HARRELL & HARRELL - Key Persons

Adam was born and raised in Tampa, Florida and is a fourth generation Floridian. While attending school at Flagler College in St. Augustine, Adam spent a semester studying in Quito, Ecuador. After graduating from Flagler College with a Bachelor's of Arts degree in Social Science, Adam spent time in education and taught elementary school Spanish and coached high school swimming in California. In 2005, Adam graduated Cum Laude from the University of Florida Levin College of Law and began his legal career as a prosecutor in the Office of the State Attorney for the Fourth Judicial Circuit. As a prosecutor, Adam worked with the United States Secret Service, United States Postal Service, Office of Insurance Regulation, Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, and other law enforcement agencies and tried over twenty cases to a jury. In 2008, Adam began private practice where he focused on federal civil rights litigation and sweepstakes law. In 2013, as in-house counsel for an insurance company, Adam's focus shifted to defending negligence and contract actions. In 2017, Adam joined Harrell & Harrell, P.A. where he now prosecutes those same claims. Adam's bar admissions include the State of Florida, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Outside of work, Adam enjoys spending time with his wife, Kari, and their four children.

Amy Carrasquillo grew up in Jacksonville, Florida. She graduated from Stetson University in DeLand, FL in 2000 with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration and in 2003 with a Master's in Business Administration. She has been married to her husband since 2012, and they have two children together. Amy obtained her law degree from Florida Coastal School of Law in 2008. While attending law school, Amy spent two years as a law clerk with Harrell and Harrell. Amy began her legal career practicing workers' compensation and social security law for a plaintiffs' firm in Jacksonville, Florida. She then spent six years working in Orlando and Jacksonville as in-house defense counsel for a large insurance company. While doing defense work, Amy gained valuable insight handling workers' compensation claims, Personal Injury Protection (PIP) disputes, fraud investigations and a variety of different types of personal injury cases. Amy also acted as the designated special investigation unit attorney for the northern region of Florida where she investigated and defended alleged fraudulent injury claims. Amy returned to Harrell and Harrell in 2017 as an attorney to represent the injured. In her spare time, Amy enjoys outdoor activities with her husband, children, and their three pugs.

Anthony G. "Mark" Papa was born in The Philippines and raised on the west side of Jacksonville. Mark attended the University of Florida and the Florida State University College of Law. While in law school, Mark studied abroad at St. Edmund Hall, Oxford University and was a member of the Florida State University Journal of Transnational Law and Policy. Mark has represented injured workers in workers' compensation cases for over fifteen years and claimants in social security disability cases for over twenty years. Mark is an Alumni of the E. Robert Williams Inn of Court. He has represented claimants, pro bono, through Jacksonville Area Legal Aid, St. Johns County Legal Aid, and the Northeast Florida Medical Legal Partnership and was recognized with a Pro Bono award by Jacksonville Area Legal Aid.

Billie Jo "BJ" Taylor is an Attorney of Harrell & Harrell, PA practicing in Jacksonville, Florida. Prior to joining Harrell & Harrell, Ms. Taylor worked at local firms handling mass torts, trucking liability, automobile claims, uninsured motorist claims, products liability, premise liability, medical practice and wrongful death claims. Ms. Taylor was selected by Super Lawyers "Rising Stars" in the area of Personal Injury Defense: General for 2013-2017. She was also presented with the Volunteer Award from the Board of Governors for the Young Lawyers of the Jacksonville Bar Association for 2010-2012. Ms. Taylor has almost 30 years of experience in the legal industry. Her career started as a legal secretary and several years prior to attending law school she had become a certified paralegal. During her career as a legal secretary and paralegal she provided support to attorneys in various areas of law in California, Pennsylvania and Florida. Ms. Taylor is very active in supporting her local community and enjoys participating in runs that benefit various charities and volunteering for organizations such as JALA, Young Lives and youth sports association.

