With nearly a decade of experience in high-stakes litigation and public service, Mary E. Castillo brings a powerful blend of trial acumen, leadership, and strategic legal insight to Gilbert Garcia Group, P.A. As a former Assistant State Attorney for Hillsborough County, she has prosecuted some of the most serious felony offenses—including homicides, gang-related violence, and sex crimes—developing a reputation for integrity, meticulous preparation, and courtroom excellence. During her tenure at the State Attorney’s Office, Mary litigated more than 35 felony jury trials to verdict and led a felony division as Deputy Chief, supervising a team of attorneys and support staff while managing a demanding felony caseload. She has also handled juvenile, misdemeanor and traffic, domestic violence and violation of probation (VOP) dockets, making her an exceptionally well-rounded advocate with deep knowledge of Florida’s criminal justice system from intake to adjudication. A graduate of Notre Dame Law School, Mary served as Executive Articles Editor for the Notre Dame Journal of Legislation and published a scholarly note on Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law. She earned the Dean’s Award for Professional Responsibility and was active in leadership roles with the Hispanic Law Students Association and the Future Prosecuting Attorney’s Council. She also studied abroad at Notre Dame’s prestigious London Law Centre. In addition to her legal expertise, Mary is pursuing an MBA from the University of South Florida’s Muma College of Business, with a concentration in Compliance, Risk, and Anti-Money Laundering—bringing valuable and practical business knowledge to her legal practice. Mary is passionate about justice, client advocacy, and delivering exceptional legal outcomes, making her an invaluable asset to our firm and the clients we serve. We are thrilled to have her join Gilbert Garcia Group as a Litigation Attorney and Commercial Collections Supervisor.”

Ydelmis Cutino is admitted to the Florida Bar (2024). She matriculated at the W.M.U. Cooley Law School (J.D., 2021), and the University of South Florida (B.A., Business Science Management, 2018) and is certified as a Florida Notary Signing Agent, Remote Online Notary Agent, and Microsoft Office Specialist. Ydelmis joined the firm in 2021, serving Gilbert Garcia Group as a law clerk and Sapphire Title & Escrow Company as a title processor. With a strong commitment to the field, Ydelmis actively contributes to the legal and real estate communities through her writing, regularly crafting insightful articles and blogs that educate, inform, and engage readers. Ydelmis credits her interest in real property law for leading to her involvement in real estate transactions, including that of title and escrow practices. Ydelmis is bilingual in Spanish and English. She was born and raised in Miami, Florida and is of Cuban descent. Ydelmis notes, “Faith, determination, and persistence are the three keys to my life.”

An aggressive litigator, Karina Perez Ilić has diverse expertise in civil litigation including catastrophic workplace accidents, contracts, commercial disputes, premises liability, and Tampa motor vehicle accidents. She is not afraid to be a fierce advocate for clients who have been wronged or injured. A Florida native, she ventured to New Orleans to receive her bachelor’s degree in business law with a minor in French language at Tulane University. She continued her legal education in New Orleans, graduating from Loyola University in 2010 cum laude. Attorney Karina Perez Ilić is a member of the Florida State Bar and is admitted to practice in both the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida and the Southern District. She is also a Certified Continuing Education Instructor in the State of Florida. As Managing Attorney at our firm, she is devoted to providing our clients with superior service to ensure that each of their unique needs have been met and that they have achieved the highest compensation possible. Se habla español.

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.

Solano Law Firm is located in Atlanta, Georgia working in primary practice areas of immigration, family, and criminal law. Clients’ needs are our first priority at Solano Law Firm. If you need an immigration lawyer, our team provide first class strategies and seek the best results for each of our clients. At Solano Law Firm we work diligently to keep our clients well informed to provide peace of mind. We believe in educating our clients, showing them positive and negative aspects of their case. Informed clients make decisions in line with their objectives and goals. We are Atlanta lawyers serving English and Spanish speaking clients. Founded by a bilingual English-Spanish speaking lawyer, our clients benefit from our fluency. We work with individuals, families, and companies throughout the United States.

Brad is an experienced litigator who has handled a wide array of business, intellectual property, and class action disputes. He is consistently recognized by his peers as one of the leading business litigators in Florida. Brad is also a trusted advisor to clients who regularly turn to him to navigate complex business issues.

David is an experienced litigator who represents clients in complex business disputes, including shareholder disputes, derivative actions, contract disputes, and other business torts. David develops client-specific litigation strategies focused on achieving each client’s unique business and legal objectives. He also has significant experience litigating privacy and reputation disputes, and intellectual property matters in both state and federal court.

Tony has been practicing admiralty and maritime law for over thirty years and has been board certified for over twenty-five years. He handles a large array of admiralty and maritime matters as well as civil litigation. Tony handles Jones Act cases, Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act cases, maritime personal injury cases, collisions, allisions, cargo claims, pollution claims, environmental issues relative to clean water discharge, Coast Guard and OSHA investigations, and recreational boating accidents and injuries. He also represents mariners in licensing disputes before the United States Coast Guard and the Board of Pilot Commissioners. Additionally, he litigates disputes arising from commercial transactions, charter agreements, yacht sales and marina related issues and also transactions related to commercial shipping, charter agreements, ship repairs marinas, and yachts. Tony handles residential and commercial permit issues before the Tampa Port Authority (Port Tampa Bay, and the Environmental Protection Commission of Hillsborough County. Tony was raised in Manatee County, Florida where he spent years working on Beach Rescue. He enjoys water sports, swimming, surfing, and fishing. He spends his free time with his wife, Laurie, and their three children: Zoe, Zach and Lainie. Tony has hiked the Everest Trail and several other challenging hikes such as Mount Rainier, Guadalupe and Kings Peak.

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.