Description of field of expertise

Gina Jacobs is a Partner in the Orlando office of Hamilton, Miller & Birthisel, where she leads the firm’s Workers’ Compensation Department. With a practice focused on workers’ compensation, personal injury defense, premises liability, trucking, restaurant, and hospitality defense, Gina is recognized for her strategic approach to litigation and her ability to deliver solutions for employers, carriers, and third-party administrators. 

What distinguishes Gina is her industry experience prior to practicing law. Before becoming an attorney, she spent more than a decade as a claims adjuster for a national insurance carrier and global third-party administrators, providing her with a unique understanding of claims handling, risk management, and litigation strategy. 

Gina earned her Juris Doctor from Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad College of Law, graduating with pro bono honors and serving as her law school’s commencement speaker. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Public Communications, cum laude, from Florida Atlantic University. She’s certified by the State of Florida Department of Financial Services as an instructor for continuing education programs for claims professionals and attorneys and is a frequent presenter at industry conferences, educational forums, and workers’ compensation programs throughout the state. 

She’s received numerous honors, including recognition as a Florida Rising Star by Super Lawyers, one of Florida’s Top 40 Under 40 Attorneys by The National Black Lawyers in 2016, a 2025 Awesome Attorney in Central Florida by Orlando Style Magazine, the 2023 Bloom Exceptional Defense Attorney Award recipient, and designation as a Certified Claims Professional (CCP) through the CLM Alliance in 2026. 

Gina remains involved in professional and community organizations. Her memberships include OJCC Certified Scholars 2024–2025, Scholar; The Judge William Wieland American Inn of Court, Barrister; Women in Work Comp under the Workers’ Compensation Section of The Florida Bar, Board Member; and Friends of 440 Workers’ Compensation Scholarship Fund, LLC, Board Member to name a few.

 

 

Description of field of expertise

Brooke is the managing senior associate of Wiley’s Health Care Practice. She advises clients on complex service contracting, with a deep expertise in pharmacy benefit management (PBM) agreements for commercial and government-sponsored health care programs, including Medicare, Medicaid, and the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP). Her practice focuses on health care contracting and negotiation strategy, regulatory compliance, and dispute resolution.

Brooke also advises non-health care clients on a broad range of health care regulatory, privacy, transactional, and litigation matters. Prior to joining Wiley, Brooke represented major manufacturing clients in complex litigation and advised for-profit and exempt organizations on a wide variety of corporate matters, including the drafting and negotiation of various commercial agreements and advising on corporate compliance and governance issues.

 

What advice would you offer to new attorneys interested in your field?

Health care law is constantly evolving, so one of the most valuable habits you can develop is intellectual curiosity. Build a strong foundation in statutory and regulatory analysis but also take the time to understand how your clients’ businesses operate. The best advice is often practical as well as legally sound. Develop excellent writing and negotiation skills, as many matters are resolved through thoughtful drafting, careful communication, and creative problem-solving. Don’t be afraid to tackle complex regulations or unfamiliar subject matter; those challenges are often where you’ll grow the most. Seek mentors who will invest in your development. Ask questions and be willing to learn from colleagues across different practice areas. Finally, remember that credibility is earned over time. Be thorough, responsive, and dependable, and your clients and colleagues will come to trust your judgment on increasingly sophisticated matters.

 

Final thoughts...

Be intentional about building your professional identity. Show up consistently, stay engaged, and take advantage of opportunities to connect with colleagues, mentors, and peers. A legal career is a marathon, and the network you build along the way can become one of your greatest assets. You never know where a conversation, connection, or fresh perspective might lead.

Description of field of expertise

Structured finance and securitization is a specialized area of legal practice focused on the creation, structuring, and issuance of financial instruments backed by pools of underlying assets. The field involves the transformation of illiquid assets into tradeable securities through legally engineered structures designed to isolate credit risk, achieve bankruptcy remoteness, and allocate cash flows among various classes of investors. It sits at the intersection of capital markets, banking, and regulatory law, requiring practitioners to navigate complex documentation frameworks, rating agency methodologies, and evolving regulatory requirements.