David has lived in Jacksonville for over 30 years. He grew up in Fruit Cove and attended Allen D. Nease high school. As a graduate of FSU with a B.A. in Communications, prior to attending Florida Coastal School of Law, David has been a lifelong avid FSU fan. After obtaining his J.D., David joined this firm and focuses his practice primarily in personal injury cases arising from automobile accidents and premises liability. Over the past 17 years David has commonly represented some of the most challenging cases in the firm involving clients with pre-existing injuries, barely visible property damage or contested liability. Despite these challenges David frequently provides successful results. When David is not representing his clients he provides pro bono services for his neighborhood home owners association in an effort to obtain a new storm water drainage system from the federal government. In addition, David is an avid fisherman and is involved in several organizations which promote fair fishing regulations to ensure the sport he loves is available for future generations. He is an active member of the Florida Justice Association, the Florida Bar, and the Jacksonville Bar Association. In his free time, David enjoys outdoor activities which include fishing, hiking, and scuba diving. David also enjoys traveling, cooking working out, watching Jaguar games, coaching his son's football and basketball teams, and most importantly, spending time with his family. David has been happily married for 15 years to his wife, Mindy and has two sons, Parker and J.D. Black. David always stays positive no matter what situation he is faced with and takes pride in helping clients that have been injured by the harmful conduct of others.

Frank Gaulden's primary area of practice includes personal injury in the contexts of motor vehicle, premises liability (slip/trip and fall), and wrongful death. Mr. Gaulden had his start in litigation matters both as a prosecutor for the State Attorney's Office for Duval County as well as criminal defense for Epstein & Robbins. After which, Mr. Gaulden was in-house counsel for Liberty Mutual Insurance Company wherein he defended personal injury cases on behalf of insureds of a personal and corporate capacity. However, Mr. Gaulden found that his true passion was in helping injured plaintiffs whose lives have been turned upside down as a result of circumstances outside of their control. Frank Gaulden obtained his Juris Doctorate from the University of Florida, Levin College of Law, graduating in 2007. During his time at the University of Florida, Mr. Gaulden was a national championship winning member of the Trial Team, and also earned a Book Award in Trial Practice. Prior to attending law school, Frank Gaulden worked his way through his undergraduate education, earning a Political Science degree at the University of California, Irvine, in 2004. Mr. Gaulden graduated magna cum laude, was awarded the Order of Merit, and also was an editor for UCI's undergraduate Law Review. Frank Gaulden currently resides in St. Johns County, Florida, with his wife, son, and two daughters.

Greg Schlax was raised in Michigan where he obtained his undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan. Following graduation, he escaped the frozen north and moved to Tallahassee where he attended law school at Florida State University and graduated with high honors in 1996. After obtaining his J.D., Greg has focused primarily in Personal Injury cases arising from motor vehicle accidents and premises liability. He is a member of the Jacksonville Bar Association, the Florida Bar and the Florida Justice Association. Greg is happily married to his wife, Julie and they have two sons whom they adore, Nick and Noah. Greg and his family live in Jacksonville Beach and spend their free time boating and watching his sons participate in school events and flag football games. The family goes to Beach United Methodist Church.

Job Titles:

• of Counsel

James Holland II (known as "Jamie" to his clients and friends) has two decades of trial experience in railroad, trucking and significant injury cases. As Of Counsel, Jamie's experience is very valuable to our firm. In spite of a very busy trial schedule, Jamie has dedicated significant time mentoring younger lawyers and helping them learn the techniques and skill to be successful in the courtroom. Jamie can be found coaching trial advocates, teaching CLE's and has helped develop the format for the Florida Justice Association's Al Cone Trial Advocacy College. This work led to him being honored by the Mickey Smiley award from the FJA young lawyers for his mentoring. Successful lawyering depends on the power of persuasion. Before law school, Jamie pursued a career as a professional actor in Los Angeles after obtaining a Master of Fine Arts Degree from the University of Southern California. Following several appearances in the soap operas Santa Barbara and Young and the Restless, Jamie left his union cards with the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artist behind to put his persuasion skills to use in the courtroom. Jamie obtained his law degree from The University of Alabama. Jamie received his Board Certification in Civil Trial Law in 2004 and is a frequent lecturer on trial advocacy. He is actively serving on the Board of Governors for the American Association for Justice (AAJ) and the Florida Justice Association and was the former chair of the AAJ railroad law section. He has also been honored as "Nation's Top One Percent" by National Association of Distinguished Counsel. Jamie has also been recognized as a Top Rated Transportation and Maritime Attorney, receiving the Super Lawyers award since 2007 and continues to hold this honor currently in 2019.

