Leo D. Gomez, Private Law Practice

Practicing law in Alachua, Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Collier, Citrus, Desoto, Duval, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Hendry, Indian River, Levy, Lee, Marion, Orange, Osceola, Okeechobee, Pinellas, Polk, St. Johns, Sarasota, Seminole and Volusia counties.

For 24 years, Leo D. Gomez has exclusively represented those injured in work related and non work related accidents.

Leo's reputation in the legal community began while working with Stephen L. Rosen, one of the preeminent workers' compensation plaintiffs' attorneys in Florida, in 1986. Leo worked closely with Mr. Rosen and gained valuable experience while representing literally hundreds of injured workers and prosecuting dozens of workers' compensation cases to trial, as well as handling numerous related appeals.

In 1993 Leo was asked by John B. Morgan of Morgan, Coiling and Gilbert, P.A. to open the firm's Tampa office, thereby becoming the first full time attorney in that location. As the firm grew Leo became a co-managing partner and led the workers' compensation department, which consisted of some eight (8) lawyers at the time of his departure in 2001.

In 2001 Leo and Alejandro Fiol, who'd been with the Orlando office of Morgan, Colling and Gilbert, P.A. since 1991 and came to the Tampa office as a co-managing partner in 1995, formed Fiol & Gomez, P.A.

Leo is also a Certified Arbitrator and Supreme Court Certified Civil Mediator.

Specific areas of Leo's practice include:

• Arbitration
• Mediation
• Workers' Compensation accidents
• Personal injury cases including, but not limited to:
• Animal bites
• Assault and battery
• Motor vehicle accidents
• Motorcycle accidents
• Premises liability
• Slip and fall
• Truck accidents
• Wrongful death

Leo was born in Matanzas, Cuba and is fluent in English and Spanish. He attended Stetson University in DeLand, Florida, from 1979-1983. During his time there he was President of PiKappa Phi Fraternity and tapped to join Phi Alpha Theta, a History Honorary Society as well as Omicron Delta Kappa, a National Leadership Honor Society.

Leo graduated from Stetson University with a B.A. in 1983 and then attended Stetson University College of Law, where he obtained his J.D. in 1985.

Leo was admitted to the Florida Bar and the United States District Court of Florida (Middle District), in 1986.

Leo is also a member of the Hillsborough County Bar Association, Association of Trial Lawyers of America, The Florida Bar/Florida Justice Association, The Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers, The Hillsborough County Hispanic Bar Association, and The Tampa Bay Trial Lawyers Association.

Further, Leo sits on the Board of Directors of Florida Workers' Advocates, Inc, an organization dedicated to protecting the legal rights of the injured workers, and has dedicated considerable amounts of his own time lobbying the Legislature on their behalf.

Leo has given of his time and resources to organizations such as Farmworkers Self Help, Bay Area Legal Services, and Florida Rural Legal Services, Inc., among others.

Leo, who has qualified for an AV rating, the highest rating possible from Martindale Hubbell, has been a frequent lecturer on various topics concerning Florida's Workers' Compensation Law and has authored sections of the Florida's C.L.E. Manual on Workers' Compensation.

*AV Preeminent and BV Distinguished are certification marks of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc., used in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Martindale-Hubbell is the facilitator of a peer review rating process. Ratings reflect the confidential opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell ratings fall into two categories: legal ability and general ethical standards.