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Eminent Domain

Top-Ranked Eminent Domain Lawyers in Orlando, Florida

Updated Methodology LexRank v1.213 lawyers rankedReviewed by LexRanked editorial team

Summary

As of November 1, 2026, the top-ranked eminent domain lawyers in Orlando, Florida are Mickey R. E. Barkett (LexRank 80.00), Ladd Hiram Fassett (80.00) and James R Lussier (80.00).

This ranking lists 13 eminent domain lawyers in Orlando, Florida, in order of their LexRank score, calculated from their Florida Bar records and other cited sources. Their experience ranges from 1 to 46 years in practice.

Lawyers ranked
13
Fully verified
13 of 13

The ranking

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

  1. No change

    Mickey R. E. Barkett

    Independent practice · Orlando, FL

    Verified
    • 26 years experience
    • Eminent Domain
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #1?

    Ranks #1 with 80.00: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Data quality (10/10).

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 24)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.6)
  2. No change

    Ladd Hiram Fassett

    Independent practice · Orlando, FL

    Verified
    • 46 years experience
    • Eminent Domain
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #2?

    Ranks #2 with 80.00: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Data quality (10/10).

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 24)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.6)
  3. No change

    James R Lussier

    Independent practice · Orlando, FL

    Verified
    • 43 years experience
    • Eminent Domain
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #3?

    Ranks #3 with 80.00: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Data quality (10/10).

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 24)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.6)
  4. No change

    Jay William Small

    Independent practice · Orlando, FL

    Verified
    • 40 years experience
    • Eminent Domain
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #4?

    Ranks #4 with 80.00: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Data quality (10/10).

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 24)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.6)
  5. No change

    Felecia Grossman Ziegler

    Independent practice · Orlando, FL

    Verified
    • 35 years experience
    • Eminent Domain
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #5?

    Ranks #5 with 80.00: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Data quality (10/10).

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 24)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.6)
  6. No change

    Matthew Justin Brown

    Independent practice · Orlando, FL

    Verified
    • 28 years experience
    • Eminent Domain
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #6?

    Ranks #6 with 78.60: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Practice-area relevance (20/20). 1.40 points behind #5, mostly data quality.

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 24)
    • Practice-area relevance 20/20 (ranking avg 19.2)

    1.40 points behind #5 (Felecia Grossman Ziegler): Data quality −1.4.

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

  7. No change

    Kent Lee Hipp

    Independent practice · Orlando, FL

    Verified
    • 35 years experience
    • Eminent Domain
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #7?

    Ranks #7 with 78.60: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Practice-area relevance (20/20).

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 24)
    • Practice-area relevance 20/20 (ranking avg 19.2)

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

  8. No change

    David William Barkett

    Independent practice · Orlando, FL

    Verified
    • 27 years experience
    • Eminent Domain
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #8?

    Ranks #8 with 76.25: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Data quality (10/10). 2.35 points behind #7, mostly professional credentials.

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 24)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.6)

    2.35 points behind #7 (Kent Lee Hipp): Professional credentials −3.8.

  9. No change

    Rachael Mahaffey Crews

    Independent practice · Orlando, FL

    Verified
    • 22 years experience
    • Eminent Domain
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #9?

    Ranks #9 with 75.00: strongest in Experience (26.4/30) and Practice-area relevance (20/20). 1.25 points behind #8, mostly experience.

    Strongest

    • Experience 26.4/30 (ranking avg 24)
    • Practice-area relevance 20/20 (ranking avg 19.2)

    1.25 points behind #8 (David William Barkett): Experience −3.6, Data quality −1.4.

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

  10. No change

    Harold Eugene Morlan III

    Independent practice · Orlando, FL

    Verified
    • 20 years experience
    • Eminent Domain
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #10?

    Ranks #10 with 74.00: strongest in Data quality (10/10) and Practice-area relevance (20/20). 1.00 points behind #9, mostly experience.

    Strongest

    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.6)
    • Practice-area relevance 20/20 (ranking avg 19.2)

    1.00 points behind #9 (Rachael Mahaffey Crews): Experience −2.4.

  11. No change

    Joan Towles Matthews “coleman”

    Independent practice · Orlando, FL

    Verified
    • 12 years experience
    • Eminent Domain · Environmental
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #11?

