Michelle Gilbert is admitted to the Florida Bar (1986), Washington, D.C. Bar (2020), Middle District of Florida (1988), Northern District of Florida (2005), Southern District of Florida (2006), U.S. Supreme Court (2000), and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit (2003). She matriculated at the University of South Florida (B.A., 1982, cum laude), and the University of Notre Dame Law School (J.D., 1985). She is a member of the following associations: Greater Tampa Association of Realtors; Bay Area Real Estate Council, Inc., Board of Directors; Hillsborough County Bar Association (Real Property, Probate and Trust Law; Solo and Small Firm; and Military and Veteran Sections); Florida Bar (Real Property, Probate and Trust Law; Business; and Solo and Small Firm Sections- Executive Council); American Legal and Financial Network; Legal League 100 (Vice Chairperson, 2016-19; Advisory Council Member, 2014-19; Special Initiatives Working Group, 2017- present); National Association of Default Professionals; Attorney Agent, Westcor Land Title Insurance Company and The Fund. She has managed the firm’s expansion into probate, estate planning, guardianship, civil litigation, business transaction and commercial collections, and oversees Sapphire Title & Escrow Company, launched in 2015. She is court approved counsel for guardianship cases in the Florida Thirteenth Judicial Circuit. Michelle has practiced real estate and business law since 1989, specializing in default servicing legal work, including litigated foreclosures, real estate closings, evictions, and commercial litigation. She works closely with the default industry by speaking at webinars and conferences, writing for industry publications, and consulting on various issues relevant to the industry. She was named 2021 Top 25 Women of Law by DS News, as well as selected as one of MReport’s 2015 and 2018 Leading Ladies. She taught the Florida Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Certified Process Servers Course from 1993 to 2014, and has written the chapter on service of process in real estate cases for the Florida Bar, since 2010.

James Elliott is a native of Tampa, Florida. After graduating from Tampa Jesuit High School, he attended the University of Florida where he received a Bachelor of Arts, and then continued his education at the Florida State University where he received a Master of Arts. Mr. Elliott received his Juris Doctor degree from the Syracuse University College of Law, where he served as Articles Editor for the Labor Lawyer Journal, and earned a Certificate of Concentration in Corporate Counsel. Mr. Elliott also earned a Certificate in Financial Management from Cornell University, and was named a Super Lawyer rising star in 2017. He has published several articles in various legal journals around the country, including the American Bankruptcy Institute Journal. Mr. Elliott began his career as a judicial extern with a former bankruptcy judge, Judge Stephen D. Gerling of the Northern District of New York. Mr. Elliott then continued to practice bankruptcy law and consumer protection in Tampa, Florida and joined the McIntyre Thanasides law firm in 2010. Mr. Elliott represents clients through personal and business bankruptcy, as well as out-of-court debt restructurings. Whether representing businesses or individuals, Mr. Elliott takes pride in advocating for his clients’ interest and assisting clients in creating financial plans that meet their particular goals. Mr. Elliott is a member of the Tampa Bay Bankruptcy Bar Association, the Temple Terrace Bar Association and the Florida Bar. In addition to growing up in Tampa and dedicating his career to assisting Tampa Bay area residents, he also raises his family of two children in Tampa. He enjoys volunteering as a youth soccer coach and is the President of the Florida Soccer Club, Spirit of Tampa Bay.

Frank Kerney III is a managing partner of The Consumer Lawyers. Frank grew up in central New Jersey before moving to Florida to attend the University of South Florida. After graduation, Mr. Kerney attended Stetson University College of Law where he was inducted into the law school’s honors fraternity and awarded the William F. Blews pro bono service award at graduation. Prior to co-founding The Consumer Lawyers, Frank worked for Morgan & Morgan’s national consumer protection department where he represented consumers across the Untied States in a variety of cases, with a focus on consumer credit reporting and illegal debt collection. Frank has been named a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers magazine every year since 2016. Only the top 2.5% of lawyers in each state receive this award. In 2020, Frank was named a Top Attorney Under 40 by Law360, and was one of only two Plaintiff’s lawyers to be included in that list. Frank has been interviewed as legal analyst by multiple publications, including Law360, ABC, NBC, and Fox, and stories about his cases have been featured all over the world.

Attorney Michael “Mike” Ziegler represents consumers and business owners in resolving their difficult debts using bankruptcy, defending collection lawsuits, foreclosure defense, and suing lenders and debt collectors for illegal activities. Mike’s focus is to understand his client’s situation to find the right remedy for them – seeking a solution that is aimed to take the least amount of time, cost, and impact to resolve the problem in front of them