Law Offices Of Matthew Jowanna — Your Local Personal Injury & Estate Planning Firm 

Attorneys Farral A. Haber (left) & Matthew J. Jowanna of The Law Office of Matthew J. Jowanna, P.A., located off Bruce B. Downs Blvd. in Wesley Chapel, specialize in personal injury law & estate planning. (Photo by Charmaine George) 

The Law Offices of Matthew J. Jowanna, P.A., have been serving the legal needs of Wesley Chapel and New Tampa since 2005. The firm, located at the Windguard Professional Center off Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. in Wesley Chapel (near The Goddard School), specializes in personal injury, probate and estate planning and administration. 

Attorney Matthew J. Jowanna has been practicing law for more than 30 years and has specialized in personal injury cases since 1994. The firm’s founder, president and managing shareholder, Jowanna says his experience working in large law firms in downtown Tampa inspired him to do things differently. He says his goal since opening his firm has been to make that big downtown law firm experience accessible to people in New Tampa, Wesley Chapel and the surrounding communities. Jowanna wants his clients to know that his is a quality local law firm focused on professional, caring service. 

“I wanted to open a small neighborhood law firm,” Jowanna explains, “where people in the local communities are able to get top-quality legal representation.” 

In order to expand the services Jowanna’s firm offers to clients, he recently added Farral A. Haber as managing attorney for estate planning and probate. Haber has been practicing law for thirteen years, with ten years specifically in trusts and estates. Together, Jowanna and Haber offer a wealth of experience to their clients. 

“We don’t do everything under the sun,” Jowanna says, “but our practice areas now include some of the most common needs in the neighborhood — we’re here as neighbors to help you with the typical legal problems that you and your neighbors may have.” 

When it comes to injury cases, whether someone gets hurt in a car accident, while on vacation or in the workplace, The Law Offices of Matthew J. Jowanna can assist you. Jowanna also helps clients who are having problems receiving their deserved injury benefits from insurance companies. 

Meanwhile, Haber’s estate planning and probate specialization helps clients with creating wills, living trusts, making plans for their estates and probate cases. Regardless of which services you require, Jowanna and Haber make every effort to meet those needs, and also make accommodations for their clients’ financial needs. 

“People shouldn’t have to drive to downtown Tampa for quality legal representation,” Jowanna says. “Every client is important and every case is different.” 

Jowanna earned his Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Broadcasting and Mass Communications from the University of South Florida in Tampa. He worked for several Tampa Bay area radio and television stations for seven years before pursuing his law degree. He then obtained his Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale and graduated Summa Cum Laude (with Highest Honors), in the top 2% of his law school class. He also completed a prestigious postdoctoral Legum Magister (LL.M., or “Master of Laws”) degree from the University of Notre Dame, in Notre Dame, IN, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude (with High Honors) and received a perfect score on his LL.M. thesis. 

Jowanna’s first job out of law school was for an insurance defense firm, which helped him realize that insurance defense wasn’t where he wanted to spend his career. 

“It’s the opposite of what I do now,” he explains. “Doing that made me realize that I was on the wrong side of the fence, and I would prefer to be on the plaintiff side to help someone in their claim against a big insurance company.” He says he is appreciative of the knowledge he gained from seeing the other side, and that it has given him added insight when working with clients who are going up against insurance companies. 

Jowanna and his firm have been included in U.S. News & World Report’s rankings of the Best Lawyers and Best Law Firms in the U.S. He also is included in the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers, a unique guide to the legal community’s preeminent professionals who have received the highest ratings, according to the prestigious Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory. 

Tampa is ranked in the top-10 worst cities for drivers. Therefore, if you drive regularly in the Tampa Bay area, you have most likely witnessed an accident, its aftermath, or have possibly been involved in a collision yourself. Jowanna shares the following advice as to what to do if you find yourself in that situation. 

“I tell every client to take care of yourself first,” says Jowanna. “Your injuries obviously come first; the legal claim will be there afterwards. If you get into your typical fender bender and still have your wits about you, you should take photographs. A picture is worth a thousand words. Document, document, document!” 

Clients truly appreciate the way the firm advises them and goes above and beyond, even in the most challenging scenarios — as evidenced by its 4.9-star (out of 5) overall rating on Google on more than 50 reviews. And, while it is a neighborhood practice, the attorneys and legal staff can assist you even when you are far from home. 

