BARTLETT - Key Persons
Allison Doucette is the Firm's managing shareholder. As a member of the Firm's Litigation Practice Group, Allison focuses on a broad range of complex commercial litigation matters, and has extensive experience handling all aspects of litigation in state and federal courts throughout Florida and across the country. Allison has been recognized as one of the top 5% of attorneys in Florida in business and civil litigation by Super Lawyers (2024) after previously being designated as a Super Lawyers "Rising Star" for more than five years.
Education
Emory University, B.A., Sociology, 2007
Georgetown University Law Center, 2010
Chris Dodds has successfully litigated a wide range of business disputes in her 35 years of practice, representing commercial clients on both the plaintiff and defense sides, involving complex and highly sophisticated commercial litigation issues including: contract disputes, business torts, shareholder litigation, partnership disputes, claims of fraud and negligent misrepresentation, environmental issues, natural gas utility and pipeline litigation, franchise litigation, misappropriation of trade secrets, and other types of unfair competition. Ms. Dodds also has successfully handled several appellate matters, including briefing and arguments before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals affirming trial verdicts.
Education
University of Nebraska, B.A. Economics and Political Science, 1982
University of Nebraska, J.D. with distinction, 1986
Job Titles:
- PARTNER
- Member of the Florida Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission
Cynthia focuses both her law and mediation practices in all areas of litigation, including complex commercial litigation, class action suits and property rights matters. She also handles municipal law and all areas of real estate development.
Cynthia represents public and private corporations as well as individuals. Her clients include major public corporations and some of the country's largest privately held corporations, municipalities, public officials, individuals, trusts and families. Her mediation practice is primarily focused on complex case litigation. In addition, Cynthia was a member of the faculty at the College of Advanced Judicial Studies on the topic of mediation.
Cynthia served as a Circuit Court Judge in the 19th Judicial Circuit, which encompasses St. Lucie County, Martin County, Indian River County and Okeechobee County. During that time, she presided over both the civil and criminal divisions and served as the Administrative Judge for both the civil and appellate divisions. Cynthia was elected by her colleagues to serve as the first female Chief Judge of the 19th Judicial Circuit. She also served as an Associate Judge on the 4th District Court of Appeals on a number of occasions and was nominated for consideration by the White House to the Federal District Court in 2003.
Cynthia has served as a member of the Florida Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission since 2014 and has served as the Chair of that Commission. She also previously served on the Judicial Nomination Commission for the 19th Judicial Circuit and was appointed by the Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida to serve on the Magistrate Judge Merit Selection Panel.
Cynthia is a past President of the Port St. Lucie Chamber of Commerce. She served on the Board of Directors of the Treasure Coast Builders Association, Economic Development Council, United Way, Harbor Community Bank, Association of Retarded Citizens, and the Board of the Children's Services Council for St. Lucie County and Martin County. Cynthia has also served as chairperson of the St. Lucie County Land Acquisition Committee and a member of the St. Lucie County Comprehensive Plan Review Board, as well as the St. Lucie County Infrastructure Task Force. While Circuit Court Judge, Cynthia served with a select committee to represent the State Court Judges in dealing with the Florida Legislature in advocating the proper enforcement of Amendment 7 of the Florida Constitution.
Cynthia graduated in the top 10 percent of her law school class at George Mason University School of Law in 1982 and graduated from James Madison University with an undergraduate degree in Political Science. She has received the highest possible rating in both Legal Ability and Ethical Standards from the Peer Review Rating of the Bar and Judiciary in Martindale-Hubbell. She is a member of both the Florida and Virginia Bars.
Colin Thompson partners with and counsels clients through all stages of disputes: working to efficiently avoid and resolve disputes pre-suit; trying to judges and juries those disputes that cannot be otherwise resolved; and, presenting, defending against, and arguing appeals. Disputes he works to help his clients resolve routinely involve breaches of contract, property rights, construction defects, real estate transactions, franchise issues, and other matters. Colin's practice also includes defending companies against putative consumer and employee class actions involving claims of deceptive and unfair trade practices, statutory violations, product liability, and mass torts.
Colin is an experienced and effective trial attorney. He came to Bartlett, Loeb, Hinds & Thompson after practicing for over 12 years in the Tampa and Miami offices of one of the largest law firms in the world, of which he served as the Litigation Training Partner for the Florida offices. He has first-chaired significant jury and non-jury trials, represented clients in arbitration hearings, and represented clients in and argued appeals before Florida district courts of appeal and the United States Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Colin's jury-trial experience includes a variety of complex business disputes and consumer class actions. At the appellate level, Colin has obtained for clients affirmance of trial court orders and verdicts, and reversals of trial court class certification orders. Appellate decisions he helped his clients obtain have clarified and placed limits on class claims asserted under the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act and have been cited by commentators, litigants and courts throughout the country in support of tighter bounds on claims brought under states' "Little FTC Acts."
