Real Estate Other

Kelly Forst has been an attorney in New York since 2000. Since that time, she has helped hundreds of clients navigate their separations and marriage dissolutions, and has also represented hundreds of children in divorce, custody and other matters. Over the last two decades, her practice's core principles in family law have been peacemaking and problem solving. She was the Chair of the Family Law Section of the Monroe County Bar Association (MCBA) from 2012–2014 and has served on numerous Boards and Committees of various professional organizations, including the MCBA, CLARA (Collaborative Law Association of the Rochester Area) and the New York Chapter of AFCC (Association of Family & Conciliation Courts). Ms. Forst was admitted to practice law in Virginia in 2016 and was trained in tax preparation and planning in 2015. Ms. Forst prepares individual state and federal income tax returns, and her ability to recognize and understand the tax implications of a variety of issues in divorce adds value to her services. Picture In April of 2018, Ms. Forst was admitted to the practice of law in the State of Florida, and now maintains practices in the Orlando area (Celebration) and in Rochester, NY. In 2019, her leadership and dedication to Collaborative Practice was recognized when she was selected by the Collaborative Law Association of Central Florida to represent the organization at the statewide Leadership Institute. She is an agent for Old Republic National Title Insurance Company through the Lawyer’s Fund in Florida and has nearly 30 years of experience as a real estate professional, including five years as a real estate agent, ten years as a real estate paralegal and over twenty years representing clients in the purchase and sale of real property and in real estate litigation matters.

Proudly taking Real Estate Other; Landlord-Tenant; Foreclosure; & Real Estate cases out of Brooklyn, New York and the surrounding areas.

For over twenty-nine years Paul M. Gaide has been an accomplished litigation and transactional lawyer and advisor. When aggressive representation is desirable and appropriate, the Law Offices of Paul M. Gaide is quite capable of advocating for you. When a subtle approach will benefit you most, Attorney Gaide is fully capable of utilizing a collaborative approach and applying all pertinent facts and law to obtaining an acceptable and timely resolution of client matters. Paul M. Gaide’s law practice has emphasized superior representation of clients: (a) in conflict resolution, including litigations before probate courts, state trial courts, state appellate courts, United States District Courts, and United States Bankruptcy Courts; and (b) in connection with transactional and planning matters. Prior to relocating back to Colorado, Attorney Gaide practiced law in New England with the Am Law 100 firm of Edwards & Angell, LLP, n/k/a Edwards Wildman Palmer LLP, now having over 620 lawyers in the United States, the United Kingdom and Asia, with Schatz & Schatz, Ribicoff & Kotkin, the then third largest law firm in the State of Connecticut with 135 attorneys, and in his own firm. Attorney Gaide is admitted and licensed to practice law in Colorado, Connecticut and Massachusetts. Paul M. Gaide is a graduate of the University of Colorado School of Law, Juris Doctor, Emphasis in Taxation (1989) (Research Assistant: N. Steuben, Real Estate Planning (Cases, Materials, Problems, Questions and Commentary) (3d ed. 1989)); and a graduate of the University of Denver, College of Business Administration, B.S.B.A. - Finance (Bal F. Swan Scholar, Dean’s Lists). You are encouraged to contact the Law Offices of Paul M. Gaide to confidentially communicate your concerns and determine if the firm can be of assistance to you. The firm offers a no-cost initial consultation of up to one hour. Weekend and evening appointments may be available. The website of Law Offices of Paul M. Gaide may be found at www.Law-Or-Equity.com Paul M. Gaide maintains a physical presence at the Law Offices of Paul M. Gaide, 417 West Mountain Avenue, Fort Collins, Colorado 80521.

