Dean Mead Continues Strategic Expansion in Orlando with Addition of Five Attorneys

We are pleased to welcome five attorneys who joined our Orlando office as part of a strategic plan to expand our statewide footprint in key practice areas including business and commercial litigation, commercial real estate, leasing, construction law, labor and employment litigation, and intellectual property litigation. The new additions hail from the Orlando office of law firm Roetzel & Andress, including veteran attorneys Tom Wert, Michael Furbush, and David Barker, as well as associates, Anna Ketcham and Michael Dawkins.

“Growing the Orlando office is at the core of our firm’s strategic plan,” said Marc Chapman, president of Dean Mead. “We waited for the right opportunity to align our firm with a group of accomplished lawyers who will complement our well established corporate, tax, real estate, finance and complex litigation practices throughout Florida. This group was highly sought after in the legal community and we believe they’re the perfect fit for our collaborative team and our clients.”

There is tremendous opportunity for growth given the synergies between the new attorneys’ core practice areas and our strategic focus in Florida. Last summer, our office relocated to the heart of Orlando’s downtown district in CNL Tower II. The move to Dean Mead felt a lot like coming home for Wert, Furbush, Barker and Dawkins because they’re practicing law in the same space where they had their last office for nine years.

Wert is the former managing partner of Roetzel’s Orlando office. He has over 23 years of experience and is Board Certified in Construction Law by The Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization. He has practiced in the area of business litigation, with an emphasis in construction law, commercial litigation, real estate litigation, and creditors’ rights. He is also a Circuit Civil Court Mediator certified by the Florida Supreme Court, who has mediated numerous business disputes. Wert has represented numerous large and middle-market companies, local governments, banks and other financial institutions, general contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, design professionals, developers, small businesses and individuals in cases involving construction defects, delay claims, lien law, design liability, dispute resolution, licensing issues, procurement, condominium and home owner associations, credit agreements, contract disputes, business torts, government bid protests, intellectual property rights and bankruptcy.

Drawing from 26 years of experience, Barker is Board Certified in Real Estate Law by The Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization. He focuses his practice on real estate law, including sales, purchases, and development for residential and commercial development; entity formation; golf course, country club and association representation; title services; assisted living, congregate care and other senior housing facilities; and commercial leasing. His clients have included national and local developers, retail and office landlords and tenants, builders, banks, title companies and select individuals.

Furbush is Board Certified in Litigation and has been practicing for more than 21 years. He focuses on resolving complex, commercial matters in state and federal courts throughout the country. He has represented large public corporations, small companies, and individuals from a wide range of industries, including entertainers, real estate developers, general contractors, retailers, physicians, and manufacturers.

Furbush has obtained multi-million dollar settlements on behalf of his clients and is highly experienced in arbitration, mediation and other forms of out-of-court dispute resolution. In addition, he has litigated and resolved cases involving covenants not to compete, trade secrets, trademark and copyright infringement, breach of contract, construction litigation and lien disputes, corporate dissolutions and shareholder disputes, employment discrimination, and antitrust matters.

Ketcham focuses her practice on business and commercial litigation. She has experience in resolving complex, commercial matters in both state and federal courts, as well as experience in forms of out-of-court dispute resolution, including mediation and arbitration. She has assisted in the representation of large public corporations, small companies, and individuals from a wide range of industries, including homebuilders, homeowners associations, mortgage brokers, investment firms, banking and financial institutions, insurance companies, retailers, hotel owners, and physicians.

Dawkins focuses his practice on commercial real estate and corporate law. He represents developers, businesses, and lenders in the acquisition, disposition, development, leasing and finance of commercial real estate properties. He also represents businesses and business owners in all aspects of their operations, including entity formation, capital financing, general corporate governance, and key contract maintenance.

About Dean Mead:

Dean Mead is a business law firm that provides full-service legal representation to companies and individuals throughout Florida. The firm has more than 55 attorneys in multiple practice areas including: federal tax, state and local tax, estate and succession planning, business litigation, corporate law, general commercial litigation, labor and employment, government relations and lobbying, regulatory compliance, employee benefits, bankruptcy and creditors’ rights, commercial real estate, leasing, construction law, finance and lending, environmental, land use, water law and eminent domain. For more information, please visit https://deanmead.deme-prod.findsomewinmore.com.

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