and client relationships. Tony has been a Board Certified Specialist (B.C.S.) in City, County and Local Government Law by The Florida Bar for over 25 years since 1998. He is rated AV Preeminent® by Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Ratings™, a rating given to only attorneys who are ranked at the highest level of professional excellence for their legal expertise, communication skills, and ethical standards by their peers. Previously, Tony was Assistant County Attorney, 1979-1981; Assistant State Attorney, Twentieth Judicial Circuit, 1975-1979 & 1981 – 1983; and with Westinghouse Communities of Naples, Inc., 1983 – 1986.

Mary Ann Stiles has worked in law for over 40 years now. Her work has always revolved around ensuring that workers compensation was a viable product for both the employers and employees. When she first started her career, however, because she was a woman she was often overlooked, and not taken seriously within her field. Both in law and especially as one of the first women to lobby the Florida Legislature full time representing business interests and especially that of employers. As time went on, Stiles went above and beyond to prove herself as a true law professional, and her list of accolades are proof that the work she’s done within the past four decades have paid off. Her drive to succeed and overcome the misogyny that existed, and still exists, within the legal field is also what makes her such a successful advocate for all of her clients. She too had to fight for herself all throughout her life, and she transfers that passion into everyone she comes in contact with.

Mr. Goldman has over 20 years of business experience. He has been involved in starting and managing technology related companies involved in distribution, manufacturing, marketing, retail, direct marketing and ecommerce. With his broad business background, Mr. Goldman concentrates in the areas of business formations, business transactions, elder law, and estate planning, and asset protection. Mr. Goldman limits his practice to Florida and Federal law.

When Russell Spatz left the Office of the Dade County State Attorney, then State Attorney, Janet Reno wrote to her former Division Chief: "You have demonstrated the best in prosecution as an Assistant State Attorney and we will miss you. On behalf of all the people of Dade County I thank you for your very dedicated public service." Since that time, Mr. Spatz has tried to live up to those words by championing the causes of his clients, defending and protecting them. Mr. Spatz endeavors to not only represent clients in court but give them the peace of mind of knowing there is one whom they can trust to assist them in dealing with the overwhelming difficulties we all face in life from time to time. Mr. Spatz, is a trial attorney with over 33 years experience, is devoted to providing the highest quality representation and committed to finding answers, settling disputes and assisting in all manner of legal issues. His personal service and professionalism lend themselves to offer his clients the highest degree of personal legal representation.

Since 2001, Thomas Robes has been successfully helping his clients and their families overcome difficulties from motor vehicle accidents, premises liability incidents, frustrating insurance disputes and more. He founded his law practice, Bogani & Robes in 2008, with Robes Law Group as the surviving entity since 2018. Mr. Robes also has extensive litigation experience in business, corporate, commercial, real estate, landlord/tenant, and other areas. Mr. Robes is a member of the Florida Bar Association, Southern Trial Lawyers Association, Super Lawyers, The Million Dollar Advocate Forum, The American Academy of Attorney’s Hundred Million Dollar Club, Palm Beach County Justice Association, and the Florida Justice Association. Tom Robes is committed to understanding your needs and getting you the justice you deserve.

I began my legal career in 1986 when I was a senior in High School. I started as a receptionist in a busy New York law firm. From there, I became a secretary and eventually a paralegal. I have personally worked on hundreds if not thousands of cases and even assisted in the courtroom during trials. But that wasn't enough--my passion for helping people became so overwhelming that I became an attorney. I worked full time as a paralegal in a local Brevard County law firm while obtaining my undergraduate degrees with top honors and Summa Cum Laude, and graduated from Barry University School of Law. Helping people through hard times, mistakes, unfortunate and stressful personal matters is what I am here for and devoted to.

Angie founded Taxsmith, LLC after having worked for several years in the tax industry. She originally grew up in a small, rural town in North Carolina where she learned the value of working hard to succeed in life. Angie's father has worked in the hog farm business for years and her mother has been a hospice nurse for over 30 years. Her first job was working for her uncle in their family dry cleaners after school and on the weekends. It was Angie's parents who taught her that having the drive and putting the hours into work creates successful goals. She prides her success in life in the support that her family has continuously provided throughout the years. Angie graduated magna cum laude from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she obtained her B.A. in Sociology and Psychology and minored in Gerontology. While at UNC she was an NCAA Cheerleader and member of the Alpha Kappa Delta National Honor Society. She attended Florida Coastal School of Law and is admitted to the Florida Bar, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida and the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Angie believes in treating people the way that she would be treated and that does not stop with how she treats her clients. She also promises to treat every client like family and always provide honest answers. Angie lives with her chocolate lab Miller Ann and silver lab Aria Skye who can frequently be found “working” at the office. Angie enjoys working out, spending time with friends and family, playing flag football and is a huge sports fan (football, basketball, golf, etc.), in particular the UNC Tarheels.

