Unger, Stokes, Acree, Gilbert, Tressler & Tacktill, P.L., is a full-service law firm representing diverse clients in all types of civil disputes and transactions throughout Florida. The principal areas of the firm's practice are as follows:
- General Liability
- This section of our practice includes premises liability, automotive liability, intentional torts and mass torts.
- Products Liability and Complex Litigation
- We have extensive experience representing manufacturers of many diverse products and handling multi-jurisdictional complex litigation.
- Professional Liability
- We represent physicians, hospitals, nursing homes and any member of the hospital staff in medical negligence actions. We also have extensive experience in handling licensure and disciplinary proceedings for many professionals.
- Insurance Coverage
- We prosecute and defend actions to determine the applicability of insurance coverage, including first-party, third-party and bad-faith claims.
- ERISA
- We have extensive experience in handling ERISA defenses concerning employee benefits, group life, health, and disability coverage.
- Business Litigation
- This area of the firm's practice encompasses the litany of business disputes, including commercial, contract, business torts and complex business litigation
- Appellate Practice
- We represent clients in appellate matters at all levels of the state and federal court systems.
- Real Estate and Land Use
- We handle complex real estate transactions and landuse entitlement, from the negotiation of purchase agreements through due diligence, obtaining governmental approvals, and closing transactions. We have experience in alternative financing, solving difficult title issues and overcoming school capacity limitations. We have been successful in establishing strong relationships with and regularly appear before all governmental entities and agencies within Central Florida. Our representative clients are large publicly traded home-builders, as well as regional and local home and commercial developers, construction contractors, and real estate brokerages.
- Estate Planning
- Our firm’s estate planning considers a variety of problems that may arise both during the client’s life and at the client’s death. During life, we can assist with issues such as Medicaid planning and elder abuse. For some individuals, estate planning may also encompass plans to protect assets from potential creditors during the client’s life. Estate planning utilizes joint ownership, survivorship, wills, and various forms of trusts and business entities to minimize or eliminate exposure to creditors’ claims, probate and estate taxes. Estate planning can also address the client’s desires regarding end-stage of life issues such as healthcare directives, disposition of the decedent’s remains, and distribution of a decedent’s assets to friends or family members. The ultimate goal of our firm’s estate planning is to allow the client to fully enjoy the use of their assets during their lifetime, and to then transfer assets to friends or family members upon death with a minimum of oversight or interference from the courts, creditors, and the Internal Revenue Service.
- Guardianships for Minors
- Minors are legally incapable (due to the disability of non-age, i.e., being a minor) of exercising ownership or control over the newly acquired assets, and in certain circumstances, parents can only manage their child’s assets with prior approval and authorization from a court of law. When a minor has a legal claim, or will inherit assets, Florida law may require the appointment of a guardian of the minor’s property. Our firm represents both family members seeking to act as guardians of a minor’s property and as court-appointed guardian ad litem for minors.
- Guardianships for Adults
- An adult family member becomes unable to care for themselves or manage their assets and affairs due to physical or mental disability, a determination of incapacity and appoint of a guardian may become necessary. The firm represents family members seeking to have an adult family member determined legally incapacitated. The firm also represents clients seeking appointment as a guardian of the person, guardian or the property, or guardian of the person and property of an adult determined legally incapacitated.
- Probate
- The firm handles all aspects of probate administration across the State of Florida. We have represented clients facing everything from simple summary administrations with no will, through formal probate administrations, and up to and including administrations of large or complex estates with estate tax considerations. We advise clients who are personal representatives, trustees of decedents’ trusts, and heirs and beneficiaries of decedents’ estates.
- Small Business
- We represent clients with businesses in structuring their business and financial affairs in an attempt to minimize liability and tax burdens. The firm advises on the legal and financial aspects of various types of business entities, including sole proprietorships, partnerships, and corporations, including business entities established pursuant to State or Federal law, such as limited liability partnerships, limited liability corporations, small business entities and sub-chapter S corporations.