Bankruptcy

I was a staff attorney with the housing unit at Northeast New Jersey Legal Services. I provided assistance to people with evictions, utility issues, illegal lockouts, ejectments, debt collections related to housing and foreclosures. I am interested in practicing in more legal areas such as immigration law, employment law, labor law, education law, white collar crimes, civil rights and wills. I am open to learn more areas of law and get involved in more complex litigation to continued to develop my skills as an attorney. I have a particular interest in prosecuting white collar crime because many people in the corporate world get away with crimes that have a massive impact on the world. One example is pyramid schemes that are passing off as multi level marketing.

Zachary (“Zach”) W. Lombardo is a partner at Woodward, Pires & Lombardo, P.A. He is a Board Certified Specialist in City, County & Local Government Law by The Florida Bar and is the City Attorney for Everglades City. Zach’s primary focus is helping public and private clients in a wide variety of land use and local government matters, including strategizing both advocacy for as well as opposition to: comprehensive plan amendments, re-zoning, and planned unit development (PUD) zoning and amendments, conditional uses and comparable use determinations, variances and non-conforming uses, land development code amendments, official interpretations and zoning verification letters, building code appeals, floodplain determinations, code enforcement, utility conveyance, right-of-way permits and vacations, easement use agreements and vacations, and litigation related to the above. He frequently appears before the Marco Island Planning Board, the Marco Island City Council, the Collier County Planning Commission, the Collier County Hearing Examiner, and the Board of County Commissioners of Collier County. Beyond land use, Zach helps public and private clients navigate various local government and environmental matters such as: public records, property tax appeals, agricultural tax exemptions, bid protests and public contracts, interlocal agreements, environmental resource permits, sovereignty land leases, and litigation related to the above He is an experienced litigator in state and federal court both at a trial court level and on appeal. In his business matters and contract drafting, Zach focuses on practical solutions. Active in the community, Zach is a lifelong environmentalist and an Eagle Scout. He is committed to doing what he can to improve the quality of the environment in the Western Everglades. A Southwest Florida native, he enjoys canoeing the waterways of Collier and Lee Counties with his family and playing the harmonica.

Attorney Anthony J. Dimora is a partner at Woodward, Pires & Lombardo, P.A. managing the firm’s Marco Island location. He provides legal services in both Marco Island and Naples, Florida, focusing his law practice on estate planning, wills and trusts, guardianship, probate and trust administration, litigation, business law, and residential and commercial real estate transactions. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Anthony is licensed to practice law in both Florida and Ohio and is a proud graduate of The Ohio State University and Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. Anthony was selected a 2024 Florida Super Lawyer® and was named a Top Lawyer in Estate Planning by Naples Illustrated magazine in 2023. When Anthony is not working, he enjoys spending time with his wife and children.

Mercedes Chut has practiced law over twenty years and has a broad range of experience in civil law, including family law, bankruptcy, appellate law and general civil litigation. You can count on Mercedes to provide you with an honest answer to your questions and to try to find the best solution for you — whehter in the court room or through out-of-court resolution of your legal problems. Mercedes will listen to you and work hard on your case. Mercedes is a mother of two young adults. Her hobbies include reading, writing, and training her working-line German Shepard dog.

Nadine Ona is originally from Houston, graduated from Texas Tech, and joined Germer in 2017. While at Tech, she served as editor for the Business & Bankruptcy Law Journal and the Texas Bank Lawyer. She also interned for a federal judge in the Eastern District of Texas—Beaumont Division and a justice at the First Court of Appeals in Houston. She has been recognized as a Texas Super Lawyer Rising Star, a Thompson Reuters publication, in 2025. Nadine is licensed in Texas and Louisiana, and practices primarily in the areas of personal injury defense and civil litigation.

Chris Pearson is a principal at Germer in Austin, Texas. Chris is licensed to practice in Texas and Oklahoma and has over 35 years of experience as a trial attorney. A significant portion of his practice involves defending motor vehicle manufacturers in products liability cases in Texas and throughout the United Sates. He is also regularly called on to defend manufacturers in cases filed under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, and to represent manufacturers of motor vehicles and recreational vehicles in “Lemon Law” matters and dealer disputes. Chris graduated from Lamar University in 1980 and received his J.D. in 1984 from Texas Tech University School of Law. Chris was initially admitted to practice law in Oklahoma in 1984, then Texas in 1988. Chris is actively engaged in numerous law-related organizations and over the past 30 years has published articles in various law reviews and bar journals. He also frequently speaks at seminars and other legal meetings on various topics related to his litigation practice. Chris resides with his wife Annette in Austin, Texas.

