HILL WARD HENDERSON - Key Persons
Al Ward is recognized throughout the professional community for his depth of experience and knowledge in the employee benefits area. Prior to entering the practice of law, he was an actuarial and employee benefits consultant for over eight years.
Al has focused for over four decades on executive deferred compensation, employee benefits, trusts and taxation. He represents many clients including publicly traded and privately held, taxable and tax-exempt entities and professional corporations with respect to their benefit programs. Al has extensive experience representing clients in disputes with the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Department of Labor and Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.
Al served as chairman of the Tampa Bay Pension Council from 1991 to 2012. He was a founding board member and past president of the Florida West Coast Employee Benefits Council. He serves as employee benefits counsel for The Florida Bar, is a member of the Southern Employee Benefits Conference, and a member of the Employee Benefits Committee of the Tax Section of the American Bar Association. He is a Fellow in the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel.
Al has received numerous professional recognitions including being inducted into America's Top 100 Attorneys for the State of Florida.
Al has long been active in Tampa's civic, charitable and social organizations. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Canterbury Towers. He served as president and a member of the Board of Trustees of The Tampa Club and has served on the Board of Directors of The University Club, Hillsborough Education Foundation, Goodwill Industries/Suncoast and Hillsborough Association for Retarded Citizens.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Appointed Co - Chair of the FAWL Legislative and Lobby Days Committee
- Appointed Co - Chair of the NAWL Advocacy Committee
- Receives NAWL Outstanding Member Award
Allison Reed serves as a Paralegal in the firm's Real Estate Group and has been with the firm for over 19 years. She works with legal teams that represent land owners, developers and financial institutions. Allison's responsibilities include coordinating receipt of due diligence in preparation for closing, review of title and survey materials, and preparing draft conveyance and loan documents.
A native Floridian, Allison has lived in the Tampa Bay area for over 20 years. She graduated from the University of South Florida with a bachelors degree in English Education.
Active in the community, Allison has been a project coordinator for Hands on Tampa, a United Way volunteer organization, for the past nine years, and frequently volunteers at Quantum Leap Farm, a non-profit specializing in equine therapy for disabled adults.
Outside of the office, Allison enjoys singing with The Tampa Oratorio singers, the Hyde Park United Methodist chancel choir and travelling.
Growing up in a small town in the Midwest, Amelia Campbell learned to relate to all types of people and to be a good listener. Her clients have described her as "professional, intelligent, organized, responsive, detailed, efficient and approachable."
Amelia's practice concentration includes estate planning, estate and trust administration, and business succession planning. She counsels clients on a wide range of financial issues involving federal taxation, preservation of wealth, family limited partnerships, insurance planning, charitable planning, and estate planning considerations that affect closely-held businesses. She has experience drafting gift agreements for significant charitable contributions.
Andrew is well-versed in handling complex commercial litigation, construction defect disputes, payment and lien foreclosure actions, delay claims, and post-arbitration award judicial proceedings including actions to confirm or vacate arbitration awards. Andrew also prepares and negotiates construction contracts and professional services agreements.
Andrew is an active member of the Construction Law Section of the Hillsborough County Bar Association and the Florida Gulf Coast Chapter of Associated Builders & Contractors.
Outside the office, Andrew enjoys spending time with his wife and four children, running, and watching the Tampa Bay Rays.
Andrew J. Lubrano (1952-1999) - Andy was one of the founding shareholders of Hill Ward Henderson in 1986 and a valued member of our firm for many years. Andy also established the firm's Corporate and Tax Department, which continues to grow as a thriving practice area with an established reputation for the delivery of premier legal services, due in large part to Andy's dedication and vision. Andy, with an L.L.M. in taxation from New York University, was one of the area's leading tax attorneys, and, today, Hill Ward Henderson still benefits tremendously from Andy's many years of hard work and commitment to our firm and our founding principles. Andy was an alumnus and long-time supporter of Jesuit High School, and our firm helped to establish the Andrew Lubrano Scholarship Fund at Jesuit in his honor.
