Gus Soto Attorney

Lloyd R. Schwed
Partner

Gus Soto is an experienced drunk driving lawyer who will fight hard to protect your legal rights. He is licensed in both Florida and Georgia and has been practicing law for nearly 30 years. Attorney Soto has handled over 200 jury and non-jury DUI trials, giving him extensive DUI trial experience. Soto is a very professional and knowledgeable attorney. He is straight forward with his clients and does not inflate expectations or make ridiculous promises like other attorneys. He fights for his clients in order to get the best possible options for their ultimate decision.

lschwed@schwedpa.com
Office 561-694-0070
Facsimile (561) 694-0057

11410 N. Jog Road
Suite 100
Palm Beach Gardens, FL. 33418

Position:

• Managing Partner

Practice Areas:

• Business Litigation
• Professional Liability
• Insurance Law and Regulation
• Securities Litigation and Arbitration
• Construction Litigation
• Legal Malpractice
• Appellate Practice

Admissions:

• Florida Bar, 1985
• United States District Courts, Southern, Middle and Northern Districts of Florida, 1987
• United States Court of Appeals
  For the Eleventh Circuit, 1989

Clerkships:

• Student Law Clerk to The Honorable James Foreman U.S. District Court Judge for the Southern District of Illinois, 1983

Education:

• Washington University
  School of Law
  St. Louis, Mo.
  J.D., 1985

• Loyola University New Orleans, LA B.A.1981

Lloyd Schwed began practicing at Fowler White in Miami in 1985 in the areas of business and commercial litigation before being promoted to Shareholder in six years. He has 30 years of experience handling business litigation and professional liability, including securities litigation and arbitration, insurance agent defense, construction litigation, life insurance and disability insurance claims defense, contracts and non-compete litigation, real estate-related litigation, attorney and accountant malpractice defense and appellate practice.

Since 2005, Mr. Schwed has achieved the prestigious AV® Peer Review Rating by Martindale-Hubbell, signifying 'very high' ethical standards, reliability and diligence and 'very high to preeminent' legal ability. In 2011, Mr. Schwed received the AV® Preeminent Rating representing the Highest Possible Rating in Both Legal Ability and Ethical Standards reflecting the confidential opinion of Members of both the Bar and the Judiciary. Mr. Schwed was selected as a 2012 Top Rated Lawyer in the country by Martindale-Hubbell as featured in The American Lawyer magazine.

Although Mr. Schwed primarily defends broker-dealers and brokers, he represented the customers to win an $18.2 million award in Gomez v. UBS Financial Services Inc. which was among the top NASD awards in the past decade.

He won a record $2.5 million award in Prudential Securities Inc. v. PaineWebber Co., which then represented the largest 'raiding' arbitration award in New York Stock Exchange history.

He is a past Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Miami School of Law and has served as a speaker at the 'Securities and Investment Fraud' seminar and the 'Identifying and Preventing Securities Fraud' seminar for Florida attorneys. Mr. Schwed is the author of 'How to Select a Stockbroker' and 'How to Resolve a Dispute with a Stockbroker' articles for the Gannett News Service, as well as a Co-Author with the preeminent Professor Edward Imwinkelried of 'A Case Study for the Drafting of Comprehensible Jury Instructions' published in the Journal of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

He was recognized by the Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County with the 2014 Pro Bono Civil Litigation Award for his work on behalf of a local charity.

Mr. Schwed was named by Florida Trend Magazine as one of the State's 'Legal Elite' for 2019.

Mr. Schwed was honored to be named to the 2015 List of Top-Rated Lawyers in South Florida by Martindale-Hubbell.

In 2006, Mr. Schwed was named to the prestigious BTI Client Service All-Star survey list of 134 leading attorneys for the highest level of client service to Fortune 1000 companies.

Representative Cases

He was recognized by the Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County with the 2014 Pro Bono Civil Litigation Award for his work on behalf of a local charity.

Mr. Schwed was named by Florida Trend Magazine as one of the State's 'Legal Elite' for 2019.

Mr. Schwed was honored to be named to the 2015 List of Top-Rated Lawyers in South Florida by Martindale-Hubbell.

In 2006, Mr. Schwed was named to the prestigious BTI Client Service All-Star survey list of 134 leading attorneys for the highest level of client service to Fortune 1000 companies.

Representative Cases

• Qubty v. Nagda, 817 So.2d 952 (Fla. 5th DCA 2002).
• Qualley v. International Air Service Co., 595 So.2d 194 (Fla. 3rd DCA 1992).
• Manning v. Interfuture Trading, Inc., 578 So.2d 842 (Fla. 4th DCA 1991).
• Prudential-Bache Securities, Inc v. Greenspoon & Marder, PA., 551 So.2d 584 (Fla. 4th DCA 1989).
• Margaret Peggy Samson Cars v. Prudential-Bache Securities Inc., 550 So.2d 1157 (Fla. 3rd DCA 1989).
• Ehrhart v. Raymond James & Associates, Inc., 536 So.2d 1178 (Fla. 2nd DCA 1989).
• Singh v. Drexel Burnham Lambert, 529 So.2d 1235 (Fla. 4th DCA 1988).
• Thomson McKinnon Securities v. Belsky, 526 So.2d 991 (Fla. 3rd DCA 1988).
• Jennings Const. Services Corp. v. ACE American, 2012 WL 3052900 (11th. Cir 2012).
• Arbitration between Prudential – Bache Securities and Depew, 814 F.Supp. 1081 (M.D. Fla. 1993).

