The Lawlor Winston Team
Serving South Florida including Broward, Dade and Palm Beach Counties
Lesly Arevalo, Receptionist
Lesly Arevalo was born in Lima, Peru and is currently attending Broward College. She will graduate with an AA in 2010. Thereafter, she plans to attend Florida Atlantic University to work towards her B.A. in Business Administration. Lesly has worked as a law firm receptionist since 2008, and joined Lawlor Winston in January, 2010.
Rebecca Castanon, Legal Assistant
rcastanon@lawlorwinston.com Rebecca Castanon, originally from Houston, Texas, received her B.A. in Sociology from Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio in 1992. Upon graduation, she worked as a probation officer for six years, handling a specialized case load of severe alcohol/drug offenders. In 2001, Ms. Castanon went back to school to obtain a paralegal certificate from the Center for Advanced Legal Studies, graduating with honors. She became instrumental in the development of the litigation support division in a medical research company. Ms. Castanon relocated in 2004 to Florida, working for two personal injury firms before joining Lawlor Winston in 2009.
rcastanon@lawlorwinston.com Rebecca Castanon, originally from Houston, Texas, received her B.A. in Sociology from Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio in 1992. Upon graduation, she worked as a probation officer for six years, handling a specialized case load of severe alcohol/drug offenders. In 2001, Ms. Castanon went back to school to obtain a paralegal certificate from the Center for Advanced Legal Studies, graduating with honors. She became instrumental in the development of the litigation support division in a medical research company. Ms. Castanon relocated in 2004 to Florida, working for two personal injury firms before joining Lawlor Winston in 2009.
Melissa Cracchiolo, Pre-litigation Case Manager
Melissa Cracchiolo was born in Schenectady, New York in 1983. After working in an Orthopaedic office and seeing several patients that were accident victims she decided she wanted to transition into the legal field to further help people. She has been working as a Legal Assistant in the Personal Injury field since 2007 and obtained her Paralegal Certificate from the University of Miami in 2009. She is returning to Broward College to complete her Associate’s Degree in Insurance and Risk Management. In 2010 she joined Lawlor Winston as a Legal Assistant.
Ellyn Fabricant, Paralegal
efabricant@lawlorwinston.com
efabricant@lawlorwinston.com
Ellyn Fabricant joined the firm in 2008, as John Lawlor’s paralegal within the litigation department. Ms. Fabricant brings over 20 years experience in litigation, primarily in insurance and medical malpractice defense, giving her a unique perspective and insight into prosecuting cases. Originally from New York, she earned a B.A. from the University of Maryland where she served as a congressional intern for the late honorable Claude Pepper.
Jennifer Gongora, Legal Assistant
jgongora@lawlorwinston.com
Raised in Katy, Texas, Ms. Gongora moved to South Florida in 1997 and has been working in the legal industry since 1998. In 2005, she attended Sheridan Vocational School and received her bookkeeping certificate. She joined Lawlor Winston in the summer of 2009.
Linda Maglio, Pre-Litigation Case Manager
lmaglio@lawlorwinston.com
lmaglio@lawlorwinston.com
Linda Maglio, born in Mineola, New York, received an Associates Degree from State University of NY at Farmingdale. While working for a law firm, she relocated to Fort Lauderdale. She served as a judicial assistant to the Honorable Robert C. Abel, Jr., Honorable John A. Frusciante, Jr., and retired Circuit Judge the Honorable John A. Miller. Ms. Maglio joined Lawlor Winston in 2007.
Andrea Osio was born in Columbia, Missouri. She graduated from the University of Kentucky and then worked as an office manager/tax preparer and within accounts payable for Lexington based corporations. In 2006, Ms. Osio moved to Florida and began working as a distribution manager for Lawlor Winston in 2008. Ms. Osio is currently enrolled in Broward College to pursue a career as a paralegal.
Carol Parente, Chief Financial Officer
Carol Parente obtained an AA Degree in accounting from Broward Community College. She has been providing accounting services for over 30 years and has been with Lawlor and Winston since 2002. Carol manages all aspects of Lawlor Winston, LLP's financial matters, including supervision and oversight of the firm's Distribution Manager, insurance procurement, employee payroll, credit applications, banking, accounting and accounts payable.
Originally from Caracas, Venezuela, Ms. Perdomo attended the Universidad Tecnologica del Centro where she obtained her B.A. in Business Administration. After graduation, she moved to Lexington, Kentucky where she began working as a financial analyst. Ms. Perdomo then worked as a senior legal intellectual property assistant for a prestige law firm. In 2005, she moved to Ft. Lauderdale to work with Andrew Winston as his legal administrative assistant.
Mercedes Perez, Paralegal
Mercedes Perez is originally from Washington, D.C. and relocated to Miami, Florida where she attended Florida International University and earned an Associates Degree in Paralegal Studies. Ms. Perez has worked in the personal injury and medical malpractice field since 1991. She has previously held positions with three personal injury law firms before joining Lawlor Winston in 2010 as Ben Murphey's litigation Paralegal.
Lisa Peterson, Paralegal
Lisa Peterson is from Charleston, South Carolina, where she attended Trident Technical College with an Associates Degree in Paralegal Studies. Ms. Peterson remotely attended the University of Southern Illinois at Carbondale from the Charleston Air Force Base, where she earned a B.S. in Workforce Education and Development. Ms. Peterson has worked to help injured persons since the beginning of her legal career in 1991. For the past eighteen years, she has worked on cases in many jurisdictions, including South Carolina, North Carolina, Texas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Wisconsin, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In 2007, Ms. Peterson relocated from Charleston, South Carolina to the South Florida area to continue to pursue her passion for helping people in personal injury law. She joined Lawlor Winston in 2008.
David Reyer, Law Clerk
David Reyer was born in New York and later moved to Boca Raton, Florida. Mr. Reyer attended Florida Atlantic University where he received Dean’s list honors and graduated with a B.A. in criminal justice. After graduating, he gained experience working as a law clerk in the areas of probate and real estate law. He is currently attending St. Thomas University School of Law in Miami, FL, and will graduate with a J.D. in 2011.
Maria Elena Valdes, File Clerk
Maria is a native of Miami, Florida and currently attends Broward College, where she is scheduled to graduate with an Associate in Arts Degree in the of Summer 2010. Thereafter, she plans to obtaina B.S. in Health Science and continue on to graduate school and become a Speech Pathologist. She has 2 years experience working at a litigation law firm as a file clerk and started working with Lawlor Winston in 2009.
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida Personal Inury Law Firm Serving: Pompano Beach • Dania • Oakland Park • Lauderdale Lakes • Lauderhill • Cooper City • Weston • Coral Springs • Parkland • Deerfield • Miramar • Margate, • Hallandale • Ft. Lauderdale • Pembroke Pines • Plantation • Sunrise • Davie • Hollywood • Palm Beach County • Broward County • Dade County