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Probate Litigation

Top-Ranked Probate Litigation Lawyers in Fort Myers, Florida

Updated Methodology LexRank v1.215 lawyers rankedReviewed by LexRanked editorial team

Summary

As of November 1, 2026, the top-ranked probate litigation lawyers in Fort Myers, Florida are Harold S Eskin (LexRank 80.00), Richard Maurice Marchewka (80.00) and Donald Isaac (78.60).

This ranking lists 15 probate litigation lawyers in Fort Myers, Florida, in order of their LexRank score, calculated from their Florida Bar records and other cited sources. Their experience ranges from 10 to 50 years in practice. 1 of the 15 lists Spanish on their Florida Bar profile.

Lawyers ranked
15
Fully verified
15 of 15

The ranking

Ordered by organic LexRank score; paid placements are labelled and never affect a position. How we rank

  1. No change

    Harold S Eskin

    Independent practice · Fort Myers, FL

    Verified
    • 40 years experience
    • Probate Litigation
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #1?

    Ranks #1 with 80.00: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Practice-area relevance (20/20).

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 22.8)
    • Practice-area relevance 20/20 (ranking avg 18)
  2. No change

    Richard Maurice Marchewka

    Independent practice · Fort Myers, FL

    Verified
    • 40 years experience
    • Probate Litigation
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #2?

    Ranks #2 with 80.00: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Practice-area relevance (20/20).

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 22.8)
    • Practice-area relevance 20/20 (ranking avg 18)
  3. No change

    Donald Isaac

    Independent practice · Fort Myers, FL

    Verified
    • 42 years experience
    • Probate Litigation
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #3?

    Ranks #3 with 78.60: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Practice-area relevance (20/20). 1.40 points behind #2, mostly data quality.

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 22.8)
    • Practice-area relevance 20/20 (ranking avg 18)

    1.40 points behind #2 (Richard Maurice Marchewka): Data quality −1.4.

    Not on record (scores 0, never estimated): website.

  4. No change

    John Charles Coleman

    Coleman and Coleman · Fort Myers, FL

    Verified
    • 50 years experience
    • Guardianship · Probate Litigation
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #4?

    Ranks #4 with 75.00: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Data quality (10/10). 3.60 points behind #3, mostly practice-area relevance.

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 22.8)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.6)

    3.60 points behind #3 (Donald Isaac): Practice-area relevance −5.

  5. No change

    Wess Mitchell Jacobs

    Independent practice · Fort Myers, FL

    Verified
    • 34 years experience
    • Guardianship · Probate Litigation
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #5?

    Ranks #5 with 75.00: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Data quality (10/10).

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 22.8)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.6)
  6. No change

    Robert August Enright III

    Independent practice · Fort Myers, FL

    Verified
    • 26 years experience
    • Guardianship · Probate Litigation
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #6?

    Ranks #6 with 73.60: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Local relevance (5/5). 1.40 points behind #5, mostly data quality.

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 22.8)
    • Local relevance 5/5 (ranking avg 5)

    1.40 points behind #5 (Wess Mitchell Jacobs): Data quality −1.4.

    Not on record (scores 0, never estimated): website.

  7. No change

    Marcy Lynn Shaw

    Independent practice · Fort Myers, FL

    Verified
    • 28 years experience
    • Guardianship · Probate Litigation
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #7?

    Ranks #7 with 73.60: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Local relevance (5/5).

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 22.8)
    • Local relevance 5/5 (ranking avg 5)

    Not on record (scores 0, never estimated): website.

  8. No change

    Michele Suzanne Belmont

    Independent practice · Fort Myers, FL

    Verified
    • 18 years experience
    • Probate Litigation
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #8?

    Ranks #8 with 71.60: strongest in Practice-area relevance (20/20) and Data quality (10/10); held back by Experience (21.6/30). 2.00 points behind #7, mostly experience.

    Strongest

    • Practice-area relevance 20/20 (ranking avg 18)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.6)

    Held back by

    • Experience 21.6/30 (ranking avg 22.8)

    2.00 points behind #7 (Marcy Lynn Shaw): Experience −8.4.

  9. No change

    Albert Louis Alguadich Jr.

    Independent practice · Fort Myers, FL

    Verified
    • 14 years experience
    • Probate Litigation
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #9?

    Ranks #9 with 66.80: strongest in Practice-area relevance (20/20) and Data quality (10/10); held back by Experience (16.8/30). 4.80 points behind #8, mostly experience.

