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Top-Ranked Environmental Lawyers in West Palm Beach, Florida

Updated Methodology LexRank v1.29 lawyers rankedReviewed by LexRanked editorial team

Summary

As of November 1, 2026, the top-ranked environmental lawyers in West Palm Beach, Florida are Michelle Diffenderfer (LexRank 80.00), Matthew Patrick Coglianese “Matt” (80.00) and Charles Frederick Schoech (78.60).

This ranking lists 9 environmental lawyers in West Palm Beach, Florida, in order of their LexRank score, calculated from their Florida Bar records and other cited sources. Their experience ranges from 4 to 51 years in practice.

Lawyers ranked
9
Fully verified
9 of 9

The ranking

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

  1. No change

    Michelle Diffenderfer

    Independent practice · West Palm Beach, FL

    Verified
    • 31 years experience
    • Environmental
    • 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 23.9)
    • Practice-area relevance 20/20 (ranking avg 18.9)
  2. No change

    Matthew Patrick Coglianese “Matt”

    Independent practice · West Palm Beach, FL

    Verified
    • 41 years experience
    • Environmental
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #2?

    Ranks #2 with 80.00: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Practice-area relevance (20/20).

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 23.9)
    • Practice-area relevance 20/20 (ranking avg 18.9)
  3. No change

    Charles Frederick Schoech

    Independent practice · West Palm Beach, FL

    Verified
    • 51 years experience
    • Environmental
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #3?

    Ranks #3 with 78.60: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Practice-area relevance (20/20). 1.40 points behind #2, mostly data quality.

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 23.9)
    • Practice-area relevance 20/20 (ranking avg 18.9)

    1.40 points behind #2 (Matthew Patrick Coglianese “Matt”): Data quality −1.4.

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

  4. No change

    Tara Widholm Duhy

    Independent practice · West Palm Beach, FL

    Verified
    • 22 years experience
    • Environmental
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #4?

    Ranks #4 with 76.40: strongest in Experience (26.4/30) and Practice-area relevance (20/20). 2.20 points behind #3, mostly experience.

    Strongest

    • Experience 26.4/30 (ranking avg 23.9)
    • Practice-area relevance 20/20 (ranking avg 18.9)

    2.20 points behind #3 (Charles Frederick Schoech): Experience −3.6.

  5. No change

    Brian M Seymour

    Independent practice · West Palm Beach, FL

    Verified
    • 29 years experience
    • Eminent Domain · Environmental
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #5?

    Ranks #5 with 75.00: strongest in Experience (30/30) and Data quality (10/10). 1.40 points behind #4, mostly practice-area relevance.

    Strongest

    • Experience 30/30 (ranking avg 23.9)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.7)

    1.40 points behind #4 (Tara Widholm Duhy): Practice-area relevance −5.

  6. No change

    Julia Lee Jennison “Julie”

    Independent practice · West Palm Beach, FL

    Verified
    • 20 years experience
    • Environmental
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #6?

    Ranks #6 with 74.00: strongest in Practice-area relevance (20/20) and Data quality (10/10). 1.00 points behind #5, mostly experience.

    Strongest

    • Practice-area relevance 20/20 (ranking avg 18.9)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.7)

    1.00 points behind #5 (Brian M Seymour): Experience −6.

  7. No change

    Ramsay John Bulkeley

    Independent practice · West Palm Beach, FL

    Verified
    • 17 years experience
    • Environmental
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #7?

    Ranks #7 with 69.00: strongest in Practice-area relevance (20/20) and Local relevance (5/5); held back by Experience (20.4/30). 5.00 points behind #6, mostly experience.

    Strongest

    • Practice-area relevance 20/20 (ranking avg 18.9)
    • Local relevance 5/5 (ranking avg 5)

    Held back by

    • Experience 20.4/30 (ranking avg 23.9)

    5.00 points behind #6 (Julia Lee Jennison “Julie”): Experience −3.6, Data quality −1.4.

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

  8. No change

    James Copley Gavigan Jr.