In a five-star review on Google, Alexander Hunter says, “They handled my accident claim with incredible patience, even though I had to process everything from overseas. The team took the time to explain every step in detail and negotiated on my behalf when issues arose with different medical providers. Their professionalism and commitment to my case made a stressful situation so much easier.” 

The Estate Planning Side 

Helping folks during difficult and emotional times is an aspect of the work that Haber says she finds most rewarding. Working in probate and estate law, Haber helps clients both prepare for their own futures, as well as wrap up the affairs of someone who has passed. She helps clients with the process of figuring out exactly how an estate is to be administered, locating assets, discerning whether a court needs to be involved, as well as explaining what paperwork needs to be filed. 

Haber earned her Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Psychology from the University of Florida in Gainesville, Cum Laude (with distinction). She was the Valedictorian of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. She then earned her Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree, Cum Laude, from the University of Florida, Levin College of Law. 

While in law school, Haber received the Book Award for the highest grade in Trial Practice; she also was the Executive Articles Editor for the UF Journal of Law & Public Policy and was a Certified Legal Intern with the State Attorney’s office. She is licensed to practice law in Florida, Virginia and the District of Columbia. 

While Haber initially started out as a litigator, after a few years, she chose to focus on estate planning and probate. “What I love about estate planning,” she says, “ is that it is something that everybody needs, and yet it is so easy to put off. I enjoy demystifying the process for folks and explaining things, making it approachable and customizing it to what a client actually wants, then seeing those goals put into practice.” 

Haber adds that she encourages people to plan ahead of time, and to not be afraid of the process. “People avoid it or dig their head in the sand because they don’t understand what it entails,” she says. Her goal is to make estate planning more approachable for clients and to help them get something in place, even if it is a step-by-step process that takes a few years. 

Jowanna says Haber’s talents are a great addition to the practice. “We are simply thrilled to have Farral joining us,” Jowanna says. “I hope the clients are as thrilled with her as we are.” 

While both Jowanna and Haber say they see growth of the firm as a goal, they are clear about what they want that growth to look like. “I never want to get so big that I don’t remember a client’s name and I don’t remember their file,” explains Jowanna, to which Haber adds, “I certainly want to assist as many folks as I can, but I never want to sacrifice quality.” 

The Law Offices of Matthew J. Jowanna, P.A., are located at 2521 Windguard Cir. For more information, call (813) 929-7300 or visit LetMattDoThat.com. 

The Law Office Of Elizabeth Devolder For Quality Estate Planning With Heart 

(Above, l.-r.) Attorney Elizabeth Devolder, case manager Camelia Howard and attorney Rachael Alexander make up the team you’ll have on your side if you choose the Law Office of Elizabeth Devolder in Tampa Palms. (Photos by Charmaine George)

When Dwan Klein’s dear friend of 37 years called to say her checks were suddenly bouncing, Dwan immediately knew something was wrong. 

Her friend, now 86, had been widowed for many years, had no family, and had signed documents appointing Dwan and her husband as her caregivers if she were to become incapacitated. 

Dwan had no idea that day was so close. 

Dwan’s husband, an accountant, realized someone was stealing from their friend. They were able to determine it was an online scammer, but Dwan’s friend didn’t believe it. She refused to close her accounts to stop the perpetrator. 

At an absolute loss of what to do, Dwan turned to attorney Elizabeth Devolder of The Law Office of Elizabeth Devolder, located in the Tampa Palms Professional Center, just off the Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. exit of I-75. 

“It was the best thing we could have done,” Dwan says. “Elizabeth understood immediately what our issues were, and gave us direction on what do to, and how to do it.” 

Elizabeth says her firm is seeing many instances of such financial exploitation. In addition to this example, she has seen elderly people who have left their financial and medical decisions to some unexpected people, including a dog trainer, someone who painted a person’s car and even a taxi driver. 

“Sometimes, people don’t know who to trust,” Elizabeth says. “Sometimes, their families live far away and aren’t able to be on site, but there’s a neighbor or a person from church who offers to help. We often don’t know those people’s bad intentions until much later.” 

Elizabeth and her team have the legal expertise to help people understand and think through their options when it comes to establishing caregiving and financial responsibility, should they become incapacitated. 

