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Top-Ranked Insurance Lawyers in Melbourne, Florida

Updated Methodology LexRank v1.210 lawyers rankedReviewed by LexRanked editorial team

Summary

As of November 1, 2026, the top-ranked insurance lawyers in Melbourne, Florida are David Joseph Volk (LexRank 80.00), Eric Louis Hostetler (78.80) and Charles M P George “Chip” (78.60).

This ranking lists 10 insurance lawyers in Melbourne, Florida, in order of their LexRank score, calculated from their Florida Bar records and other cited sources. Their experience ranges from 9 to 39 years in practice.

Lawyers ranked
10
Fully verified
10 of 10

The ranking

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

  1. No change

    David Joseph Volk

    Independent practice · Melbourne, FL

    Verified
    • 39 years experience
    • Insurance
    • 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 25.1)
    • Practice-area relevance 20/20 (ranking avg 17.1)
  2. No change

    Eric Louis Hostetler

    Independent practice · Melbourne, FL

    Verified
    • 24 years experience
    • Insurance
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #2?

    Ranks #2 with 78.80: strongest in Practice-area relevance (20/20) and Experience (28.8/30). 1.20 points behind #1, mostly experience.

    Strongest

    • Practice-area relevance 20/20 (ranking avg 17.1)
    • Experience 28.8/30 (ranking avg 25.1)

    1.20 points behind #1 (David Joseph Volk): Experience −1.2.

  3. No change

    Charles M P George “Chip”

    Independent practice · Melbourne, FL

    Verified
    • 32 years experience
    • Insurance
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #3?

    Ranks #3 with 78.60: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Practice-area relevance (20/20). 0.20 points behind #2, mostly data quality.

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 25.1)
    • Practice-area relevance 20/20 (ranking avg 17.1)

    0.20 points behind #2 (Eric Louis Hostetler): Data quality −1.4.

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

  4. No change

    John J Futchko “John”

    Independent practice · Melbourne, FL

    Verified
    • 36 years experience
    • Insurance · Product Liability
    • 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 25.1)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.7)

    3.60 points behind #3 (Charles M P George “Chip”): Practice-area relevance −5.

  5. No change

    Jennifer Anderson Hoffman

    Independent practice · Melbourne, FL

    Verified
    • 33 years experience
    • Insurance · Product Liability
    • 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 25.1)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.7)
  6. No change

    Raymonda Chakhtoura

    Independent practice · Melbourne, FL

    Verified
    • 38 years experience
    • Consumer Protection · Insurance
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #6?

    Ranks #6 with 72.50: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Data quality (10/10); held back by Practice-area relevance (12.5/20). 2.50 points behind #5, mostly practice-area relevance.

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 25.1)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.7)

    Held back by

    • Practice-area relevance 12.5/20 (ranking avg 17.1)

    2.50 points behind #5 (Jennifer Anderson Hoffman): Practice-area relevance −2.5.

  7. No change

    Adam Michael Bird

    Independent practice · Melbourne, FL

    Verified
    • 18 years experience
    • Insurance
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #7?

    Ranks #7 with 71.60: strongest in Practice-area relevance (20/20) and Data quality (10/10); held back by Experience (21.6/30). 0.90 points behind #6, mostly experience.

    Strongest

    • Practice-area relevance 20/20 (ranking avg 17.1)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.7)

    Held back by

    • Experience 21.6/30 (ranking avg 25.1)

    0.90 points behind #6 (Raymonda Chakhtoura): Experience −8.4.

  8. No change

    Chad E Leeper

    Independent practice · Melbourne, FL

    Verified
    • 19 years experience
    • Insurance · Medical Malpractice
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #8?

    Ranks #8 with 66.13: strongest in Data quality (10/10) and Professional credentials (15/15); held back by Practice-area relevance (13.3/20). 5.47 points behind #7, mostly practice-area relevance.

    Strongest

    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.7)
    • Professional credentials 15/15 (ranking avg 15)

    Held back by

    • Practice-area relevance 13.3/20 (ranking avg 17.1)

    5.47 points behind #7 (Adam Michael Bird): Practice-area relevance −6.7.

