About Us
Becker & Poliakoff represents clients in litigation matters throughout the United States. The Firm's litigators have extensive experience litigating in federal and state courts, and in arbitrations, concerning a wide range of legal disputes, representing both plaintiffs and defendants. We have substantial experience and skill in multi-party lawsuits, and we are especially qualified to handle technical and fact-intensive matters requiring superior organizational skills, coordination of extensive discovery and trial experience. We have handled a broad range of complex commercial litigation matters for clients including governmental entities, publicly-traded corporations, insurance companies, financial institutions, developers, entrepreneurs, contractors, design professionals, and small businesses.
Litigation is one of the Firm's strongest, largest, and most well-respected practice areas. We are proud of our reputation for providing strategic, innovative, and aggressive representation. Approximately half of our attorneys are full time litigators.
Learn more about the Becker & Poliakoff Commercial Litigation Practice Group.
| Jamie Dokovna, Editor jdokovna@becker-poliakoff.com |
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Jamie Dokovna, the editor of Business Litigation Perspectives is an attorney in the Becker & Poliakoff's Florida Litigation practice group. She focuses her practice on Litigation, emphasizing employment law and general liability as well as condominium and homeowners association law. She has extensive experience representing employers in various claims, including but not limited to, claims brought under Title VII, Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family Medical Leave Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, Florida Civil Rights Act, claims brought under the Fair Labor Standards Act and claims based retaliation and housing discrimination. Ms. Dokovna has handled claims with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Florida Commission on Human Relations (FCHR), U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and claims brought on the county level from the investigation stage through trial. Prior to joining Becker & Poliakoff, Ms. Dokovna was Associate Vice President of OLM Financial Group in addition to her tenure with other law firms. |
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D. Andrew Byrne, Shareholder |
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Andrew Byrne is a litigator with 25+ years of experience. Since 1997, Mr. Byrne has concentrated his practice as a first chair trial lawyer in labor and employment law, with significant experience in complex commercial litigation, land use, contract, construction, administrative, and appellate matters. Prior to joining Becker & Poliakoff, P.A., Mr. Byrne was a partner at Phillips Nizer, LLP and a principal at Cooper & Byrne, PLLC, a law firm he co-founded in Tallahassee, Florida. |
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| Gary C. Rosen, Chair of the Litigation Practice Group grosen@becker-poliakoff.com |
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Gary C. Rosen is a Florida Bar Board Certified Business Litigation attorney who chairs the Firm's Florida litigation practice. He has undertaken complex litigation on behalf of county and city governments, developers, builders, corporations, condominium associations, financial institutions and physicians. He has extensive trial experience in the areas of business litigation, construction claims, defects and delays, in which he has obtained several multimillion dollar jury verdicts, judgments and settlements in favor of claimants in construction deficiency cases. In addition, Mr. Rosen represents national corporate clients in the protection of intellectual property rights through civil prosecution of trademark and copyright infringement. |
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Gary M. Schaaf, Shareholder |
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Gary Schaaf is an experienced business litigator, and supervises the litigation department in the firm's Tampa Bay Regional Office, located in Clearwater, Florida. Mr. Schaaf has been a business litigator in the Tampa Bay Area since moving from Philadelphia in 1987, and is rated “AV” by the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory - its highest professional rating - based upon the endorsement of his colleagues in the areas of professional conduct, ethics and ability. Mr. Schaaf has been selected by Florida Trend magazine as a member of the Legal Elite, which recognizes the top tier of attorneys practicing in Florida as chosen by their colleagues. Mr. Schaaf has extensive experience litigating business disputes, real property disputes, contract litigation, probate and trust litigation, condominium and homeowners association litigation, mortgage foreclosure litigation, injunction actions, representation of creditors in bankruptcy, and banking litigation. His clients have included national and local financial institutions, multi-national, national and local businesses, governments, and individuals. |
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| Peter W. Smith, Partner psmith@becker-poliakoff.com |
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Peter Smith has been litigating complex disputes on behalf of businesses, professionals, banks and high net-worth individuals in the state, federal and bankruptcy courts of New York and New Jersey since 1997. His experience is as varied and broad as the problems he solves for his clients. He has represented clients in civil lawsuits, mediations, arbitrations, trials, and appeals involving complex contract disputes, construction disputes including mechanics' liens, lender liability, insurance coverage disputes, surety and fidelity bond disputes, foreclosure proceedings, contested guardianship proceedings, fraud, civil and criminal RICO, recovery of stolen or converted property, and judgment enforcement proceedings. |
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| Mark Trank mtrank@becker-poliakoff.com |
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Mark Trank is an attorney in the Litigation group practicing in Ft. Myers. He handles real estate and business litigation matters in state and federal court on behalf of Firm clients, including businesses, banks, developers and individuals, as well as local land use matters on behalf of clients before governmental bodies. Mr. Trank relocated to Florida from Virginia, where he has practiced law in the private and public sectors since 1991. He has extensive experience as a local government attorney, having spent 13 years as Deputy County Attorney for Albemarle County, Virginia. Trank has extensive experience on behalf of government and private sector clients in numerous areas of litigation, including employment, government, business, land use and real estate cases. He has extensive litigation experience in many areas of the law, including constitutional law, private and public education law, zoning and land use, condemnation, employment discrimination and disputes, procurement, public records and all types of contract disputes. |
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Brian Willis is a business and real estate litigation attorney in the firm’s Tampa Bay office. His experience includes representing businesses, individuals, government agencies, and community associations in matters involving business disputes, commercial and residential property disputes, community association litigation, discrimination and employment law matters, injunction actions, and other issues. He has experience in state and federal court as well as appellate practice experience before Florida’s First and Second District Court of Appeal. |