“People come into my office to set up a will and they aren’t thinking about the kinds of decisions that might need to be made if they become ill and can’t make them [for themselves] anymore,” she says. “They have this idea in their mind that, in the future, they will either be dead or perfectly fine. They don’t anticipate incapacity.” 

Elizabeth established The Law Office of Elizabeth Devolder in 2021, five years after she earned her Juris Doctor (J.D.) law degree from the Tampa campus of the Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Riverview in 2016, following a successful career in advertising and sales management. She had previously earned a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Corporate Communications from the College of Charleston, SC, in 1997. For five years, Elizabeth worked jointly with her ex-husband Bryan Devolder at their Devolder Law Firm. 

The newer firm’s associate attorney Rachael Alexander was previously a case manager, working closely with Elizabeth and helping her found the firm while going to law school herself. The team also includes case manager Camelia Howard. 

Elizabeth says there are ways to set up your documents to ensure a system of checks and balances, so that no one person has total control and there’s always someone looking out for your best interests, even if it’s not your primary caregiver. 

She emphasizes that this is why setting up an estate plan with an attorney is so important, and that online documents from a website don’t give you personalized, customized advice from an expert who takes your individual circumstances into account. 

There’s another benefit to hiring an attorney, too. The attorney who prepares and signs your documents can testify to your capacity and intentions in court if that becomes necessary. 

Dwan and her husband were grateful for Elizabeth’s immediate action to help their friend. They ended up going to court, where three separate experts evaluated their friend and determined that she was unable to make good decisions for herself. Her paperwork was crystal clear about who she wanted to make decisions on her behalf if that were to happen. 

The court gave Dwan the authority to close the accounts that were being attacked and protect her friend’s assets. By the time they were able to do that, the scammer already had taken $150,000 from their friend. 

“When we met Elizabeth, we knew immediately that she was the right person to help us,” Dwan says. “She knew exactly what we needed to do.” Dwan adds that she is grateful that Elizabeth helped her to ensure her friend’s assets could no longer be stolen. 

“We talk regularly, and we ensure that all of her needs are met,” says Dwan. “It was very difficult, and very hard to see her unable to accept the fact that she was being taken advantage of, but the judge was so kind and actually said, ‘I wish I had a friend like you.’” 

Elizabeth says this is a perfect example of how one situation is very different from another. Not everyone has a friend who would take such good care of them and manage their finances in their best interest. In those cases, when a person has no family present, there are professionals who can manage these decisions for them. 

Sometimes, though, a professional isn’t needed. Remember the dog trainer, taxi driver, and car painter who were given control over someone’s entire estate? One of those actually had no bad intentions at all. 

In fact, Elizabeth says the person who asked her taxi driver to care for her had no family. She had formed a bond with the lady who drove her to all of her appointments. That taxi driver ended up caring for her for the rest of her life, ensuring she had all she needed, and looking out for her best interests. 

“Every family and every person’s situation is different,” she says. “The important thing an attorney can do is help to create a system that avoids the potential for abuse, and can provide testimony about your capacity when you signed the documents.” 

Elizabeth says for her clients, she is willing to take the time to be incredibly detailed, as long as that’s what the client wants. She tells of visiting a client in the hospital who was refusing to eat and the client’s nurses were frustrated. Elizabeth glanced at the papers she had brought with her. 

“I told the nurses his favorite treat was ice cream, and they looked at me like I was a genius,” Elizabeth laughs. “You can have sufficient documents that don’t go into that level of detail, but with it, you can provide direction for how to provide better care for you.” 

Elizabeth also specializes in valuating and managing collections of art or other tangible personal property, such as gun or coin collections, or antiques. 

“It may require calling in a special appraiser who is familiar with that type of collection, because 1980s rock posters are very different than a collection of china,” Elizabeth says. “Our goal is to maximize the value of the collection, which takes some effort, and the person who is best at knowing how to maximize the value is the one who collected it.” 

Elizabeth says she and her team offer their clients experience, knowledge and care that may be hard to find, especially as the market grows and many attorneys offer estate planning. 

“In addition to eight years of experience doing estate planning here in our area, we live and work in Tampa, and we work together to answer our own calls in our own office,” she says. “We’re not working out of a coworking space or having a virtual assistant in another country answering our phones. My clients want to walk in and see the person they spoke to on the phone, and meet my staff, who is then also able to testify about you if necessary. Those details are important to look for when hiring an estate planning attorney.” 

