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Top-Ranked Franchise Lawyers in Florida

Updated Methodology LexRank v1.212 lawyers rankedReviewed by LexRanked editorial team

Summary

As of November 1, 2026, the top-ranked franchise lawyers in Florida are Dennis Dean Leone (LexRank 78.60), Evelyn I. Suero (65.60) and Christian Jay Sanchelima (64.40).

This ranking lists the top 12 of the 12 franchise lawyers LexRanked tracks across Florida, in order of their LexRank score, calculated from their Florida Bar records and other cited sources. They practice in 4 cities, led by Miami.

Lawyers ranked
12
Fully verified
12 of 12

The ranking

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

  1. No change

    Dennis Dean Leone

    Independent practice · Miami, FL

    Verified
    • 30 years experience
    • Franchise
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #1?

    Ranks #1 with 78.60: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Professional credentials (15/15).

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 9.2)
    • Professional credentials 15/15 (ranking avg 14.4)

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

  2. No change

    Evelyn I. Suero

    Independent practice · Miami, FL

    Verified
    • 13 years experience
    • Franchise
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #2?

    Ranks #2 with 65.60: strongest in Experience (15.6/30) and Professional credentials (15/15). 13.00 points behind #1, mostly experience.

    Strongest

    • Experience 15.6/30 (ranking avg 9.2)
    • Professional credentials 15/15 (ranking avg 14.4)

    13.00 points behind #1 (Dennis Dean Leone): Experience −14.4.

  3. No change

    Christian Jay Sanchelima

    Independent practice · Miami, FL

    Verified
    • 12 years experience
    • Franchise
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #3?

    Ranks #3 with 64.40: strongest in Experience (14.4/30) and Professional credentials (15/15). 1.20 points behind #2, mostly experience.

    Strongest

    • Experience 14.4/30 (ranking avg 9.2)
    • Professional credentials 15/15 (ranking avg 14.4)

    1.20 points behind #2 (Evelyn I. Suero): Experience −1.2.

  4. No change

    Jonathan Ray Woodard

    Independent practice · Miami, FL

    Verified
    • 14 years experience
    • Franchise
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #4?

    Ranks #4 with 63.05: strongest in Experience (16.8/30) and Data quality (10/10). 1.35 points behind #3, mostly professional credentials.

    Strongest

    • Experience 16.8/30 (ranking avg 9.2)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.9)

    1.35 points behind #3 (Christian Jay Sanchelima): Professional credentials −3.8.

  5. No change

    Victoria Alejandra Moreno Pabon

    Independent practice · Miami, FL

    Verified
    • 5 years experience
    • Franchise
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #5?

    Ranks #5 with 56.00: strongest in Professional credentials (15/15) and Data quality (10/10); held back by Experience (6/30). 7.05 points behind #4, mostly experience.

    Strongest

    • Professional credentials 15/15 (ranking avg 14.4)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.9)

    Held back by

    • Experience 6/30 (ranking avg 9.2)

    7.05 points behind #4 (Jonathan Ray Woodard): Experience −10.8.

  6. No change

    Daniel Felipe Town “Danny”

    Independent practice · St. Petersburg, FL

    Verified
    • 5 years experience
    • Franchise
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #6?

    Ranks #6 with 56.00: strongest in Professional credentials (15/15) and Data quality (10/10); held back by Experience (6/30).

    Strongest

    • Professional credentials 15/15 (ranking avg 14.4)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.9)

    Held back by

    • Experience 6/30 (ranking avg 9.2)
  7. No change

    Maximillian Scott Matiauda “Max”

    Independent practice · Miami, FL

    Verified
    • 4 years experience
    • Franchise
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #7?

    Ranks #7 with 54.80: strongest in Professional credentials (15/15) and Data quality (10/10); held back by Experience (4.8/30). 1.20 points behind #6, mostly experience.

    Strongest

    • Professional credentials 15/15 (ranking avg 14.4)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.9)

    Held back by

    • Experience 4.8/30 (ranking avg 9.2)

    1.20 points behind #6 (Daniel Felipe Town “Danny”): Experience −1.2.

  8. No change

    Tyler Justin Litwak

    Independent practice · Boca Raton, FL

    Verified
    • 4 years experience
    • Franchise
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #8?

    Ranks #8 with 54.80: strongest in Professional credentials (15/15) and Data quality (10/10); held back by Experience (4.8/30).

    Strongest

    • Professional credentials 15/15 (ranking avg 14.4)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.9)

    Held back by

    • Experience 4.8/30 (ranking avg 9.2)
  9. No change

    Heather Lee O’Brien “Heather Lee”

    Independent practice · Fort Lauderdale, FL

    Verified
    • 3 years experience
    • Franchise
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #9?

    Ranks #9 with 53.60: strongest in Professional credentials (15/15) and Data quality (10/10); held back by Experience (3.6/30). 1.20 points behind #8, mostly experience.

    Strongest

    • Professional credentials 15/15 (ranking avg 14.4)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.9)

    Held back by

    • Experience 3.6/30 (ranking avg 9.2)

    1.20 points behind #8 (Tyler Justin Litwak): Experience −1.2.

  10. No change

    Victor Angel Bruzos

    Independent practice · Miami, FL

    Verified
    • 3 years experience
    • Franchise
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #10?

    Ranks #10 with 53.60: strongest in Professional credentials (15/15) and Data quality (10/10); held back by Experience (3.6/30).