Julie M. Harrell has specialized in personal injury litigation since she graduated from law school in 2002. As such, she has acquired extensive knowledge and experience in handling a wide variety of personal injury lawsuits. At present she specializes in cases involving traumatic brain injuries, elderly abuse, products liability, premises liability and motor vehicle collisions. Julie has considerable expertise in handling trials, in negotiating and litigating cases and has successfully resolved hundreds of personal injury lawsuits, often involving million dollar and multi-million dollar claims. Julie believes it is important to work closely and communicate with clients to provide the highest quality of honest and ethical representation. Julie received her AV Preeminent Rating, a pinnacle of professional excellence earned through a peer review process and managed by the world's most trusted legal resource, Martindale-Hubbell in 2021. She's also been voted by her peers as one of the Florida Legal Elite, recognized by Florida Trend Magazine on multiple occasions. Julie has served on the Board of Directors for the Florida trial attorney organization, is a member of American Bar Association, Jacksonville Bar Association, Jacksonville Justice Association, Jacksonville Women Lawyers Association, the National trial attorney organization and the American Association of Justice wherein she has participated in the Leaders Forum, Women's Caucus and served on several committees. In 2016 she was honored as a First Coast Top 10 Attorney Under 40 by the Attorney at Law Magazine and for a number of years, she's been recognized as either one of the Ten Best Personal Injury Attorneys and/or Female Attorneys by the American Institute of Personal Injury Attorneys and as a Top Lawyer by the Legal Network. She is currently honored to serve as the Chancellor in the Chester Bedell Inn of Court, promoting professionalism in our legal community. Julie earned a B.A. in Political Science; a B.S. in Psychology; an M.S. in Business Administration from the University of Florida and a J.D. from Stetson University College of Law. While at U.F. she was inducted into several prestigious honorary societies in recognition of her leadership and academic achievements including Florida Blue Key, Order of Omega and Savant. During her time at Stetson she interned at the United States Attorney's Office, studied international law at the University of London and was recognized in the Who's Who Among American Law Students.

Julissa Ali grew up in New York City. She graduated from Saint Leo University in San Antonio, FL in 2008 with a Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice. She has been married to her husband since 1999, and they have two children together. Julissa's professional journey began 17 years ago in the insurance industry. Julissa honed her skills handling accident investigations, insurance coverage, injury evaluations and settlement negotiations. It was her litigation defense experience that inspired her to follow her dream of becoming an attorney. Julissa obtained her law degree from Florida Coastal School of Law in 2018, graduating magna cum laude and in the top 2% of her class, while working full-time and raising a family. Julissa is certified with the Florida Bar, and is a member of the Jacksonville Bar Association, the Young Lawyers Division and the American Association of Justice. Julissa joined Harrell and Harrell in 2018 as an attorney to represent the injured. Outside of work, she co-leads a local running group and regularly serves at her church. Julissa enjoys spending time with her family, running with her Weimaraner, Titus, quilting and relaxing at the beach.