    Ranks #11 with 58.00: strongest in Professional credentials (15/15); held back by Experience (14.4/30). 16.00 points behind #10, mostly experience.

    Strongest

    • Professional credentials 15/15 (ranking avg 14.7)

    Held back by

    • Experience 14.4/30 (ranking avg 24)

    16.00 points behind #10 (Harold Eugene Morlan III): Experience −9.6, Practice-area relevance −5, Data quality −1.4.

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

  12. No change

    Samendio L. Mathieu “Samendio”

    Independent practice · Orlando, FL

    Verified
    • 5 years experience
    • Eminent Domain
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #12?

    Ranks #12 with 56.00: strongest in Data quality (10/10) and Practice-area relevance (20/20); held back by Experience (6/30). 2.00 points behind #11, mostly experience.

    Strongest

    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.6)
    • Practice-area relevance 20/20 (ranking avg 19.2)

    Held back by

    • Experience 6/30 (ranking avg 24)

    2.00 points behind #11 (Joan Towles Matthews “coleman”): Experience −8.4.

  13. No change

    Eliza Jane Sweeney

    Independent practice · Orlando, FL

    Verified
    • 1 year experience
    • Eminent Domain · Environmental
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #13?

    Ranks #13 with 46.20: strongest in Data quality (10/10) and Professional credentials (15/15); held back by Experience (1.2/30). 9.80 points behind #12, mostly practice-area relevance.

    Strongest

    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.6)
    • Professional credentials 15/15 (ranking avg 14.7)

    Held back by

    • Experience 1.2/30 (ranking avg 24)

    9.80 points behind #12 (Samendio L. Mathieu “Samendio”): Practice-area relevance −5, Experience −4.8.

Eminent Domain market in Orlando

LexRanked tracks 13 lawyers in eminent domain law in Orlando, Florida. 13 of the lawyers have verified professional data. Data verified October 30, 2026.

Lawyers
13
Law firms
0
Verified professional data
13 of 13
Average rating
Withheldtoo few sourced ratings
Median review count
Withheldtoo few sourced counts
Median experience
27 years13 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 Orlando

What sets these Orlando 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 13 ranked lawyers Figure
Years in practice 1 to 46 (median 27)
Languages besides English Haitian Creole (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 (6 lawyers)

Who is included in this ranking?

Lawyers eligible to practice in Florida, with a Orlando office address and eminent domain as a practice area on record. It compares 13 eminent domain lawyers, using only facts with a cited source. The Florida Bar does not board-certify lawyers in eminent domain, 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

In Florida, a government that takes private property must pay full compensation, and it also pays the owner's attorney fees and reasonable expert costs.

Rule What it means
Full compensation Private property may be taken only for a public purpose and with full compensation to each owner (Fla. Const. art. X, § 6)
Presuit offer The condemning authority must negotiate in good faith and make a written offer, and the owner gets at least 30 days to respond before suit (Fla. Stat. § 73.015(1))
Who pays the costs The condemning authority pays the owner's attorney fees and reasonable defense costs, including appraisal fees (§ 73.091(1))
Fee formula Fees are based on the benefit achieved over the last written offer: 33% of the first $250,000, 25% from $250,000 to $1 million and 20% above $1 million (§ 73.092(1))
Court Where cases are heard
State court circuit Orange County is in Florida's Ninth 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 pays my lawyer if the government takes my property?

The condemning authority does. It pays attorney fees under section 73.092 and reasonable defense costs, including appraisal fees (section 73.091).

How are attorney fees calculated in a Florida eminent domain case?

On the benefit achieved: the difference between the final result and the last written offer before you hired the lawyer. The fee is 33% of the first $250,000, 25% of the part between $250,000 and $1 million and 20% above $1 million (section 73.092).

How long do I have to respond to a written offer?

At least 30 days before the condemning authority may file suit (section 73.015(1)(b)). You may also request a copy of the appraisal the offer is based on.

Which court handles cases in Orlando?

State court cases in Orange County are heard in Florida's Ninth 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?

13 of the 13 ranked lawyers have fully verified profiles: Mickey R. E. Barkett, Ladd Hiram Fassett, James R Lussier, Jay William Small and Felecia Grossman Ziegler 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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