THE HEALTH LAW FIRM

GEORGE F. INDEST III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M.

	George F. Indest III, is the founder and managing partner of the Orlando based The Health Law Firm.  Mr. Indest is board certified by The Florida Bar in the legal speciality of Health Care Law.  He is also board certified as a health care risk manager by the American Board of Risk Management, Inc.  His practice encompasses all aspects of business, corporate, transactional, regulatory and administrative health law practice, and he represents physicians, nurses, hospitals, home health agencies, long term care facilities and other health care providers.  His practice also includes the litigation of professional licensing cases and business litigation, defense of health care providers, negotiation of sales of health care practices, Medicare Fraud defense and other areas of Health Care Law.

	Mr. Indest served as in-house counsel at one of the Navy's largest teaching hospitals and was also in charge of the legal and medical risk management programs in the Navy's largest regional health care system which consisted of twenty-seven major hospitals and treatment facilities.  He is on the Executive Council of the Health Law Section of the Florida Bar and has served as Chair of the Medical/Legal Committee of the Orange County Bar Association.  Mr. Indest received his BA and JD degree, cum laude, from Tulane University and also was awarded an LL.M. degree, with highest honors, from the National Law Center, George Washington University, Washington, D.C., where his course emphasis was in health care law (legal medicine).  He is a member of the state bars of Florida, Louisiana and the District of Columbia.  Mr. Indest also serves as a member of the Executive Council of the Health Law Section of the Florida Bar and is on the Board of Directors of a nonprofit charity nursing home and a number of other charitable organizations.

LANCE O. LEIDER, J.D., LL.M.

	Lance O. Leider is an attorney representing health care providers on a wide range of professional issues.  His practice encompasses contract and employment matters, licensing issues and appeals, administrative hearings and other disciplinary matters.  Mr. Leider is licensed to practice in the state of Florida and is a member of The Florida Bar Health and Administrative Law sections.  Mr. Leider earned his J.D. degree summa cum laude from the Barry University, Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law in December 2011 and obtained his Bachelors of Arts Degrees from the University of Florida, Gainesville.

	He recently received his Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Health Law from Loyola University School of Law, Chicago.

AMANDA I. FORBES, J.D.

	Amanda I. Forbes, J.D., represents health care providers in transactions and in license defense cases.  Her cases include fraud accusations, licensing and disciplinary issues, administrative hearings and appeals, regulatory matters and litigation.  She also reviews and prepares contract and other transactional documents.

	She is a graduate of the Southern Adventist University where she received her bachelor’s degree.  Amanda earned her Juris Doctor (J.D.) from Barry University School of Law in 2017.  She is licensed to practice law in the state of Florida.  

	Ms. Forbes is a member of The Florida Bar, the Health Law Section of The Florida Bar, The Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division, the American Health Lawyers Association (AHLA), The American Association of Nurse Attorneys (TAANA), the Seminole County Bar Association, and Orange County Bar Association.

CASTILLANA F. DUVERNAY, J.D. 

	Castillana F. Duvernay represents physicians, nurses and other healthcare providers.  Her representation includes the areas of professional license defense, formal and informal administrative hearings, appeals, regulatory matters, litigation, contracts, and employment law.

	Ms. Duvernay graduated from the University of South Florida with a Bachelor of Science. She obtained her J.D. (magna cum laude) from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University College of Law in Orlando, where she also served a an editor of its Law Review.

	Ms. Duvernay is a member of The Florida Bar, the Health Law Section of The Florida Bar, the Caribbean Bar Association, The American Association of Nurse Attorneys (TAANA), The American Health Law Association (AHLA), and the Virgil Hawkins Florida Chapter of the National Bar Association, among others.  She is fluent in Haitian Creole.

ALEXA D. JEACOMA, J.D.

	Alexa D. Jeacoma, J.D., represents physicians, dentists, nurses and other healthcare providers in contracts, business ventures, transactional matters and professional license defense.  Her practice encompasses health law, business law, contract law, and administrative law.

	Ms. Jeacoma is a graduate of the Coastal Carolina University where she received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (cum laude) in 2019.  She earned her Juris Doctor (J.D.) from the Dickinson School of Law, Pennsylvania State University, in 2023.  She is licensed to practice law in the states of Florida, New York and Pennsylvania.

	Ms. Jeacoma has prior experience in preparing contracts and structuring business arrangements, and sales and purchases of businesses.

