Firm Profile

Matt Hellman

Admitted:

1981, The Florida Bar
1982, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida, including Trial bar

Law School: Drake University, J.D., 1980
College: Kean College, B.S. 1978
Member: The Florida Bar, Claims Association
Born: West Orange, New Jersey; March 11, 1955

David Bender

David Bender, graduated from Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad Law Center, for which he earned his Juris Doctorate degree (Juris Doctorate, 2007, Cum Laude), after receiving his Bachelors degree from Georgia State University (B.A. 2004, Magna Cum Laude).

While attending law school, Mr. Bender was the recipient of the Dean’s List and he graduated in the top 15% of his class. Mr. Bender worked as a law clerk in the field of insurance defense before joining Matt Hellman, P.A.

Mr. Bender has been a licensed attorney since April 2008 and since that time has gained a great deal of experience in the field of personal injury protection litigation, handling a full case load, attending hearings, and depositions. In addition he has worked on defending bodily injury claims and homeowner’s claims with regards to windstorm damage.

Alberto J. Sabates

Alberto J. Sabates is an insurance defense attorney at Matt Hellman, P.A. He mainly focuses in the area of personal injury protection. Prior to joining Matt Hellman, P.A., Albert clerked for Kurkin Forehand Brandes, L.L.P., drafting several appeals in Elections and Contract law. Most notably, he drafted the answer brief in the highly publicized "Resign to Run" case: Sandra Ruiz v. Jeanette Nunez, 43 So. 3d 124.

Albert graduated from Florida International University in 2006, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science. He received his law degree, cum laude, from St. Thomas University School of Law in 2010, where he earned honors distinction in criminal procedure and wills and trusts. In law school, he served as President of the Moot Court Team and competed in national appellate moot court competitions. Specifically, Albert placed Quarter-Finalist in a national First Amendment competition in Washington, D.C. In addition, he served as Staff Editor of the St. Thomas Law Review.

Prior to graduating from law school, Albert was a certified legal intern in an appellate litigation clinic in the Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office. There, he drafted two appellate briefs and presented oral arguments in the Third District Court of Appeal of Florida. Prior to going to law school, Albert served as Assistant to the Mayor, in the Miami-Dade County Mayor’s Office.

Albert is admitted to practice in the State of Florida and United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. He is a member of the Cuban American Bar Association.

Todd Herman

Mr. Herman is an associate attorney at Matt Hellman, P.A. focusing his practice in the area of insurance defense. Mr. Herman attended Florida State University where he earned a degree in biological science and a minor in chemistry in 2006. He graduated from Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad Law Center in 2010, spending multiple semesters on the academic Dean’s List and earned membership into the Pro Bono Honor Society. In addition he participated in the Personal Injury Litigation Clinic. While in law school, Mr. Herman interned at the Office of the Public Defender and law clerked in the areas of personal injury, medical malpractice and workers’ compensation.

Craig Collin, Esq.

Craig A. Collin, Esq. graduated from Nova Southeastern University, Shepard Broad Law Center with his Juris Doctorate Degree in May of 2008, and was admitted as a member of the Florida Bar in 2009.

Prior to attending law school, Mr. Collin obtained his Bachelor’s of Science Degree from University of Central Florida. During law school Mr. Collin was a law clerk at Gary M. Zeidwig, P.A., and he interned for the Public Defender’s Office in Broward County.

Katherine Moon

Katherine Moon received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Miami School of Law in May 2010. While studying at the University of Miami, Ms. Moon gained valuable experience as a law clerk for the Honorable Jacqueline Hogan-Scola. She also interned at the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office and the Office of Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel for the Third Region of Florida.

Prior to attending law school, Ms. Moon attended the University of Virginia, where she received her Bachelor of Arts in both Political Science and Psychology.

Ms. Moon was admitted to the Florida Bar in September 2010.

Mary Valladares, Esq.

Mary Valladares, Esq., graduated in May 2006 from Thomas M. Cooley Law School, after receiving her Bachelor’s degree from Nova Southeastern University. Ms. Valladares joined the firm of Matt Hellman, P.A. in 2007 and since that time has gained a great deal of experience in the field of personal injury protection litigation, handling a full case load, attending hearings, and depositions. She continues to learn and build upon her experience as a litigation attorney.

Ms. Valladares is member of the Florida Bar Association since 2007 and member of the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida Bar since 2009. Ms. Valladares’s fluency in Spanish has been a great asset to the firm and its clients.

Ms. Valladares clerked for the Honorable Sylvia Medina-Shore of the Court of Compensation Claim (Workers Compensation) District, K, Miami, Florida.

While attending law school, Ms. Valladares was a consistent recipient of Dean's List and achieved a Certificate of Appreciation from Sixty Plus Elderlaw Clinic. Ms. Valladares interned at Sixty Plus Elderlaw Clinic, a general practice law firm that provides legal assistance to the elderly residents of Lansing, Michigan. Ms. Valladares was an active member and participated in Moot Court, Mock Trial and the American Trial Lawyers Association (A.T.L.A)

Matthew Barber, Esq.

