BBDG LAW - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Associate
• Member of Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division

Austin A. Walker officially joined Bleakley Bavol Denman & Grace in December 2020 following passage of the Fall 2020 Florida Bar exam. Mr. Walker also participated in the firm's summer associate program in the summer of 2019. Originally from the Chicago area, Mr. Walker graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2017 with a bachelor's degree in Economics and a minor in Business Administration. Immediately thereafter, he moved to Florida and attended the University of Florida for law school. During his time at law school, he served as an Executive Research Editor on the Florida Journal of Law & Public Policy and was a member of the Association of Law and Business. Mr. Walker focuses his practice on civil litigation work with an emphasis on defending premises liability suits and auto and trucking negligence matters. Practice Areas Premises Liability Mr. Walker is a member of Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division and Business Law Section. In his spare time, Mr. Walker enjoys playing soccer, golfing, and snowboarding.

Job Titles:

• Associate

Austin Booth joined Bleakley Bavol Denman & Grace in August 2023, following his employment with the firm as a Summer Associate in 2022. Mr. Booth is originally from Wisconsin. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin with his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science and Communication Arts. Thereafter, Mr. Booth attended the University of Miami School of Law and obtained his Juris Doctor degree. During his time in law school, he was a Member of the Business Law Review. Mr. Booth also interned at the Investor Rights Clinic and the Children and Youth Law Clinic. Additionally, Mr. Booth received the "Dean's Certificate of Achievement" in Insurance Law and the "CALI Excellence for the Future Award" in Mergers & Acquisitions. Mr. Booth focuses his practice on civil litigation work, including premises liability and commercial litigation matters. In his free time, Mr. Booth enjoys watching his favorite sports teams, going for walks outside, and reading. Practice Areas Civil Litigation

Job Titles:

• Partner

Brian Battaglia is a partner with Bleakley Bavol Denman & Grace with a focus on complex civil litigation, business and commercial litigation, employment and labor law and real estate litigation. Brian Battaglia began his career, and was a shareholder with one of the oldest and most respected law firms in Pinellas County, Florida. Brian then established and operated his own law practice before joining Bleakley Bavol Denman & Grace. Brian Battaglia has argued cases at every level of the Florida state court system, including successfully arguing in the Florida Supreme Court. Brian Battaglia holds the highest Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review rating of AV Preeminent® which evaluates legal knowledge, analytical capabilities, judgment, communication ability and legal experience. In 2017, Brian Battaglia was honored to have been nominated for the position of Circuit Court Judge by the Florida Judicial Nominating Commission. Practice Areas Civil Litigation

Job Titles:

• Partner
• Member of the Florida Bar

Chuck Bavol is a civil trial lawyer with over 30 years of experience trying a broad range of cases in federal and state courts across the country involving a wide variety of complex issues including products liability, commercial litigation, construction defect litigation, medical negligence, and guardianship/trust litigation. Chuck has also successfully litigated mass tort cases, both individual and class action, involving a variety of medical devices, implants, pharmaceuticals, and building products. Chuck is a member of The Florida Bar, State Bar of Michigan, U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan, the U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Middle and Southern Districts of Florida, and the U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth and Eleventh Circuits. He is also a member of the Defense Research Institute. He was selected as a "Leading Florida Attorney," a recognition conferred upon fewer than 6% of the state's attorneys. Chuck served as Past President and Emeritus Director of the Florida Easter Seal Society, and also served on the Executive Committee of the Tampa Downtown Partnership.

Job Titles:

• Partner
• Member of the Florida Bar

In March, 2011 Grant W. Kindrick joined what was then The Bleakley Bavol Law Firm directly from law school. Mr. Kindrick has practiced in virtually all of the practice areas offered by the firm, including general liability litigation, trust and probate litigation, guardianship litigation, commercial litigation, professional liability litigation, First Amendment litigation, first party insurance litigation, catastrophic injury and wrongful death claims, insurance coverage and re-insurance litigation, corporate derivative lawsuits, employment litigation, and workers' compensation. Mr. Kindrick has represented for-profit, not-for-profit corporations, and individuals on both the defense and plaintiff's side of cases. He has practiced in circuit court, federal court, arbitration proceedings, and administrative proceedings. Mr. Kindrick, with J. Ronald Denman and Charles Bavol tried the matter of Bivins v. Rogers et al, which resulted in a jury verdict of 16.4 million dollars in favor of the firm's client. Mr. Kindrick has also litigated on both sides of several other multi-million-dollar cases involving catastrophic personal injury matters, commercial disputes and lawsuits involving damage to real and personal property. Mr. Kindrick is originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, but has devoted his professional career to practicing law in the state of Florida. In 2007, he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina. Mr. Kindrick earned his Juris Doctorate from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. in 2010. Mr. Kindrick is a member of the Florida Bar, the United States District Court for the Middle District & Southern District of Florida, the Hillsborough County Bar Association, the Wm. Reece Smith, Jr. Litigation American Inn of Court, and the Thomas E. Penick Jr. American Inn of Court. Practice Areas Commercial Litigation

