Justia Legal Services & Lawyers Directory

Peggy is a founding partner of The Law Offices of Hoyt & Bryan, a family wealth and legacy planning law firm specializing in wills, trusts and estates and elder law. She is a three-time Stetson University graduate receiving her B.B.A., cum laude, in 1981, her M.B.A. in 1982 and her J.D., cum laude, in 1993. Her passion is her pets - all of them - including 3 horses, 5 dogs and 4 cats! She enjoys competitive trail and limited distance endurance riding.

Peggy practices in the areas of family wealth and legacy counselling, including trust and estate planning and administration, elder law, small business creation, succession and exit planning, real estate transactions and animal law. In addition to her law degree, she holds a Florida real estate license. Peggy formerly held a NASD Series 7 license and health, life and variable annuities licenses. She serves as a certified FINRA Arbitrator and is also a Florida Circuit Court Mediator concentrating in family business and estate matters. Peggy holds Board Certifications from the Florida Bar in Wills, Trusts, and Estates and Elder Law.

Peggy and two friends, Kim Radcliffe and Casey Taylor have recently founded the Center for Animal Advocacy, a Central Florida law firm dedicated to legal issues related to animals and the people who love them.

Peggy is the author of "All My Children Wear Fur Coats - How to Leave a Legacy to Your Pet", an informative and inspirational guide for pet owners who want to include their pets as part of their estate plans. She co-authored the following books with Candace M. Pollock: "Special People, Special Planning - Creating a Safe Legal Haven for Families with Special Needs" designed to educate families about the planning options and protections for their special needs family members; "Loving Without a License - An Estate Planning Survival Guide for Unmarried Couples and Same Sex Partners", created to address the unique planning needs of unmarried individuals in today's society; "A Matter of Trust - The Importance of Personal Instructions" stressing the importance of supplementing legal estate planning with personal instructions; "Women in Transition - Navigating the Legal and Financial Challenges in Your Life" created for all women as they learn, live and grow throughout their lives.

She co-authored with Scott Farnsworth "Like a Library Burning - Sharing and Saving a Lifetime of Stories", addressing the whys and hows of protecting and passing on a lifetime of stories. Peggy co-authored with Deborah Roser, "Thank Everybody for Everything! Grow your Life and Your Business with Gratitude", and the companion five-year gratitude journal, "Gratitude Expressions". She lives by the daily mantra of "thoughts become things, choose the good ones."

Peggy is an active public speaker at the local, regional and national levels on estate planning and elder law topics including pet planning, special needs planning and planning for unmarried couples and same sex partners. She presents and writes regularly for the National Network of Estate Planning Attorneys and WealthCounsel. Peggy has been featured on CNN Financial News, the Wall Street Journal and the Orlando Sentinel for her work in pet planning.

As a member of the Office of General Counsel at the University of Central Florida, I am the lead attorney for intellectual property, transactional and regulatory matters that are part of the University's research and technology commercialization efforts. My goal is to help UCF's innovators speed technology innovations to market while enhancing the potential for increased licensing revenue, investor funding, regulatory approval, and sales revenue.

The focus of my career has been helping entrepreneurial businesses commercialize their innovations. Combining my experience as a scientist, business owner and lawyer, I am especially interested in developing and implementing commercialization strategies for biopharmaceutical, small molecule pharmaceutical, medical device, in vitro diagnostics, and convergence technology innovations (technologies at the intersection of biotech, software, hardware and informatics). Prior to joining UCF, my clients included the entire spectrum of innovators from individual inventors to Fortune 500 corporations.

While in private practice, I was selected by my peers for many years to be included in The Best Lawyers in America in the field of Biotechnology Law.

2245 N. Courtenay Pkwy
Suite 4
Merritt Island, FL 32953
Office: (321) 305-4989
Fax: (866) 708-3072

Stephen has been a resident of Brevard County for over 20 years. He has seen this county change from an orange grove field to the booming cities we see now. Stephen attended most of his schooling here in Brevard, including Tropical Elementary, Thomas Jefferson Junior High and Merritt Island High School. Stephen is also a graduate of Stetson University and Florida Coastal School of Law in Jacksonville.

Through out his career, Stephen has dedicated himself to helping those who are lost in the legal system. From his time spent working in Legal Aid, working at the Public Defenders office in Jacksonville in the Repeat Offenders Court and as a prosecutor here in Brevard County, Stephen has seen how most individuals are confused and caught up in the legal system. Stephen realized early in his career that the legal system is more about “the people” then it is the law.

“Attorneys deal with people, not just law books. People have fears, stress and confusion when dealing with legal problems. It’s my job to aggressively defend my clients, and help them understand what is going on with their case and how it is affecting their lives.”

Stephen has dedicated himself to the aggressive representation of numerous clients who have been accused of murder, capital sexual battery, serious violent felonies, and misdemeanor offenses. He is an experienced trial attorney.

Rusten C. Hurd is a founding partner at the law firm of Colombo, Hurd & Brandt, PL, specializing in immigration law as well as workers' compensation and appellate law. Mr. Hurd has extensive experience representing employers and carriers in workers' compensation claims. Mr. Hurd has had notable success at both the trial and appellate levels. He is dedicated to providing thorough, effective and responsive legal representation to his clients throughout Florida.

In addition to his experience as a workers' compensation litigator, Mr. Hurd also devotes a substantial portion of his practice to performing appellate work before appellate courts throughout the state of Florida as well as the Board of Immigration Appeals. Mr. Hurd has also represented clients seeking immigration assistance with a variety of different immigration issues in Florida.

Mr. Hurd is an active member of the Workers' Compensation Section of The Florida Bar. In addition to his practice, Mr. Hurd has served as Guardian ad Litem for troubled children and was recognized by the Legal Aid Society of Orange County for his service and contributions.

I graduated law school in 2009 with a certificate in international law. I focused mainly on international commercial law, specifically pharmaceutical regulations under the World Trade Organization. I am currently working in the field of insurance subrogation and civil litigation, but would like some day to work for an international trade firm.
I live in Satellite Beach and am very involved in my community. I mentor through Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Northeast Florida, and take every opportunity I can to help out in my community.

I have over 25 years of experience as an advanced marketing attorney for major life insurance carriers.