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The Florida Bar - Daily News Summary - May 16, 2012
About the Attorneys
Firm Overview ♦ About the Attorneys ♦ About the Case Managers ♦ About the Interns ♦ Office Locations
At The Coye Law Firm, our attorneys and staff devote their work to counseling individuals on the diverse legal issues related to personal injury—including workers’ compensation, probate administration, and social security disability. Contact our central Florida offices for accomplished legal expertise from a personal injury lawyer.
Wade Coye | Daniel Smith | Nanette Cruz | Salim Punjani | Amber Williams
Wade Coye (more info | blog)
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Wade Coye is the son of a fourth generation dairy farmer from upstate New York. He graduated from the State University of New York at Morrisville with an Associate of Arts degree. He proceeded to the State University of New York at Buffalo and obtained a Bachelors of Arts. He attended law school at the State University of New York at Buffalo, receiving a Juris Doctor, cum laude. He was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1989 and to the District of Columbia Bar in 2008.
Coye has a background in politics; serving in various capacities of state, local and congressional campaigns. In Washington, D. C. he was on the staff of Hon. Gerald B. Solomon, Congressman from Glens Falls, New York. He also served on the campaign staff of Hon. George C. Wortley, Congressman from Syracuse, New York.
Mr. Coye served in the United States Army, Infantry, 1/41st Infantry Battalion, 2nd Armored Division, and was part of the team initially testing the Bradley fighting vehicle. His military experience makes him knowledgeable when it comes to veteran's affairs. The Coye Law Firm routinely and aggressively handles employment cases involving discrimination based on military service.
He began his legal career with a large commercial law firm. His work included handling work on behalf of the Resolution Trust Corporation, products liability, directors and officers liability, and other commercial matters. In 1991, Mr. Coye formed the Coye Law Firm as a consumer focused practice handling personal injury, workers compensation, wrongful death, and insurance claims. He was an early adapter of computer technology and the internet; appearing on one of the first national lists of lawyers using the internet. His continuing interest in technology led him to develop a custom database to increase efficiency and accuracy in his service to clients.
The firm has enjoyed outstanding resolution of various client matters. Cases have included successful suits against a major theme park in the Orlando area, utility companies, construction companies and major insurance carriers. The Coye Law Firm has obtained million dollar recoveries in catastrophic injury cases and has successfully handled appeals to the First and Fifth District Court of Appeals as well as the Florida Supreme Court. It has additionally tried cases to a successful verdict in Circuit court and the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida. Mr. Coye was recently admitted to practice and represent claimants seeking veterans benefits in front of the United States Department of Veteran's Affairs. He is also admitted to practice in the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Tax Court.
The Coye Law Firm routinely handles administrative matters including workers compensation and social security disability. Additionally, it handles routine legal matters involving small businesses and probate.
Daniel Smith (blog)
Daniel E. Smith II is an attorney whose practice areas include personal injury, social security disability, workers compensation, employment disputes, erisa, USERRA, litigation, and appellate cases. Mr. Smith was born in Chicago, Illinois to a middle class family. His father worked in the factory industry and his mother was in the service industry. Mr. Smith's passion for justice started at an early age. Even as a child, he was known for protecting people and standing up for what is right. His interest in law grew naturally out of this fierce integrity, even having aspirations to become a police officer at one point.
He was raised in Orlando and graduated from Edgewater High School, which is down the street from the Coye Law Firm's College Park location. At Edgewater, he was active in sports, including wrestling, football, weightlifting, and track and field. Mr. Smith was number one in his college and earned his undergraduate degree in legal studies with a minor in criminal justice from the University of Central Florida.
Mr. Smith chose to pursue law because he knew that the work of past attorneys helped people, including his own father, on a large scale. Without the enterprising plaintiff's attorneys of the past, factories, products, and services would not be as safe as they are today. Dan started an internship at the Coye Law Firm in 2000 while he was still an undergraduate student and worked as a case manager in litigation.
He began work towards a Juris Doctor at the University of Florida Levin College of Law. At UF, he served as Editor in Chief of the university's Journal of Law and Public Policy and interned for the Honorable Martha Ann Lott, Eighth Judicial Circuit of Florida, Alachua County. Mr. Smith performed his clinical training at the Gator Team Child Juvenile Law Clinic. During summer breaks from law school, Mr. Smith returned to the Coye Law Firm as a law clerk. He worked on several projects, such as appellate cases, litigation, and workers' compensation. He graduated from the Levin College of Law with magna cum laude honors and was invited to become a member of the prestigious Order of the Coif.