EDUCATION
BENJAMIN N. CARDOZO SCHOOL OF LAW, Yeshiva University, New York
Academic: Juris Doctor; GPA 3.04; May 2008
Honors: Pauline Perlmutter Jarett Scholarship; NYC Law Dept. Appellate Clinic selection; Cardozo Post-Graduate
Public Service Fellowship; visiting student at University of Miami School of Law (Spring 2008)

EMORY UNIVERSITY, College of Arts and Sciences Atlanta
Academic: BA in African Studies (3.7/4.0) and International Studies (3.6/4.0); Cumulative GPA: 3.46/4.0, May ‘05
Honors: Pi Sigma Alpha honors society; Dean’s List; Honorary 100 Seniors award

EXPERIENCE
Matt Hellman, P.A., Fort Lauderdale, FL
Associate and Law Clerk, November 2008-Present
Conduct all phases of litigation for insurance dispute and commercial litigation practices.

Self-employed
Mediator and Editorial Contributor, Fall 2008
Contributed to managing online content and user community for a major New York-based media website, with over ten million unique visitors per month.

Zebersky & Payne, LLP, Hollywood, FL
Law Clerk, Spring 2008
Prepared and drafted letters, memoranda, pleadings and discovery in all matters related to commercial litigation.
Discovered major accounting discrepancies and unauthorized transactions through a forensic audit and reconciliation of
trust account ledger, banking ledger and account authorizations.

Professor Eric Pan, Heyman Center on Corporate Governance, New York, NY
Research Assistant, October 2007-November 2007
Assisted in research project concerning protection of non-institutional investors from systemic risks, including a
summary of American Depositary Receipts (ADR) trading, flowback and legal paradigm; included comparative
international research on legal regimes in Europe, Asia and United States, as well as survey of regulatory compliance.

National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, Springfield, VA
Law Clerk, July 2007-August 2007
Responsible for document review as well as pre-trial preparation using secure software for a major RICO/labor action.

New York City Law Department, Corporation Counsel, New York
Appeals Division
Spring Extern, January 2007-May 2007
Researched and wrote three appellate briefs concerning administrative and contract law issues on behalf of the City.

New York City Law Department, Corporation Counsel, New York
Manhattan Trial Unit, Torts Division
Fall Extern, August 2006-December 2006
Duties included defending depositions, writing memos of law, drafting pre-trial motions, reviewing documents, liaising between departments and summarizing records for trial preparation.

The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, Washington, DC & Atlanta
Fellow on Terrorism, May 2004-May 2005
Represented the foundation in public matters concerning terrorism and democracy at Emory; attended programs in Israel and DC; researched, wrote and organized events concerning policy, including terror financing, training and transportation.

LEADERSHIP
Senior Member, Emory Political Review; The Emory Wheel
Representative, Emory Brainstorming Committee on Race, Racism and Society; Emory College Council

LANGUAGES
Limited working proficiency in Arabic

BAR ADMISSIONS
Florida, 2009
New York admission is pending

Melissa Rakin

Melissa Rakin received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Miami School of Law in May 2010. She received her Bachelor of Science in Business Management from the University of Connecticut in 2007. During law school, Ms. Rakin gained valuable civil and criminal litigation experience through her internships with the Miami State Attorney’s Office and the Miami-Dade Consumer Services Department.

Ms. Rakin is a member in good standing of the Florida Bar and the New Jersey Bar.

Shanelle L. P. Romilus

3671 Turtle Run Blvd
Coral Springs, FL 33067
sromilus28@gmail.com
(407) 361-0333

MEMBERSHIP

Admitted to Florida Bar, September 2009

EDUCATION

Nova Southeastern University, Shepard Broad Law Center, Fort Lauderdale, FL
J.D., May 2009
GPA:3.1
Class Rank: Top 20%
Awards: Florida Bar Public Service Fellowship
Activities: Moot Court Society, Senior Chairperson for Finances
Black Law Student Association (BLSA), Member

University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL
B.S.B.A. in Business Finance, May 2005
Activities: Financial Management Association, Member

LEGAL EXPERIENCE

Matt Hellman , P.A., Plantation, FL
Insurance Defense Associate, May 2010 – Present

Effectively completed all aspects of insurance defense cases for clients including preparing in-depth case analysis, responding to discovery, analyzing witness statements and other documents in preparation for trial.
Collaborated with clients to set expectations and achieve goals and objectives. Completed a diverse range of legal work, including drafting summary judgment motions, conducting and defending depositions, preparing oral arguments and attending hearings.

Synergy Legal Professionals, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Document Review Attorney, October 2009 – March 2010

Analyzed documents for issues in preparation for internal investigations and litigation.
Made attorney-client privilege calls to protect clients’ confidential documents.

Law Offices of Sheldon J. Schlesinger, P.A., Fort Lauderdale, FL
Law Clerk, June 2008 - March 2009

Performed legal research and drafted motions, memoranda and other documents for cases involving insurance coverage, medical malpractice, personal injury and evidentiary issues.

STRENGTHS/SKILLS/INTERESTS

Proven ability to think logically and effectively analyze statutes, case law and factual data.
Capable of working under pressure, disciplined, keen desire to learn new things and grow faster.
Proficient in Westlaw, Lexis Nexis, Microsoft Word, Excel, Power Point.
Enjoys singing, bowling, cooking and reading.