As an associate in structured finance I am developing a foundational expertise in the legal and financial mechanics underlying asset-backed transactions. I possess a working knowledge of structuring, documentation, and execution of securitization transactions across a variety of asset classes, including credit card receivables, esoteric assets, and other consumer and commercial asset pools.

 

My role entails reviewing and drafting both ancillary and core transaction documents, including pooling and servicing agreements, indentures, credit enhancement arrangements, and offering memoranda. I support senior team members in conducting due diligence on originators and servicers, analyzing waterfall payment structures, and evaluating the legal isolation of assets through true sale opinions and bankruptcy-remoteness analysis. I maintain a developing understanding of credit enhancement mechanisms, including subordination, overcollateralization, excess spread, and reserve accounts, and apply that knowledge to ensure structural integrity and investor protection within each deal.

 

On a day-to-day basis, I am managing multiple workstreams under tight deal timelines and communicating with cross-functional teams.

 

What advice would you offer to new attorneys interested in your field?

For new attorneys interested in this area, my advice is to focus on understanding deal mechanics alongside the law, get hands-on with documents as early as possible, and pay attention to how all the moving parts of a transaction fit together. Staying current on regulatory developments and being patient with the steep learning curve will go a long way in establishing yourself in this practice.

Final thoughts...

The work is exciting, intellectually complex, and constantly evolving — new asset classes and deal structures keep emerging, so there is always something innovative on the horizon.

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Description of field of expertise

April D. Seabrook is Special Counsel in the firm’s Appellate Practice, where she represents corporate clients and individuals in appeals and complex trial-court litigation. She specializes in dispositive and evidentiary motion practice, issue preservation, pre- and post-trial strategy, administrative-law challenges, and matters involving novel or consequential legal questions.

April brings more than two decades of experience representing corporate and government clients in high-stakes litigation and investigations. Over nearly eight years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, she defended the United States and federal agencies in more than 300 civil actions and briefed civil and criminal appeals before the D.C. Circuit and the D.C. Court of Appeals. Her service as an AUSA earned her a DOJ Special Achievement Award and a DOJ Special Act Award. Immediately before joining the firm, April served as Senior Litigation Counsel at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, where she investigated potential violations of federal consumer-financial laws, litigated enforcement matters, and briefed complex and novel legal issues regarding abusive and deceptive practices. She began her career in private practice, representing individuals and companies in commercial and product-liability litigation, white-collar matters, internal investigations, and government investigations.

April draws on that breadth of experience in her appellate practice, along with a practical understanding of how complex cases develop. She puts that perspective to work for her clients—identifying where a ruling, a record gap, or an undeveloped argument may prove decisive in the trial court or on appeal.

 

What advice would you offer to new attorneys interested in your field?

Clear, precise legal writing is central to appellate practice, and improving requires more than accumulating drafts. Two habits will sharpen both your writing and your judgment. First, study the substantive edits to your own work—whether a brief, letter, motion, or section of a larger document. Compare your draft with the final version and look beyond wording. Ask questions: why one argument was narrowed, why another moved forward, why a seemingly minor fact became central, why an entire argument or issue was removed. For court filings, follow the thread: read the court's opinion and examine which arguments it engaged with, what it found persuasive, and what it passed over. Second, read exceptional briefs and opinions with the same eye—notice which arguments lead, how the standard of review shapes the framing, and how facts and doctrine work together. These habits will make you both a better writer and sharper advocate.

Final thoughts...

I care about helping lawyers who built careers without early access to the guidance, stability, or support needed to shape their careers intentionally. I am committed to expanding career-development conversations, so those lawyers receive resources that honors their experience while recognizing that the intentional part of their career journey is just beginning.

Description of field of expertise

Sheya Jabouin is an associate in Axinn’s Antitrust group. She represents clients in high-stakes civil litigation, class actions, multidistrict litigation, and investigations across industries, including financial services, consumer products, health care, aviation, big tech, and insurance. Sheya is also a thought leader in compliance and risk management related to emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and algorithmic decision-making.

 

Sheya has experience handling matters through all phases of litigation, from discovery through trial, including preparing and defending depositions, working with expert economists, drafting expert reports and briefs, and contributing to trial preparation in complex competition and commercial disputes. She also advises clients on regulatory and enforcement issues, including matters involving the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 

 

Sheya maintains an active pro bono practice focused on immigration, Section 1983 claims, entertainment contract disputes, and domestic violence matters. She has successfully represented clients in immigration proceedings and was part of a trial team that briefed and argued a matter on behalf of a victim of domestic violence before the New Jersey Superior Court. 

