BEGGS & LANE - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Member of the Florida Bar
Carllee J. Godwin is an Associate in the firm's Pensacola office and is a member of the firm's Corporate and Tax practice groups, as well as the firm's Wills, Trusts and Estates practice group. Carllee practices in the areas of tax law, corporate law, including mergers and acquisitions, healthcare, estate planning, including high-net worth estate tax planning, probate, not-for profit and charitable organizations, and business planning, from the creation of a business to succession planning.
Carllee is a member of the Florida Bar and is admitted practice before all Florida state courts, the U.S. Tax Court, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida, and the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
Cecily M. Parker is an Associate in the firm's Pensacola office. She represents individuals and businesses in business litigation, appellate litigation, contract litigation, real estate litigation, and bankruptcy and creditor's rights both at the trial and appellate level. Cecily has participated in appeals before the First District Court of Appeal, the Second District Court of Appeal, and the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.
Cecily is admitted to all Florida State Courts, all Alabama State Courts, the Federal District Court for the Northern District of Florida, the Federal District Court for the Middle District of Florida, the Federal District Court for the Southern District of Florida, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court.
Education
University of Florida Levin College of Law, cum laude, 2012
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Member of the Florida Bar
Mr. Wiggins is a partner in the firm's litigation group and represents companies and individuals in tort claims and business disputes. He also handles criminal cases in state and federal court. He is Board Certified by the Florida Bar in Civil Trial Law, and has tried more than 75 civil and criminal jury trials.
Mr. Wiggins is a member of the Florida Bar, and he is admitted to practice before all Florida state courts. He is also admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, and the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit.
Job Titles:
- Personal Representative of the Estate of Dustin Conner V. Waffle House, Inc. and James Wise, Case No.
Mr. Taylor is a partner in the Pensacola office and is a member of the firm's Real Estate Group. Mr. Taylor regularly advises clients in their endeavors related to commercial and residential real estate matters, commercial lending transactions and general business transactions. The majority of his practice is focused upon the representation of the firm's clients in the acquisition, leasing, management and sale of real estate projects among all classes of real estate, including office, multi-family, retail, medical, residential and hospitality developments, condominiums, and mixed-use developments. Mr. Taylor regularly advises owners, investors, developers, and lenders on a wide range of matters in Florida and other states.
Mr. Taylor has represented many major national and state lending institutions with their respective acquisition, development, and construction financing activities in Florida and other states. His experience covers a wide range of commercial lending and corporate finance transactions, including construction and term loans, asset-based lending, mezzanine financing, letters of credit and legal opinions, and on loan workouts, restructurings and foreclosures. He has documented and closed numerous construction and development loans and other lending transactions.
Mr. Taylor regularly represents both landlords and tenants with respect to office, retail, and industrial projects in Florida and other states, and regularly drafts and negotiates complex leases for landlords and tenants. In the course of his practice, Mr. Taylor is required to work closely with various title insurance companies, and he is an agent for Chicago Title Insurance Company, First American Title Company, and Westcor Land Title Insurance Company.
Education
University of Mississippi School of Law, Oxford, MS
J.D. - 2006
University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS
B.A. (Magna Cum Laude) - 2002
Job Titles:
- Director of Academic Affairs, Kershner Scholar
Gregory R. Miller, former Presidentially Appointed United States Attorney, served as the lead prosecutor and chief federal law enforcement officer in North Florida. Mr. Miller was also responsible for defending and prosecuting all civil lawsuits in which the United States was concerned. Over his legal career Mr. Miller has had extensive trial and appellate experience in complex and high-profile litigation. He has defended and prosecuted individuals who violated federal, state and military laws, coordinating complex investigations, and prosecuting and defending civil lawsuits.
Mr. Miller began his law career in 1980, while serving as a Judge Advocate in the United States Marine Corps. He has also served as an Assistant State Attorney in Florida, as an Organized Crime Prosecutor with the U.S. Department of Justice, and as an attorney in private practice. He has tried a large number of military, state and federal jury trials, litigated hundreds of evidentiary hearings and briefed and successfully argued cases before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit. He has more than 20 years of experience in managing complex criminal and civil cases in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida. He has received numerous awards and commendations, including the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys Director's Award for Public Service. Mr. Miller has also taught nationally and internationally on a variety of legal subjects for the World Bank, the United Nations, and many foreign and national agencies.
