Michael Acker has over 25 years of trial experience in all manner of personal injury litigation. He has been focused for much of that time on medical malpractice cases. Preventable medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the United States, according to a Johns Hopkins study. It is his hope that holding the healthcare system responsible when something they do, or fail to do, results in harm will make every patient’s treatment safer in the future. In addition to medical malpractice cases, Mike also works tirelessly to achieve justice for those harmed by negligence in nursing home settings, in automobile and trucking accidents, and in commercial/ retail settings. Mike received his undergraduate degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and his law degree from Boston University School of Law. He began his career at a prestigious Fort Lauderdale insurance defense firm, achieving partnership early in his career. He was there for a dozen years before turning his focus to helping the injured. Mike has held the prestigious AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell for over 20 years. He has handled cases in nearly every county in Florida, and co-counseled with dozens of the finest lawyers in the country on cases in other states.

Practice Areas: Medical Malpractice, Product Liability, Wrongful Death, Personal Injury Born to Cuban and Colombian parents, Cassandra “Cassie” Lombard was raised in South Florida and is fluent in Spanish. She attended the University of Miami, graduating Magna Cum Laude in 2010. While there, she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and graduated in the top five percent of her class. She was also a member of the prestigious University of Miami President’s 100. She then attended the University of Miami Law School, graduating in 2013 Magna Cum Laude. She was also on the Inter- American Law Review during this time. Cassie began her internship with Gordon & Partners in 2012. One year later, she joined the firm’s Broward County office as an associate attorney. Cassie is currently a trial lawyer who has devoted her professional life to representing injured individuals in litigation. Cassie began her career at the firm handling all types of personal injury cases. In 2017, Cassie was trial counsel in a motor vehicle case where she obtained a verdict that was listed as one of Florida’s Top 100 Motor Vehicle Accident Verdicts in Florida. In 2017, Cassie began working exclusively in the firm’s tobacco litigation division. During this time, Cassie has been on trial teams that have received seven and eight figure verdicts including one that was named in the Top 100 Verdicts in Florida in 2018. During her free time, Cassie enjoys spending time with her family. Below is a list of recent verdicts that Cassie has been involved in: Duignan vs. R.J. Reynolds and Phillip Morris: $26,750,000.00 Coyne v. R.J. Reynolds: $17,589,233.00 Burgess v. R.J Reynolds: $3,000,000.00 Garcia v. Rance & X-Ray Copy Service Inc.: $254,461.00

Practice Areas: Product Liability, Medical Malpractice, Personal Injury, Wrongful Death, Nursing Home Abuse Gary Paige manages the Broward County office of Gordon & Partners. Throughout his legal career, he has had a multitude of highly successful results. His significant list of victories includes many seven and eight figure verdicts. He is an industry tested and proven trial attorney, as well as a highly valued member of our law firm. Gary is a fellow of The American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL) and also a recipient of Martindale-Hubbell's "AV Rating"—the highest rating possible for exemplary legal service.

Practice Areas: Medical Malpractice, Product Liability, Wrongful Death, Personal Injury Alana Weatherstone, born and raised in South Florida, is a civil litigator who has always devoted 100 percent of her practice to injured plaintiffs. Attending Florida State University for both her undergraduate and law degree allowed her to have the unique experience of working in the Capitol during legislative session seeing firsthand the power that “big money interests” have on lobbying efforts throughout the State of Florida. This, along with Alana’s innate passion for justice, has resulted in her trying multiple cases throughout the State of Florida and representing countless clients who have been injured due to the negligence of others. After admission to the Florida Bar, she also gained admission to the Federal Bar of the Southern District of Florida. Alana enjoys being with her family and rescue dogs in her spare time.

Practice Areas: Personal Injury Protection (PIP), Diminished Value, First Party Property Erik is an attorney at Gordon & Partner’s Plantation office where he serves as the lead attorney for the firm’s Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and Diminished Value divisions. He has concentrated his practice on both first and third party insurance litigation and utilizes his experience and competitive nature to vigorously advocate on behalf of his clients. He takes pride in ensuring his clients receive proper and just compensation while providing them the individual attention they deserve. Born and raised in South Florida, Erik is a third generation attorney from Hollywood. He earned his law degree from the University of Miami School of Law, where he founded the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Society and was Speaker of the Senate for the Student Bar Association. Erik was awarded Senator of the Year for his commitment to the governance of the law school’s student body. Prior to law school, Erik attended the University of Florida where he graduated cum laude with degrees in Psychology and Business Administration. During his undergraduate career, Erik earned his real estate license, was a member Pi Kappa Phi, and a defensive player on the Florida Lacrosse team.