 

Before entering private practice, Sheya served as a paralegal at the Federal Trade Commission in both the Office of the Commissioner and the Bureau of Consumer Protection. She also interned for the Honorable Robert W. Lehrburger of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Sheya earned her JD from The George Washington University Law School and her BA from Dartmouth College.

 

Notable Experience:

• • Represented a private university in securing dismissal of a Section 1 Sherman Act claim alleging an illegal horizontal conspiracy.
  • Represented Alaska Airlines in DOJ review and clearance of its acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines.
  • Represented a financial institution in a federal antitrust case alleging collusion in setting interest rates on variable-rate demand bonds.

 

What advice would you offer to new attorneys interested in your field?

Stay Engaged. If you’re interested in antitrust, stay engaged. Antitrust lawyers are always following high-profile cases, enforcement actions, and regulatory developments. An easy way to stay engaged with the field is to subscribe to leading antitrust publications, such as Global Competition Review, Concurrences, and ABA Antitrust Magazine; follow FTC and DOJ press releases, speeches, and policy statements; and listen to podcasts, such as Our Curious Amalgam. As you continue to engage, you might discover a particular interest in a cross-industry focus like algorithmic pricing, or advising on strategic transactions or antitrust litigation. 

 

Make Lasting Connections. The value of attending conferences cannot be overstated. Conferences, like the ABA Antitrust Spring Meeting and Bill Kovacic Antitrust Salon, are a great opportunity to deepen your professional network.

 

Get Published! Seek opportunities to contribute to thought leadership through articles, client alerts, or bar association publications to refine your ideas and highlight your expertise.

Additional Information

Choosing the right opportunity involves factors, including culture, practice areas, and industry focus. I've found the best fit is where your voice is valued and your growth is supported. As you network, listen for confidence and enthusiasm – those often signal mentorship, meaningful opportunities, and an environment where young lawyers can thrive.

Description of field of expertise

Nana Asante-Smith is a litigation, white collar, and investigations attorney who helps clients navigate high-stakes moments where legal risk, reputation, and business priorities converge. Her practice focuses on internal and government investigations, white collar crime, complex business litigation, and allegations of sex discrimination in higher education.

Drawing on her experience as a former prosecutor, Nana approaches each situation with a prosecutor’s mindset by carefully evaluating facts and positioning clients to respond strategically. She also routinely leads internal investigations across industries that include financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, and education. She helps clients uncover critical information while assessing potential civil, criminal, and regulatory risk.

In addition to her investigations work, Nana maintains an active litigation practice, representing clients in a wide array of litigation disputes across industries. She has experience in federal and state courts as well as administrative proceedings and quasi-judicial forums.

A significant component of her work involves sensitive and high-profile investigations under Title IX, where Nana has examined allegations of sexual misconduct and discrimination at major institutions. In each case, she balances the demands of legal compliance with the broader considerations of institutional integrity and public trust. She also serves as a Hearing Advisor for reporting and responding parties in Title IX proceedings.

Nana is known for her ability to distill complex situations into clear, actionable guidance. Ultimately, regardless of the industry or circumstances, her primary goal is to help clients get to the root of the challenges they face, identify solutions, and seize opportunities.

 

What advice would you offer to new attorneys interested in your field?

Don’t underestimate the value of your lived experiences. Whether you are a parent, first-generation professional, survivor, or someone who has had to overcome significant obstacles, those perspectives are not barriers. They are assets. They sharpen your judgment, deepen your empathy, and make you a more effective advocate. Honoring your lived experiences in the legal field will also help you stay grounded in your purpose. There will be long days and moments where the path forward is not always clear. In those moments, it is especially important to remember why you chose this work and what lights your fire. I sincerely believe that if you stay committed, remain adaptable, and keep pushing forward in this work, you will always find your voice and show your impact. 

Additional Information

Fun facts:

1. My kids and husband have the same middle name.
2. If I was not an attorney, I would be one of the following: an event planner, a mortician, or a funeral home director.
3. Being a contestant on the Wheel of Fortune is a dream of mine!