Education
Ohio Northern University Pettit College of Law, Ada, Ohio
J.D. - May, 1979
Drew University, Madison, New Jersey
B.A. - May, 1976
Ida K. Brady, as Personal Representative of the Estate of Samuel S. Brady, deceased v. Coastal Vascular and Interventional Centers, PLLC and Harry Ralph Cramer, Jr., M.D., Case No. 2014 CA 002233, (Escambia County, Fla.): Lead Counsel. Obtained a defense verdict on October 28, 2016, following a two-week medical malpractice/wrongful death trial where it was alleged that the improper use of contrast dye caused kidney failure and death. Verdict upheld on appeal by the First DCA, June 5, 2018, No. 1D17-421 (PCA).
J. Hays Mathis is an Associate who manages the firm's Destin office. He represents individuals and businesses in general civil litigation, probate litigation, and catastrophic injury litigation. He has litigated cases from inception through trial verdict. Hays is a native of Shalimar, Florida and he resides in Destin, Florida. He is a graduate of Choctawhatchee High School, and he received his Bachelor's degree at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee, where he earned All-American honors playing college football. Hays obtained his Juris Doctor degree at Florida Coastal School of Law in Jacksonville, Florida, and he has been practicing law in the state of Florida since 2007.
Hays is admitted to all Florida State Courts, the Federal District Court for the Middle District of Florida, the Federal Northern District of Florida, and the Federal District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
Education
Rhodes College
J. Jerome Miller is Of Counsel to the firm with practice focused on estate planning, probate, trust administration, elder law, guardianship, and local government law. Jerry is a native of Fort Walton Beach and resides in Destin, FL. He received his Bachelor, 1967, and Juris Doctor, 1970, degrees from Florida State University. He was admitted to practice in all Florida Courts in 1970. He served as Assistant Staff Counsel for the Florida Department of Natural Resources,1970-1971. Jerry is a United States Air Force veteran having served as a Judge Advocate from 1971 to 1975. He has practiced law in Northwest Florida since 1975. He is Past President of the Estate Planning Council of Northwest Florida (1982). Jerry has previously taught as an adjunct instructor at the University of West Florida in probate and estate planning to legal studies majors. He has served as City or Town Attorney for nine Florida Municipalities and General Council to three Florida Community Redevelopment Agencies. In 2001-2002 he served as President of the Florida Municipal Attorney's Association and was awarded the Paul Buchman Award as Florida's Outstanding Municipal Attorney in 2004-2005. Jerry is an AV rated attorney by Martindale-Hubbell peer review rating system.
Education
Florida State University, JD, 1970
Florida State University, BS, 1967
Choctawhatchee High School, Diploma,1963
J. Nixon Daniel is the managing partner of the firm. AV rated under Martindale-Hubbell's peer review rating system, he has practiced law in Pensacola for over 40 years, litigating on behalf of Baptist Hospital, Gulf Power Company, Southern Company, physicians and other individuals in both state and federal courts. His litigation experience includes significant personal injury claims, wrongful death litigation, class actions and business litigation. In recent years he has been lead counsel or co-lead counsel in class action claims involving fiber optics, the proper reimbursement of health care providers by payers, and real property matters.
Mr. Daniel has tried over 100 cases to verdict and has been involved in many others which were settled at mediation or otherwise prior to trial. His litigation experience includes both the representation of defendants and plaintiffs.
Education
University of Florida College of Law, Gainesville, Florida
J.D. (With Honors, Order of the Coif) - 1976
Wake Forest University, Winston Salem, North Carolina
B.A. (Magna Cum Laude) - 1974
Practice Areas:
Business Formation and Counseling
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Member of the Florida Bar
Jena Wise is a partner in the firm's litigation practice group, where she focuses on medical malpractice and commercial litigation. She represents businesses, healthcare providers and healthcare facilities in tort claims. She has experience in civil jury medical malpractice trials and has briefed and argued dispositive motions, including claims of vicarious liability. Jena has also briefed appeals and argued before the First District Court of Appeal.
Jena handles Department of Health licensure investigations for physicians and nurses. She also represents business professionals in licensure complaints and represents those professionals in hearings before the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Jena also has experience working with the briefing team at the trial court and appellate levels in complex mass tort pharmaceutical litigation.
Jena is a native of Pensacola and earned her undergraduate degree in Education from the University of Florida in 1997. After teaching in Broward County, Jena returned to the University of Florida College of Law and received her J.D. in 2005. During law school, Jena was selected to be a teaching assistant for the Legal Research & Writing department.
