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Robert Hicks is a legal assistant and the Business
Manager. He assists the attorneys
on research and case development, as well as computer hardware and
software management. He received his Bachelor’s degree from Harvard
University in 1971 and has been working in the legal field for 14 years. He is on the Boards of Directors of Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra, Cape Coral Municipal Charter Schools Foundation and is President of the Harvard Club of Lee County. |
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C. Robert Linne, Ph.D. is a legal assistant supporting the attorneys with Personal
Injury, Disability, Veterans and Long Term Disability appeals. He studied at Harvard University Divinity School from 1967-1970 and Northwestern University where he received his Ph.D. He also received an M.A. degree from Michigan State. He was an Assistant Professor at Florida State University from 1976 to 1980 and an instructor at Edison College from 1981-2002. Prior to working at Avard Law Offices in 1999, he also worked with at-risk youth and their families in therapeutic foster case and was a Program Director of a network of services provided to these families. In addition he was a therapist at Lee Mental Health. |
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Barbara Roig is an Office Manager and has 12 years experience assisting the attorneys in the processing and filing of Personal Injury and Disability claims from
the initial through the appellate
levels. She works extensively in maintaining the Personal Injury court pleadings and with the Social Security Administration Headquarters staff in Baltimore completing our clients claims. |
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Mary-Jo Strong has 28 years of experience working for the Social Security Administration. She specialized in the development and
adjudication of claims Retirement, Survivor and Disability benefits in the
Fort Myers Social Security office. |
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Dina Fanora has worked in the legal field since 1992,
handling Personal Injury, Insurance, Real Estate, Mortgages, and Medical Records Development on Disability cases. She attended Nassau Community College, Uniondale, NY, where she studied Child Development. |
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Karen Plum-Herring has 31 years experience working in the Hearing Offices (Office of Disability Adjudication and Review) for Social Security in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and Fargo, North Dakota. She was responsible for writing decisions for the Administrative Law Judges. |
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Susannah Kelly is a Legal Assistant handling Social Security Disability Intakes and case development. She also has experience as a Graduate Assistant at the University of South Florida and has received degrees from the Eastman School of Music. She is also a professional cellist with the Southwest Florida Symphony. |
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Lisa Eshelman has assisted attorneys in the legal field since 1990, handling civil litigation and bankruptcy filings. She has worked as a legal assistant in both Maryland and Florida. |
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Mandie Riley has her BA in English Language and Literature. She oversaw the management of a law office in Las Vegas, Nevada, for over 20 years. She has more than 40 years experience as a legal assistant in California, Nevada and Texas, in the areas of Personal Injury, SSDI, Eminent Domain and Flood Litigation. |
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Sarah Conant is a legal assistant and has worked in the legal field for eight years handling Land Use and Real Estate Law cases. She currently is responsible for the medical development of Social Security cases at the hearing level. Sarah has an Associate in Arts in English Literature from Edison State College, graduating in 2004. She also earned a Bachelor of Science in Legal Studies from Florida Gulf Coast University in 2006. |
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Erica Eding is a legal assistant handling client intakes and administrative secretarial duties. She holds a Bachelor degree in Communication with a specialization in Journalism and a Bachelor degree in Spanish and Latin American Studies from Flagler College, graduating in April 2009. |
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Denys Beecher is a legal assistant handling Social Security Disability case development. Educated at the University of South Florida, he currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Southwest Florida Fencing Academy and is former Chairman of the Central Florida Division of the US Fencing Association. |
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Gavin Dougherty is a Legal Assistant handling the intake of Social Security Disability cases and the development of Personal Injury cases. Having received his Bachelor degree in Percussion Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music, Gavin is also a professional musician, freelancing throughout Southwest Florida. |
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Danielle LaRosa is a Legal Assistant handling Social Security Disability intakes and the processing of disability forms. She currently attends Edison State College. |
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Paula Sawyer is a Legal Assistant handling Social Security Disability Intakes and Case Development. She has attended Kalamazoo Valley Community College, Kalamazoo, Michigan studying Business Management and South Florida Community College studying Accounting and Computer Technology. |
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Danut Muresan is a part-time Legal Assistant developing Social Security cases. Danut is also a violinist who studied at the Music Lyceum in Timisoara, Romania. He received his Masters degree in music at Lynn University. He is the Principal Second Violinist with the Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra and First Violinist with the Palm Beach Opera. |
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Joanne Avard graduated from Maryland Institute College of Art in 1972. She played on the LPGA Tour in the 70s and 80s. She owned a screen-printing company in the Silicone Valley in California for Sun Micro Systems, Inc., HP, and The IBM Corporation Co. She moved to Florida in 1990 and started her own cleaning business which she operated for 20 years. She is a legal assistant in charge of photography for the personal injury department and the closing of completed cases. |