Ann-Marie Hallett serves as a paralegal in the firm's Commercial Litigation group. She has served as a paralegal for over 30 years. Ann-Marie is responsible for drafting and filing pleadings, and preparing agreements and other key documents.
Ann-Marie received her associate's degree in Paralegal Studies from Tidewater Community College in Virginia Beach, VA.
Outside of the office, Ann-Marie enjoys reading, running, traveling, and spending time with family.
Ben Hill, IV serves as chair of the firm's Products Liability and Personal Injury Litigation Groups. His practice involves the defense of products liability and complex mass tort claims. For approximately 15 years, Ben has been heavily involved in the defense of a major tobacco corporation in numerous smoking and health cases throughout Florida. His practice has also involved the representation and defense of attorneys and their law firms in legal malpractice actions.
Ben is very active in professional and Bar-related activities. He is a past president of the Hillsborough County Bar Association (HCBA) and served on its Board of Directors for many years. He has served on the Executive Council of the Trial & Litigation Section, and on the Board of the Hillsborough County Bar Foundation. He is also past president of the HCBA's Young Lawyers Division and has served on The Florida Bar's Grievance Committee 13B. On the national level, Ben remains active in leadership roles within the Tort, Trial and Insurance Practice Section (TIPS) of the American Bar Association. He serves as Vice Chair of the Products Liability Committee. He is a past chair of the TIPS Task Force on Outreach to Young Lawyers and is a graduate of the TIPS Leadership Academy.
Ben is a past chair of the Board of Overseers for Stetson University College of Law and continues to serve on its Board. He is also a past member of Stetson University's Board of Trustees and a past recipient of the Stetson Lawyers Association's Outstanding Alumni Representative Award.
Ben is also involved in the community where he is an active member of South Tampa Fellowship Church, and both the Jesuit High School and Vanderbilt University Alumni Associations. He enjoys running, golf, the outdoors, college sports, and spending time with his wife and two daughters.
Ben Hill is one of the founding shareholders of Hill Ward Henderson. His practice is primarily focused in the areas of complex litigation including professional liability, products liability, and general commercial matters.
Ben has represented many of the nation's largest law firms and many public companies in litigation in Florida. He has tried numerous jury cases ranging from two days to over six months in trial. He has represented the Florida House of Representatives in a case involving the Florida Constitution and in an ethics case. He has represented the Florida Senate in a voting districting case and has served as special counsel to former Florida Governor, The Honorable Bob Graham.
Ben serves on the 13th Circuit Local Professional Panel (LPP), a panel created by Order of the Florida Supreme Court to hear, act upon, and resolve matters of unprofessional conduct. He is a past president of The Florida Bar, a former president of the Young Lawyers Division of The Florida Bar, and past president of the Hillsborough County Bar Association. Ben is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers; a Fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers; and a Fellow of the International Society of Barristers. He has served as chair of the Federal Judicial Nominating Commission for the state of Florida, and chair of the Judicial Nominating Commission for Hillsborough County. He has served as chair of the American Bar Association Standing Committee on The Federal Judiciary, and served in the House of Delegates (1990-2011). He has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the ABA, the Executive Committee, and Nominating Committee. He is a past Chair of the Conference of State Delegates. For three years he chaired the Standing Committee on Lawyers Professional Liability.
Ben is often called upon by local and state leaders to assist in the resolution of major public issues. From 1994 to 1996, he served as vice chair of the Article V Commission, which recommended to the Florida Legislature changes to the Florida Constitution regarding the state's judiciary. In 1993, he was appointed to the Biden Committee to consider and recommend changes to the federal court system in the Middle District of Florida. In 2005, he was appointed by the Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court to a commission to study certain aspects of the jury system in Florida. In 2010 he was appointed by the Chief Justice to the Florida Innocence Commission. In 2008, he was appointed by the Florida Supreme Court to serve on the Character and Fitness Commission to review standards for Bar Admission. He is a member of the Florida Council of 100.
