Family Law

• Child Support
• Guardianship

Criminal Law

• Theft
• Restraining Order
  As a strategic partner, we counsel clients to minimize liability risks to their IP assets and stop competitor infringement to protect their businesses’ bottom line. Our attorneys have litigated state and federal cases, from temporary restraining orders and preliminary injunction hearings through the final resolution. We understand that smart IP counseling means knowing the intricacies behind our clients’ IP assets and safeguarding every aspect of a product or service.

Business and Corporate Law

• Mergers and Acquisitions
  The attorneys in our department have extensive experience in a full range of tax specialties and areas, including sales and purchases of businesses, mergers and acquisitions, tax planning for real estate transactions, debt restructuring, tax controversies, agribusiness, employee benefits, ESOPs, and with all types of business entities, including LLCs, S and C corporations, partnerships, charitable and other not-for-profit organizations.
• Business Disputes
  In 1980, eight attorneys established the business law firm of Dean, Mead, Egerton, Bloodworth, Capouano & Bozarth, P.A. in Orlando. The founders were Stephen T. Dean, Robert W. Mead, Jr., Charles H. Egerton, Darryl M. Bloodworth, Albert D. Capouano, Stephen J. Bozarth, Lauren Y. Detzel and Lynn J. Hinson. Two of the founding attorneys are still active in the firm today including Mr. Mead and Ms. Detzel.
• Limited Liability Companies
  Our work for family businesses and other closely-held businesses has given us the opportunity to design, draft and create a wide variety of business structures  ranging from corporations to family limited partnerships to limited liability companies that have special allocations to freeze the value of one set of equity owners with a preferred return of income and shift appreciation to another set of equity owners. While this planning technique has seen limited use in recent years, it is still a valuable tool that could create tax favorable results as we design entities for investments in Qualified Opportunity Funds.
• Trade Secrets
• Intellectual Property

Employment Law

• Employment Contract
• Employment Litigation
• Non-compete Agreement
  Finding the “Federal Trade Commission lacks substantive rulemaking authority with respect to unfair methods of competition,” on August 20, 2024 Judge Ada Brown of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas ruled the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) overstepped its power when it announced its Final Rule banning non-compete agreements on April 23, 2024.  Judge Brown also found that the FTC Rule was unenforceable because it was “unreasonably” overbroad and was, therefore. arbitrary and capricious.
• Severance Agreement

Property Law

• Real Estate Litigation
  Clients turn to Dean Mead for a multitude of bankruptcy and creditors’ rights issues. Bankruptcy, insolvency, and debtor-creditor matters often require in-depth corporate banking, tax, probate, and real estate law knowledge. At Dean Mead, our Bankruptcy and Creditors’ Rights Team understands all dimensions of insolvency issues, whether in bankruptcy cases, foreclosures, lender liability claims, receiverships, adversary proceedings, or out-of-court restructurings. Our team represents institutional lenders, multi-state lenders, and holders of securitized loans, servicers, and secured and unsecured creditors in all state and federal courts in Florida. We have foreclosed thousands of properties across varying industries in the residential and commercial sectors.
• Construction Litigation
  Dean Mead’s Construction Law practice relies on an experienced team of aggressive and creative litigators skilled at representing clients in every legal forum, including federal and state courts, mediation, arbitration, and administrative agencies. We represent contractors and sub-contractors, project owners, developers, homebuilders, architects and engineers, construction managers, suppliers, and sureties.
• Real Estate Transactions
  Our attorneys provide a broad array of services in connection with real estate transactions, including the structuring of tax-free exchanges (forward, reverse, and build-to-suit exchanges), planning to preserve long-term capital gains in connection with dispositions of real estate, and the structuring of joint venture arrangements for the acquisition and/or development of real properties. Dean Mead is recognized as a national leader in the areas of like-kind exchanges and taxation of real estate development. We have extensive experience negotiating and drafting RESPA Affiliated Business Arrangements for developers so that they may share in the income generated by the title policies and mortgage loans originating from their developments.
• Eminent Domain
  We work with developers, investors, businesses, banks, agricultural interests and others in matters involving governmental and quasi-governmental acquisition/taking of private property interests and rights.  This representation includes negotiated resolutions, administrative hearings, eminent domain litigation, inverse condemnation actions and Bert Harris claims.
• Easement
• Land Use and Zoning
  Our attorneys actively educate the community on oil and gas law. Timothy Riley teaches Oil & Gas Law at Florida State University’s College of Law and lectures at multiple environmental conferences. Richard Brightman is active in the Florida Bar’s Environmental and Land Use Law section.

Trusts and Estates

• Estate Planning
  Dean Mead’s Estate and Succession Planning Department is one of the largest and most respected groups of estate planning attorneys in Florida. We are frequently…
• Wills
  Successfully represented the Personal Representative of a large estate in a will contest. Extensive discovery involved investigations in multiple states regarding the decedent’s businesses over many years and his uneven testamentary distributions to extended family members. One of the estate’s beneficiaries alleged that the decedent lacked testamentary capacity at the time he prepared his last will and trust. The documents were upheld in their entirety by the court.
• Trusts
  Represented the beneficiary of an irrevocable trust where the trustee wrongfully conveyed all the assets of the trust to a family member in an attempt to circumvent the beneficiary.
• Probate
  Positions held by The Florida Bar: Executive Council of the Real Property, Probate, and Trust Law Section; Trust Law Committee; Probate Rules Committee; Estate & Trust Tax Planning Committee, Probate Law & Procedure Committee; Probate & Trust Litigation Committee, Tax Section

Finance Law

• Bankruptcy
• Foreclosure
  Our attorneys are not only skilled at navigating bankruptcy protection procedures but also in state court matters concerning creditor/debtor issues such as residential and commercial foreclosure, replevin, garnishment and attachment, lien priority disputes, tax sale issues, surplus funds actions, quiet title actions, and eviction/writ of possession actions.
• Tax Law
  Dean Mead’s Tax Department handles tax planning issues for businesses and individuals.  The attorneys in our department have extensive experience in a full range of…