Melanee McAfee Kistler was born and raised in Tulsa Oklahoma, where she received her undergraduate degree from the University of Tulsa, majoring in Advertising/Public Relations. She worked at Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa for four years as Editorial Assistant, working on museum publications, organizing public events, and taking minutes for a 40-member board of directors. After becoming engaged to her husband, she moved to Oklahoma City to work for the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum as Editorial Assistant. She also helped organize art sales and banquets, presenting awards with guest celebrities at the prestigious Western Heritage Awards, She embarked on a career change when her daughters were still in grade school and began attending OCU law school. She became a Certified Mediator through the Oklahoma Supreme Court Early Settlement Mediation Program, mediating small claims cases upon referral from district court judges. After law school, she worked on the Fen Phen litigation with Phillips, Murrah during the discovery phase of the complex litigation for the opt-out lawsuits. She later spent six years working for Oklahoma Child Support Services, managing an interstate caseload and taking remedies to enforce court orders. In 2012, she opened her own law firm, focusing her practice on family law and social security disability claims. In 2017, she worked as a decision writer at the Office of Hearings Operations, following Administrative Law Judges instructions in drafting final case decisions. She returned to private practice in 2018, and continues to represent claimants in social security hearings before Administrative Law Judges throughout the state. Her professional associations include membership in the Social Security disability and Estate Planning sections of the Oklahoma Bar Association. She is also involved with the Women in Law section where she participates in community service projects. She is admitted to the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma. She and her husband, Steve, have been married for 35 years and have two marvelous daughters. Lindsay started her own law firm after six years as an associate attorney with Hall Estill, and Hillary is a Speech Language Pathologist for Integris and Norman Regional Health System.

Carmen Jo Rejda-Ponce (“CJ”) is a Principal in Germer’s Houston office, but her practice takes her all across Texas. She regularly counsels and defends both private and public sector clients on matters involving employment issues and civil (constitutional) rights. She handles matters from the pre-claim and pre-suit stage, through litigation, and through appeal. She is Board Certified in Labor and Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. CJ focuses on a broad range of labor and employment litigation, including, discrimination, harassment, hostile work environment, retaliation, disability accommodation, workers’ compensation retaliation, on-the-job injuries, and wage and hour issues. She has represented private and public sector clients in employment-related disputes before federal and state courts, federal and state administrative agencies, and arbitrators. CJ counsels private and public sector employers on labor and employment concerns, including, addressing medical leave, developing and revising workplace policies and procedures, investigating and addressing employee complaints, conducting employee disciplines and terminations, drafting employment, separation, and other agreements, and determining proactive solutions to workplace problems while avoiding litigation. CJ also defends public sector clients —including counties, cities, and law enforcement officers— in a variety of civil rights matters, including defense of first amendment retaliation, excessive force, wrongful arrest, inmate medical care, and jail death matters. Many of these civil rights matters involve qualified immunity issues for law enforcement officers. Through her civil rights defense work, CJ has gained appellate experience. She has handled multiple federal and state appeals. She has successfully argued for her clients twice before the Fifth Circuit, and is looking forward to more opportunities. CJ also has experience with personal injury litigation, including on-the job-injuries, motor vehicle accidents, and negligence claims against public entities. CJ’s private practice experience includes Baker Botts LLP and Reed Smith LLP. CJ also previously served as an Assistant City Attorney for the City of Houston in Labor, Employment, and Civil Rights Division. She was also a registered lobbyist during the 2013 Regular Session of the Texas Legislature.

John E. Spalding is a principal in the Houston office at Germer. He has been practicing law for almost forty years. He has defended thousands of cases and tried over fifty defense cases to successful jury verdicts. He has also handled dozens of plaintiffs’ cases and tried two plaintiffs’ cases to successful jury verdicts. He has been involved in mass tort litigation, high exposure medical malpractice cases, handling negative media, products liability, pharmaceutical products liability, construction, insurance coverage and commercial litigation.