    Strongest

    • Professional credentials 15/15 (ranking avg 14.4)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.9)

    Held back by

    • Experience 3.6/30 (ranking avg 9.2)
  11. No change

    Kelly Marie Malloy

    Independent practice · Miami, FL

    Verified
    • 4 years experience
    • Franchise
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #11?

    Ranks #11 with 51.05: strongest in Data quality (10/10) and Local relevance (5/5); held back by Experience (4.8/30). 2.55 points behind #10, mostly professional credentials.

    Strongest

    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.9)
    • Local relevance 5/5 (ranking avg 5)

    Held back by

    • Experience 4.8/30 (ranking avg 9.2)

    2.55 points behind #10 (Victor Angel Bruzos): Professional credentials −3.8.

  12. No change

    Chelsea Barcenas

    Independent practice · Miami, FL

    Verified
    • 0 years experience
    • Franchise
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #12?

    Ranks #12 with 50.00: strongest in Professional credentials (15/15) and Data quality (10/10); held back by Experience (0/30). 1.05 points behind #11, mostly experience.

    Strongest

    • Professional credentials 15/15 (ranking avg 14.4)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.9)

    Held back by

    • Experience 0/30 (ranking avg 9.2)

    1.05 points behind #11 (Kelly Marie Malloy): Experience −4.8.

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 · 12 profile pages124 facts for 12 lawyers

Franchise market in Florida

LexRanked tracks 12 lawyers in franchise law in Florida. 12 of the lawyers have verified professional data. Data verified October 30, 2026.

Lawyers
12
Law firms
0
Verified professional data
12 of 12
Average rating
Withheldtoo few sourced ratings
Median review count
Withheldtoo few sourced counts
Median experience
4.5 years12 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 Florida

What sets these Florida franchise 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 come from each lawyer's Florida Bar profile, checked in November 2026.

Fact about the 12 ranked lawyers Figure
Years in practice 0 to 30 (median 4.5)
Languages besides English Spanish (5), French (2)
License status with The Florida Bar Eligible to practice, verified for every lawyer

Where do Florida's top franchise lawyers practice?

9 of the 12 practice in Miami; the table shows every city.

City Lawyers in this ranking
Miami 9
Boca Raton 1
Fort Lauderdale 1
St. Petersburg 1

Who is included in this ranking?

Lawyers eligible to practice in Florida, with an office in a Florida city we cover and franchise as a practice area on record. It ranks every franchise lawyer LexRanked tracks in Florida by the same score and shows the top 12. The Florida Bar does not board-certify lawyers in franchise, 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.

Find a franchise lawyer in your city

A lawyer near you knows the local courts; each city has its own ranking of franchise lawyers.

Florida rules to know

Federal rules require a franchisor to give you its disclosure document at least 14 calendar days before you sign or pay, and Florida law lets a franchisee recover the money invested when the franchisor intentionally misrepresented the deal.

Rule What it means
Disclosure before signing The franchisor must give a prospective franchisee its current disclosure document at least 14 calendar days before signing or paying (16 C.F.R. § 436.2(a))
Florida misrepresentation It is unlawful to intentionally misrepresent a franchise's prospects for success or the known total investment (Fla. Stat. § 817.416(2)(a))
Florida remedy A franchisee who proves a violation may recover all money invested in the franchise; the court may award attorney fees and shall award costs (§ 817.416(3))
Non-compete clauses A franchise non-compete is enforceable only if signed, reasonable in time, area and line of business, and supported by a legitimate business interest (§ 542.335(1))

Cases are heard in the county where they arise; see which judicial circuit covers each county.

How to choose among these lawyers

Confirm the license, prefer a lawyer who regularly works in your county, ask who will handle your matter, and get the fee terms in writing.

  1. Look up the lawyer in The Florida Bar's directory and check the bar number shown on their LexRanked profile.
  2. Ask how many matters like yours the lawyer has handled in your county recently.
  3. Ask how they charge and what costs are extra, and get the agreement in writing.

Further reading

Sources for the rules above

Frequently asked questions

When must a franchisor give me the disclosure document?

At least 14 calendar days before you sign a binding agreement or pay any money (16 C.F.R. § 436.2(a)).

What can I do if a franchisor lied about the investment or earnings?

Florida law makes intentional misrepresentation of a franchise's prospects or known total investment unlawful. A franchisee who proves it may recover all money invested, plus costs, and the court may award attorney fees (section 817.416).

Is the non-compete in my franchise agreement enforceable?

In Florida, only if it is signed, reasonable in time, area and line of business, and supported by a legitimate business interest (section 542.335).

Where are the best franchise lawyers in Florida?

Of the 12 lawyers in this ranking, 9 practice in Miami, 1 practices in Boca Raton, 1 practices in Fort Lauderdale. Each city also has its own ranking.

Do I need a franchise lawyer in my own city?

Any lawyer licensed by The Florida Bar may practice anywhere in Florida, but a lawyer who regularly appears in your county knows its judges and procedures.

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?

12 of the 12 ranked lawyers have fully verified profiles: Dennis Dean Leone, Evelyn I. Suero, Christian Jay Sanchelima, Jonathan Ray Woodard and Victoria Alejandra Moreno Pabon and others.

What is the difference between the top two lawyers?

Dennis Dean Leone scores 78.60 and Evelyn I. Suero 65.60, a gap of 13.00 points, mostly in experience. Compare them side by side

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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