  9. No change

    Robert Benjamin Gertzman

    Independent practice · Melbourne, FL

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

    Ranks #9 with 65.40: strongest in Practice-area relevance (20/20) and Professional credentials (15/15); held back by Experience (16.8/30). 0.73 points behind #8, mostly experience.

    Strongest

    • Practice-area relevance 20/20 (ranking avg 17.1)
    • Professional credentials 15/15 (ranking avg 15)

    Held back by

    • Experience 16.8/30 (ranking avg 25.1)

    0.73 points behind #8 (Chad E Leeper): Experience −6, Data quality −1.4.

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

  10. No change

    Ethan Brandon Babb

    Independent practice · Melbourne, FL

    Verified
    • 9 years experience
    • Consumer Protection · Insurance
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #10?

    Ranks #10 with 55.80: strongest in Data quality (10/10) and Professional credentials (15/15); held back by Experience (10.8/30). 9.60 points behind #9, mostly experience.

    Strongest

    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.7)
    • Professional credentials 15/15 (ranking avg 15)

    Held back by

    • Experience 10.8/30 (ranking avg 25.1)

    9.60 points behind #9 (Robert Benjamin Gertzman): Experience −6, 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 · 10 profile pages101 facts for 10 lawyers

Insurance market in Melbourne

LexRanked tracks 10 lawyers in insurance law in Melbourne, Florida. 10 of the lawyers have verified professional data. Data verified October 30, 2026.

Lawyers
10
Law firms
0
Verified professional data
10 of 10
Average rating
Withheldtoo few sourced ratings
Median review count
Withheldtoo few sourced counts
Median experience
28 years10 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 Melbourne

What sets these Melbourne 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 10 ranked lawyers Figure
Years in practice 9 to 39 (median 28)
Languages besides English Arabic (1), French (1)
License status with The Florida Bar Eligible to practice, verified for every lawyer
Most common law school Florida Coastal School of Law (2 lawyers)

Who is included in this ranking?

Lawyers eligible to practice in Florida, with a Melbourne office address and insurance as a practice area on record. It compares 10 insurance lawyers, using only facts with a cited source. The Florida Bar does not board-certify lawyers in insurance, 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

A Florida homeowner must give the insurer notice of a property insurance claim within 1 year after the date of loss, and a lawsuit for breach of the policy must be filed within 5 years of the loss.

Rule What it means
Notice of a property claim A new or reopened claim is barred unless notice reaches the insurer within 1 year after the date of loss; a supplemental claim within 18 months (Fla. Stat. § 627.70132(2))
Hurricane date of loss For hurricanes and other weather events, the date of loss is the landfall date or the date NOAA verifies the event (§ 627.70132(3))
Insurer response The insurer must acknowledge a claim communication within 7 days and pay or deny a property claim within 60 days after notice (§ 627.70131(1) and (7))
Lawsuit deadline 5 years from the date of loss for breach of a property insurance contract (§ 95.11(2)(e))
Bad faith An insured may sue an insurer that did not attempt in good faith to settle a claim, after 60 days written notice to the Department of Financial Services and the insurer (§ 624.155)
Court Where cases are heard
State court circuit Brevard County is in Florida's Eighteenth 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 report a property insurance claim in Florida?

1 year after the date of loss for a new or reopened claim, and 18 months for a supplemental claim (section 627.70132). For a hurricane, the date of loss is the date it made landfall.

How long does my insurer have to pay or deny a claim?

60 days after it receives notice of the claim, unless factors beyond its control prevent it (section 627.70131(7)).

What is a civil remedy notice?

A written notice on a Department of Financial Services form that must be filed 60 days before a bad-faith lawsuit under section 624.155. No suit lies if the insurer pays or corrects the problem within those 60 days.

How long do I have to sue my insurance company?

5 years from the date of loss for breach of a property insurance contract (section 95.11(2)(e)), but the claim itself must first be reported within 1 year.

Which court handles cases in Melbourne?

State court cases in Brevard County are heard in Florida's Eighteenth Judicial Circuit.

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?

10 of the 10 ranked lawyers have fully verified profiles: David Joseph Volk, Eric Louis Hostetler, Charles M P George “Chip”, John J Futchko “John” and Jennifer Anderson Hoffman and others.

What is the difference between the top two lawyers?

David Joseph Volk scores 80.00 and Eric Louis Hostetler 78.80, a gap of 1.20 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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