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Guardianship

Top-Ranked Guardianship Lawyers in Ocala, Florida

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

Summary

As of November 1, 2026, the top-ranked guardianship lawyers in Ocala, Florida are James Leonard Richard “Jim” (LexRank 80.00), Martha A Johnston (78.60) and Russell William LaPeer “Russ” (78.60).

This ranking lists 8 guardianship lawyers in Ocala, Florida, in order of their LexRank score, calculated from their Florida Bar records and other cited sources. Their experience ranges from 7 to 50 years in practice.

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

    James Leonard Richard “Jim”

    Independent practice · Ocala, FL

    Verified
    • 48 years experience
    • Guardianship
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #1?

    Ranks #1 with 80.00: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Practice-area relevance (20/20); held back by Reputation (0/20).

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 25.9)
    • Practice-area relevance 20/20 (ranking avg 18.1)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 0/20 (ranking avg 0.5)
  2. No change

    Martha A Johnston

    Independent practice · Ocala, FL

    Verified
    • 27 years experience
    • Guardianship
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #2?

    Ranks #2 with 78.60: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Practice-area relevance (20/20); held back by Reputation (0/20). 1.40 points behind #1, mostly data quality.

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 25.9)
    • Practice-area relevance 20/20 (ranking avg 18.1)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 0/20 (ranking avg 0.5)

    1.40 points behind #1 (James Leonard Richard “Jim”): Data quality −1.4.

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

  3. No change

    Russell William LaPeer “Russ”

    Independent practice · Ocala, FL

    Verified
    • 50 years experience
    • Guardianship
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #3?

    Ranks #3 with 78.60: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Practice-area relevance (20/20); held back by Reputation (0/20).

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 25.9)
    • Practice-area relevance 20/20 (ranking avg 18.1)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 0/20 (ranking avg 0.5)

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

  4. No change

    Shari K. Player

    Independent practice · Ocala, FL

    Verified
    • 26 years experience
    • Guardianship
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #4?

    Ranks #4 with 78.60: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Practice-area relevance (20/20); held back by Reputation (0/20).

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 25.9)
    • Practice-area relevance 20/20 (ranking avg 18.1)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 0/20 (ranking avg 0.5)

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

  5. No change

    Colleen Marie Duris

    Independent practice · Ocala, FL

    Verified
    • 33 years experience
    • Elder Law · Guardianship
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #5?

    Ranks #5 with 77.60: strongest in Reputation (4/20) and Experience (30/30). 1.00 points behind #4, mostly practice-area relevance.

    Strongest

    • Reputation 4/20 (ranking avg 0.5)
    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 25.9)

    1.00 points behind #4 (Shari K. Player): Practice-area relevance −5.

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

  6. No change

    Melody Weeks Vanderlaan

    Independent practice · Ocala, FL

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

    Ranks #6 with 72.60: strongest in Data quality (10/10) and Experience (27.6/30); held back by Reputation (0/20). 5.00 points behind #5, mostly reputation.

    Strongest

    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.1)
    • Experience 27.6/30 (ranking avg 25.9)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 0/20 (ranking avg 0.5)

    5.00 points behind #5 (Colleen Marie Duris): Reputation −4, Experience −2.4.

  7. No change

    Samantha Shealy Rauba “SAMANTHA”

    Independent practice · Ocala, FL

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

    Ranks #7 with 65.20: strongest in Professional credentials (15/15) and Local relevance (5/5); held back by Reputation (0/20) and Experience (21.6/30). 7.40 points behind #6, mostly experience.

    Strongest

    • Professional credentials 15/15 (ranking avg 15)
    • Local relevance 5/5 (ranking avg 5)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 0/20 (ranking avg 0.5)
    • Experience 21.6/30 (ranking avg 25.9)

    7.40 points behind #6 (Melody Weeks Vanderlaan): Experience −6, Data quality −1.4.

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

  8. No change

    Jennifer L. Darley

    Independent practice · Ocala, FL

    Verified
    • 7 years experience
    • Guardianship
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #8?

    Ranks #8 with 58.40: strongest in Practice-area relevance (20/20) and Data quality (10/10); held back by Reputation (0/20) and Experience (8.4/30). 6.80 points behind #7, mostly experience.

    Strongest

    • Practice-area relevance 20/20 (ranking avg 18.1)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.1)

    Held back by

    • Reputation 0/20 (ranking avg 0.5)
    • Experience 8.4/30 (ranking avg 25.9)

    6.80 points behind #7 (Samantha Shealy Rauba “SAMANTHA”): Experience −13.2.

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 pages80 facts for 8 lawyers

Guardianship market in Ocala

LexRanked tracks 8 lawyers in guardianship law in Ocala, 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
26.5 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 Ocala

What sets these Ocala 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 7 to 50 (median 26.5)
Languages besides English French (1)
License status with The Florida Bar Eligible to practice, verified for every lawyer
Most common law school University of Florida, Fredric G. Levin College of Law (5 lawyers)

Who is included in this ranking?

Lawyers eligible to practice in Florida, with a Ocala office address and guardianship as a practice area on record. It compares 8 guardianship lawyers, using only facts with a cited source. The Florida Bar does not board-certify lawyers in guardianship, 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 guardianship starts with a verified petition to determine incapacity, and the court-appointed guardian must report to the court within 60 days and file a plan every year; the ward keeps rights such as yearly review and restoration as soon as possible.

Rule What it means
Petition Any adult may file a verified petition to determine that a person is incapacitated (Fla. Stat. § 744.3201)
Who may serve A Florida resident 18 or older; a nonresident only if related to the ward as the statute lists (§ 744.309)
Disqualification A person convicted of a felony may not serve as guardian (§ 744.309(3))
Initial report The guardian files an inventory or initial plan within 60 days after letters of guardianship are signed (§ 744.362)
Annual plan A guardian of the person files an annual guardianship plan within 90 days after the anniversary month (§ 744.367)
Rights kept The ward keeps rights including an annual review, continuing review of restrictions and restoration to capacity at the earliest possible time (§ 744.3215)
Court Where cases are heard
State court circuit Marion County is in Florida's Fifth 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

Who can file for guardianship in Florida?

Any adult may file a verified petition to determine that a person is incapacitated, under section 744.3201. The court then decides on capacity and on who should serve as guardian.

Can someone outside Florida be a guardian?

Only if related to the ward in a way section 744.309 lists, such as by blood or adoption, or the spouse of such a relative. Florida residents 18 or older may serve unless disqualified.

Who cannot be a guardian in Florida?

A person convicted of a felony, or one who cannot carry out the duties because of incapacity or illness or is otherwise unsuitable (section 744.309(3)).

What reports must a Florida guardian file?

An initial report within 60 days after letters are signed (section 744.362) and, for a guardian of the person, an annual guardianship plan within 90 days after the anniversary month (section 744.367).

What rights does a person under guardianship keep?

Among others, an annual review of the guardianship report and plan, continuing review of any restriction of rights and restoration to capacity at the earliest possible time (section 744.3215).

Which court handles cases in Ocala?

State court cases in Marion County are heard in Florida's Fifth 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?

8 of the 8 ranked lawyers have fully verified profiles: James Leonard Richard “Jim”, Martha A Johnston, Russell William LaPeer “Russ”, Shari K. Player and Colleen Marie Duris and others.

What is the difference between the top two lawyers?

James Leonard Richard “Jim” scores 80.00 and Martha A Johnston 78.60, a gap of 1.40 points, mostly in data quality. 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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