Kimble McKay began working at Vernis & Bowling in the summer of 2012. He was born and raised in Tampa, Florida. In 2010, he graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminology. While at the University of Florida, he was a member of the Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Society.

Kimble then attended the Florida Coastal School of Law in Jacksonville, Florida. Florida Coastal School of Law conferred a Juris Doctorate upon him in 2013. Some of his academic memberships and activities while at Florida Coastal include Business Law Society, Sports Law Society, and volunteering at the Family Nurturing Center.

Since graduating from Florida Coastal School of Law in 2013, Kimble has been working at Vernis & Bowling of the Gulf Coast as an attorney handling general insurance defense matters with a specific focus on construction defect litigation and bodily injury claims. Kimble is an avid Florida Gators fan. In his spare time he enjoys playing sports, boating, fishing, and other outdoor activities.

Thomas W. Paradise was born in Houghton, Michigan and raised in Boca Raton, Florida. He graduated in 1988 from Tulane University, A.B. Freeman School of Business with a B.A. Degree in Management, Accounting Major. While at Tulane, Tom was awarded for academic achievement and was the Vice-President of the Beta Alpha Psi Honorary Fraternity. He then attended Stetson University College of Law and received his Juris Doctorate in 1991.

Tom Paradise is an AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell, which is an award that identifies attorneys with the highest legal ability and signifies expertise, experience, integrity and overall professional excellence. He is also listed in the Bar Registry of Preeminent Lawyers, A.M. Best’s Recommended Insurance Attorneys and named in “South Florida’s Top Rated Lawyers”. Tom specializes in civil litigation with an emphasis in the areas of personal injury, premises liability, automobile accidents, negligent security and supervision, commercial trucking accidents, governmental tort liability, product liability and insurance subrogation. His practice includes formulating polices/procedures and managing risk concerns for major corporations and governmental entities. He also defends insurance companies in first party property claims which covers a wide array of issues such as breach of contract, appraisals, declaratory actions, fraud, arson and bad faith. Tom has been a speaker at numerous conferences and has presented legal/educational seminars for insurance companies, third party administrators and self-insureds throughout the United States.

He was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1991, and practices before all Florida State Courts, including the Third and Fourth District Court of Appeals. Tom also has an active Federal Court practice and is admitted in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

Tom began his practice with a prominent Miami civil defense firm where he worked in the areas of insurance defense, personal injury, commercial litigation, and in complex litigation involving shoddy home construction and Hurricane Andrew. His practice at that time included several class actions involving catastrophic property damage and significant insurance subrogation. Tom joined Vernis & Bowling as a Managing Attorney in October 2002.

Tom has participated in the Broward Community Development Corporation and the Dade County Bar Association Put Something Back Program. He is a current or past member of the Broward County Bar Association, Miami-Dade County Bar Association, American Bar Association, Defense Research Institute, Counsel for Litigation Management and the South Florida Claims Association where he served as President in 2012.

Florida Bar Certified in City, County and Local Government Law

Dirk M. Smits was born in Boca Raton, Florida. He attended and graduated from Tulane University with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. During his years at Tulane, he was a member of Beta Alpha Psi Accounting Honor Society and on the Dean’s List three (3) semesters. Mr. Smits attended law school at the University of Miami and graduated Cum Laude. While in law school, he received honors including Dean’s List and an honors scholarship.

Mr. Smits’ practice is concentrated primarily in City, County and Local Government Law and he has been certified as an expert by the Florida Bar for those areas. He serves as a Monroe County School Board Attorney, City Attorney for the City of Layton, Board Attorney for the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District, and Board Attorney for Key Largo Fire & EMS District. Mr. Smits formerly served as City Attorney for the City of Marathon and as a special counsel for Monroe County.

In service of the numerous government clients, Mr. Smits has handled every aspect of the practice. Matters include a range of routine meeting issues to complicated land use, acquisition and even eminent domain questions. Mr. Smits regularly drafts legal documents, resolutions, ordinances, contracts and legal opinions for his government clients.

Additionally, Mr. Smits has extensive jury trial experience at both the Federal and State level. In addition, Mr. Smits has appellate experience in the Third, Fourth and Fifth State District Courts of Appeal, as well as the Supreme Court of Florida.

Mr. Smits serves on the board of Habitat for Humanity of the Upper Keys as Vice President. Dirk is also a lector, Eucharistic minister and member of his parish’s finance counsel. He founded Friends of San Pedro Catholic Church which is an endowment to provide for the capital needs of the church.

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.

Kenneth E. Amos, Jr. is the managing attorney for the firm’s St. Petersburg office. He was born in Canton, Ohio and was raised in a small town south of the Pro Football Hall of Fame city. While spending the first twenty-five years of his life in Southeast Ohio, Mr. Amos enjoyed fishing, 4-wheeling, and country living after working long days as an industrial painter. Mr. Amos married his wife of 30 years in 1995, and shortly thereafter the two relocated to Florida where Mr. Amos earned his law degree from Stetson University College of Law in 2003.

While Mr. Amos was in law school, he clerked with a local plaintiff’s attorney for two years and spent his first year of practice in the plantiff’s bar. This experience has prompted Mr. Amos to develop a mentoring program in the St. Petersburg office for law students who are inspiring litigators.

Mr. Amos was first hired as a managing attorney for an insurance defense firm in 2006 where he managed the firm’s St. Petersburg operations. Within months, Mr. Amos was invited to be a managing attorney with a second insurance defense firm where he became a partner in 2008.

Mr. Amos joined Vernis & Bowling in 2011. Mr. Amos has years of trial experience and courtroom experience. In addition to the areas of practice outlined herein, Mr. Amos handles a variety of Medicare and other healthcare lien issues. He also specializes in friendly suits throughout the State of Florida.

Mr. Amos was selected by Super Lawyers Magazine as a 2013 and 2014 Florida Rising Star in the practice area of Insurance Coverage for his work defending sinkhole claims throughout Florida.

He is the past President of the Belle Vista Community Association, and he is the current Chairman of Restore St. Pete Beach, a political committee created for the purpose of supporting or opposing political candidates to promote the restoration of his community following Hurricanes Helene and Milton.   He enjoys traveling with his family to Ohio where he is a season ticket holder for the Cleveland Browns. In his spare time, he enjoys relaxing on the beach and exercising.