Joseph D. Bootka was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. He graduated from Aquinas College with a Bachelor of Arts, Majoring in Political Science with a Minor in Legal Studies. After college, Joseph attended Ave Maria School of Law where he earned his Juris Doctor.

Joseph was admitted to the Florida Bar and immediately joined the Vernis & Bowling Team to focus his civil trial practice in all areas of automobile negligence, premises liability, civil rights litigation, first/third party claims and liability defense.

Joseph is a member of the Florida Bar and is also admitted in the United States Supreme Court, United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida and the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

When not working, Joseph enjoys all aspects of outdoor life with his beautiful wife to include camping, hiking, boating, and lounging at the beach.

Amanda grew up in Tampa, Florida. While there she received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology Honors from the University of South Florida. After graduation, Amanda served as a sexual assault victim advocate for several years, which inspired her to attend law school. She received her Juris Doctorate degree from American University Washington College of Law. While in law school, Amanda served as the Senior Articles Editor for the American University Law Review as well as a Marshal-Brennan Constitutional Law Fellow with the Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project. She graduated Cum Laude and in the top 15% of her class.

Since joining Vernis & Bowling, Amanda’s practice area has focused on insurance defense and general civil litigation. She brings her passion for advocacy to every case and enjoys helping her clients through all aspects of litigation.

In her free time, Amanda enjoys practicing archery, painting,  traveling, and camping.

Mia Tolliver is an associate attorney at the St. Petersburg office. She is a South Louisiana native and graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Louisiana with a bachelor’s degree in political science with a pre-law concentration and a minor in philosophy. As an undergraduate, she was a member of Pi Sigma Alpha Honor Society and competed nationally in the American Moot Court Association.  Mia received her Juris Doctorate from the Stetson University College of Law. While in law school, she was a member of the Dispute Resolution Team and the Moot Court Team, where she competed nationally, served as captain, and earned the Best Brief Award at the Southeast Regional Jessup competition alongside the rest of her team, the largest moot court competition in the world. She was awarded the John Scheb Inn of Court Outstanding Appellate Advocacy Award at graduation.

Mia is admitted to practice law in the State of Florida. She originally joined Vernis & Bowling as a law clerk. Since being admitted to the Florida Bar, she has focused her practice on areas of personal injury litigation including auto liability defense, wrongful death, and premises liability. Her goal as a defense attorney is to provide confident and excellent representation for her clients, while building lasting relationships by exceeding client expectations.

Outside of work, Mia enjoys running, visiting her family back in Louisiana, and exploring the beautiful scenery throughout St. Petersburg.

Anthony is a Louisiana native but moved to Florida to pursue being an attorney. He attended Louisiana Tech University where he received a bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts, majoring in History with a minor in English. Anthony then attended Stetson University of Law and interned at the Tampa State Attorney’s Office. He received his J.D. from Stetson University of Law, cum laude.

Anthony became a law clerk for Vernis & Bowling of St. Petersburg and upon graduation and bar acceptance, is now an Associate Attorney, where he helps defend clients in a wide range of practice areas including personal injury and first-party insurance litigation. Anthony’s goal as a defense attorney is to provide excellent and competent representation for his clients, while building lasting relationships.

When not practicing law, Anthony’s hobbies include playing guitar, going to the beach, cooking, and practicing mixed martial arts.

AV^® Preeminent^™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell

Robert Swanson attended the University of Central Florida, where he graduated with Bachelor of Science degrees in Health Care Administration and Legal Studies. At UCF Robert was active in Phi Gamma Delta fraternity and the Order of Omega honor fraternity.  Robert received his Juris Doctorate degree cum laude from Stetson University College of Law. While in law school, Robert was active in the Health Law Society and was also a member of Phi Delta Phi legal fraternity.

Prior to his employment at Vernis & Bowling, Robert has practiced almost exclusively insurance defense. He was most recently practicing for the largest defense firm in Florida, representing carriers in bodily injury litigation, trucking litigation, premises liability and homeowners’ insurance claims. At Vernis & Bowling, Robert focuses his practice on bodily injury, premises liability and first property insurance claims.

Robert litigates his cases as efficiently as possible, always being mindful of his clients’ time and resources. His favorite part of practicing law is alleviating his clients concerns and securing a favorable outcome, either through negotiation, mediation, or trial.

Robert is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell and is admitted to all state of Florida courts and the U.S. Middle District of Florida. In his free time, Robert enjoys traveling with his wife and children and is huge fan of UCF athletics and the Tampa Bay Lightning.