He was admitted to the Florida Bar in 2005. Mr. Smith enjoys being an attorney because of the many different people he meets and helps on a daily basis. He appreciates the opportunity to help change someone's life or circumstances in the course of their case. He finds that clients and cases are always different, their experiences are valuable, and their conversation is intriguing. He is admitted to practice in the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, the United States Tax Court, and the Department of Veteran's Affairs.
When he gets away from his busy work schedule, Mr. Smith enjoys spending time with his family. He recently married his college sweetheart and the couple make it a priority to have breakfast every Sunday morning with his extended family. He likes lifting weights, traveling, watching movies, and reading.
Nanette Cruz (blog)
Nanette Cruz was born in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. She grew up on the island in a family of five. When she was 11, Nanette moved with her family to Miami, Florida, where she began the 6th grade. After six months, she mastered English and wrote an essay about the importance of learning the language. She used the assignment as an opportunity to explore the idea of being a bilingual attorney and helping people who don't speak English and need guidance.
Before she began high school, Nanette and her family moved to Orlando. Her interest in law continued well into her time at Edgewater High School. During one of her summer vacations, she traveled to Washington D.C. to participate in a mock session of Congress as a participant in the National Young Leaders Conference. When she returned to school that fall, she was awarded an internship at the public defender's office through an executive internship program. Nanette balanced this responsibility with membership in the National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, Beta Club, and yearbook staff. She was a mentor and youth director for her local church as well.
During her undergraduate years at the University of Central Florida, Nanette worked as a paralegal assistant at the Holland & Knight law firm. Her titles at the firm ranged from runner and file clerk to accounting assistant and paralegal assistant. Nanette only needed three years at UCF to finish her bachelor's degree in legal studies with a minor in criminal justice.
It was around this time that Nanette began her family. She married her husband Edgar in 1997 and they welcomed their first daughter, Vanessa, in 1999. Danielle, their second daughter was born in 2003. Today, both daughters are talented artists and are on the Honor Roll at the Orlando Junior Academy. Vanessa is also working toward being accepted into the Junior National Honor Society.
Nanette received her Juris Doctor at Florida A&M University's School of Law. She chose to do a 4-year evening program so she could balance school, work, and family life. Nanette was very involved in law school as a representative in the Student Bar Association for three years, and with the Hispanic American Law Student Association all four years. She was treasurer for the SBA, a staff member on the FAMU Law Review, and awarded the spirit of service award.
One of her favorite memories of law school was when she was a part of the Homeless Legal Advocacy Clinic. Nanette's interest in family law was enhanced by this program, and she was part of a team of lawyers and law students helping individuals who couldn't afford essential legal services. The clinic's members took one woman's case to court and won a great result on her behalf. Nanette was very proud to be a part of this case and victory.
She started at the Coye Law Firm in 2008, working full-time as a paralegal. Following her graduation with cum laude honors and Florida Bar admission in 2010, Nanette was accepted as an associate at the firm. She currently helps clients navigate a variety of cases including personal injury claims, family law cases, mortgage foreclosure defense, bankruptcy, Social Security Disability claims, and probate administration cases. She has been accepted to practice in US District Court for the Middle District of Florida, and is also a member of the Orange County Bar Association and the Hispanic Bar Association of Central Florida. Nanette has her eyes set on Bar admissions in Washington, D.C. and New York as her next goals.
In her spare time, Nanette relaxes with her family and helps her community. She is the kindergarten director for the children's ministry council at Florida Hospital's church and co-chairs the annual Barn Party, which is one of the church’s largest social events of the year. She is the secretary of the Orlando Junior Academy's school board and she served for 8 years in her neighborhood’s homeowners association, in positions from secretary to vice president.
Nanette enjoys reading John Grisham novels and planning trips around the country. Her family traveled to Hawaii in 2008 and she would love to see the state's other islands. She also tries to visit her extended family in Puerto Rico and New York as frequently as she can.
