The Best Lawyers in America 2024 Edition

Battaglia, Ross, Dicus & McQuaid, P.A. announces the recognition of eleven outstanding lawyers in the commemorative 30th edition of The Best Lawyers in America and the fourth edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America, The firm is honored to have these Tampa Bay attorneys recognized with such esteemed distinction in the legal profession.

The following attorneys are recognized by Best Lawyers in America in their respective specialties:

  • Sean K. McQuaid
    • Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs
  • Aubrey O. Dicus, Jr.
    • Commercial Litigation
    • Criminal Defense: General Practice
    • Criminal Defense: White-Collar
    • Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants
    • Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs
  • Howard P. Ross
    • Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)
    • Commercial Litigation
    • Commercial Transactions / UCC Law
    • Corporate Law
    • Litigation – Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Litigation – Real Estate
    • Real Estate Law
  • Robert Kapusta, Jr.
    • Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law
    • Real Estate Law
  • Caitlin C. Szematowicz
    • Commercial Litigation
  • Jonathon Douglas
    • Insurance Law
    • Litigation – Insurance
  • Andrew R. Pardun
    • Litigation – Real Estate
    • Real Estate Law
  • Bruce Marger
    • Litigation – Trusts and Estates
    • Trusts and Estates
  • Kenneth Thornton
    • Real Estate Law

The following attorneys are recognized by The Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch 2024 Edition:

  • Lama Alqasemi
    • Elder law
  • Jesse Morse
    • Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs

Andrew R. Pardun

Andrew R. Pardun is recognized in the 2024 edition of Best Lawyers for Real Estate Law and Litigation-Real Estate. His other areas of practice include Commercial & Residential Title Insurance, Commercial and Residential Real Estate Closings, and Business Law.

Aubrey O. Dicus, Jr.

Aubrey is recognized by Best Lawyers in America 2024 Edition for Criminal Defense -General Practice, Criminal Defense-White Collar, Commercial Litigation, and Personal Injury Litigation-Plaintiffs.

Aubrey has been with the firm for nearly 50 years and is the former President of Battaglia, Ross, Dicus & McQuaid, P.A.

Bruce Marger

Bruce Marger is recognized in the 2024 edition of Best Lawyers for his practice in Trust and Estates and Litigation-Trusts and Estates. Bruce assists clients with Estate Planning, Estate and Gift Tax Planning, Income Tax Preparation for Estates and Trusts, Probate Administration, Trust Administration, Real Property Law, and Probate and Trust Litigation. He also specializes in assisting clients plan qualified IRA distributions.

Caitlin C. Szematowicz

Caitlin C. Szematowicz is recognized in the 2024 edition of Best Lawyers for her practice in Commercial Litigation. Caitlin has been with Battaglia, Ross, Dicus & McQuaid, P.A. since 2012 providing outstanding legal services in Civil & Commercial Litigation, Appeals, and Employment Law (Employers).

Howard P. Ross

Howard P. Ross is listed in the 2024 edition of Best Lawyers for his practice in Real Estate Law, Real Estate Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Commercial Transactions/UCC Law, Corporate Law, Litigation-Mergers and Acquisitions and Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)..

Howard has been with the firm since the beginning and has been a member of the Florida Bar and the American Bar Association for over 50 years.

Jonathon Douglas

Jonathon Douglas is an honoree in the Best Lawyers 2024 Edition for Insurance Law and Insurance Litigation.

Kenneth Thornton

Kennth Thornton is recognized in the Best Lawyers 2024 Edition for his excellent legal practicew in Real Estate Law. His primary practices involve representation of borrowers and lenders in asset-based lending, loan facilities, real estate counsel for lenders, and representing buyers and sellers in commercial real estate.

Kenneth is a member of the Executive Council of the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section of the Florida Bar. He previously served as Chair of the Prepaid Legal Services Committee, Chair of the Association’s Real Property Committee, and was a member of the Professionalism & Ethics Committee. Currently, he holds the Chair position for the Property Legal Opinions Committee and is a member of the St. Petersburg Bar Association. He’s also been Board Certified in Real Property and a member of The Florida Bar since 1990.

Robert Kapusta, Jr.

Robert Kapusta, Jr. is recognized in the 2024 edition Best Lawyers for his specialty in Real Estate Law and Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law. His other areas of practice include Mergers and Acquisitions, Business and Corporate Law, and Tax and Estate Planning.

Sean K. McQuaid

Sean K. McQuaid is recognized again for his practice of Personal Injury Litigation-Plaintiffs in The Best Lawyers of America 2024 Edition.

He is currently the President and managing Partner of Battaglia, Ross, Dicus & McQuaid, P.A. Sean also formerly served as the President of the St. Petersburg Bar Association from 2020-2021. His areas of legal specialty includes the following areas: personal injury, car accidents, motorcycle accidents, truck accidents, wrongful death, and criminal defense.

Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch 2024

Lama Alqasemi

Lama is one of the Best Lawyer’s 2024 “One’s to Watch” honorees for her specialty in Elder Law. Lama’s also specializes in legal practices involving Charitable Gift Planning, Business Succession Planning, Estate Planning, Estate and Trust Administration, Guardianship, Medicaid Eligibility, and Qualified Income Trusts. She is a graduate of the University of Florida Levin College of Law, holds a Master of Laws in Taxation (LL.M.), and graduated from George Mason University School of Law with her Juris Doctor.

Jesse Morse

Jesse is another rising attorney at the firm who is recognized in the 2024 Best Lawyer’s Special Edition: “Ones to Watch” for his legal expertise in Personal Injury Litigation-Plaintiffs. His other practice areas include Criminal Defense, Civil Litigation, and Insurance Disputes.

Jesse is a Veteran Air Force Intelligence Analyst and former prosecutor. Jesse graduated from the University of Florida with his B.A. in English and then earned his Juris Doctor from the Stetson University College of Law. His unwavering work ethic is one of the reasons for Jesse’s success and recognition in Ones to Watch.

Best Lawyers in America and Ones to Watch 2024

Long before clients could compare google reviews or do research online, they relied on word of mouth referrals and recommendations. “Best Lawyers” has been around since 1981 as a reliable and renowned source built on the principle that the best lawyers around know who the best lawyers are in their respective areas of practice and locale.

Through an extensive peer-review survey of tens of thousands of top lawyers in the country, only a small percentage are recognized as the “Best Lawyers in America”. This year is a commemorative 30th edition of the Best Lawyers, which recognizes only the top 5.3% of outstanding attorneys in the nation. With over 150 practice areas and over 12 million evaluations, Best Lawyers honorees are an exclusive group of attorneys.

Best Lawyer’s Special Edition Feature: Ones to Watch recognizes attorneys who exhibit excellent performance earlier in their careers. Most recipients have typically been in practice from five to nine years.

The CEO of Best Lawyers, Phil Greer, says that the company recognizes the accomplishments of top legal professionals and awards the most current, respected, and unbiased legal recognition globally. The company also proudly integrates diversity, equity and inclusion as important pillars of their values and practices.

About the Firm: Battaglia, Ross, Dicus & McQuaid, P.A.

One of the oldest law firms in Florida, Battaglia, Ross, Dicus & McQuaid, P.A. was founded in 1958. They provide comprehensive legal services to individuals and businesses of all types and sizes. You can count on expert legal counsel for business and corporate law, criminal law, estate, planning, litigation, personal injury, property damage, real estate, wills, trusts, and probate.

For more information, visit https://www.stpetelawgroup.com.