Katie grew up in Ormond Beach, Florida, and graduated with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from University of Central Florida in 2005. Katie obtained her law degree from Nova Southeastern University in 2008. While obtaining her law degree, she studied abroad at Oxford University. Additionally, she served as the Treasurer for the Florida Association of Women Lawyers, was a member and trial team competitor with the American Association for Justice, and volunteered as a Law Student Advisor. While in law school, she worked as a Law Clerk for a privately owned law firm in South Florida and served as a Legal Intern for the State Attorney's Office, 17th Judicial Circuit. Katie began her legal career as a prosecutor with the State Attorney's Office in Jacksonville and served in that capacity from 2008 to 2014. She tried over 60 jury trials as a prosecutor and worked in several divisions, including Homicide Major Crimes. While working as a prosecutor she conducted a wide range of written and oral motion practice, managed and organized thousands of cases from the filing decision stage to disposition, wrote several appellate briefs, and presented several homicide cases to the grand jury. She has been practicing civil litigation since 2014 and joined Harrell and Harrell in 2017, where she devotes 100% of her practice to representing the injured. Katie is a member of the Jacksonville Bar Association, the Young Lawyers Division, and the E. Robert Williams American Inn of Court. Outside of work, Katie enjoys working out, fishing and being on the water with her husband and spending time with her friends and family. Katie has been married to her husband Ray since 2011 and are busy chasing after their energetic and sweet son.

Matthew Todd Roach is a native of Jacksonville, Florida, graduating from Terry Parker High School. He received a degree from Valdosta State University where he was a member of the VSU Blazers football team. Matt then attended Florida State University, graduating cum laude. During college and law school, he worked as an intern at the Office of the State Attorney for the Fourth Judicial Circuit. Following his graduation with honors from Florida Coastal School of Law, Matt began practicing law in 2000. Prior to joining Harrell and Harrell, he practiced nursing home and medical malpractice defense for a nationwide insurance defense firm, was in-house/staff counsel for a major insurance company, and practiced with a nationwide plaintiff firm. Matt received his Board Certification in Civil Trial Law in 2015.

Nicholas (Nick) Lake obtained his law degree from Nova Southeastern University in 2007, graduating magna cum laude and in the top 10% of his class. He also served as the executive editor of the law review from 2006-2007. Nick began his legal career as a prosecutor with the State Attorney's Office in Jacksonville and served in that capacity from 2007 to 2012. He tried over 70 jury trials as a prosecutor and worked in several divisions, including Homicide Major Crimes and as a division chief responsible for supervising and training new prosecutors. He was also recognized by Mothers Against Drunk Driving for his outstanding work as a DUI prosecutor. He has been practicing civil litigation since 2012 and joined Harrell and Harrell in 2016, where he devotes 100% of his practice to representing the injured.

Nicole grew up in Jacksonville, Florida, attending Douglas Anderson School of the Arts High School, and she graduated from the University of Central Florida in 2010 with a Bachelors in Social Work. In law school, Nicole was elected president of the National Lawyers Guild, an organization dedicated to safeguarding and extending the rights of disadvantaged persons, and she served as chair of the Multicultural Committee of the Student Bar Association. Nicole also earned certifications in research and writing, and family law, and was the lead research assistant and spot editor for the Public Interest Research Bureau, providing free legal research to pro-bono attorneys. Nicole graduated from Florida Coastal School of Law in the top 15% of her class in 2014, and married her husband, Michael, the same weekend. Nicole began interning with Harrell & Harrell in 2012, helping to provide legal research and brief writing to support firm cases, and upon her graduation was hired full-time as an attorney. Nicole is a certified member of the Florida Bar Association and the Florida Justice Association, and has experience handling premises liability, bodily injury, uninsured motorist, personal injury protection, property damage, workers' compensation, and social security claims. When she's not working, Nicole enjoys being outdoors and spending time with her family.