Salim Punjani (blog)
Salim Punjani was born in Chicago, Illinois. He lived with his family in the Chicago suburbs, where his father owned a pizza restaurant. When Salim was 12, his family moved to Atlanta, Georgia. His father continued to pursue local business ownership and operation by buying convenience stores in Atlanta. His mother volunteered her time for community events and causes. Salim has one sister, who now works as a fifth grade teacher in South Carolina.
Amber Williams (blog)
Amber Williams is a native of Jupiter, Florida, from a close-knit Italian family. Her parents were third-generation small business owners in the amusement industry, specifically carnivals. She spent a majority of the summers of her youth with her sister working at the concession stands and being introduced to people from all walks of life. She learned the value of hard work at a very young age, and this has stuck with her ever since. The unique experiences from her background opened her eyes to the plights of all Americans, especially children. Amber and her sister have always been close, attending school all the way through college together. Her sister graduated from UCF and massage therapy training, and now manages a restaurant back in Jupiter. Her parents maintain their home in Jupiter also, although they have expanded their business to international arenas and now manage the carnival on tour in the Bahamas almost half the year.
Amber attended Jupiter Christian School for high school and graduated in 2004 with summa cum laude honors. In high school, Amber was active in youth group activities, including community volunteering for the underprivileged in the area. She was captain of the cheerleading team, played varsity softball, and was Secretary of the Student Government Association Board of Directors. She spent a summer abroad in England, studying psychology, law, and other general education requirements for ten weeks at Cambridge College. Amber enjoyed immersing herself in the culture and having the time to tour the country to see more than a brief tourist visit would have allowed.
She originally came to the Orlando area when she enrolled at the University of Central Florida. While studying for her BSBA in economics with a minor in real estate, she coached cheerleading for three years with a local organization that provides low-cost sports activities for underprivileged children. In this program, Amber had the opportunity to work with pee-wee, Junior Varsity, and Varsity squads. She mentored girls of all ages and from a variety of backgrounds, including children in the foster care system or who had been adopted out of it. She also worked in a restaurant as a server, but quit soon after she began interning with the Coye Law Firm in the litigation department. Amber graduated in December 2007 and began studying at Stetson University for both her Juris Doctorate (JD) and her Masters of Business Administration (MBA).
While studying at Stetson Law School, Amber focused on how the combination of her studies in law and business could support her passion for helping families and children. She structured her coursework to supplement her knowledge from her family’s business background, and worked with her advisors and professors to structure the most beneficial way she could prepare to help families who own businesses and are going through legal troubles. She excelled in classes of finance, accounting, and children’s legal issues. She was also active as the Secretary of Phi Delta Phi, the legal fraternity. During her work at Stetson, Amber was also employed with the Coye Law Firm, gaining valuable experience in the probate and litigation departments. When she graduated in May 2011 with honors, she was awarded the William F. Blews Pro Bono Service Award for the outstanding community service and volunteer time she dedicated.
After passing the Florida Bar exam in summer 2011, Amber was accepted as a practicing legal associate with the Coye Law Firm where she continues to work with clients on a variety of cases including probate, family law, condo and homeowners association matters, and domestic and civil litigation. She is applying to the Orange County Bar and to be a member of the Florida Bar Association Young Lawyers Division. She is also applying to the Bar of Washington D.C. and the American Bar Association, and has plans to apply to represent clients in Federal District and Bankruptcy courts. Eventually, she would like to focus her practice on family law, and has ambitions of representing children in the foster care system.
Amber and her husband Mason were married in 2010, but have grown up together and were high school sweethearts. Mason was Valedictorian of their high school class and is currently an engineer pursuing his MBA at Rollins College. They enjoy international travel, and celebrated both Amber’s Bar exam completion and their honeymoon with a trip to Italy in 2011. She has also enjoyed touring Germany, Austria, England, Mexico, and multiple trips to the Bahamas. Around Orlando they visit local attractions, and upcoming travel plans include domestic trips to see more of the US. Amber and Mason enjoy the Florida outdoors including hiking, kayaking, and taking their dogs out to the park or the beach as much as possible. She loves to read and watch movies, and both she and Mason are UCF football fans. Currently, Amber plans to focus on her career and enjoy life out of a school setting, though she and Mason have plans to begin a family within the next few years.