The Law Office of Elizabeth Devolder is located at 5383 Primrose Lake Cir., Suite C, in the Tampa Palms Professional Center. It is open Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.–6 p.m. For more information or to make an appointment, call (813) 319-4550 or visit ElizabethDevolder.com.

The Law Office Of Paul J. Monsanto Can Help You With Estate Planning 

Attorney Paul Monsanto specializes in Wills, Trusts, Probate & Family Planning. His office is located in the Cypress Glen Professional Park in Wesley Chapel. (Photo provided by Paul Monsanto) 

The one thing we can all count on in life, other than death and taxes, is change. Whether it’s a new baby in the family or someone getting sick, change is constant. We have to make decisions in the best interest of our families and adjust to all the curveballs thrown our way, but what about when we’re not here anymore? Who will be looking out for our families after we’ve passed on? 

Just the idea leaves us with big, heavy questions to ask ourselves. What will happen to my assets? Will my wishes be properly carried out? Who will take care of my children if I pass away before they’re adults? Death and disability are never topics anyone wants to discuss, but avoiding planning for them can cost you and your family big time. 

In attorney Paul J. Monsanto’s line of work, he’s seen the turmoil created after someone dies without a properly prepared estate plan. “There’s nothing more disheartening than when I see a family who should be grieving, instead having to deal with the legal headache that comes when someone dies without a Will or a Trust because it’s completely avoidable,” Paul says. 

The Law Office of Paul James Monsanto, P.A., located in the Cypress Glen Professional Park (north of S.R. 56) in Wesley Chapel handles exactly those types of issues. The office specializes in Wills, Trusts, Probate and Family Planning. 

“A comprehensive estate plan is the single most important thing you can do to ensure your family and your hard-earned money are protected in case you die or become incapacitated,” Paul says. “And it’s not as complex as some people think.” 

He adds that, “I believe simplicity is crucial to estate planning. I get a lot of calls from clients who think they need a complicated estate plan to avoid probate because of something a friend told them or an article they read online, but for a lot of people, especially older folks, that’s not the case.” 

In fact, the number-one reason that motivates Paul’s clients to call him is because they want to avoid probate. “Probate is a court-supervised process of transferring assets from the deceased to their beneficiaries,” he says. “It also is an opportunity for creditors to make claims against the estate.” 

For those whose family member passed away without an estate plan, probate can be a long, arduous process. “I’ll never forget one particular client,” Paul says. “It was a young man in his 40s who came to me because he was very sick with cancer. He didn’t have children but wanted to leave his assets to his mother and brother. My heart broke when I found out he had passed away two months later. He was weak and sick, but still made the effort to create an estate plan. That saved his family months of added stress.” 

Paul’s law firm is quickly rising to the top of the pack with 47 five-star Google reviews since he opened his office three years ago. But, while his firm is young, Paul has plenty of experience. He has been practicing law for more than 13 years and is licensed to practice in both Florida and New York. Paul graduated with a Finance degree from the University of Florida in Gainesville. He attended law school at Duke University in Durham, NC. From there, he moved to New York City and became a litigating attorney for major banks and insurance companies. After his time in the big city, Paul came home to Tampa, where he was raised, so he could put down roots. There, he met his wife Laura Diaz, a morning radio personality at WMTX-FM Mix 100.7, and now has two wonderful stepchildren, Norah and Nash. They live in the New Tampa neighborhood of Tampa Palms. 

His career and personal life have taught Paul that no two family situations are the same. “I’ve seen families with no children and I’ve seen one family with ten children,” he says. “I’ve helped unmarried domestic partners, same-sex couples, people who are on their first marriage, second marriage, third marriage, blended families…you name it!” 

He says that the personal aspect of estate planning is what drew him to the practice area and why he plans to continue to practice estate law for years to come. 

“After practicing commercial litigation for big banks and corporations, it’s so refreshing to help everyday people,” Paul says. “Speaking to my clients and hearing about their lives and their families is my favorite part of the job.” 

