Attorney Information

Licensed to practice in Florida and Louisiana, Jon Coats is admitted to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, the United States District Courts of the Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of Louisiana, as well as the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida. He has handled cases in both State and Federal courts in Florida, and Louisiana, and multiple cases through pro hac vice admission in the Federal Courts of Texas, Georgia and Delaware.

Prior to starting his own practice, Mr. Coats obtained invaluable legal experience with a large New Orleans law firm handling cases through trial and appeal for a wide range of clients, including London based insurers, oil companies, oil field service providers, international maritime clients, and other various multinational corporations.

Upon returning home to the Tampa Bay area, Mr. Coats headed the litigation section of a small Tampa based law firm focusing on personal injury litigation. After starting his own firm in 2004, Mr. Coats expanded the focus of his practice from not only representing the seriously injured, but also the representation of business owners, lending institutions, and individuals in business and commercial matters, real estate and land development, and general civil litigation.

Born in Brenham, Texas, December 23, 1968, Jon Coats graduated with honors from Tulane Law School, obtaining his Juris Doctor degree and Certificate in Maritime Law. His undergraduate degree is from the University of South Florida with a B.A. in Political Science. While at Tulane Law School, Mr. Coats was the Senior Articles Editor for the Tulane Maritime Law Journal, A Senior Justice on the Tulane Moot Court, finalist in the Tulane Moot Court Senior Trial Competition, and brief writing and oral argument coach for the Judge John R. Brown Moot Court Appellate Competition. Mr. Coats is also a member of the Pi Gamma Mu International Honor Society.

Publishing credits: Author of AIDS and the Doctrine of Maintenance and Cure, 24 Tul. Mar. L.J. 283, 1999 and Medical Monitoring: The Evolution of a Cause of Action, 30 ELR 1, 2000. Memberships include the Florida Bar; Louisiana Bar; Federal Bar Association; Saint Petersburg Bar Association; Hillsborough County Bar Association; American Bar Association and Florida Academy of Trial Lawyers.

Licensed to practice in Florida and Illinois, Ryan Schmidt is additionally admitted to the United States District Courts for the Middle and Southern Districts of Florida. He has handled cases in both State and Federal courts in Florida.

Ryan was born in South Carolina and raised in Chicago, Illinois.  Ryan received his bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems from Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois.  After working in the Information Technology field for several years, Ryan later attended and received his Juris Doctor degree cum laude from Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport, Florida.

During his time at Stetson, Ryan was a Senior Associate with Stetson Law Review and a member of the Stetson Moot Court Board.  His teams were the Champions of the 2009 John Marshall Chicago International IT & Privacy Moot Court Competition, semifinalists in the 2010 John Marshall Chicago International IT & Privacy Moot Court Competition, and were awarded the Best Brief award of the 2010 Dominick L. Gabrielli Family Law Competition in Albany, New York.  While in law school, Ryan interned for the Honorable Pamela A.M. Campbell of Florida’s 6th Judicial Circuit.  Upon graduation, Ryan was the recipient of the E. Harris Drew Memorial Award for Excellency in Oral and Written Advocacy.

Licensed to practice in Florida and the United States Middle District of Florida. Patrick Walsh is also a commissioned notary public in the State of Florida.

Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, by way of being a member of a military family, Patrick received his bachelor’s degree from Kent State University, in Kent, Ohio, graduating cum laude. While attending Kent State, Patrick participated in the Washington Program in National Issues and interned at the Government Accountability Office in Washington, D.C. After graduation from Kent State, Patrick attended the Ohio Northern University Pettit College of Law, graduating with a Juris Doctor.

Patrick’s legal career began at a large, high volume civil litigation firm which specialized in real estate. After five years, Patrick opened a solo practice which focused on representation of other law firms in civil litigation the Tampa Bay area. During this time, Patrick was Of Counsel to several firms which specialized in business law, real estate, and civil litigation. Because his career has been focused heavily on litigation, to date Patrick has participated and more than one hundred trials and countless hearings.

Patrick is a member of the Barney Masterson American Inn of Court and has been an Executive Board Member from 2016 to the present.

Licensed to practice in the state courts of Florida since 2007, Klarika is also admitted to the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida and United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, which allows her to represent her clients at the state and federal level.

Klarika began her legal career as an Assistant State Attorney for the 6th Judicial Circuit in Pinellas County, Florida where she gained valuable courtroom experience, to include handling many jury trials. After transitioning to civil practice, she spent nearly a decade focusing solely on real estate and contract litigation. During this time, Klarika managed the litigation departments of two separate firms. Klarika also has significant experience in family law, business law, estate planning, and probate. Utilizing her skills in these various practice areas has allowed Klarika to be a well-rounded, unique asset to her clients.

Born here in Pinellas County, Klarika is a second-generation native Floridian who was raised down south in Loxahatchee, Florida. Upon graduating high school, she attended the University of Florida in Gainesville where she earned her B.A. in Political Science with a certificate in International Relations and minored in Italian Studies. After completing her undergraduate degree, Klarika attended Stetson University College of Law where she earned her Juris Doctor. Klarika maintains her ties with Stetson by volunteering her time judging students who are preparing for national trial competitions with the goal being Stetson maintain their #1 ranking in Trial Advocacy in the nation.

Klarika is very active in her local community. She is a member of the Junior League of St. Petersburg where she spent two years on the Board of Directors and is currently a member of the Management Team. Klarika is a member of the Barney Masterson American Inn of Court where she has been a member of the Executive Board for the last five years. She is beginning her third year as a tutor with Lawyers for Literacy at Lakewood Elementary. In addition to this, she is an active member of the Florida Hungarian Liberty Club in Plant City, Florida.