Attorney Matthew K McDowell is committed to helping those in need of legal help with the criminal justice system in Tampa, Florida. Obtaining the best results often requires aggressive and experienced legal representation. Twenty-four years of legal experience has given Matthew McDowell the skills to help those charged with a misdemeanor or felony in the Tampa Bay area. Matthew McDowell has handled hundreds of criminal cases and he believes that everyone deserves a second chance. Matthew McDowell has practiced law in Florida since becoming a member of the Florida Bar in 1996. He is licensed to practice in all Florida state courts, including the Florida Supreme Court. Having handled hundreds of cases, he brings his skills to help those charged with a violation, misdemeanor, or felony. We want to help our clients through the stress of arrest and we want to preserve their record - we don't take a case unless we believe we can help. We will see our clients through these difficult times.

I have successfully handled cases throughout Central Florida, including Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Polk, Manatee, and Sarasota Counties and I know both sides of the conflict. After graduating from law school with honors from Mercer University in 1993, my first job was with a firm that handled lawsuits on behalf of insurers. I was mentored in and taught the strategies and tactics of the defense. As I gained that experience, I came to realize that I was on the wrong side of the struggle. I made the most rewarding move of my career when I joined the Plaintiff’s bar and began helping victims in their fight to recover from their losses. While I have never looked back, I believe that the knowledge I gained representing my now adversary, gives me valuable insight and perspective in overcoming the obstacles and roadblocks the insurance lawyers raise. If you hire me I will bring that knowledge and experience to bear in your case. I promise to handle your case professionally and work diligently to obtain the justice you deserve.

Admitted to the practice of Law in the state of Florida and the Federal Court for the Middle District of Florida, Trescot Gear is an aggressive litigator as well as an able legal counselor. Mr. Gear enjoys helping his clients find both legal and practical solutions for their short and long-term needs. Trescot Gear is a member of The Florida Bar, the Florida Bar Labor and Employment Law Section, and the Florida Bar’s Young Lawyers Division. He is a current member of the Hillsborough County Bar Association and the Hillsborough County Bar Association Ethics and Professionalism Committee. Mr. Gear was recently granted admission as a Florida Supreme Court-certified Arbitrator. Trescot Gear is also Of Counsel at Ayo & Iken, a highly respected Tampa/St. Petersburg area civil litigation firm. Mr. Gear holds a Juris Doctor degree from Stetson University College of Law in St. Petersburg, FL and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Central Florida in Orlando. He is a member of Phi Alpha Delta and Pi Sigma Alpha National Honor Society.

Attorney Tobin, a native of the Tampa Bay area, received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, with a Minor in International Studies, from the University of South Florida in 1988. In 1996, Mr. Tobin received his Juris Doctorate from St. Mary’s University School of Law in Texas. While at St. Mary’s, Mr. Tobin was active in trial advocacy, mock trial and moot court as well as the International Law Association. He attended the Institute for World Legal Problems in Austria in 1994 and interned with Justice Craig Enoch of the Supreme Court of Texas in 1995. Mr. Tobin was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1996 and began his career primarily practicing employment law in Daytona Beach, Florida. He returned to the Tampa Bay area in 1998,where he has continued practicing employment litigation ever since. In addition, he has expanded his practice areas to include commercial litigation, contract disputes and business law. Mr. Tobin is focused on using his diverse background in providing legal services to both individuals and corporate clients, whether counseling them on individual rights, or issues relating to their companies, employment relationships or prospective business transactions. He has also enjoyed trial work in both federal and state courts throughout his career, as well as prosecuting appeals in both arenas. Beyond his extensive practice in Florida state courts, Mr. Tobin is also admitted to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, the U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida, the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida, the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Florida and the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois.

Prior to forming the law office of Westchase Law, P.A. and Westchase Title, LLC in Tampa, Florida, C. Todd Marks attended the George Mason School of Law. While in law school, Mr. Marks graded on to the Law Review and served as the Symposium Editor. Mr. Marks practiced law in Virginia and Washington, D.C. Mr. Marks began his legal career in Washington, DC and McLean, Virginia with the law firm of Shaw Pittman, LLP where he practiced in the emerging companies and commercial real estate practice groups. In the meantime, Todd remained active in local and national political campaigns. Todd eventually worked for law firms Connolly, Bove, Lodge & Hutz in the commercial litigation and bankruptcy practice groups where he developed a general practice which included estate planning and other business law matters. His experience includes real estate closings and disputes, commercial leases, commercial litigation, creditors' rights in bankruptcy, corporate formation and transactions, estate planning, employment law, and family law. Mr. Marks is the proud father of two boys and a girl. Mr. Marks serves on the Board of the Westchase Charitable Foundation and has served on the Board of Church at the Bay.