Job Titles:

• Partner
• SENIOR PARTNER
• SHAREHOLDER
• Member of the Bar of the Supreme Court
• Member of the Bar of the United States Supreme Court

J. Ronald Denman is a Litigation Partner with extensive courtroom experience in state and federal courts throughout the country and has achieved numerous multi-million-dollar jury verdicts and settlements. Licensed to practice in Florida and North Carolina, Denman has a national litigation practice and represents individuals, and public and private companies in a wide variety of complex commercial litigation matters, including intellectual property disputes, deceptive and unfair trade practices, directors and officers liability, professional and fiduciary liability, products liability, and construction litigation. Denman also focuses a significant portion of his practice on estate, trust, and guardianship litigation and high-wealth individuals in marital dissolution matters. Beginning his career as Assistant State Attorney in 1990 in Sarasota and Orange County, Denman quickly began prosecuting major felony crimes. In 1993, he entered the civil arena representing insurance companies and corporations in a variety of litigation matters, focusing on products liability, medical malpractice, director and officer liability, and professional and fiduciary liability defense. In 1998, Denman joined the prestigious Miami law firm Bilzin Sumberg, and expanded his practice to include aviation defense, complex commercial litigation, intellectual property, and high-profile family law matters. There, Denman achieved the status of a Martindale-Hubbell AV® Preeminent™ Peer-Review Rated lawyer, which he continues to maintain today. In 2003, Denman was asked by one of his clients to join his company as General Counsel and Executive Vice President of Operations. The company quickly grew to become a national and international distribution operation. Shortly thereafter, Denman oversaw the creation of the company's own multi-million-dollar state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in North Carolina as the company's annual revenue grew from $30 million to over $300 million. During his tenure there, Denman oversaw the company's overall operations, national and international litigation, as well as matters relating to intellectual property and governmental regulation. Denman regularly met with senators, governors, and attorneys generals, and was honored by the president of Colombia in connection with the construction of a new manufacturing plant in Colombia. In 2011, Denman returned to private practice and joined the Miami commercial litigation law firm of Perlman Bajandas Yevoli and Albright heading up the Miami litigation department. Besides continuing to provide business consultation services for several companies in connection with all aspects of operations, finance, human resources, mergers and acquisitions, risk management, and international business development, Denman rebuilt his broad litigation practice, focusing on complex commercial litigation, director and officer liability, professional and fiduciary liability, real estate litigation, and estate, trust, and guardianship litigation. Denman moved from Miami to Tampa in 2014 to join the Bleakley Bavol law firm. Shortly thereafter, the firm added Denman as a shareholder and became known as the Bleakley Bavol Denman & Grace law firm. Denman continues to maintain a statewide trial practice in a variety of litigation matters, including estate, trust, and guardianship litigation, family law, contract and commercial disputes, professional and fiduciary liability, construction-related litigation, and first-party insurance litigation. Denman is a member of the Bar of the United States Supreme Court, the U.S. District Courts for the Southern, Middle, and Northern Districts in Florida, and has served on various standing committees with the Florida Bar. Denman is a member of the Federal Bar Association, American Bar Association, Defense Research Institute, Hillsborough County Bar Association, North Tampa Bar Association, and the Clearwater Bar Association. Denman currently serves on the Executive Counsel for the Marital and Family Law Section of the Hillsborough County Bar Association and has served as a director of the Orange Bowl Foundation and as a director of the Miami Beach JCC. Denman has also participated as a Volunteer Attorney for the Lawyers for Children and Guardian Ad Litem Program, the Miami-Dade County Put Something Back Pro Bono Project, and Bay Areas Legal Services. Practice Areas Commercial Litigation

Job Titles:

• Partner
• Member of Both the Florida Bar

Josephine (Josie) Rahn joined Bleakley Bavol Denman & Grace in March 2019. Josie came to the firm with multiple years of experience defending complex medical malpractice and nursing home cases, wrongful death matters, and general litigation and premises liability claims. Josie is a member of both the Florida Bar and the Georgia Bar. She also serves as an active member of the Young Lawyers Division of the Florida Bar and the Women Lawyers Association.