Jena is a member of the Florida Bar and is licensed to practice before all state courts in Florida. She is also licensed before the United States District Courts for the Northern and Middle Districts of Florida.
Education
University of Florida College of Law, Gainesville, Florida
J.D. 2005, cum laude
Job Titles:
- Moot Court Board, Chairman
John Adams is a partner in the firm's Pensacola office. John is an experienced commercial litigator who regularly handles real estate litigation, tax litigation, bankruptcy and creditor's rights, contract litigation, business litigation and probate, trust and guardianship matters. John litigates in the state and federal courts of Florida and Alabama.
John is recognized as a Super Lawyer in the area of General Litigation by Florida Super Lawyers magazine. In 2013, the University of West Florida Alumni Association recognized John as an outstanding young alumnus.
Education
New York University School of Law, New York, NY
John P. Daniel is a partner with the firm whose practice focuses on airport law, municipal law, and real estate and commercial transactions. A native of Pensacola, Mr. Daniel graduated summa cum laude from Wake Forest University in 1975 with a B.A. in Economics and was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa academic honor society in 1974. Mr. Daniel earned his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1978 and began the practice of law with Adams, Kleemeier, Hagan, Hannah & Fouts (now Nexsen Pruet) in Greensboro, North Carolina. In 1989 Mr. Daniel returned to Pensacola to join his brother in the firm where their father, J. Nixon Daniel, Jr., had been a partner for many years. A significant portion of Mr. Daniel's practice is devoted to representing the Pensacola International Airport in a variety of business, commercial, construction, and real estate matters. In addition, Mr. Daniel provides legal representation and advice to individuals, financial institutions, real estate developers, large and small businesses, and churches and charitable institutions with regard to a variety of business and commercial matters including the sale and purchase of business assets and entities; the sale, purchase, development, construction and financing of subdivisions, shopping centers, office buildings, apartments, hotels and condominiums; the formation and governance of business entities including partnerships, corporations and limited liability companies; the negotiation and drafting of business agreements; and the representation of lenders and borrowers in real estate lending, asset-based credit facilities and bond financing. Mr. Daniel is admitted to the bars of Florida and North Carolina and is a member of the Real Property and Business Law Sections of the Florida Bar and the American Bar Association.
Education
University of Virginia School of Law, Charlottesville, Virginia
J.D. - 1978
Marc Huff is a partner in the firm where his areas of practice include estate planning, probate, trust administration, and corporate law. He also represents professional fiduciaries and individuals in estate, probate and trust litigation involving the construction of trust and wills, will contests, undue influence challenges, and breach of fiduciary duty claims, including claims related to conflicts of interest, investment management, distributions to beneficiaries, accountings, and trustee and personal representative removal.
Marc is a graduate of Clemson University (B.S. Financial Management, 2002) and the University of Alabama School of Law (J.D., 2005; LL.M., 2017). While in law school, he served as an Articles Editor for the Alabama Law Review.
Marc is a past President of the Estate Planning Council of Northwest Florida and a current member of the Board of Directors of the Estate Planning Council of the Emerald Coast. He is an AV rated attorney by Martindale-Hubbell and is licensed to practice in Alabama, Florida, and Texas. Marc represents clients in the firm's Pensacola and Destin offices.
Education
The University of Alabama School of Law, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
J.D. (magna cum laude) - 2005
Mary Jane Bass is a partner at Beggs & Lane with a litigation practice focused on environmental, land use, local government, and litigation matters. Ms. Bass has practiced law for 30 years and is AV Preeminent rated under the Martindale-Hubbell's peer review rating system.
Ms. Bass serves as the City Attorney for the City of Gulf Breeze and serves as counsel to the Santa Rosa Island Authority. Ms. Bass has also represented property owners and homeowners in local government quasi-judicial proceedings. In her environmental practice, Ms. Bass represents clients in regulatory and transactional matters related to contaminated property, hazardous waste management and cleanup, wetlands, and land use. She has represented clients in enforcement actions and consent order negotiations with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. She was a member of a class action legal team representing the plaintiffs in Samples v. Conoco, et al. and Williams v. Conoco, et al., involving property damage and medical monitoring claims.
Her experience includes complex mass tort litigation as part of a plaintiffs' trial team that successfully tried to verdict prescription drug cases resulting in multi-million dollar jury verdicts. Ms. Bass also heads briefing teams at the trial court and appellate levels for this litigation.