Description of field of expertise

Rasheed McWilliams is a first-chair trial counsel who is always ready to tackle his client's pressing commercial and intellectual property problems. From handling contract terminations and prelitigation disputes to taking a client's case to trial, he leverages over two decades of litigation and trial experience to help sophisticated companies solve complex legal problems. As a trial attorney, Rasheed has tried numerous bench and jury trials to verdict, including obtaining a number of complete defense verdicts. Rasheed makes frequent appearances before state courts, U.S. district courts, the ITC, and arbitral bodies (JAMS, AAA, IFTA, and the ICC). He has been lead counsel in over 150 intellectual property and commercial litigation matters.

Named as one of the country's top trademark attorneys (WTR Gold), Rasheed is a skilled partner in enforcing and protecting his clients' valuable brands in trademark infringement litigation. His trademark clients include business consultancies, financial institutions, and food and beverage companies. Rasheed's copyright work includes enforcing and defending against claims for copyright infringement based on diverse copyrights, including books, business spreadsheets, computer software, motion pictures, and musical compositions. His clients in the copyright space include film distributors, financial institutions, large hospital groups, and healthcare technology companies. Rasheed's high technology practice focuses on the prosecution and defense of claims for trade secret misappropriation and patent infringement. His patent and trade secret clients include companies operating across diverse fields such as automotive, computer hardware and software, consumer electronics, e-commerce platforms, electronic payment systems, fintech, high-voltage transformers, network security, speech recognition software, telephony and Voice over IP (VoIP), and video game development.

Rasheed also has extensive experience with entertainment and technology transactional matters, particularly in relation to content acquisition, intellectual property sales, and intellectual property valuation for M&A.

 

What advice would you offer to new attorneys interested in your field?

My most important advice to new attorneys is to master your craft.  A successful trial lawyer has mastered a number of skills that allow for success, but the most important is the attention to detail. Document review is often viewed as a mundane task that is not very exciting, however, mastering the document production in your cases will allow you to master the facts, which will allow you to gather the evidence needed to solve your client’s problems. In my early career as a member of trial teams, it was my mastery of the documents that allowed me to get more chances to take and defend depositions and to take witnesses at trial. Taking and defending countless depositio

 

Final thoughts...

Never underestimate the power of your networks.  Business development is a career long endeavor that starts with the networks formed in undergraduate and law school.  Each of your contacts is a potential source of business so cultivate a reputation for excellence and integrity.

Description of field of expertise

Lindsay Samuel has broad experience litigating claims of workplace discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, wage-and-hour, and other employment related claims under various state and federal laws. Her practice also includes counseling on employee discipline, separations, terminations, and severance negotiations. Lindsay frequently advises clients in the development of personnel rules and policies including discipline and grievance procedures, and the investigation of grievances. She also represents employers in arbitrations and administrative proceedings involving disciplinary actions and grievances.

An experienced litigator, Lindsay served for five years as a staff attorney and supervising attorney with the Orleans Parish Public Defender's Office in New Orleans where she passionately defended indigent defendants through all phases of the criminal justice system.

 

What advice would you offer to new attorneys interested in your field?

One thing I always tell new attorneys is that careers in law rarely follow a straight line—and that’s okay. You don’t have to follow a defined path to get where you want to go. In law school, I really liked my juvenile defense clinic, but I never imagined I would actually end up in criminal defense, and definitely not for five years. The recession pushed me into public service, and it turned out to be one of the most formative parts of my career. As a public defender, I learned how to build a defense from the ground up—conducting investigations, interviewing witnesses, reviewing evidence closely, trying cases, and learning how to really talk to people. When I decided I wanted to try something new, I leaned on those skills to transition into employment law and eventually into Big Law. The foundation was already there; I just needed to build subject-matter expertise. I studied relentlessly, took every continuing education opportunity I could, and read every practice guide I could get my hands on. Trust that your experiences will carry forward, even when the path shifts.

 

Final thoughts...

I encourage lawyers not to be afraid of change. Good lawyers can learn new areas of the law, move between practice settings, and even change jurisdictions. Strong foundational skills travel well and remain valuable no matter where your career takes you.