    Strongest

    • Practice-area relevance 20/20 (ranking avg 18)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.6)

    Held back by

    • Experience 16.8/30 (ranking avg 22.8)

    4.80 points behind #8 (Michele Suzanne Belmont): Experience −4.8.

  10. No change

    Devin J Mace

    Independent practice · Fort Myers, FL

    Verified
    • 14 years experience
    • Probate Litigation
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #10?

    Ranks #10 with 66.80: strongest in Practice-area relevance (20/20) and Data quality (10/10); held back by Experience (16.8/30).

    Strongest

    • Practice-area relevance 20/20 (ranking avg 18)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.6)

    Held back by

    • Experience 16.8/30 (ranking avg 22.8)
  11. No change

    Thomas Garritt Coleman

    Coleman and Coleman · Fort Myers, FL

    Verified
    • 14 years experience
    • Probate Litigation
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #11?

    Ranks #11 with 66.80: strongest in Practice-area relevance (20/20) and Data quality (10/10); held back by Experience (16.8/30).

    Strongest

    • Practice-area relevance 20/20 (ranking avg 18)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.6)

    Held back by

    • Experience 16.8/30 (ranking avg 22.8)
  12. No change

    Audra Thomas-Eth

    Independent practice · Fort Myers, FL

    Verified
    • 16 years experience
    • Guardianship · Probate Litigation
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #12?

    Ranks #12 with 64.20: strongest in Data quality (10/10) and Local relevance (5/5); held back by Experience (19.2/30). 2.60 points behind #11, mostly practice-area relevance.

    Strongest

    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.6)
    • Local relevance 5/5 (ranking avg 5)

    Held back by

    • Experience 19.2/30 (ranking avg 22.8)

    2.60 points behind #11 (Thomas Garritt Coleman): Practice-area relevance −5.

  13. No change

    Gary Donald Rhodes Jr.

    Independent practice · Fort Myers, FL

    Verified
    • 10 years experience
    • Probate Litigation
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #13?

    Ranks #13 with 62.00: strongest in Practice-area relevance (20/20) and Data quality (10/10); held back by Experience (12/30). 2.20 points behind #12, mostly experience.

    Strongest

    • Practice-area relevance 20/20 (ranking avg 18)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.6)

    Held back by

    • Experience 12/30 (ranking avg 22.8)

    2.20 points behind #12 (Audra Thomas-Eth): Experience −7.2.

  14. No change

    Caleb Wayne Pringle

    Independent practice · Fort Myers, FL

    Verified
    • 11 years experience
    • Probate Litigation
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #14?

    Ranks #14 with 61.80: strongest in Practice-area relevance (20/20) and Local relevance (5/5); held back by Experience (13.2/30). 0.20 points behind #13, mostly data quality.

    Strongest

    • Practice-area relevance 20/20 (ranking avg 18)
    • Local relevance 5/5 (ranking avg 5)

    Held back by

    • Experience 13.2/30 (ranking avg 22.8)

    0.20 points behind #13 (Gary Donald Rhodes Jr.): Data quality −1.4.

    Not on record (scores 0, never estimated): website.

  15. No change

    Philip V Howard

    Independent practice · Fort Myers, FL

    Verified
    • 13 years experience
    • Guardianship · Probate Litigation
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #15?

    Ranks #15 with 60.60: strongest in Data quality (10/10) and Local relevance (5/5); held back by Experience (15.6/30). 1.20 points behind #14, mostly practice-area relevance.

    Strongest

    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.6)
    • Local relevance 5/5 (ranking avg 5)

    Held back by

    • Experience 15.6/30 (ranking avg 22.8)

    1.20 points behind #14 (Caleb Wayne Pringle): Practice-area relevance −5.

Data sources behind the scores

Every score on this page is calculated from facts backed by these sources. Each profile shows which source supports which fact and when it was last checked.

  • floridabar.org · Official / regulatory · 15 profile pages150 facts for 15 lawyers

Probate Litigation market in Fort Myers

LexRanked tracks 15 lawyers and 2 law firms in probate litigation law in Fort Myers, Florida. 15 of the lawyers have verified professional data. Data verified October 19, 2026.

Lawyers
15
Law firms
2
Verified professional data
15 of 15
Average rating
Withheldtoo few sourced ratings
Median review count
Withheldtoo few sourced counts
Median experience
18 years15 lawyers

Calculated by LexRanked from its own records on ; data verified . Ratings and review counts count only when backed by a source; figures from fewer than three profiles are withheld. All lawyers in Fort Myers

What sets these Fort Myers lawyers apart

Every lawyer in this ranking has a The Florida Bar license verified as eligible to practice, and every fact shown links to its source. The figures below come from each lawyer's Florida Bar profile.

