Heather Adair Harwell

Ms. Harwell, during her career, has worked as staff trial counsel for a fortune 500 insurance company, a trial / litigation attorney for a large Florida insurance defense firm, a trial / litigation attorney for well-known plaintiff personal injury firms and as a solo practitioner focused in the areas of civil litigation, appeals, divorce, collections, fraud investigation, wills and trusts, bankruptcy, insurance defense and probate.  Her diverse litigation background provides her a perspective and knowledge base not commonly associated with attorneys practicing in a single area of law.

Ms. Harwell's philosophy in practicing law follows the philosophies of President President Theodore Roosevelt and President Ronald Reagan.  President Theodore Roosevelt, in his implementation of foreign policy during his 1901 - 1909 term in office as President of the United States, 

                                       "Speak softly and carry a big stick."
  
Zealous representation and aggressive litigation do have their place but experience, preparation knowledge and, more often than not, pure hard work, are the hallmarks of "a big stick".  Without these elements, pure aggressiveness as an attorney could be detrimental to a client's position and the overall outcome of a case.  A majority of successful results are reliant upon professional and informed negotiations.  It is an attorney's obligation to you as a client to understand the perspective of your opponent or potential opponents in order to anticipate and prepare for the opponent's potential actions that may effect you; Ms. Harwell's experience as both a plaintiff attorney, defense attorney, and appellate attorney as well her experience representing husbands, fathers, wives and mothers, enables her a perspective that many attorneys who have not practiced on both sides of a case do not have.  When necessary, Ms. Harwell follows the philosophy of President Reagan stated with regard to his  successful encouragement to Soviet Union and East German leaders to tear down the Berlin Wall:

             "When you can't make them see the light, make them feel the heat."

Trial is generally the options of last resort as you are relying upon the decision of a judge or six strangers to determine the outcome of your case, but when you do need to litigate a case or go to trial, your attorney's preparation, experience and knowledge of the facts of your particular case are paramount.  An attorney, on behalf of his or her client, must anticipate and prepare for any probable likelihood, whether it be in the litigation arena or in drafting a document for purposes of future need and protection. Most importantly, Ms. Harwell focuses on the ultimate goals of the client in each particular case and pursues a negotiation / litigation plan that she determines as the best plan for achieving those goals.  No attorney can ethically make any guarantees to you and, if an attorney does guarantee you results, you should beware. However, an experienced attorney, such as Ms. Harwell, can give inform you what results have occurred in cases similar to yours in order to give you a good idea what to expect in each step of your case. 

With our firm, you will be dealing directly, one on one with your attorney.  Ms. Harwell will provide an honest evaluation of your case and/or your legal needs based upon her 24 years experience and work with you to pursue the best plan in achieving your case goals.