Prior to forming the law office of Westchase Law, P.A. and Westchase Title, LLC in Tampa, Florida, C. Todd Marks attended the George Mason School of Law. While in law school, Mr. Marks graded on to the Law Review and served as the Symposium Editor. Mr. Marks practiced law in Virginia and Washington, D.C. Mr. Marks began his legal career in Washington, DC and McLean, Virginia with the law firm of Shaw Pittman, LLP where he practiced in the emerging companies and commercial real estate practice groups. In the meantime, Todd remained active in local and national political campaigns. Todd eventually worked for law firms Connolly, Bove, Lodge & Hutz in the commercial litigation and bankruptcy practice groups where he developed a general practice which included estate planning and other business law matters. His experience includes real estate closings and disputes, commercial leases, commercial litigation, creditors' rights in bankruptcy, corporate formation and transactions, estate planning, employment law, and family law. Mr. Marks is the proud father of two boys and a girl. Mr. Marks serves on the Board of the Westchase Charitable Foundation and has served on the Board of Church at the Bay.

The Law Office of Jessenia Rosales serves clients throughout Florida in the practice of criminal defense and family law. Jessenia's specific areas of experience include divorce, child custody and support, injunctions, domestic violence, DUI, theft crimes, drug crimes, assault, and other violent crimes. She is also fluent in English and Spanish. Jessenia earned a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology with a Minor in Psychology from the University of South Florida. She then earned her law degree at Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Tampa, Florida, graduating with honors. Jessenia later re-enrolled at Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School to earn a Master of Laws in Intellectual Property. While earning her degrees, Jessenia interned at the Public Defender's office in Hillsborough County after working as a paralegal at a private law practice in St. Petersburg, Florida. Jessenia has been practicing law in Florida since 2017. She started her own firm, the Law Office of Jessenia Rosales, in 2018 to handle criminal and family law cases. Shortly after, Jessenia received the Rising Professional Award from the Federal Bar Association Younger Lawyers Division. Jessenia is also on the Florida Justice Center's Legal All-Star Team. Jessenia is an active member of the Federal Bar Association, American Bar Association, Florida State Bar Association and Clearwater Bar Association. Her volunteer service includes having served as chairperson of the Florida Justice Center, where she helped FLJC become Florida’s first criminal legal aid organization and volunteered at the expungement clinic. Jessenia has also been a board member of the Pinellas Latin Bar Association and served as a chairperson of the Clearwater Bar Association's Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Jessenia currently lives in the Tampa Bay area with her two daughters. They enjoy spending time outdoors with family and friends.

Daniel Hartpence was born and raised in Fayetteville, Georgia. As the son of a chiropractor and teacher, he was instilled with the drive and motivation necessary to succeed and excel. He went to Starr's Mill High School, then on to Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida. At Eckerd, Daniel played baseball and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry and a minor in Classic History.

Jerrold E. Slutzky, J.D., CFP® is a Florida-licensed Attorney at Law and owner of The Slutzky Law Firm, which focuses primarily on Estate Planning Services (wills, trusts, durable powers of attorney, health care surrogate designations, living wills, probate, etc.) and Small Business Legal Services (start-ups, buy-sell agreements, drafting of legal documents, contract negotiations, and general business law, counseling, and advice. Mr. Slutzky received a Bachelors of Science Degree in Finance from the University of Illinois (Champaign/Urbana), and a Juris Doctor Degree in Law from the John Marshall Law School in Chicago, Illinois. In 1977, Jerry obtained his Illinois law license and opened his own law firm in Chicago, which focused on small business law and family financial matters such as estate, retirement, and tax planning, as well as many other areas of the law. In 1988, he and his family decided to move away from the Chicago winters to the Florida sunshine. He placed his Illinois law license on inactive status, and pursued a career in the financial services industry in Tampa for over 20 years, and in that capacity, he obtained his Series 7 (General Securities), Series 63 (Uniform State Exam), Series 65 (Investment Advisor Representative), and Florida insurance licenses (Life, Variable Life, and Health). In addition, in 1999, Jerry obtained his designation as a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER(TM). Although he had previously retired from the practice of law in Illinois, he yearned to be able to use all of his knowledge and experience, both in legal as well as financial matters to better serve the needs of his clients. Inspired by his father, who practiced law until he was 96 years of age, Jerry decided to resume the practice of law in Florida in 2012. He limits his legal practice to matters pertaining to estate planning, small business law, and general legal counsel and advice. In addition, with the combination of over 40 years experience in the legal and investment arenas, he also serves as an arbitrator in adjudicating investor disputes before the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), the largest independent regulator for all securities firms doing business in the United States. Jerry is also author of "My 'Everything' File," which is a 330 page workbook containing guides to help you provide your loved ones with everything they need to know about you, your assets, your debts, your medical history, your family history, and much more. It is available for purchase at www.MyEverythingFile.com as well as on Amazon.com. An online course and workbook version is available at www.MyEverythingFile.net/JSlutzky. When not in the office or out giving educational lectures, Jerry loves ballroom dancing with his wife, Helen, and is an active supporter of community theater in the Tampa Bay area, where he can often be found performing on stage in one Broadway musical or another. It has been said that “every lawyer is a frustrated actor,” and Jerry’s avocation lends credence to that statement. If you belong to an organization which would like Jerry to provide an interesting, entertaining, and extremely informative educational lecture, please call him or send him a note.

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.