Job Titles:

• President

Renee Daigle Harrell is the President of Harrell & Harrell. Renee has represented the injured for her entire career and with Harrell & Harrell for over 25 years. Renee specializes in car crashes, tractor-trailer collisions, and wrongful death cases. She has obtained numerous multi-million dollar settlements and verdicts throughout her career in this area. Renee was raised in Green Cove Springs just outside of Jacksonville, Florida. She is the widow of William Harrell, Founder and Senior Partner of the firm. Growing up in a small town was the best preparation to serve the community and its people. As the youngest in a family of six siblings, Renee learned early that we all have a role to play in supporting each other and taking care of one another. Since helping people is her primary passion she not only leads the firm but also continues to actively practice representing our most injured clients. Renee was named Ultimate Attorney in 2017 by the Jacksonville Business Journal which recognizes those who have elevated the legal profession and helped shape Jacksonville's business community. This award was chosen from a group of attorneys suggested by their peers. Download the full Jacksonville Business Journal article to learn more. Renee is deeply committed to volunteer community activities. As the former President the Jacksonville Legal Aid's Board of Directors, Ms. Harrell is a passionate advocate of the organization. JALA is a law firm of 30 attorneys specializing in providing civil legal assistance to low-income persons. Renee is proud to continue to serve on the Board of the JALA Foundation. In addition, she has served on the Steering Committee for Northeast Florida Medical Legal Partnership, a collaboration between doctors and lawyers dedicated to improving the health of our community's low-income, vulnerable population. NFMLP facilitates appropriate legal action to our community's population of medical patients who are also in need of free legal assistance. The Salutatorian of her high school class and with a Congressional Appointment to the United States Military Academy, her accomplishments began early. Her discipline and hard work were further demonstrated as she graduated from the University of Florida with High Honors and from the University of Florida College of Law with Honors. She is certified with the Florida Bar and is a member of the Jacksonville Bar Association. Renee is also a member of the American Association of Justice, the Jacksonville Justice of Association as well as the Florida Justice Association, where she has been an Eagle member since 2001. These important associations core mission are dedicated to upholding the civil justice association and protecting the rights of Florida citizens.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Florida Bar

Tracy Engle's practice is focused on protecting the rights of residents of nursing homes or assisted living facilities. Tracy is passionate about her representation of victims of neglect and abuse and is adamant that their voices are heard even when they can no longer speak for themselves. Tracy graduated cum laude from Florida Coastal School of Law and was the recipient of the Phyllis Stansell Ethics and Professionalism Award at graduation. While at FCSL, Tracy was a member of the Mock Trial Team, Moot Court Honor Board, and Phi Delta Phi legal honors fraternity. After graduation Tracy coached mock trial competition teams. Prior to attending law school, Tracy completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Irvine, California, earning a BS in Biological Sciences with a minor in English and a minor in Psychology and Social Behavior. After undergrad, Tracy worked as the Director of Quality Management for a government contractor in the Washington DC area while attending graduate school at the University of Mary Washington where she earned an MBA. While at UMW, Tracy was inducted into the Omicron Psi fraternity for academic honors and community service. Tracy is a member of the Florida Bar, Jacksonville Bar Association, Florida Justice Association, the American Association for Justice, and is currently serving as a Barrister in the Chester Bedell American Inn of Court. In 2021 and 2022, The National Trial Lawyers named Tracy as one of the "Top 40 Under 40" lawyers in the Civil - Plaintiff division. In 2022, Tracy was named a "Rising Star" by Super Lawyers. When she's not at the office Tracy enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, and working on her culinary skills.