His client-focused approach is just one of the ways Paul’s law office stands out from the dozens of others popping up around New Tampa and Wesley Chapel. He strives to keep his fees fair and reasonable. In most cases, he charges a flat fee, so the client knows ahead of time what their legal costs will be. He makes himself accessible to his clients, personally answering his phone, replying to emails and handling consultations and document signings. He encourages potential clients to read his on-line reviews to see what his past clients have said about their experience with his office. Positive word of mouth has indeed helped grow his practice. “It’s such an honor when a client refers me to a friend, neighbor or family member,” Paul says. 

Wills and Trusts are what most people think of first when it comes to estate planning, but Paul says there are many more aspects to it that he can help with, such as long-term-care planning, special needs planning and asset protection. He also handles probate cases. 

“I like to think of myself as an old-school type of lawyer from a time before everything became impersonal. I’m here to help my clients in any way I can, and if it’s something I don’t do, I can probably help them find someone who does.” 

To schedule a consultation with attorney Paul J. Monsanto, call (813) 997- 5290, visit pjmattorneys.com. The Law Office of Paul J. Monsanto, P.A., is located at 2404 Creel Lane, Suite 101, Wesley Chapel.

Chapel Legal Can Help With Family Law & Estate Planning 

Attorney & Wesley Chapel resident Cela Webster’s Chapel Legal in Tampa Palms can help with all of your estate planning & family law needs. (Photo by Charmaine George).

When Cela Webster opened Chapel Legal just eight months ago, it was both a homecoming and the culmination of a career that has prepared her to help clients in the areas of family law and estate planning. 

Chapel Legal is located in the Tampa Palms Professional Center off of Commerce Palms Blvd., near the Bruce B. Downs exit of I-75. While Cela is available for in-person consultations at her office location, she says many clients prefer to talk on the phone or meet virtually via a videoconferencing app. 

Most often, she helps families who need custody arrangements for children, or need to modify arrangements that have already been made. She can help with divorce, adoption, and other family matters, as well. 

Chapel Legal also helps people create a will, designate a healthcare surrogate, set up power of attorney or guardianship, and other important areas of estate planning. 

And, Cela also has developed a specialty in church law, where she helps churches with all types of legal questions — from employee matters to Covid compliance. “A couple of them (churches) have me on speed dial,” she says. “I just never know what they’re going to ask.” 

But, Cela says, she’s always prepared no matter what they ask her, thanks to a long and varied career that has exposed her to many courtrooms and legal opinions in both Florida and New York. 

Cela left her hometown of Temple Terrace after graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of South Florida. She says the plan was to go to New York for law school and then return home to practice. 

She started off on that path, earning her Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from the Syracuse University College of Law in Syracuse, NY, in 2000. 

She then took an extended stay of almost two decades before she came back. 

“I tell people I was there ‘on accident’ for 19 years,” she laughs. 

During those years, Cela started off in family law, worked for legal aid and served as an attorney in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York. She also served as Chief of Staff for a judge within that district, learning the ins and outs behind the scenes and writing legal opinions. 

When it was finally time to come back to Florida in 2015, she and her husband, J. Matt Webster, Ph.D., moved their family — including three children — to Wesley Chapel. As we reported last issue, their son Jack recently graduated from Wiregrass Ranch High and will attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, NY, this fall. Their daughter Eliana is now 16 and their son Nathan is 12. 

Upon her return to the Tampa Bay area, Cela went to work for Bay Area Legal Services. Looking for a change of pace, she then served as general counsel for Hernando County for three years. 

With her wide variety of experience, she says, “I’ve worked on every kind of case on the planet.” 

That’s when she decided to take the leap into her own private practice. Cela says this gives her the opportunity to serve clients exactly the way she wants to, which starts with being a good listener and explaining to her clients that — although they may not get everything they want — they will be heard, have good representation, and an attorney who truly cares about them. 

“Family law isn’t like the ads you see on TV where lawyers promise to win your case for you,” she says. “It’s got its own rules and standards. Everyone compromises a little bit so that the settlement is fair. It’s not black and white like prosecution and defense.” 

In addition to family law, Cela is an expert in estate planning who can help make sure you have the necessary documents in place to protect your loved ones. 

A Very Personal Example… 

She shares her own personal story so that people understand how important estate planning can be. Even as an attorney who specializes in this area, she unexpectedly found herself  in a situation where her mom became temporarily incapacitated, but Cela couldn’t make decisions on her behalf in the hospital because she didn’t have all of the required paperwork beforehand to do so. 

