2023 Jacksonville Board Certified Attorneys
Attorney at Law Magazine is pleased to feature the Jacksonville attorneys who achieved Florida Bar board certification in 2023. Congratulations to all lawyers who earned this distinction.
Mark Alexander
ADB Legal
Civil Trial Law
Mark Alexander focuses his practice on civil litigation and trial practice, including representation of employers and educational institutions in business disputes, employment claims, faculty claims, student claims, employee defections, and advice and counsel towards avoidance of conflict and dispute. Much of his practice centers on representation of educational institutions, including litigation over faculty, staff and student claims.
Tell us about your decision to become board certified. It has long been a goal of mine to seek board certification in civil trial work, but there was always something seemingly in the way. There were cases, clients, economic demands, family demands, young children who are now grown, and finally at last the time was right. The process for board certification in civil trial work represents a lot of long years, hard work, and cases won and lost. I’m proud to call myself a board-certified civil trial lawyer.
Holley Akers
O’Rourke & Akers, P.A.
Workers’ Compensation
Holley Akers is a member of the Florida Bar, Florida Workers’ Advocates, Jacksonville Bar, E. Robert Williams Inns of Court, and the Friends of 440. She also sits on the executive council for the Florida Bar workers’ compensation section and volunteers with the Florida Guardian Ad Litem program.
Tell us what led you to focus on workers’ compensation law. The workers’ compensation system is very unfair to the injured worker, and I have always enjoyed fighting for the underdog.
John M. “Jay” Henderlite
Watson | Henderlite
Marital and Family Law
John M. “Jay” Henderlite is a partner at Watson | Henderlite, Family Law Attorneys. His specialty is high-conflict custody and complex divorce. He is the Jacksonville Bar family law committee co-chair, serves on the Florida Family Law Inn of Court executive committee, and on two community boards. He is a husband and a father.
Tell us about your decision to become board certified. Family law clients place so much faith in their lawyers that we owe it to them to become experts.
David Thompson
Farah & Farah
Civil Trial Law
Thompson has tried 79 cases to verdict. He began as a Duval County prosecutor rising to homicide division. In 2014, Thompson switched to civil defense litigation as in-house counsel for State Farm. In 2018, Thompson moved to plaintiff trial work and is now at Farah and Farah.
Tell us what led you to focus on civil trial law. As a former prosecutor, I wanted a new challenge where I could still fight for my clients at trial.
Autumn L. Graham
Ashley Myers, P.A.
Marital and Family Law
Autumn L. Graham is licensed to practice in Florida and Georgia. Graham remains active in the Jacksonville legal community as a board member for the Family Nurturing Center, the past co-chair of the Jacksonville Area Bar Association family law section, and a member of the Florida Family Law American Inn of Court.
Tell us what led you to focus on family law. As a child, I testified in my parent’s family law case. That experience ignited a desire to serve families in similar positions.
Gregory J. Lesak, Jr.
Jimmerson Birr
Real Estate
Gregory J. Lesak, Jr., special counsel at Jimerson Birr, focuses on having a deep understanding of the underlying business and specific needs of his clients. Lesak has particular expertise in landlord tenant leasing and dispute resolution, construction contracting and dispute resolution, complex commercial litigation, insurance disputes, and client contract drafting and negotiations.
Tell us what led you to focus on real estate law. I have just always found real estate to be of interest to me. I graduated from Florida State University with undergraduate degrees in finance and real estate. I gravitated toward real estate related classes in law school. After graduating from law school, it was just natural for me to move into practicing real estate related law. However, early in my career I was an associate at Volpe, Bajalia, Wickes, Rogerson & Wachs working on multiple and very dynamic real estate related litigation matters, learning from some very talented senior attorneys. I think this experience helped solidify my passion for real estate matters.
