Paul is AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell. He was born in Miami, FL. After graduating from the University of Miami in 1973, Paul obtained a master’s degree in library science from Florida State University in 1974. Paul worked as a reference librarian with the Defense Intelligence Agency in Arlington, VA and then with The University of the South in Sewanee, TN. While in Sewanee, Paul was very active in other endeavors including construction tradesperson, owner of a natural foods store, and a captain on the volunteer fire department. He then attended law school in California where he practiced from 1984 to March 2019, with his last position as the Managing Partner of the San Diego office of Borton Petrini, LLP for 13 1/2 years.

He has handled a variety of matters including construction defect litigation, construction site injury, wrongful death, employment, professional errors & omissions, director and officer liability, civil rights, UM/UIM, and fire loss cases via numerous jury trials and arbitrations. He has served as an arbitrator in binding arbitration matters. He has been a presenter at many seminars and lectures over the years. Paul has returned to Florida where he has been licensed to practice since 1985 and his extended family resides.

Jeff Gill was born in Suffern, New York in 1962. He grew up in Waldwick, New Jersey and graduated from Waldwick High School in 1980. He graduated from Haverford College with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1984. Following his graduation from college, Jeff coached high school basketball for a year. He then enrolled in the Vanderbilt University School of Law from which he graduated with a Juris Doctorate in 1988. Upon graduation from law school, Jeff began his legal career in the Pensacola office of Carlton, Fields, et al. He founded the firm of Bridgers, Gill & Holman in 1991 and acted as managing partner there until joining Vernis & Bowling in 2002.

Jeff has tried more than 150 civil jury trials. He has tried and won cases in most Florida jurisdictions including Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Bay, Washington, Gadsden, Lee, Jefferson, Taylor, Madison, Suwannee, Dixie, Columbia, Alachua, Nassau, Duval, Clay, St. Johns, Flagler, Putnam, Marion, Volusia, Lake, Seminole, Orange, Pasco, Brevard, Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin, Hillsborough, Palm Beach, Broward, Dade and Collier counties as well as in the Federal Courts of the Northern and Southern Districts of Florida.

Jeff has served as national trial counsel for several large corporations in defense of their Mass Tort Litigation. He has also served as statewide trial counsel in Florida for several fortune five hundred companies. He has obtained defense verdicts for his clients in wrongful death cases in both State and Federal Courts and has prevailed in trials against some of the most high-profile lawyers in Florida including, but not limited to, Fred Levin, Bob Montgomery, Chris Searcy, Mike Papantonio and Joel Wolpe.

Jeff has been the head basketball coach at Pensacola Catholic High School since 2015 and lead the Crusaders to the final four in 2018.

William G. Hyland Jr. is located in the firm’s Orlando/Deland office. His practice areas include Insurance Defense, Premises Liability, Wrongful Death, Products Liability, Automobile Liability (PD/BI/UM), and Construction Law. Mr. Hyland is a seasoned trial lawyer with thirty-four years of complex, high profile litigation experience, having defended over 100 cases to verdict. Bill’s experience in handling matters in these areas of practice includes the handling of catastrophic injury cases, and complex litigation matters involving multiple party actions. A former prosecutor, Bill served as in-house counsel to Travelers Insurance Company for twelve years, handling major exposure cases. He is licensed to practice in Florida, Alabama, Colorado, the District of Columbia, and the United States Supreme Court.  An Adjunct Professor of Law at Stetson University College of Law and Stetson University, where he teaches advanced Trial Advocay, his professional lectures include speeches at the National Archives and the University of Virginia.

Mr. Hyland was born and raised in Northern Virginia. In 1980, he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Alabama and in 1983 he earned his J.D. from Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law. Mr. Hyland is also a professionally published author of the widely praised book, “In Defense of Thomas Jefferson” (St. Martin’s/Thomas Dunne Books, 2009), nominated for the Virginia Literary Award. Mr. Hyland also worked with a Top-Secret security clearance for the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency and served an internship at the Georgetown Center for Strategic and International Studies. His law review publications include Legal Advertising and the Decline of the Profession, University of Alabama Journal of the Legal Profession (2011); A Civil Action: Hemings v. Jefferson, American Journal of Trial Advocacy, (2007); Law v. National Security: When Lawyers Make Terrorism Policy, University of Richmond Journal of Global Law and Business (2008); Creative Malpractice: The Cinematic Lawyer, University of Texas Review of Entertainment and Sport Law, (2008); The Politicization of the Founding Fathers, The Huffington Post, (2010).

Mike is an attorney at Vernis & Bowling of North Florida, P.A., in Jacksonville, Florida. He represents insureds, self- insureds, individuals, national corporations, domestic and public companies, and non-profit organizations in complex insurance and business litigation matters at both the state and federal levels. Mike maintains a concentrated practice in pre-trial litigation, including client interviews, drafting complex motions and pleadings, developing litigation strategies, and conducting
and defending depositions. While he has second chaired jury trials in state and federal court, Mike understands the practical and economic factors associated with litigation and regularly obtains settlements that serve his client’s interests at mediation.

Mike grew up in Johnstown, Pennsylvania where his family owned and operated a dairy business. The non-negotiable core values of honesty, accountability, and ethics were instilled in him at an early age and operate as the foundation for maintaining the reputations of he and his clients with courts, adversaries, and peers.

Prior to joining Vernis & Bowling, Mike worked for one of the nation’s premier trial law firms, where he honed his litigation experience by handling all stages of high stakes civil litigation from investigations to discovery and throughout trial. Clients and colleagues alike have remarked on his aptitude for diagnosing problems, identifying innovative solutions, and making those solutions a reality. With a work ethic that is unmatched, Mike is adept at managing deadlines, multi-tasking, and coordinating litigation strategies in a fast-paced environment. He enjoys condensing otherwise-complex issues for the fact-finder through the effective and impactful presentation of information. And in every case, he is committed to efficiently and economically meeting his client’s objectives.

Mike met his Wife, Melinda, in law school and attributes much of his professional success to her creativity and counsel over the years. Together, they are devoted to the community and cherish every day with their two young daughters playing golf, riding bikes, and taking family trips to the beaches along the First Coast.

Originally from Macon, Georgia, Michael Becker moved to Atlanta in 2007 where he attended Georgia State University for college and law school, earning his Juris Doctorate in 2017. Michael immediately joined the defense bar after obtaining his law license and has defended individuals and businesses in civil litigation ever since. Michael has handled jury and bench trials, argued countless motions, won numerous dispositive motions, and written and won several appeals. He seeks and achieves favorable results for his clients through aggressive tactics, procedural acumen, hard work, and attention to detail.

Michael’s practice includes appellate advocacy, automobile liability, trucking, premises liability, coverage and declaratory judgment actions, products liability, uninsured/underinsured motorist defense, and wrongful death, among other areas. He is admitted to practice before every court in the State of Georgia including all federal and state trial and appellate courts.

Outside the courtroom, Michael spends his time in the great outdoors with his wife and children.