Fact about the 15 ranked lawyers Figure
Years in practice 10 to 50 (median 18)
Languages besides English Spanish (1)
License status with The Florida Bar Eligible to practice, verified for every lawyer
Most common law school University of Miami School of Law (3 lawyers)

Who is included in this ranking?

Lawyers eligible to practice in Florida, with a Fort Myers office address and probate litigation as a practice area on record. It compares 15 probate litigation lawyers, using only facts with a cited source. The Florida Bar does not board-certify lawyers in probate litigation, so the practice area is the one each lawyer lists on their Florida Bar profile, which The Florida Bar does not review. How we rank.

Florida rules to know

Florida probate disputes run on short deadlines: an objection to a will is due 3 months after the notice of administration is served, creditor claims are generally due 3 months after the first notice to creditors, and most claims end 2 years after death.

Rule What it means
Will contest deadline An objection to a will's validity must be filed within 3 months after the notice of administration is served (Fla. Stat. § 733.212)
Undue influence A will, or any part of it, procured by fraud, duress, mistake or undue influence is void (§ 732.5165)
Burden of proof The will's proponent proves its execution; the contestant then proves the grounds, and a presumption of undue influence shifts the burden where it applies (§ 733.107)
Creditor claims Claims are due by the later of 3 months after first publication of the notice to creditors or 30 days after service on a creditor (§ 733.702)
Two-year bar Most claims against a decedent end 2 years after death (§ 733.710)
Trust contests A contest of a revocable trust is barred 6 months after the trustee sends the trust and the required notice, if that is earlier (§ 736.0604)
Court Where cases are heard
State court circuit Lee County is in Florida's Twentieth Judicial Circuit

How to choose among these lawyers

Confirm the license, ask who will handle your matter, and get the fee terms in writing before you sign.

  1. Look up the lawyer in The Florida Bar's directory and check the bar number shown on their LexRanked profile.
  2. Ask whether the lawyer you meet will handle your matter personally, and how many matters like yours they have handled recently.
  3. Ask how they charge and what costs are extra, and get the agreement in writing.
  4. If you prefer to work in another language, check the languages listed on each profile.

Further reading

Sources for the rules above

Frequently asked questions

How long do I have to contest a will in Florida?

An interested person served with the notice of administration must file an objection within 3 months after service, under section 733.212. The period can be extended only for a misstatement by the personal representative about the deadline.

On what grounds can a will be challenged?

A will, or any part of it, is void if procured by fraud, duress, mistake or undue influence (section 732.5165). A will is also open to challenge if the person who made it was not of sound mind (section 732.501).

How long do creditors have to file a claim against an estate?

By the later of 3 months after the first publication of the notice to creditors or 30 days after a creditor is served (section 733.702). Most claims are barred 2 years after death in any case (section 733.710).

How long do I have to contest a trust in Florida?

For a trust that was revocable at death, the earlier of the general limitations period or 6 months after the trustee sends you the trust and the notice the statute requires (section 736.0604).

Which court handles cases in Fort Myers?

State court cases in Lee County are heard in Florida's Twentieth Judicial Circuit.

Are there Spanish-speaking probate litigation lawyers in Fort Myers?

Yes. 1 of the 15 ranked lawyers lists Spanish on their Florida Bar profile. Each LexRanked profile shows the languages on record.

How is this ranking ordered?

By the LexRank score, calculated only from facts with a cited source: experience, practice-area relevance, awards on record such as board certification, professional credentials, data quality and location. Client reviews do not affect the LexRank score: neither star ratings nor the number of reviews is scored. Payment never changes a position.

Do client reviews affect the LexRank score?

Client reviews do not affect the LexRank score: neither star ratings nor the number of reviews is scored. Reviews are shown on profiles for information only, and Reputation counts only awards on record, such as board certification. How we rank

Which lawyers are verified?

15 of the 15 ranked lawyers have fully verified profiles: Harold S Eskin, Richard Maurice Marchewka, Donald Isaac, John Charles Coleman and Wess Mitchell Jacobs and others.

About this ranking

Last updated
Methodology
LexRank v1.2 - deterministic, reproducible scoring
Editorial review
LexRanked editorial team,
Independence
Positions are never sold. Paid placements, if any, are labelled and do not affect scores.

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