Mr. Castro is an attorney who prides himself on advocating aggressively on behalf of all clients. Having been recognized as a top tier attorney by Super Lawyers (Rising Star, 2019-2020) and Lawyers of Distinction, Mr. Castro started his own practice to represent members of communities with poor access to critical services. To that end, it is Mr. Castro's chief goal to effect change for his clients in the areas of business litigation, personal injury, family law, and trust and estates law. In those personal injury cases, he has extensive experience in matters involving catastrophic injury, wrongful death, auto accidents, pedestrian/bicycle accidents, dog bites, dangerous property condition, premises liability, slip and fall, trip and fall, insurance bad faith, government tort claims, construction site accidents, on the water injuries, and defective products/products liability claims. In matters of business litigation, Mr. Castro has experience with matters involving breach of contract, tortious interference with contracts or business relationships, business partner disputes, real estate disputes (including both residential or commercial real estate), business entity formation, contract review, breach of fiduciary duty, and other matters arising from the day-to-day operations of running a business. As for matters involving family law, Mr. Castro handles matters requiring financial and property division concerns, child custody disputes, child support, modifications of family law orders, enforcement of family law orders, and document preparation/review. Mr. Castro also helps his clients plan for the efficient and effective transfer of assets to spouses, to younger generation family members, to other persons clients wish to benefit, and to charities. Mr. Castro's trust and estate practice involves the preparation of trust agreements, wills, powers of attorney, medical directives, and closely held business structures, including partnerships, limited liability companies, and corporations. Mr. Castro graduated from Florida Coastal School of Law in 2013 and he is admitted to practice before all the courts in the State of California including the Eastern, Northern, Southern, and Central Districts of the United States District Courts of California. Mr. Castro firmly believes the key to securing a favorable result for all his clients is by exercising the highest degree of diligence and perseverance. Mr. Castro takes each case personally and always strives to obtain the best possible results for each client. During his spare time, Mr. Castro enjoys spending time with his family, traveling, wine tasting, and volunteering in any activity that benefits children. He served as a Guardian Ad Litem for the Florida Guardian Ad Litem Program in Jacksonville, Florida. He also coaches youth sports and most recently coached his son's baseball team in Rocklin Little League.

Monica P. Patankar is a partner with the law firm of Patankar Law P.C. Monica takes a compassionate approach to helping clients solve their legal issues. She listens to each story carefully and understands that no two issues are alike. Monica's legal training and experience have prepared her to handle your legal needs. Monica gained her legal knowledge at University of Notre Dame Law School in Notre Dame, Indiana. Upon graduation, Monica worked for a large law firm, Chapman and Cutler LLP in Chicago, Illinois. At Chapman, Monica worked with large municipalities and other governmental entities to raise capital for large infrastructure projects. After working for Chapman, Monica also had the opportunity to focus her legal acumen on individuals with family law issues and businesses handling general litigation and transactional matters, before forming Patankar Law P.C. Moreover, through her previous work experiences, she gained an interest in taxation and furthered her education at Washington University in St. Louis, School of Law receiving an LL.M. in Taxation. Monica is trained as a Guardian ad Litem, an attorney that is appointed to determine what is in the best interest of the minor children, in Kane, DuPage, and Kendall Counties. To schedule an initial consultation with a skilled Aurora Tax Attorney, call 630-820-8877.

