WILKINS | von MERTZ Attorneys At Law • Jacksonville, Florida Law Firm • Jeffery M. Wilkins, Esq. | Wolfgang von Mertz, Esq.

We understand that when disputes arise, whether in the professional or personal arena, it is a disruptive force that will have a significant impact on your daily life. When at all possible, our primary goal is to assist you in achieving a satisfactory resolution to your dispute before it progresses to litigation. However, when litigation is required we provide efficient and assertive litigation strategies to resolve your dispute. A few of the civil law areas we assist our clients with are: • Real Estate Litigation • Construction Litigation • Landlord and Tenant Litigation • Arbitration and Mediation • Contract Disputes • Breach of Fiduciary Duty Claims • Condominium Deposit Disputes • Debtor and Creditor Disputes • Fraud and Negligence Claims • Sale of Goods under the Uniform Commercial Code • Libel, Slander and Defamation Claims • Trade Secrets Infringement • Unfair Competition Claims.

We represent owners, developers, contractors, suppliers, architects and engineers in all aspects of the construction process throughout the State of Florida. A few of the construction law areas we assist our clients with are: Construction Liens, Construction Defects, and Delay Claims. The construction lien process provides the best protection to both contractors and owners to ensure that contractors are paid for their work and that owners only pay once for that work. However, the Florida lien law is very complex and is strictly construed, which if not precisely complied with will result in the permanent waiver of the rights and protections provided by the lien law. We assist our clients in complying with the lien law during all phases of the project, and should a dispute arise, enforcing their rights under the lien law.

We represent employers in workers' compensation de­fense claims from the ini­tial re­port of in­jury to suc­cess­ful clo­sure of the file. We of­fer cost-ef­fec­tive, but ag­gres­sive de­fense to all claims state-wide and in a va­ri­ety of proffes­sions. We are up to date on new law changes, fol­low im­por­tant cases in the First DCA and stay ap­prised of state-wide med­ical de­vel­op­ments and trends. Our at­tor­neys have ex­cel­lent ne­go­ti­at­ing tech­niques for re­quired me­di­a­tions as well as im­pres­sive trial skills. We han­dle all is­sues that may ar­rise in a work­ers' com­pen­sa­tion claim in­clud­ing PTD cases, fraud, third party liens, and ap­peals. We be­lieve in a team ap­proach, and work with ad­justers and em­ploy­ers to not only deal with the case at hand, but to be pre­pared for any in the fu­ture. We are a full ser­vice work­ers' com­pen­sa­tion firm, and as­sessibil­ity to our clients is a pri­or­ity.

We protect the interests of owners, property managers and business tenants throughout North and Central Florida. The economic downturn has resulted in greater challenges to property managers and commercial tenants. Our goal is to proactively limit disputes arising from these economic times by assisting our clients develop comprehensive lease agreements. However, when disputes arise we effectively utilize the litigation and mediation process to resolve those disputes.