WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (November 2, 2006) – Six attorneys recently joined the Ft. Lauderdale, Miami and West Palm Beach offices of Gunster, Yoakley & Stewart, P.A.
Stephanie Hew is a litigation attorney in the West Palm Beach office. She concentrates her practice in commercial and employment litigation. Hew earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida, and her juris doctorate from Notre Dame. She speaks Spanish and is a member of the Florida Bar.
Robert Friedman is a litigation attorney in the West Palm Beach office. He concentrates his practice in insurance law, complex commercial litigation and antitrust and trade regulation. Prior to joining the firm, Friedman was an attorney in the New York office of Dickstein Shapiro LLP, and served as a law clerk for the Hon. Naomi Reice Buchwald of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and his juris doctorate cum laude at Harvard Law School, where he served as editor-in-chief of the Harvard Law Record. In addition to recently passing the Florida Bar, Friedman is a member of the New York and District of Columbia bars.
Meredith Schultz is a commercial litigation attorney in the West Palm Beach office. A member of the Florida Bar, Schultz earned her bachelor’s degree from Haverford College, and her juris doctorate from the University of Chicago.
Farrah Duperval is a litigation attorney in the Miami office who concentrates her practice in civil and commercial litigation. She previously served as law clerk for the Hon. Barry R. Poretz, federal magistrate judge in the Eastern District of Virginia. Duperval earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Miami and her juris doctorate from American University, Washington College of Law. She is a member of the National Bar Association, the American Bar Association and the Gwen S. Chevy Black Women Lawyers Association.
Melanie Allen is a commercial litigation attorney in the Fort Lauderdale office. She earned her bachelor’s degree magna cum laude from the University of Notre Dame, her master’s degree from Middlebury College, and her juris doctorate magna cum laude from the University of Notre Dame. Allen speaks Spanish and is a member of the Florida Bar.
Jamie Schwinghamer is a litigation attorney in the Fort Lauderdale office who concentrates her practice in commercial, bankruptcy and probate litigation. She earned her bachelor’s degree summa cum laude from Florida Gulf Coast University, and her juris doctorate magna cum laude from the University of Miami, where she was on the Dean’s List. While in law school, Schwinghamer was the managing editor of the university’s International and Comparative Law Review and served on the Moot Court Board. She also received a number of accolades at the university, including becoming a regional semifinalist for the 2005 ATLA Mock Trial Team, a semifinalist for the Advanced Moot Court Competition, and earning first place in the 1L Moot Court Competition.
Gunster Yoakley, established in 1925, offers a broad range of legal services to its impressive client base of businesses, institutions, local governments and prominent individuals. Gunster Yoakley has offices in Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Palm Beach, Stuart, Vero Beach and West Palm Beach. Gunster Yoakley is home to 130 attorneys and more than 200 dedicated support staff providing counsel to clients through numerous practice groups including corporate, litigation, real estate and trusts and estates. For more information, visit www.gunster.com, or call (800) 749-1980.