Attorney Erick Santana is co-founder of the personal injury firm Cecere Santana, PA. He has been evaluating personal injury cases for over 30 years and has successfully settled thousands of cases for his clients, in some instances collecting in excess of $1 million. Prior to becoming an attorney, he was employed for seven years as an insurance adjuster for State Farm Insurance Co. As a result of his previous employment within State Farm, Mr. Santana knows first-hand what challenges clients face when dealing with insurance companies, which differentiates him from most personal injury attorneys in the area. Mr. Santana uses his expertise and knowledge to work on his client’s behalf. Currently, his responsibilities at Cecere Santana include meeting with clients and explaining the legal issues associated with their cases, negotiation of settlements, trial preparation, and serving the firm’s growing Hispanic client base in the areas of personal injury law. Mr. Santana’s experience has made him an expert in the field of personal injury law and has been called upon by the local media for legal advice. Mr. Santana has been a guest on television and radio shows in South Florida as an expert in personal injury law and has taken part in live question and answer sessions, helping the audience better understand their case and legal rights. Mr. Santana received his Juris Doctorate degree Cum Laude from the Shepard Broad Law Center at Nova Southeastern University. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Florida International University. He has lived in South Florida for more than 40 years and speaks Spanish fluently.

Ephraim Roy Hess has practicing law for more than 30 years. He has successfully represented both individuals and small to medium sized businesses in matters ranging from sexual harassment and age discrimination to the negotiation of severance issues and the enforcement and defense of non-compete agreements. Some areas of representation include: Employment and Labor Law • Discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, age, race, national origin, religion, disability, or pregnancy • Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) • Drug Testing • Sexual Harassment • Contract review/negotiations • Whistleblowers and Retaliation • Long Term Disability • EEOC/FCHR Charges • Unemployment • Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA) Business Law and Litigation • Non-Compete Agreements • Severance Agreements • Confidentiality Agreements • Defense and claims of breaches of contract • Response to Administrative Charges • Defense against discrimination charges • Employee vs. Independent Contractor Classification Issues Civil Trials and Appeals • Contract disputes • Malicious Prosecution • Fraud • Breach of Contract • Public Records Actions • Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices • Breach of Fiduciary Duty Please contact the Hess Law Firm at (954) 585.8599 to discuss your individual matter.

Mr. Belleh focuses his practice in the areas of Real Property, Bankruptcy, Estate Planning, Business and Immigration Law. He has experience representing public corporations, privately-held corporations, and accredited investors, but takes particular pride in representing entrepreneurs and small business owners – the cornerstone of the American economy. Mr. Belleh is a graduate of the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Law, in Buffalo, New York, with a concentration in financial transactions. He holds a Bachelors of Arts in Political Science from Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York and earned a Certificate from the Cours Civilisation Franςaise de la Sorbonne in Paris, France. He served as Corporate Counsel for a real property development firm, where he focused on the formation and operation of Real Estate Investment Trusts, real property acquisition and development, finance, and title insurance matters. He also worked as a commercial litigation associate at boutique litigation firm in Miami, where he focused in commercial disputes and business torts. He has extensive experience representing mortgage lenders and real property developers and investors. Mr. Belleh has jury and bench trial experience and has argued several cases successfully before the District Court of Appeal. Mr. Belleh serves as Corporate Counsel for a number of privately-held companies based in South Florida and operating in a cross-section of industries. He is an agent of the Attorney Title Insurance Fund and Old Republic Title Insurance and the owner/operator of Brightstar Title & Escrow, INC. He is admitted to practice in the Florida Supreme Court, the United States District Court for the Northern, Middle and Southern Districts of Florida, and the United States Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Mr. Belleh is also a member of the Florida Bar Real Property and Probate Section, the American Bar Association, the Broward County Bar Association and the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

Consumer fraud attorney Robert Murphy is a trial lawyer who practices in the areas of consumer litigation in Florida and across the country. In over 25 years of practice, he has actively litigated cases under almost every aspect of the federal and Florida consumer protection laws. He has acted as lead counsel in the litigation of cases both individually and on a class basis in almost every venue in Florida. He is dedicated to advancing the consumer rights of Americans through both courtroom advocacy and the education of families and individuals concerning consumer protection laws.

Attorney Jason Chalik is a founding partner in The Law Offices of Chalik and Chalik, where he provides legal services and compassionate counsel to people who have suffered personal injury and loss of loved ones due to the negligence or recklessness of other responsible parties. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Jason and his family moved to the Sunshine State in 1977. He is proud to have founded a law firm headquartered in the community of Plantation, Florida where he grew up and attended public schools. Assisting injured citizens and bereaved families is his life's work. "What I love about our work is we help injured people who don't know about the legal system," Attorney Chalik says.