    Independent practice · West Palm Beach, FL

    Verified
    • 16 years experience
    • Eminent Domain · Environmental
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #8?

    Ranks #8 with 64.20: strongest in Data quality (10/10) and Local relevance (5/5); held back by Experience (19.2/30). 4.80 points behind #7, mostly practice-area relevance.

    Strongest

    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.7)
    • Local relevance 5/5 (ranking avg 5)

    Held back by

    • Experience 19.2/30 (ranking avg 23.9)

    4.80 points behind #7 (Ramsay John Bulkeley): Practice-area relevance −5, Experience −1.2.

  9. No change

    Alexa Galit Menashe

    Independent practice · West Palm Beach, FL

    Verified
    • 4 years experience
    • Environmental
    • Bar status verified
    View profile
    Why #9?

    Ranks #9 with 54.80: strongest in Practice-area relevance (20/20) and Data quality (10/10); held back by Experience (4.8/30). 9.40 points behind #8, mostly experience.

    Strongest

    • Practice-area relevance 20/20 (ranking avg 18.9)
    • Data quality 10/10 (ranking avg 9.7)

    Held back by

    • Experience 4.8/30 (ranking avg 23.9)

    9.40 points behind #8 (James Copley Gavigan Jr.): Experience −14.4.

Environmental market in West Palm Beach

LexRanked tracks 9 lawyers in environmental law in West Palm Beach, Florida. 9 of the lawyers have verified professional data. Data verified October 22, 2026.

Lawyers
9
Law firms
0
Verified professional data
9 of 9
Average rating
Withheldtoo few sourced ratings
Median review count
Withheldtoo few sourced counts
Median experience
22 years9 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 West Palm Beach

What sets these West Palm Beach 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 9 ranked lawyers Figure
Years in practice 4 to 51 (median 22)
Languages besides English French (1)
License status with The Florida Bar Eligible to practice, verified for every lawyer
Most common law school University of Miami School of Law (3 lawyers)

Who is included in this ranking?

Lawyers eligible to practice in Florida, with a West Palm Beach office address and environmental as a practice area on record. It compares 9 environmental lawyers, using only facts with a cited source. The Florida Bar does not board-certify lawyers in environmental, 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

Florida gives citizens the right to sue to stop violations of environmental laws, after first filing a verified complaint and giving the agency 30 days to act.

Rule What it means
Citizen suits A citizen may sue for an injunction against anyone violating laws that protect Florida air, water and natural resources (Fla. Stat. § 403.412(2)(a))
Complaint first The citizen must first file a verified complaint with the responsible agency, which has 30 days to act (§ 403.412(2)(c))
Development order challenges A challenge that a development order is inconsistent with the comprehensive plan must be filed within 30 days after the order (§ 163.3215(3))
Property rights claims An owner whose property is inordinately burdened by a government action may seek compensation under the Bert J. Harris, Jr. Act (§ 70.001(2))
Bert Harris deadlines The claim must be presented within 1 year after the law is first applied, at least 90 days before suit, with an appraisal (§ 70.001(4)(a) and (11))
Court Where cases are heard
State court circuit Palm Beach County is in Florida's Fifteenth 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

Can a citizen sue a polluter in Florida?

Yes. Under the Environmental Protection Act a citizen may seek an injunction against anyone violating laws that protect air, water and natural resources (section 403.412), after filing a verified complaint with the agency and giving it 30 days to act.

How long do I have to challenge a development approval?

30 days after the development order, or after local appeals are exhausted, for a challenge that it is inconsistent with the comprehensive plan (section 163.3215(3)).

What is a Bert Harris claim?

A claim for compensation when a specific government action inordinately burdens an existing use of real property (section 70.001). It must be presented within 1 year after the law is first applied and at least 90 days before suit, with an appraisal.

Which court handles cases in West Palm Beach?

State court cases in Palm Beach County are heard in Florida's Fifteenth 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?

9 of the 9 ranked lawyers have fully verified profiles: Michelle Diffenderfer, Matthew Patrick Coglianese “Matt”, Charles Frederick Schoech, Tara Widholm Duhy and Brian M Seymour 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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