Thankfully, her mom recovered quickly and they immediately signed the necessary paperwork so that would never happen again. While Cela certainly didn’t expect to find herself in that situation, she uses her story to help people understand that the time to execute documents such as a Power of Attorney and Healthcare Surrogate is long before you think they will be needed. 

Cela is licensed to practice in both New York and Florida, but she is fully focused on serving families in the New Tampa and Wesley Chapel areas. 

A local business owner named Ann recently hired Chapel Law to help with an amendment to her will. 

“Cela was wonderful to work with,” Ann says. “She’s professional, supportive and clearly knows her stuff.” 

Ann says the process was educational for her and her husband, as Cela coached them through nuances and loopholes. “Cela helped us through some tough decisions and was a very good coach,” Ann says. “She is an excellent attorney all around.” 

Cela says she considers it a privilege to serve her neighbors and work as a small operation, answering her own phone calls and making it a priority to be available to her clients, including quickly and personally answering all of their emails. 

“I’m just a regular person who loves what I do,” she says. 

While many attorneys don’t offer a free consultation, Cela says it’s important to her that people have an opportunity to ask questions before they determine whether or not to hire her. 

“In fact, if people have a question about whether or not their issue is even an issue, I’m happy to discuss it. Will a judge consider making the change you’re asking? Let’s talk about it,” she says. 

And, she’s happy to talk about it in Spanish or English. 

As someone who is Cuban and Salvadorian — and a native Spanish speaker — Cela has no problem working with those who only speak Spanish or who prefer to communicate about the sometimes complicated issues of family law in their native language. 

Chapel Legal is located at 17425 Bridge Hill Ct., Suite 202. If you need help with a family law or estate planning matter, Chapel Legal attorney Cela Webster offers a free phone consultation. For more information, visit ChapelLegal.com, call (813) 524-6393.

The Florida Probate & Family Law Firm For Your Family Law Needs

The husband-&-wife team of José Ignacio Leon & Samah (“Sam”) Abukhodeir now have six offices of The Florida Probate & Family Law Firm, including one on Amberly Dr. in Tampa Palms. (Photos on these pages provided by the firm) 

Attorney Samah (“Sam”) T. Abukhodeir is a woman of many talents and interests. She’s the founder and managing partner of The Florida Probate & Family Law Firm, which has its newest of six offices in the Somerset Professional Park in Tampa Palms. She’s an adjunct professor at her law school alma mater, Florida International University (FIU) in Miami, where she currently co-teaches a course on epistemology (a branch of philosophy related to the theory of knowledge). 

She also is a passionate advocate for the Arab-American community, as she and her team speak in Arabic, Spanish and English at Arab-American festivals, conventions and online groups about the importance of seeking legal help to a group that may not know or feel comfortable to do so. She’s also a fashionable social media presence and networking pro who attends conferences and classes to stay up to date on legal and business practices.

Wherever Sam goes, she builds connections as strong as family. When she first founded her law firm in South Florida in 2018, it consisted of only two people — Sam and a part-time law clerk, Anwar E. Hadeed. Over time, by word of mouth and reputation, she has been able to bring 24 more people on board, including her husband, José Ignacio Leon, as another partner, and that same law clerk (Anwar) now as an associate attorney. In just five short years, she’s also expanded her firm from one to six Florida offices.

The Florida Probate & Family Law Firm can represent you in legal matters related to family law, guardianship, probate and estate planning. Family law includes adoption, child custody, child support, divorce, domestic violence, elder law, paternity, pre- and post-marital agreements, spousal support or, as Sam simply summarized, “anything relating to family.” Guardianship refers to when an individual is granted legal authority to make decisions or manage interests for another person. 

“Probate is the process in court that an individual must go through when a family member or loved one passes away intestate (without a legal will or irrevocable trust) to receive an inheritance,” explained Sam. “For example, if parents pass away, leaving behind a house, their children or loved ones will need to go through probate to get that house in their name if the home’s title is still in the name of the deceased.” Estate planning involves drafting wills, trusts, or other legal documents while an individual is still alive and of sound mind to have control over how their estate (assets and liabilities) will be divided upon death or becoming incapacitated.