Job Titles:

• Associate

Job Titles:

• Partner

Matthew DePasquale joins Bleakley Bavol Denman & Grace as a partner focusing on the areas of business transactions, contracts, commercial and residential real estate transactions, and litigation. Mr. DePasquale has previously served as in-house General Counsel for Nationwide Title Clearing, Inc. in Palm Harbor, Florida, and continues to serve as outside counsel for several local businesses guiding them through periods of significant growth. He has demonstrated success at navigating complicated business transactions and litigation, including multiple class action suits, ensuring efficiency in legal costs along the way. A longtime resident of the Tampa Bay area, Mr. DePasquale is a graduate of Clearwater High School and attended the University of Central Florida, obtaining a Bachelor in Fine Arts, before graduating from Rutgers Law School in 2012. Matthew serves his community as a member of the Board for Stageworks Theatre, Philanthropy Chair of the University of Central Florida College of Arts and Humanities, and by funding an annual grant for the University of Central Florida Theatre Department. A husband and father of three, Mr. DePasquale enjoys spending time with his family, traveling, and is an avid local sports fan. Practice Areas Corporate and Real Estate Transactions

Job Titles:

• Associate

Melissa Deegan attended Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Riverview, Florida, on an accelerated degree path, graduating cum laude in 28 months and earning two Certificates of Merit in legal writing courses for the highest grade achieved. While in law school, Melissa served as an Executive Board Member for the Tampa Bay Moot Court Board and completed a three-semester internship as a Student Attorney for the WMU Cooley Innocence Project. Melissa began her career as an Assistant Public Defender in the Sixth Judicial Circuit in Pasco County, Florida, where she gained significant courtroom and jury trial experience. Before joining Bleakley Bavol Denman & Grace, Melissa practiced professional liability and auto negligence defense, defending individual law enforcement officers, local governmental entities and officials, businesses, and individuals. Melissa secured several dispositive motion wins and voluntary dismissals in Florida's state and federal district courts and participated in multiple civil jury trials.

Job Titles:

• Associate

Noah Vollmer joined Bleakley Bavol Denman & Grace in August 2022, after participating in the firm's summer associate program in the summer of 2021. Originally from Columbus, Ohio, Mr. Vollmer graduated from The Ohio State University in May 2019 with a B.A. in Political Science and minors in History and Business. Thereafter, he attended The University of Miami School of Law. During his time in law school, Mr. Vollmer was a member of the University of Miami Business Law Review as well as a member of various student organizations. Outside of the office, Mr. Vollmer is an avid sports fan and enjoys playing basketball in his spare time. Practice Areas Workers' Compensation

Job Titles:

• Partner

Richard William Ervin, IV is a member of the Florida and District of Columbia Bars, he is admitted to practice law in all state courts in Florida and the federal Middle District Court of Florida. He practices in the areas of business, civil litigation, family, real estate, and appellate law. Richard received his B.S. degree in political science from Florida State University in 1997. While attending Florida State, Richard interned at the Florida legislature for Representative Barry Silver and assisted with his political science professor's mayoral campaign. Richard was also a member of Sigma Pi Fraternity. Richard earned a second bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Florida in 2003 where he excelled academically, graduating with honors and gaining admission into Golden Key International Honor Society. Richard continued his education at Florida State where he earned a master's in business administration and achieved honors on the Dean's List. Richard earned his law degree from Nova Southeastern Law School. While attending Nova Law, Richard interned at the Public Defender's office, 2nd Circuit, the Ft. Lauderdale City Prosecutor's office, and Yoss LLP. Richard was awarded Nova Law School's highest pro bono distinction for completing over 500 pro bono service hours. Richard has been active in the community, volunteering for the Trey Curry Foundation, Metropolitan Ministries, Volunteer Reading Tutors, and The Sharing Tree.

Job Titles:

• Partner

Grace joined Bleakley Bavol Denman & Grace in September 2012. Prior to joining the firm, Grace was a shareholder of the law firm of Stiles, Taylor & Grace, P.A. He is also a member of the Trial Lawyers and Workers' Compensation Sections of The Florida Bar. He is active in the Florida Defense Lawyers' Association, the Defense Research Institute, the Hillsborough County Bar Association and the American Bar Association, where he is a member of the Litigation, Tort and Insurance Practice and Labor and Employment Law sections. BBDG is the Florida member of the National Workers' Compensation Defense Network (NWCDN) where Grace serves on their long range planning committee. Grace is a contributing author to The Defense Speaks: A Civil Defense Practice Manual, published by the Florida Defense Lawyers Association and the editorial consultant to Dubreuil's Florida Workers' Compensation Handbook, 2009 through 2019. He serves on Larson's National Workers' Compensation Advisory Board and is a frequent lecturer around the country on a variety of legal topics. Practice Areas Civil Trial Practice

Job Titles:

• Partner
• Florida Member of Exclusive National Workers Compensation Defense Network
• Managing Partner of Bleakley Bavol Denman & Grace