Mark R. Osherow is a Florida Bar Board Certified Specialist in Business Litigation with over 30 years of experience. He has practiced for most of those years in both state and federal courts throughout Florida. With significant trial and alternative dispute resolution experience, Osherow has taken countless depositions and served as first-chair in numerous trials, arbitrations and mediations. He serves as a legal advisor for his clients as they assess their business risks across a large segment of industry and service providers. Lawyer.com Member Questionnaire How did you build a successful practice? Throughout my early career, I was involved in class action litigation, complex litigation for major clients and product liability cases. I was fortunate to be involved in complex cases and, through that experience, to develop expertise in a variety of areas,” he says. Osherow learned early on that success as a litigator requires a very high level of commitment and tenacity. After 2006, my practice focused almost exclusively on business litigation and related areas such as real estate, construction and employment litigation. Osherow believes in leading by example, a philosophy he developed and has carried out through his over 30 years of practice. Osherow says he works to be a good listener. That skill, combined with his experience as a board-certified business litigator, allows him to respond quickly and effectively to client needs in diverse areas of the law. He believes in The Florida Bar board certification process. He says he is proud of his certification as a board-certified business litigation specialist, and frequently encourages his colleagues to apply. “I believe in team effort and in leading in a way that makes other people want to perform for you as a team. My philosophy has come down to this – the way I define a problem is whether somebody is going to remember in a day, a week, a month, six months, a year or five years from now. If they are not going to remember it in the long term, it is really not a problem; it is just a bump in the road. And 99.9 percent of things fall into that category, although at that moment they may seem like major issues. We work in a high pressure, stressful profession and it’s important that people know someone has his or her back,” he says. “I’d say the biggest challenge is getting a case to the point that the client fully realizes how cases are resolved. It is basically strategy. Most cases can ultimately be resolved. Finding those solutions that get the participants to a point where they are ready to resolve the case is for me one of the most interesting aspects of practicing law,” Osherow says. He helps clients to see that sometimes they are motivated more by hostility, anger, frustration or something else that interferes with their ability to focus on the practical business aspects of their situation. One of his primary goals is to motivate those clients to see their situation from a practical perspective rather than an emotional perspective, to see the situation as it really is – a purely business transaction. “Sometimes clients don’t think as rationally as they believe they are and sometimes when they think rationally they don’t necessarily weigh all the different aspects of the case. It is very important to help clients see the various motivations and causes that are influencing them to make a decision. Once we have done that analysis and we have gone through all of the specifics, then they can decide whether or not litigation is called for,” he says. Osherow sometimes faces a client who initially only wants to litigate, someone who doesn’t want or doesn’t realize that one of the key aspects of a case is an attorney’s ability to resolve or at least attempt to resolve the case before the client gets involved in expensive, time-consuming and often emotionally-draining litigation. He says it is crucial for a lawyer to help a client assess his or her willingness to take a case through the litigation process and trial. The client must also feel comfortable that their law firm is providing advice that is in their best interests, whether they go the distance through trial or seek alternative dispute resolution. “I always want our clients to understand the costs and risks of the decisions they’re making. For me, that is critical. I’m always advising clients about the next step, about what they need to know, what we should be doing, and advising them constantly on pre-litigation, litigation, settlement and trial issues,” he says. Osherow says that whether cases are rewarding or difficult, an attorney has to have an even keel as a litigator. He upholds a philosophy of trust when it comes to his clients’ interests. “My father taught me to never give up and my first boss taught me how to think like a lawyer, to be precise, and to be articulate in my writing. From those mentors and others, I have come to believe strongly in creating an environment where people can do their best.” What should clients look for in a lawyer? Do not rely on what is on a lawyer’s website alone. Speak to the lawyer and make sure your questions are fully answered and there is no run around or diversion in providing direct answers. That does not mean that every question is subject to an easy answer however. Make sure the lawyer has the competence to proceed with your case or its defense. Many inexperienced lawyers claim to be experts in matters that are really outside of their experience level or abilities. Many lawyers do not have the extensive training and experience to handle complex litigation but represent to the public that they have this experience. But they can be cost effective by charging lower rates. Sometimes you get what you pay for so be careful in selecting a lawyer who can at a minimum learn the issues and competently address your situation. Look for a lawyer who will represent you or your company vigorously and professionally and will take the time to learn all the critical issues involved in your particular matter. Check for prior cases handled by the lawyer and the actual experience the lawyer has in similar or related types of cases, recognizing that each case may well present distinct issues. Find out when the lawyer was admitted to the Bar and if they are Board Certified as a specialist in their particular area of practice, which can also help select a lawyer with the competency to handle a matter within their specialty. How important is local knowledge to the success of your cases? It is important to know the lawyers on the other side and the court rules and the reputations and differences in the way judges handle cases before them. This helps provide each client with valuable insight on how the case may progress in court. Where a case is in arbitration, where possible, it is critical to know the reputation of the arbitrators who may be chosen to hear the case.