R. Evan Bassett has joined Neri Law Group as Of Counsel to the firm and has been licensed to practice law in Florida for over 20 years. R. Evan Bassett is a fifth generation Floridian, who graduated from Berkeley Preparatory School and obtained his undergraduate degree from Furman University, where he majored in Spanish and speaks Spanish fluently. Mr. Bassett ultimately moved on to obtain his Juris Doctorate Degree from Cumberland School of Law. Mr. Bassett began his career as an Assistant State Attorney, where he spent three years before transitioning to a career in Plaintiff’s work. Evan is also on the executive committee for the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). He is a board certified Civil Trail Lawyer and concentrates his practice solely on advocating for people injured in accidents. His practice areas include cases involving automobile and motorcycle crashes, slip and falls, and nursing home negligence. Mr. Bassett’s recent jury verdicts include a Pinellas County motor vehicle accident verdict of $950,000, a Hillsborough County motor vehicle accident verdict involving a DUI driver for $475,000 compensatory and $100,000 in punitive damages, and a Sarasota County motor vehicle accident verdict for $400,000. R. Evan Bassett is a welcome addition to the Neri Law Group team.

Mr. Cruz Carino achieved his Doctor of Jurisprudence, from Stetson University College of Law. Before that, he received his Bachelor of Arts, finishing in the top ten percent of his class, from The University of Florida. He served as a Certified State Intern in the State’s Attorney’s Office, where he tried more than ten cases, and was also privileged to serve as a Federal Judicial Intern to the Honorable District Judge Elizabeth A. Kovachevich, of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida. Upon graduation, Mr. Cruz worked as a Judicial Staff Attorney for four years in the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court. From there, he served as a Senior Assistant Attorney General from 2001-2012, handling criminal appeals and collateral petitions on behalf of the State of Florida. Mr. Cruz has argued before the Second District Court of Appeal, the Fifth District Court of Appeal and the Florida Supreme Court. He is admitted to practice in all Florida State Courts, and is also admitted to practice in the Middle District of Florida. He is fluent in Spanish, and has taught as an adjunct professor at Saint Petersburg College. He currently heads the Appellate Section of The Pendas Law Firm and is the (interim) Managing Attorney for the Tampa office. He oversees all appellate matters and provides litigation support to attorneys throughout the firm. Additionally, he handles his own litigation case load. His practice focuses on general civil litigation, appeals and trial support. Mr. Cruz guides all appeals from the filing of a notice of appeal through the filing of a motion to recall mandate.

Jesse is a partner at the Podor Law Firm and practices in the Bradenton, Florida office. Jesse was born in Cleveland, OH, and lived there until 2001. In 2001, Jesse moved to Bradenton and attended Bradenton Christian School. Jesse earned his J.D. from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2016. Prior to completing his J.D., Jesse completed his B.S. in Sport Management from the University of Florida. During law school, Jesse interned at Smith, Thompson, Shaw, Minacci & Colon, P.A. in Tallahassee, Florida, and at “Game On Nation” in Bradenton, Florida.

For over three decades, medical malpractice lawyer Richard M. Shapiro has been working to defend the rights of injured individuals, children and families due to medical malpractice. Throughout his career, Richard has become a formidable adversary in the field of medical negligence. He takes pride in focusing a large portion of his legal practice to representing children injured by negligent healthcare. These children make up more than 90 percent of his client base.