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Product Liability

Top-Ranked Product Liability Lawyers in Melbourne, Florida

Updated Methodology LexRank v1.28 lawyers rankedReviewed by LexRanked editorial team

Summary

As of November 1, 2026, the top-ranked product liability lawyers in Melbourne, Florida are Aaron D Lyons “Aaron D Lyons” (LexRank 75.00), John J Futchko “John” (75.00) and Jennifer Anderson Hoffman (75.00).

This ranking lists 8 product liability lawyers in Melbourne, Florida, in order of their LexRank score, calculated from their Florida Bar records and other cited sources. Their experience ranges from 13 to 38 years in practice. 1 of the 8 lists Spanish on their Florida Bar profile.

Lawyers ranked
8
Fully verified
8 of 8

The ranking

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

  1. No change

    Aaron D Lyons “Aaron D Lyons”

    Independent practice · Melbourne, FL

    Verified
    • 30 years experience
    • Bankruptcy · Product Liability
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #1?

    Ranks #1 with 75.00: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Data quality (10/10).

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 25.8)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.8)
  2. No change

    John J Futchko “John”

    Independent practice · Melbourne, FL

    Verified
    • 36 years experience
    • Insurance · Product Liability
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #2?

    Ranks #2 with 75.00: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Data quality (10/10).

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 25.8)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.8)
  3. No change

    Jennifer Anderson Hoffman

    Independent practice · Melbourne, FL

    Verified
    • 33 years experience
    • Insurance · Product Liability
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #3?

    Ranks #3 with 75.00: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Data quality (10/10).

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 25.8)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.8)
  4. No change

    Michael Raymond Kirby “Michael Kirby”

    Independent practice · Melbourne, FL

    Verified
    • 34 years experience
    • Medical Malpractice · Product Liability
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #4?

    Ranks #4 with 73.60: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Professional credentials (15/15). 1.40 points behind #3, mostly data quality.

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 25.8)
    • Professional credentials 15/15 (ranking avg 15)

    1.40 points behind #3 (Jennifer Anderson Hoffman): Data quality −1.4.

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

  5. No change

    Raymonda Chakhtoura

    Independent practice · Melbourne, FL

    Verified
    • 38 years experience
    • Consumer Protection · Insurance
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #5?

    Ranks #5 with 72.50: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Data quality (10/10); held back by Practice-area relevance (12.5/20). 1.10 points behind #4, mostly practice-area relevance.

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 25.8)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.8)

    Held back by

    • Practice-area relevance 12.5/20 (ranking avg 15.7)

    1.10 points behind #4 (Michael Raymond Kirby “Michael Kirby”): Practice-area relevance −2.5.

  6. No change

    William Carl Ourand Jr. “Will”

    Independent practice · Melbourne, FL

    Verified
    • 15 years experience
    • Product Liability
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #6?

    Ranks #6 with 68.00: strongest in Practice-area relevance (20/20) and Data quality (10/10); held back by Experience (18/30). 4.50 points behind #5, mostly experience.

    Strongest

    • Practice-area relevance 20/20 (ranking avg 15.7)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.8)

    Held back by

    • Experience 18/30 (ranking avg 25.8)

    4.50 points behind #5 (Raymonda Chakhtoura): Experience −12.

  7. No change

    Chad E Leeper

    Independent practice · Melbourne, FL

    Verified
    • 19 years experience
    • Insurance · Medical Malpractice
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #7?

    Ranks #7 with 66.13: strongest in Data quality (10/10) and Professional credentials (15/15); held back by Practice-area relevance (13.3/20). 1.87 points behind #6, mostly practice-area relevance.

    Strongest

    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.8)
    • Professional credentials 15/15 (ranking avg 15)

    Held back by

    • Practice-area relevance 13.3/20 (ranking avg 15.7)

    1.87 points behind #6 (William Carl Ourand Jr. “Will”): Practice-area relevance −6.7.

  8. No change

    Riley H Beam

    Independent practice · Melbourne, FL

    Verified
    • 13 years experience
    • Product Liability
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #8?

    Ranks #8 with 65.60: strongest in Practice-area relevance (20/20) and Data quality (10/10); held back by Experience (15.6/30). 0.53 points behind #7, mostly experience.

    Strongest

    • Practice-area relevance 20/20 (ranking avg 15.7)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.8)

    Held back by

    • Experience 15.6/30 (ranking avg 25.8)

    0.53 points behind #7 (Chad E Leeper): Experience −7.2.

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 · 8 profile pages81 facts for 8 lawyers

Product Liability market in Melbourne

LexRanked tracks 8 lawyers in product liability law in Melbourne, Florida. 8 of the lawyers have verified professional data. Data verified October 30, 2026.

Lawyers
8
Law firms
0
Verified professional data
8 of 8
Average rating
Withheldtoo few sourced ratings
Median review count
Withheldtoo few sourced counts
Median experience
31.5 years8 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 8 ranked lawyers Figure
Years in practice 13 to 38 (median 31.5)
Languages besides English Arabic (1), French (1), Spanish (1)
License status with The Florida Bar Eligible to practice, verified for every lawyer
Most common law school Florida State University College of Law (2 lawyers)

Who is included in this ranking?

Lawyers eligible to practice in Florida, with a Melbourne office address and product liability as a practice area on record. It compares 8 product liability lawyers, using only facts with a cited source. The Florida Bar does not board-certify lawyers in product liability, 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 product liability claim must be filed within 4 years of when the defect was or should have been discovered, and most products cannot be sued over harm that happens more than 12 years after the first sale.

Rule What it means
Filing deadline 4 years for injury founded on the design, manufacture, distribution or sale of a product (Fla. Stat. § 95.11(3))
When the clock starts The period runs from when the facts behind the claim were or should have been discovered (§ 95.031(2)(b))
12-year limit No claim for harm from a product with an expected useful life of 10 years or less if the harm occurs more than 12 years after delivery to the first buyer, with exceptions the statute lists (§ 95.031(2)(b))
Shared fault Product liability claims count as negligence actions: a claimant more than 50% at fault recovers nothing, otherwise damages are reduced by their share (§ 768.81)
Government rules defense A product that met the government standards for the risk at issue is presumed not defective, a presumption the claimant can rebut (§ 768.1256)
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 file a product liability claim in Florida?

Generally 4 years under section 95.11(3), counted from when the facts behind the claim were or should have been discovered (section 95.031(2)(b)).

Is there a deadline based on how old the product is?

Yes. For a product with an expected useful life of 10 years or less, no claim may be brought for harm that happens more than 12 years after delivery to the first buyer, subject to the exceptions in section 95.031(2)(b).

What if I was partly at fault for my injury?

Under section 768.81, which covers product liability claims, damages are reduced by your share of fault, and a claimant found more than 50% at fault recovers nothing.

Does meeting government safety standards protect a manufacturer?

It creates a presumption that the product was not defective if it met the government standards that apply to the risk that caused the harm, but the claimant can rebut it (section 768.1256).

Which court handles cases in Melbourne?

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

Are there Spanish-speaking product liability lawyers in Melbourne?

Yes. 1 of the 8 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?

8 of the 8 ranked lawyers have fully verified profiles: Aaron D Lyons “Aaron D Lyons”, John J Futchko “John”, Jennifer Anderson Hoffman, Michael Raymond Kirby “Michael Kirby” and Raymonda Chakhtoura 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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