Holt is admitted to both the Florida and Georgia Bars. He has successfully litigated and gone to trial in both the State and Federal Courts of Florida and Georgia as well as handling appeals, including oral argument, to the Florida District Court of Appeals. He is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell, which is the highest rating from the most respected independent peer review system for his high legal ability and ethics. He is a member of the prestigious American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) which is a highly selective organization of trial lawyers made up equally between plaintiff and defense lawyers whose mission is to promote and improve the American civil justice system. As a young lawyer, he was named a Rising Star by Super Lawyers from 2010-2016 and has been subsequently voted a Super Lawyer. He has been selected for the Florida Trend Legal Elite since 2018 and selected by The National Trial Lawyers Top 100 since 2018 as well. He was recently recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® for his exceptional work in Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs. The Best Lawyers in America® is regarded by lawyers and the public for more than 40 years as one of the most credible measures of legal integrity and distinction in the country. He is also a member of the Million and Multi-Million Dollar Advocate Forums. Prior to practicing law, Holt followed in his father's and both grandfather's footsteps and attended the University of Florida. While in college, he enlisted in the United States Army as a military police officer. After his Honorable Discharge, he returned to the University of Florida and then attended Stetson University College of Law where he was a member of the Stetson Law Review, admitted into the Phi Delta Phi legal honorary fraternity for academic excellence, and interned for The Honorable Charles Wilson of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. When Holt is not practicing law, he enjoys spending time with his family.

Job Titles:

• Founder
• Senior Partner
• Founder and Senior Partner of Harrell & Harrell P.a

Founder and Senior Partner of Harrell & Harrell P.A., William H. (Bill) Harrell was born in Lake City, Florida in 1946. Bill was the son of a career Air Force pilot and grew up in places all around the world. He attended high school at Mobile, Alabama's University Military School where he was a stand-out athlete in basketball and football. Bill followed his father's footsteps attending the University of Florida on a full athletic scholarship in football. After experiencing a career-ending knee injury as a freshman, he followed another family tradition and enlisted in the U.S. Army as an infantryman and was later appointed to the United States Military Academy at West Point. After completing his military service, Bill returned to the University of Florida where he was a member of the Florida Blue Key and Delta Tau Delta fraternity. He graduated college with a Bachelor's of Science degree in Business Administration in 1971. He put himself through law school at the University of Florida while working as a deputy sheriff for the Alachua County Sheriff's Office. In 1974, Bill graduated and was ultimately inducted into the University of Florida Hall of Fame in recognition of his leadership, athletic and academic accomplishments. Bill started a firm in Melbourne, Florida after law school, that became the largest multi-specialty law firm on Central Florida's east coast. Bill's remarkable career as a trial lawyer crossed many fields. He represented diverse clients ranging from individuals to Fortune 500 companies and municipalities. He was AV-rated by Martindale Hubble, their highest rating based on peer evaluations and became board-certified in civil trial law in 1988, with more than 100 jury trials. In 1991, Bill and his family moved to Jacksonville, where he soon started Harrell & Harrell, P.A., a widely-known, successful law firm specializing in personal injury. He practiced law at Harrell & Harrell with two of his four children, trial attorneys Holt and Julie as well as his second wife of nearly 20 years, trial attorney and the Firm's President, Renee Daigle Harrell. His daughter Kimberly Chapman (B.S., MBA) joined the firm in 2009 and is now the Executive Director. His fourth child, Susan is an Executive Chef, with her Bachelor ‘s Degree in Culinary Science. Bill Harrell led the firm that served the First Coast for over 25 years, until his passing in 2017. Bill gave back to the community philanthropically and to the legal industry throughout his entire career. He was active in the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers (now known as the FJA), serving on its Board of Directors and Executive Committee, and received numerous awards for his support of the organization including the Crystal Eagle Award. He was also President of the First Amendment Society, a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to the preservation of the First Amendment as well as a trustee of the Florida Lawyers Action Group. Bill was a member of the Shriners as well as a Mensa, and a Master in the Masonic Lodge. Bill's personal interest and hobbies were also varied, ranging from being a prolific reader, to an expert navigator in boating and sailing. Bill never forgot his love of Florida football, being a Bull Gator since 1984 and an original skybox owner. Bill's passion for Gator football is shared by his family, including his 6 grandchildren today. In 2016, Bill was recognized as Attorney of the Month by Attorney at Law Magazine First Coast edition. The publication's profile of Bill tells the story of the long-standing family tradition of military service and law school, the family's centuries-old roots in Florida, and Bill's unusual path to where he is today.