Ben is also active in community organizations. He is currently serving as a member of the Board, and a member of the Executive Committee of Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa and has served as chair of the Foundation. He is a former chair of the Board of Trustees for Hillsborough Community College. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Florida House (1998-Present), and is an elder at Palma Ceia Presbyterian Church (since 1990) where he chairs the Foundation and the Board of Trustees.
Job Titles:
- Shareholder
- Appointed Incoming Chair of the Employee Benefits Committee of the ABA Taxation Section
Bret Hamlin practices primarily in the areas of employee benefits, deferred compensation and trusts. Prior to entering the private practice of law, he provided plan design and consulting, third-party administration and investment, as well as retirement plan education services for clients.
Bret represents large, medium and small employers with respect to many employee benefit matters, including both single employer and multiple employer qualified retirement plans, executive deferred compensation and welfare benefit plan matters. A significant portion of his practice involves plan compliance, ERISA fiduciary best practices and plan corrections under Internal Revenue Service and Department of Labor compliance resolution and plan correction programs. He also represents clients before the Internal Revenue Service, Department of Labor and Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation with respect to employee benefits matters, including, but not limited to, Internal Revenue plan examinations and Department of Labor plan investigations.
Bret is an active member of the Employee Benefits Committee of the Tax Section of Taxation of the American Bar Association, the Tampa Bay Pension Council, the Florida West Coast Employee Benefits Council, and the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations (NAPEO). He is also a past president of the Florida West Coast Employee Benefits Council.
Bret frequently speaks to both professional groups and plan sponsor groups regarding a variety of employee benefit topics.
He is active in a number of community and civic organizations. Bret devotes a great deal of time to United States Masters Swimming and its local and regional affiliates.
Job Titles:
- Shareholder
- Editor of the Trial Lawyers' Forum of the Florida Bar Journal
Brett Preston is an accomplished trial attorney who is committed to providing responsive and efficient legal solutions to help clients solve their problems.
Brett's practice emphasizes the defense of professional malpractice, product liability, and life, health, and disability insurance cases. He also represents clients involved in serious personal injury and wrongful death, structure collapse, toxic tort, and commercial disputes. Brett represents attorneys in grievance proceedings before The Florida Bar. His trial experience is extensive and includes arguing a case of first impression before the Florida Supreme Court and the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.
Brett serves as the firm's General Counsel. He is a Certified Circuit Mediator and regularly mediates complex commercial, insurance, professional liability, and personal injury cases.
Brett has served as the editor of the Trial Lawyers' Forum of The Florida Bar Journal and was a member of The Florida Bar's Civil Procedure Rules Committee.
Brett has been involved in various community activities in the Tampa area. He attends Feather Sound Church and spends most of his leisure time with his family. He enjoys exercising, boating, following college sports, and reading.
Job Titles:
- Director of Information Technology
Job Titles:
- Retired Founder - No Longer Practicing Law
Douglas P. McClurg (1949-2002) - Doug joined Hill Ward Henderson in 1992. He also founded the firm's Creditors' Rights and Bankruptcy Department and served as the Recruiting Shareholder of our firm for many years. Doug, a University of Florida graduate, was well-known as one of the area's top bankruptcy attorneys. In his memory, the Tampa Bay Bankruptcy Bar Association honored Doug by creating the Douglas P. McClurg Professionalism Award. The Association presents this award annually to a lawyer in recognition for his or her outstanding effectiveness in judicial proceedings through preparation, civility and courtesy to counsel and parties. Doug was a combat-wounded Vietnam veteran, and he received several military awards for his service, including the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
Florida Trend Names Hill Ward Henderson Attorneys to 2023 Florida Legal Elite Hall of Fame
Job Titles:
- Chief Administrative Officer
Job Titles:
- Director of Business Development and Marketing
Job Titles:
- Litigation Support Manager