Education
Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, District of Columbia
J.D. (Cum Laude) - 1988
George Washington University
M.A. - 1982
Job Titles:
- Chairman of Recruitment Committee
Robert Rouse v. Gulf County Association for Retarded Citizens and Robert Winfield Wilson, Case No.: 2012 CA 00093 (Gulf County, Florida): Lead counsel. Obtained a defense verdict on September 30, 2014, in this motor vehicle accident claim brought by a passenger injured in a highway collision.
Russell F. Van Sickle joined Beggs & Lane in 1992 and is a partner in the firm's litigation group. Mr. Van Sickle has been a Florida Bar Board Certified Labor and Employment Lawyer since 2001, the inaugural year for certification in this specialty. Board certification is the Florida Bar's highest level of evaluation of an attorney's competency and experience. He is a member of the prestigious Academy of Florida Management Attorneys.
A Pensacola native, Mr. Van Sickle's practice is primarily devoted to representing private and public employers and senior management in all areas of employment law, including discrimination; harassment; wage and hour; independent contractor compliance and misclassification claims; non-competition and trade secret claims; employment handbooks and policies; and labor union and management relations. He regularly counsels employers on how to comply with the law and avoid litigation. Mr. Van Sickle is a frequent, entertaining speaker on all areas of employment law.
Mr. Van Sickle's practice extends to other areas of commercial litigation, including class action and collective action lawsuits, automobile dealership representation, and real estate litigation. He has extensive arbitration and court experience.
Education
Florida State University College of Law, Tallahassee, Florida
J.D. (With Honors) - 1992
Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida
B.S. (Summa Cum Laude) - 1989
Steve Wilson is a Partner at Beggs & Lane. Mr. Wilson has practiced law for over 20 years, and he represents clients throughout the USA and internationally in connection with intellectual property (IP) and other matters. He serves as Practice Group Manager for the Intellectual Property, Sports & Entertainment, and Food & Beverage groups, and he is a member of the General Corporate, Litigation, Intellectual Property Litigation, and Appellate groups. Mr. Wilson has been awarded a Martindale-Hubbell® AV Preeminent® peer review rating for the highest level of professional excellence, in addition to other professional recognitions in practice areas including IP, entertainment, sports, litigation, and appellate practice.
Mr. Wilson is admitted in Florida, Maine, and Massachusetts, and he is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Courts for the Districts of Florida (Northern, Middle, and Southern Districts), Maine, and Massachusetts, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the First, Eleventh, and Federal Circuits, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Before entering private practice, Mr. Wilson served a Judicial Internship with the Massachusetts Superior Court in Boston, Massachusetts and a Judicial Clerkship with the Maine Supreme Judicial Court in Bangor and Portland, Maine.
Before joining Beggs & Lane, Mr. Wilson was a Partner in the Portland, Maine and Boston, Massachusetts offices of a law firm of approximately 100 attorneys with offices along the East Coast between Maine and Washington, DC, where he served as Intellectual Property Chair, Sports & Entertainment Chair, Food & Beverage Chair, Recruitment Chair, and member of the Litigation and Business groups. Mr. Wilson maintains homes in Florida and Maine.
Sterling Breeze Owners' Assoc., Inc. v. New Sterling Resorts, LLC, 255 So. 3d 434 (Fla. 1 st DCA 2018).
Job Titles:
- Partner in Beggs & Lane 's Pensacola
Steve Griffin is a partner in Beggs & Lane's Pensacola office and heads the firm's Energy and Public Utilities practice group. He represents public utilities, developers, independent power producers, and providers of electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Steve is top-ranked by Chambers USA for his expertise in Energy and Natural Resources and has been awarded a Martindale-Hubbell® AV Preeminent® peer review rating for the highest level of professional excellence. He has also been selected by his peers for inclusion in the 2018 through 2024 editions of The Best Lawyers in America® guide, for his practice in the areas of Energy Law and Energy Regulatory Law. Steve was recognized by Best Lawyers in America® as the 2022 "Lawyer of the Year" (Tallahassee) for his practice in Energy Law.
Steve has served in leadership roles on a wide array of renewable energy initiatives, including utility-scale battery storage projects, utility-scale solar projects, large-scale wind power purchase arrangements, community solar programs, landfill-gas-to-energy projects, and reclaimed water projects enabling the recycling and beneficial reuse of hundreds of millions of gallons of municipal wastewater. Many of these initiatives have captured public attention due to their innovative nature, including solar initiatives which, at the time, were the largest solar installations east of the Mississippi River and wind projects which received Deal of the Year Award from Commodity Business Awards, Deal of the Year Award from Platts Global Energy, and Deal of the Year Award from Risk.net.