Marie Mattox, Esq.

Attorney Marie Mattox has practiced in the area of employment law and civil rights for more than 25 years. She has a solid record of results and a reputation for passionate defense of constitutional rights.

Gus Soto Attorney Marion

Ms. Mattox has litigated cases in state, federal and appellate courts of Florida. In addition to winning justice and compensation for her clients, many of her landmark employment discrimination and employer retaliation cases have led to protections for all workers and citizens.

Marie Mattox is a Florida native who has lived in Tallahassee most of her life and practiced law in Northern Florida since 1987. She has received the Thurgood Marshall Award from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

Manuel Vincent Fajardo, Jr., Esq.

Manuel Vincent Fajardo, Jr. is a graduate of the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University. He has been practicing Family and Divorce Law since 1995. For those going through the challenging situation brought on by a divorce, Attorney Manuel Fajardo is a strong advocate to have on your side. He is a skilled lawyer that has taken on a broad spectrum of divorce-related matters, always keeping his client and their well-being as his main focus. He is able to provide reputable assistance in all matters of divorce, as well as offering the service of mediation.

Matt Powell, Esq.

Matt Powell is a personal injury lawyer who is a Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer who represents injured victims and their families in cases involving catastrophic injuries, wrongful death, automobile crashes, brain injuries, sexual assault, trucking crashes, pedestrian accidents, medical malpractice, defective products, birth-related injuries, rape cases, dog bites, motorcycle crashes, negligent security and many other injury cases. Matt Powell is an AV-rated lawyer by Martindale-Hubble, the most respected legal rating service in the country. Matt is dual Board Certified as a Civil Trial Lawyer. First he was Board Certified by the Florida Bar and secondly he is also Board-certified as a Civil Trial Lawyer by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. He has been practicing Personal Injury Law since 1987.

Gus Soto, Esq.

Attorney Gus Soto has been practicing Criminal Law, Personal Injury Law and Worker's Compensation Law for 35 Years. He has tried over 100 jury trials in Florida and Georgia. Mr. Soto is a graduate of the Gerry Spence National Trial College which is a prestigious program that is only by invitation. Mr. Soto is also a member of the Florida Workers' Advocates, The Florida Justice Association, The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL, The Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (FACDL), and the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (GACDL). He is also a member of the National College for DUI Defense (NCDD) and the DUI Defense Lawyers Association.

William D. Hall, Esq.

William D. Hall was born in born Decatur, Illinois on August 4, 1953. He was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1980, He is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida; U.S. District Court, Northern District of Florida and U.S. Court of Appeals, 11th and 5th Circuits. Mr. Hall graduated from the University of South Florida (B.A., 1976); and obtained his law degree from Florida State University in 1979. While at Florida State, he was the president of the Student Bar Association. He has been a frequent lecturer on auto accident law and accident Litigation in Florida. He is a member of the Florida Bar; Florida Trial Lawyers Association and the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. Mr. Hall is dual Board Certified as a civil trial lawyer by the Florida Board of Legal Specialization and Education and by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. He is a member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum. He has tried over 75 jury trials in both State and Federal Court. He has recovered over $20,000,000 in damages for his clients.

Eric Stevenson, Esq.

Eric Stevenson graduated from the J.D. Cumberland School of Law at Samford University in 1998. He currently practices Personal Injury, Criminal Law and Civil Rights Law. He is admitted to all state courts and the Northern District of Florida, 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. He is a member of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and The Florida Justice Academy. He has an A/V rating with Martindale Hubble. He is also a graduate of the prestigious Gerry Spence Trial Lawyer's College.

Lance Avera, Esq.

Lance Avera has been a board-certified workers' compensation attorney in Gainesville since 1999. This is a rare and important qualification that contributes immeasurably to his skill in handling workers' compensation cases. There are approximately 90,000 lawyers licensed to practice in the State of Florida, however, less than 0.5 percent are board-certified in workers' compensation law. This achievement is an indication of Lance's personal and professional commitment to high standards of practice.
Lance has also been successful in trial litigation. He is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum for attaining settlements above one million dollars. He has been successful in representing plaintiffs in auto accidents, trucking accidents, and wrongful deaths.

Gus Soto Attorney General

Lance practices law in all areas of personal injury, with particular skill in workers' compensation law. He has had substantial success before the Judge of Compensation Claims pursuing benefits denied by insurance companies. In numerous cases, he has obtained six to seven-figure settlements for his clients. Lance is a preeminent Gainesville workers' compensation attorney, and he is a well-known workers' comp claimant's attorney in all of North Central Florida.

Gus Soto Attorney Marion

All of the attorneys listed above are participating affiliated attorneys but are not necessarily members of My.Attorney.