Elliot Haney joined the firm's Litigation Group in May of 2021, focusing on complex business disputes in both state and federal courts. Prior to joining Bartlett, Loeb, Hinds & Thompson, Elliot practiced construction litigation for a well-respected, national law firm based in Tampa.
Elliot received his undergraduate degree from Florida State University, before graduating cum laude from the University of Florida Levin College of Law. During law school, Elliot served as editor of the Florida Journal of Law and Public Policy and was a member of the International Commercial Moot Court Team.
Education
University of Florida Levin College of Law, J.D. cum laude, 2019
Florida State University, B.S. & B.A., 2016
Job Titles:
- Key Treasurer, Spring, 2002
- President, Fall, 2002
Job Titles:
- Member of the Judicial Nominating Commission for Florida 's Nineteenth Circuit
Job Titles:
- Moot Court Competition, Team Coach
Jalen LaRubbio joined the firm's Litigation Group in 2023, following his clerkship with the Honorable T. Kent Wetherell, II, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida. Jalen received his undergraduate degree from the University of South Florida in 2018 before graduating with honors from The George Washington University Law School in 2021. During his time in law school, Jalen served as a managing editor of The George Washington Law Review, a member of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Board, and a judicial intern for the Honorable Paul W. Grimm in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. Jalen also spent semesters interning with the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Education
The George Washington University Law School, J.D., with honors, 2021.
University of South Florida, B.A., 2018.
Jay Bartlett is a founding shareholder of the firm and concentrates his practice in the areas of water law, environmental law, property rights, eminent domain, and general real estate matters. In addition to his work in Florida, Mr. Bartlett practiced in the areas of water law and related environmental litigation in Colorado for eight years. He has represented landowners, developers, and governmental entities in the development and protection of water supply and delivery systems, environmental permitting and defense of various agency enforcement matters against local, state, and federal agencies. Mr. Bartlett has also represented owners of wastewater treatment plants in permitting and enforcement actions.
Education
University of Colorado School of Law, J.D., 1985
University of Florida, B.S. (Accounting with Honors), 1982
University of Florida, A.A. (Liberal Arts and Sciences, with High Honors), 1980
Job Titles:
- Moot Court Team, Vice Chairman
Nicholas Gieseler's legal practice is focused in the fields of environmental law, property rights, and election law. Mr. Gieseler primarily represents property owners who have had their constitutional right to make productive use of their land abridged by government laws and regulations. In addition to protecting his clients' rights in Florida's courts, he frequently advocates for property owners in administrative tribunals and by seeking zoning and land use variances from local government authorities.
From 2007 to 2010, Nicholas was an attorney with the Pacific Legal Foundation, the nation's oldest and largest public interest law firm dedicated to limited government and the protection of individual liberties. In 2005 he was named a Florida Gubernatorial Fellow, working in the Office of General Counsel for Governor Jeb Bush and advising the governor on judicial appointments and executive powers. In 2006, Mr. Gieseler worked at the Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence, housed at the Claremont Institute for Statesmanship & Political Philosophy in Claremont, California. His writings have been featured in publications including The Federalist Society's law journal Engage and the Florida State University College of Law's Journal of Land Use & Environmental Law.
Mr. Gieseler received his B.A. in Political Science in 2003 from the University of Florida, and is a 2007 graduate of the University of Florida's Levin School of Law.
Steven Gieseler concentrates his practice in the fields of constitutional law, property rights, and election law. Within these practice areas he has authored numerous briefs in the United States Supreme Court, and has handled litigation in state and federal courts across the nation. He has appeared frequently on television, radio, and in print as an opinion columnist, and his cases have been featured in nearly every major American newspaper.
Mr. Gieseler is the author of journal articles on topics including the First Amendment, property rights, environmental law, and international relations. His 2004 American Diplomacy article, entitled "Debate on the Democratic Peace: A Review," has been cited in publications of the U.S. Army and the Heritage Foundation, and is studied at universities around the world. Mr. Gieseler's 2010 journal article, "Strict Scrutiny and Eminent Domain After Kelo" (co-authored with Nicholas Gieseler), is cited by the Kelo opinion's author, Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, in his published 2012 account of the history of the case.
From 2005 to 2010 Mr. Gieseler was an attorney with the Pacific Legal Foundation, the nation's oldest public interest law firm organized to advance principles of limited government and constitutional liberties. When he left PLF in 2010, he was the managing attorney of the Foundation's Atlantic Center, responsible for oversight of the firm's Eastern U.S. operations. He previously worked as an attorney at DLA Piper, among the world's largest law firms.
In 2012, Mr. Gieseler was appointed by Governor Rick Scott as a member of the Judicial Nominating Commission for Florida's Nineteenth Circuit. He was appointed to a second four-year term in 2017.
Mr. Gieseler is a 2004 graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law. In 2001 he received his B.A. in Political Science and Religion from the University of Florida, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and named a National Merit Scholar.