	She is a member of the American Health Law Association (AHLA), The American Association of Nurse Attorneys (TAANA), the Health Law Section of The Florida Bar, Seminole County Bar Association (SCBA) and Orange County Bar Association (OCBA).

CAROLE C. SCHRIEFER, R.N., J.D. (Of Counsel)

	Carole C. Schriefer has in excess of 25 years of experience in representing and advising health professionals and providers. Her practice encompasses most aspects of health law and nursing law, professional licensing and credentialing matters, professional board representation, administrative hearings, contracts, licensure issues, corporate matters, transactional matters, Medicare and Medicaid audits, products liability litigation and criminal defense litigation.

	Ms. Schriefer is a registered nurse in the state of Colorado. She earned her Juris Doctor (J.D.) from the University of Kentucky College of Law and is licensed to practice law in Colorado and Florida.

	After receiving her J.D., Ms. Schriefer was commissioned as an officer in the Navy Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps. As a Navy JAG, she worked as a defense counsel at the Navy Legal Services Office in Virginia for several years and was then transferred to a position as Commander, Naval Medical Command, Mid-Atlantic Region.

	Ms. Schriefer’s previous experience also includes trying medical malpractice cases in the District of Columbia Superior Court, the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia and products liability litigation in Colorado and federal courts. She has devoted many years of her practice to health care law, providing legal opinions on federal and state statutory and regulatory issues.

	Prior to joining The Health Law Firm, Ms. Schriefer owned and operated The Law Office of Carole C. Schriefer, P.C., in Fort Collins, Colorado. Ms. Schriefer is currently a member of The American Association of Nurse Attorneys (T.A.A.N.A.) and the Colorado Bar Association.

MICHAEL L. SMITH, R.R.T. (Retired), J.D. (Of Counsel)

	Michael Smith is an attorney whose practice encompasses all aspects of health law, including business, corporate, transactional, regulatory and administrative work.  His practice also includes professional licensing and business litigation.  He is board certified by The Florida Bar in the legal specialty of Health Care Law.

	Mr. Smith began his law career in Tampa, Florida, practicing in the area of insurance defense.  He later formed his own firm where he represented corporations and individuals in a variety of legal matters including business, corporate, transactional and litigation matters.  Mr. Smith received his bachelor of science from Nova Southeastern University and his juris doctor from Stetson University College of Law.  While at Stetson University College of Law, he received a William F. Blews Pro Bono Service Award and Civil Governmental Law Clinic Certificate of Merit.  Mr. Smith is admitted to practice in all Florida State Courts, as well as the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida and the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

	Mr. Smith is also a Registered Respiratory Therapist.  He is a member of the National Board of Respiratory Care, The American Association of Respiratory Care and the Florida Society of Respiratory Care.

JOANNE KENNA, R.N., J.D. (Retired)

	Joanne Kenna is an attorney whose practice encompasses most aspects of health, medicine and nursing law, including the representation of health care providers in professional licensing and credentialing matters, professional board representation, administrative hearings, contracts, licensure issues, corporate matters, transactional matters and litigation.

	Ms. Kenna received her juris doctorate degree from Stetson University College of Law where she was a member of the legal fraternity Phi Delta Phi.  She began her law career in Tampa, Florida, practicing medical malpractice and nursing home defense litigation, initially with a major Florida law firm and later with a major medical malpractice insurance carrier.  She then moved to Orlando, where she spent an additional three years practicing medical malpractice litigation.  Ms. Kenna is a member of the Health Law and Trial Lawyers Sections of the Florida Bar Association.   She is admitted to practice in all Florida State Courts and in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida.

	Prior to her legal career, Ms. Kenna was a registered nurse practicing at the University of Chicago Hospitals and Clinics, where she was the head nurse of the cardiac critical care units and then became the clinical cardiac nursing instructor and coordinator of the university’s cardiac intensive care nursing course.  Ms. Kenna continues to maintain an active Illinois nursing license.  She is a member of The American Association of Nurse Attorneys (T.A.A.N.A.) and has served as a director and as president of the Tampa Bay Chapter of T.A.A.N.A.  Ms. Kenna received her undergraduate degree, cum laude, in business management from National-Louis University and has a certificate in advanced management from the University of Chicago Industrial Relations Center.

	Ms. Kenna recently retired from practicing law but is available for consultation.

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