Stephen Bernhardt has been an attorney since he was 25 years old. Now, nearly a decade later, Bernhardt has extensive trial experience in both criminal and civil law. He began his legal career as a prosecutor, first handling misdemeanor offenses such as DUI, Battery, Possession of Controlled Substance, Violation of Injunction and many others. Bernhardt was quickly moved to a felony division and become the State Attorney’s Office’s representative for the county’s Drug Court Program. In this role, Bernhardt learned many techniques to help individuals overcome addictions as well as the differences between the many rehabilitation establishments throughout Florida. Prior to leaving the State Attorney’s Office, Bernhardt was the lead prosecutor in his division. Bernhardt conducted several jury trials that ended in convictions and sentences of more than thirty years, including a mandatory life in prison sentence. After leaving the State Attorney’s Office, Bernhardt began practicing civil law for one of the largest creditors’ rights firms in the United States. Bernhardt quickly became the lead litigating attorney for the firm’s Florida office and handled countless civil hearings and trials before leaving to start Bernhardt Law, PLLC. Bernhardt Law focuses on the practice areas of Criminal Defense, Personal Injury and Debt Defense. Using the knowledge gained throughout the years, Bernhardt Law is dedicated to making sure each client’s specific situation is handled with the utmost professionalism, attention to detail, and integrity. How did you build a successful practice? I was fortunate enough to begin my legal career having great mentors and practicing in front of great judges. Having that foundation and always continuing to work hard has helped me build a successful practice. What should clients look for in a lawyer? Clients should look for a lawyer that has a strong work ethic and that conducts himself/herself with integrity. How important is local knowledge to the success of your cases? Having knowledge of the local judges and attorneys for the other side in very important in all areas of law. What information can you provide in a free phone consultation? I’m happy to discuss an individual’s legal matter for free over the phone or at one of our locations. I would review their case, discuss the strengths and weaknesses and determine what options may be available for the client What information do you need in a free phone consultation? I would like to review any paperwork they’ve received from the other attorney/party as well as contact information for following up. What differentiates you from other lawyers in your community? The two things that separate me from other lawyers are (1) my trial experience and (2) my experience on the opposing side. I have handled more trials in my first decade as an attorney than most attorneys will handle in their entire career. Additionally, as it pertains to criminal defense and debt defense, I have been the head attorney in my respective divisions for the sides I now go against. This gives me a big advantage in those cases. What is the most rewarding aspect of your job? When someone comes to me, it usually means they’re going through a tough time. Either they’ve been hurt, arrested or sued. Helping someone get through that difficult time by putting these legal issues behind them is very rewarding. What are your other interests in addition to law? I am a big sports fan and I also love to travel.

The Browder & Welborn Law Office is a family-oriented law firm that focuses on protecting our clients' families, their family businesses and their assets through careful estate planning.

Attorney Putnam C. Smith represents Main Street business owners and executives, professionals of all types and local, regional and national real estate investors, developers and operators, concentrating on business and commercial real estate transactions and tax and estate planning. Common transactions include start-ups, acquisitions and sales of closely held business, tax-free mergers and reorganizations, asset purchases, leveraged buyouts and joint ventures and partnerships in a wide range of industries. He has practiced corporate law in Atlanta and the surrounding metropolitan area since 1988, initially with Nall & Miller, LLP and later with Robert W. Fisher, P.C., a tax boutique that was instrumental in the creation of Nextel and a number of international ventures in the telecommunications industry before disbanding in 1994. Before attending law school, he incorporated Jimmy Carter’s 1976 presidential campaign and worked as a legal assistant with other leading Atlanta law firms, including King & Spalding, LLP and Kilpatrick Stockton, LLP, gaining invaluable experience with public corporations and investment banks. During his tenure with Lipscomb, Johnson, Sleister, Dailey & Smith, LLP, Mr. Smith has handled private equity investments in shopping centers and industrial and commercial property in several southeastern states, land assemblages requiring services ranging from quiet title actions to road closures and a $116 million buyout to resolve a shareholder’s dispute involving a closely held technology business.

Experienced attorney Jay Mukerji is a civil law and personal injury attorney practicing under the trade name Arbor Law PLLC in Ann Arbor, Michigan. With a focus in Personal Injury, Real Estate, and Estate Planning, Jay is committed to providing his clients with personalized attention and finding the best solutions to their legal needs. He takes the time to listen to his clients' needs and works towards their goals tirelessly. As an experienced automobile accident attorney and trucking accident lawyer, he is dedicated to helping his clients receive the compensation they deserve for their injuries. He is a humble and empathetic injury attorney who understands the financial and emotional burdens that his clients face after an automobile accident or trucking accident. Jay also handles other civil law matters such as Civil Litigation, Real Estate Law, and Estate Planning.

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.