Kimberly B. Sheridan was born in Frankfurt, Germany where her father was serving in the Army. She grew up in Greenville, South Carolina, but left South Carolina to attend college in Georgia. She fell in love with the State of Georgia and stayed to pursue her life long goal of being an attorney. While attending law school at the University of Georgia, Kimberly worked in the Prosecution Clinic, a program that allowed her to try cases before graduating. Kimberly also participated in the Public Interest Practicum representing women and children who were abused and neglected. Both experiences created a passion for litigation and for being in the courtroom advocating vigorously for her clients.

Kimberly believes in the legal system and works hard to defend her clients’ rights with integrity, diligence and hard work. Kimberly has been a trial lawyer in Atlanta since receiving her Juris Doctorate degree in 1996. She began her legal career as criminal defense attorney and Plaintiff’s lawyer before becoming a prosecutor with the District Attorney’s Offices in Fulton and Gwinnett counties providing her with tremendous experience litigating and trying cases. In 2001, Ms. Sheridan shifted from criminal law and applied her substantial experience in the courtroom to civil defense litigation. Kimberly has handled many jury and bench trials. She has defended and deposed numerous parties, witnesses, and experts and drafted and argued countless motions. Kimberly has also written and won many appellate arguments.

Kimberly Sheridan is the Managing Attorney for Vernis and Bowling of Atlanta, LLC. With two (2) decades of trial experience, she has developed a diverse litigation practice that includes automobile liability, premises liability (including slip & fall and negligent security), trucking litigation, products liability, employment defense and wrongful death. With an extensive knowledge of both the law and its practical application, Kimberly works with clients to resolve complex disputes per mediation, negotiated settlement, or trial resolution.  She is admitted to practice in Georgia and the U.S. District Courts in Georgia, the Georgia Court of Appeals and Supreme Court of Georgia.

Outside of work, Kimberly enjoys spending time with her husband and five children. Kimberly is an avid painter and has sold her paintings throughout Georgia.

Evelyn Greenstone Kammet graduated from Trinity College in Hartford, CT in 2004, with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Legal Studies minor. At Trinity College, Ms. Greenstone Kammet was a member of the National Dean’s list. She was also recognized as a distinguished scholar, having been inducted into Pi Gamma Mu (the International Honor Society for Social Sciences) and Psi Chi (the National Honor Society for Psychology). Ms. Greenstone Kammet continued her education at Stetson University, College of Law, where she received her Juris Doctorate in 2007.

Upon graduating from law school, Ms. Greenstone Kammet became an Assistant State Attorney for the 17th Judicial Circuit, in and for Broward County. As an Assistant State Attorney, Ms. Greenstone Kammet gained valuable jury trial experience as a prosecutor in the Misdemeanor and Felony Trial Units. After leaving the Office of the State Attorney, Ms. Greenstone Kammet transitioned to civil litigation, handling matters including property damage claims and consumer collections claims. Ms. Greenstone Kammet then focused her area of practice on Condominium and Homeowners’ Association Litigation where she litigated declaratory and injunctive relief matters, contract disputes, quiet title actions, election disputes and administrative agency enforcement actions.

Evelyn Greenstone Kammet has successfully represented her clients at both the trial court level and on appeal. In a recent matter, the Third District, by published opinion, affirmed a Miami-Dade Circuit Court’s dismissal with prejudice of a shareholder derivative action, holding that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in adopting the factual findings and legal conclusions of an independent panel appointed pursuant to Fla. Stat. 617.07401, which concluded that maintaining the derivative action was not in the best interest of the corporation. See Cornfeld v. Plaza of the Americas Club., Inc., 273 So.3d 1096 (Fla. 3d DCA 2019).

Ms. Greenstone Kammet manages the Directors and Officers, Errors and Omissions, and Employment Labor Department of the Firm’s Miami office. In her spare time, Evelyn enjoys traveling, live music, and the arts, and she enjoys volunteering with Kids in Distress, Inc.

William F. (Bill) Smith, II was born in Winfield, Alabama in 1962. Raised in the Birmingham area, he was valedictorian at Shades Valley High School in 1980, where he played basketball and baseball. He received a B.S. in Mineral Engineering, Petroleum specialization, from the University of Alabama in 1984. During college, Bill worked as an engineering intern for Alabama Power Company at the E. C. Gaston Steam Plant. In 1987, he earned a J.D. from the University of Alabama School of Law. Bill has been married to Suzann Sherer Smith since 1984. They have two adult children, Kathleen, an ICU nurse, and Parker, an insurance agent.