A Powerhouse Probate Couple

How did Sam decide to focus on these legal areas? While she was studying at the FIU College of Law, her fellow law student and law school sweetheart José was completing a clerkship with the Honorable Maria M. Korvick, an administrative probate judge. With this experience, José developed an interest in probate and told Sam that she should get this experience for herself. After José completed his clerkship, Sam then clerked for Judge Korvick. After they both graduated with their Juris Doctor (J.D.) degrees from FIU in 2013, Sam returned to work for Judge Korvick as a case manager and staff attorney. 

In 2016, José started his own firm — The Florida Estate Planning Law Firm — and in 2018, Sam founded The Florida Probate & Family Law Firm. While Jose still has his firm, he is increasingly working with his now wife since 2022, by becoming a partner at Sam’s firm.

Even if you’ve never thought of following a lawyer on social media, Sam and José make it so inviting. On Facebook and Instagram, you can find either Sam, or both Sam and Jose together, sharing video clips and words of wisdom about family law and probate. In 30 seconds or less, they discuss topics like four things to know about Florida probate law, the right timing as to when to call a lawyer to write a prenuptial agreement, and more.

The couple’s recent videos about estate planning for blended families were particularly informative. Sam points out that married partners in blended families should look into estate planning, especially if they have children from previous relationships. José added that certain children can get disinherited, depending upon which partner passes away first, so it’s important that estate planning documents have all children included. In fact, in a recent consultation with Sam, that’s exactly what happened. To illustrate how important this is, a couple who remarried and each had children from previous relationships, but no children in common, sadly both passed away in an accident. Because the husband died 10 minutes after the wife, the wife’s children were disinherited completely.

Meet The Team 

Brenda Shapiro, a seasoned family law attorney, is the third partner with Sam and José at the firm. Brenda obtained her J.D. degree from University of Miami (FL) School of Law and, after running her own practice for 25 years, she joined The Florida Probate & Family Law Firm as the chair of the family law department. Brenda has earned many accolades over the years, including receiving an Honorary Doctorate of Law & Letters degree from Pine Manor College in Boston and being a founding member of the Collaborative Family Law Institute, a nonprofit association that teaches about a family-focused alternative to litigated divorce.

Valeska Casanova-Chacon, Krizia L. Toledo, Yudislaidys “Yudy” Mallol, and Anwar E. Hadeed are the associate attorneys at The Florida Probate & Family Law Firm. In addition to bringing a variety of legal experiences to the team — including working at an immigration clinic, doing pro bono work with a special prosecutions unit and serving as victim and witness counselors, the four associates also come from a variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds, including Puerto Rican, Cuban, Caribbean and Syrian.

The firm’s diversity in work experience, ethnic and cultural backgrounds continues with the paralegals and client relations, marketing, and operations team members who come from Colombia, Honduras, Venezuela, Mexico and Palestine.

“One factor that distinguishes us is that we are a diverse team of different faiths, cultures, and backgrounds,” says Sam. “I am always proud to say that we can connect with anyone.”

Clients of the firm agree. “Sam and her team were extremely helpful with my estate planning case,” says client Maricarmen Calo. “They were very responsive and made me feel comfortable. They were transparent throughout the whole process, making me feel calm and reassured. Thank you, Sam and team, for bringing me peace of mind!”

What’s Next? 

So, what made Sam and her successful team, with five offices in the Miami and Fort Lauderdale metropolitan areas, want to expand into Tampa? Not surprisingly, she says family was a motivating factor.

“I grew up in central Florida, in Lake Wales, and my parents and sister have lived in Tampa for years, so I’m quite familiar with the area,” Sam says. “I can provide dedicated time to clients in this area, as I am already making trips to Tampa every weekend to be closer to family. In addition, we’re actively expanding and looking to add team members from this area.”

Sam adds that she also is acutely aware that you don’t see a lot of Arab-American lawyers in courtrooms these days and that’s something she’d love to help change. She and several other lawyers across the country are working to reactivate the Arab-American Bar Association. Also, maybe the most exciting challenge to date for Sam and José is parenthood, as they just became parents to a precious 3-month-old son named Jibril.

The Florida Probate & Family Law Firm’s newest office is located on 15257 Amberly Dr. in Tampa Palms. To contact the firm for a free consultation, call (813) 999-3134, or visit FloridaProbateandFamilyLaw.com. Be sure to follow “The Florida Probate & Family Law Firm” on Facebook or “lawyerladyboss” on Instagram for helpful videos and legal tips.