Managing Partner of Bleakley Bavol Denman & Grace, Robert W. Bleakley is Board Certified in Civil Trial practice and an "AV" rated trial lawyer with significant experience litigating trucking and auto claims, employment claims, premises liability claims, commercial and business disputes, sports law and player injury claims, and workers compensation claims. Bleakley has appeared and litigated a diverse range of cases throughout practically every venue in the state of Florida. Bleakley is an experienced litigator in state, federal, arbitration, and administrative proceedings. Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in February of 1967, Bleakley graduated from the University of Michigan with a bachelor's degree in 1988. In 1992, Bleakley earned his juris doctor from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School, cum laude. Academically, Bleakley finished in the top 14% of his class and was a member of the Thomas M. Cooley Law Review. Robert Bleakley comes from a family of lawyers and was trained in one of Tampa's oldest and most respected law firms. Mentored by his father, whose 35-year legal career included managing a 40-attorney firm that defended Michigan corporations, the partners of Tampa's 100+-year-old law firm, Shackleford, Farrior, Stallings, and Evans, P.A., and his then boss/now partner, Charles Bavol, Bleakley is embedded in the traditional legal notions of professionalism, integrity, and trust, combined with a personalized and dedicated commitment to the client's interest. By the age of 33, Bleakley achieved Martindale Hubbell's prestigious "AV" rating. In April of 2000, Bleakley founded the firm as a solo practice defending a handful of corporations in trucking, auto, and workers' compensation matters. Through hard work, submission to the client interest, dedicated service, and courtroom and board room success, the firm expanded through the years into a mid-sized, full-service law firm that represents hundreds of clients including Fortune 500 corporations, insurance carriers, large and small businesses, along with many individuals and families. The firm's roster now includes some of Florida's finest litigators and transactional attorneys. Personally, Bleakley is dedicated to his family and his faith. Bleakley moved to Tampa Bay in 1992, married Charlene Bleakley in 1995, and the couple have two sons, Christian (2000) and Alexander (2003), who attended Carrollwood Day School and Florida State. The Bleakleys have been members of Idlewild Baptist Church since 1994 and Robert Bleakley served on the boards of Carrollwood Day School and North Tampa Younglife, where he was the chairman from 2014-2018. The Bleakleys are also members of Avila Golf & Country Club. Practice Areas Premises Liability

Job Titles:

• of Counsel

Samantha L. Dammer joined Bleakley, Bavol, Denman & Grace in May of 2021, after working in her own firm since 1998. Ms. Dammer is licensed to practice law in Florida and Illinois, concentrating her practice in bankruptcy litigation, foreclosure solutions and debt restructuring options for businesses and their principals. Ms. Dammer is a tenacious, aggressive, yet compassionate advocate for her clients. Originally from Chicago, Ms. Dammer graduated top of her class from Saint Xavier University in 1995 and then Magna Cum Laude from Valparaiso University School of Law in 1998. Her Law Review publication was cited in a Supreme Court decision. She resides in Tampa and is active in the community, having served as past Chairman of the South Tampa Chamber of Commerce. Ms. Dammer is also active in the Tampa Bay Bankruptcy Bar Association. Ms. Dammer is admitted to the Florida Bar; Illinois Bar; United States Supreme Court; Florida Supreme Court (including all Circuit and County courts); United States District Court, Middle District of Florida; United States District Court, Southern District of Florida; United States Court of International Trade. Practice Areas Bankruptcy

Job Titles:

• Review Member

Job Titles:

• Partner
• Member of the Florida Bar

Ms. McLaughlin joined Bleakley Bavol Denman & Grace in March 2018 following her employment with the firm as a Summer Associate in 2017. As a Summer Associate, Ms. McLaughlin was able to participate and play a key role in the firm's record $16.4 million jury verdict award in a professional malpractice/guardianship matter, Bivins v. Rogers et al. Ms. McLaughlin has practiced in nearly all of the practice areas offered by the firm, including general liability litigation, trust and probate litigation, guardianship litigation, commercial litigation, bankruptcy litigation, appellate counsel, professional liability litigation, First Amendment litigation, first party insurance litigation, insurance coverage and re-insurance litigation, and construction litigation. Ms. McLaughlin received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, Magna Cum Laude, from the University of South Florida in December of 2014 and graduated Cum Laude from The Florida State University College of Law in December of 2017. In fact, Ms. McLaughlin completed her undergraduate and law degrees in just 5 years total. Ms. McLaughlin is a member of the Florida Bar, United States Court of Appeal for the Eleventh Circuit, United States District Court for the Middle and Southern Districts of Florida, United States Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida, the Young Lawyers Division, the Clearwater Bar Association, and the Hillsborough County Bar Association. Ms. McLaughlin is a Tampa Bay native and grew up racing motocross across the United States. Prior to attending college, Ms. McLaughlin raced in the women's professional class. Outside of the office, Victoria is an avid sports fan and enjoys fitness, concerts, traveling, and "betting the ponies." Practice Areas Commercial Litigation