Steve has substantial experience developing and negotiating power purchase agreements (PPAs), engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) agreements, requests for proposals (RFP), long-term service agreements, and franchise agreements.
Steve also regularly represents clients before the Florida Public Service Commission, the agency responsible for regulating electric, natural gas, water and wastewater utilities across the state of Florida. His experience includes utility revenue requirement proceedings, utility territorial disputes, energy efficiency proceedings, including proceedings under the Florida Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act, and administrative rule-making proceedings.
Education
University of Florida College of Law, Gainesville, Florida
J.D. (With High Honors, Order of the Coif) - 2002
University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
B.A. (With Honors) - 1999
Susan J. Salamone is an Associate in the firm's Pensacola office and is a member of the firm's Real Estate and Sports & Entertainment Groups. Ms. Salamone assists the Real Estate Group primarily in the areas of commercial and residential real estate transactions, commercial lending transactions, and general business transactions.
Before joining Beggs & Lane, Ms. Salamone prosecuted dependency cases with the Department of Children and Families. She received an Excellence in Legal Advocacy award in recognition of her efforts to advocate for Florida's dependent children. Prior to working for the Department, Ms. Salamone focused her practice primarily on residential real estate transactions and sports and entertainment law. Ms. Salamone received her Bachelor of Science in Human Environmental Sciences from the University of Alabama, and her juris doctorate with honors from Loyola University New Orleans in 2014.
Education
Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, New Orleans, Louisiana
Job Titles:
- Administratrix of the Estate of Egon Sussman
Sylvia Sussman as the Administratrix of the Estate of Egon Sussman, et al. v. Cessna Aircraft Co., Case No.: 2007-20336 (Volusia County, Florida): Co-counsel. Obtained a defense verdict for Cessna Aircraft Company on April 10, 2014, after a three-week jury trial in this four death aircraft crash case.
Thomas F. Gonzalez is an AV-rated partner in the firm's litigation group. He represents companies and individuals in tort claims and business disputes. He has tried numerous civil jury cases, conducted administrative hearings and handled licensure investigations representing physicians, nurses and other healthcare practitioners before their respective professional boards. He has tried personal injury and wrongful death cases arising from premises liability, aircraft and automobile accidents, medical malpractice and negligent security claims. He has also litigated and tried complex commercial disputes involving copyright infringement, aviation insurance claims, air ambulance contract disputes, electric utility contracts and homeowners' insurance.
Mr. Gonzalez is licensed to practice in Florida, Alabama, Texas (inactive status) and the District of Columbia (inactive status). He has briefed and argued appeals in various appellate courts, including Florida's First and Fourth District Courts of Appeal and the United States Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.
Mr. Gonzalez' first career as a Naval Aviator included deployments as a helicopter pilot in support of the NATO mission in Bosnia, counter-narcotic interdiction missions, and service in the Pentagon as the administrative aide to the Navy General Counsel. He earned an FAA Commercial Pilot Rating, and Instrument Rating, Rotary (Helicopter) and Fixed Wing. Mr. Gonzalez resigned as a Lieutenant in 1996.
Mr. Gonzalez has been certified by the Florida Supreme Court to mediate Circuit Civil cases. He is available to mediate pre-suit and ongoing litigation matters.
Education
Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law, Washington, District of Columbia
J.D. (Magna Cum Laude) - 1999
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
B.A. - 1988
Bill Mitchem is a partner and the manager of the firm's real estate and transactional group. Born and raised in Pensacola, Mr. Mitchem received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Davidson College in North Carolina in 1996, and his juris doctorate with honors from the University of Florida College of Law in 1999.
Mr. Mitchem focuses his practice primarily in the areas of real estate transactions and development, banking law, and business and commercial law. Mr. Mitchem regularly represents lenders, developers, real estate brokers, health care organizations and builders in various real property and banking-related matters, including subdivision development, medical office building developments and acquisitions, residential and commercial closings, and commercial leasing transactions. In addition, Mr. Mitchem regularly counsels clients with regard to business acquisitions and divestitures.
In the course of his practice, Mr. Mitchem is required to work closely with various title insurance companies, and he is an agent for Chicago Title Insurance Company, First American Title Company, Old Republic Title Insurance Company, and Westcor Title Insurance Company.
Education
Davidson College, Davidson, North Carolina