Bill is admitted to practice in Alabama (1987), U.S. District Court, Northern (1988), Middle (1997) and Southern (2004) Districts of Alabama, and the U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit (1999). Bill is a member of the Birmingham Bar Association and the National Retail & Restaurant Defense Association.

Bill has practiced exclusively in insurance defense litigation for more than 30 years, having successfully tried, as first chair, a diverse range of cases in state and federal courts, including automobile & commercial trucking, insurance & bad faith claims, wrongful death, premises liability, product liability, employment cases (race and pregnancy discrimination, sexual harassment, and workers compensation), and disputes between business entities.

From 2014 – 2020, Bill tried more than 30 cases to verdict.

He has previously served in-house as senior litigation counsel for a major property & casualty insurer.

Bill is a frequent speaker at seminars on a variety of civil litigation topics. He is active in his church and outside interests include gardening, hiking, backpacking basketball and all youth sports.

“Karen is a wonderful problem solver. We just concluded a case that never would have settled if not for her patience and ability to work well with others.”

Karen M. Nissen was born in 1956 in Newton, Massachusetts. She graduated from Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida with a degree in Behavioral Science in 1978 and received a Masters Degree in Student Personnel in Higher Education from the University of Georgia in 1981. After graduating from the University of Georgia, Karen worked at the University of Florida as the Assistant Director of Housing for Staff and Student Development. Karen received her Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Florida in 1990. She served as President of the Federal Bar Association, Palm Beach County Chapter from 2002-2003 and previously served the group as vice president, secretary and treasurer. Karen is a member of the Palm Beach County Bar Association, the Florida Bar, and the American Bar Association.

Karen’s areas of practice include: community based care including, but not limited to, representation of the Florida Department of Children & Families, director and officer liability, employment law, condominium and homeowner association disputes, liability defense, and appeals. Specifically, she has experience in handling cases from defending clients involved in Federal and State Agency charges of discrimination, handling pre-suit demands, responding to preparing and arguing motions, preparing and responding to discovery, conducting hearings, depositions, settlement negotiations, mediations, trials and appeals. Karen has appellate experience on both the state and federal level and was responsible for all aspects of the appeals including writing briefs, reply briefs and preparing for oral argument.

Karen’s approach to litigation is based on her background in education and counseling which often leads to early and unique resolutions to her cases. Her ability to connect to both clients and the opposing party assist her in obtaining resolution of cases that are complex and personal to all people involved. She has been called the “condo whisperer” by some clients and has been selected to represent clients in emotionally charged employment and child welfare cases due in part to her approach to litigation which is not found in many firms.

Karen enjoys spending time in the Bahamas as well as the mountains of North Carolina.

Scott C. Black was born in Nuremberg, Germany in 1973. For the past 35 years he has lived in the Florida Keys. He majored in Criminology/Criminal Justice and minored in Business at Florida State University, where he graduated in 1995. Prior to attending Florida State. Mr. Black earned a scholarship to attend his local Florida Keys Community College. Mr. Black graduated from FKCC in 1993 after making the Deans List and being named to Who’s Who Among American Junior Colleges. While attending Florida State University, Mr. Black was on the Deans List and was elected to the Golden Key National Honor Society.

Mr. Black graduated from Stetson University College of Law in December of 1998. During law school he participated in Stetson’s legal argument competitions and made the Honor roll. While at Stetson, Mr. Black received his Florida Bar certification and worked as a State Prosecutor for St. Petersburg State Attorney’s Office. After admission to the Florida Bar, Mr. Black began practicing with Vernis & Bowling of the Florida Keys. While practicing in the Florida Keys, Mr. Black has litigated in Federal, State and County Court. He has tried multiple cases both civil and criminal before the local County and Circuit courts. Mr. Black has also argued before the Third District Court of Appeals on multiple occasions and has argued before the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Mr. Black is on the Monroe County School Board legal staff, as well as providing representation for the City of Layton and the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District. Mr. Black is currently a member of the Florida Bar, and the American Bar Association.