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Our Attorneys

Jeff Childers

Jeff Childers is the president and founder of the Childers Law firm. Jeff externed at the Federal Bankruptcy Court in Orlando, where he helped write several widely-cited opinions. He then worked as an associate with the prestigious firm of Winderweedle, Haines, Ward & Woodman in Orlando and Winter Park, Florida before moving back to Gainesville and founding Childers Law. Jeff served for three years on the Board of Directors of the Central Florida Bankruptcy Law Association. He has also served on the Board of Directors of the Eighth Judicial Bar Association, and on the Rules Committee for the Northern District of Florida Bankruptcy Court. Jeff has published several articles as co-author with Professor William Page of the Levin College of Law (University of Florida) on the topic of anti-trust in the Microsoft case. He also is the author of an article on the topic of Product Liability in the Software Context. Jeff focuses his area of practice on commercial litigation, elections law, and constitutional issues. He is a skilled trial litigator and appellate advocate.
 
Book Awards: Order of the Coif
 
Professional Associations and Memberships
  • Northern District of Florida, Bankruptcy Court, Rules Committee
  • Business Section, Florida Bar
  • Bankruptcy/UCC Committee, Florida Bar
  • Florida Bar, Proceedings Supplementary Task Force
  • North Florida Bankruptcy Law Association, Board of Directors
  • Eighth Judicial Bar Association
  • Central Florida Bankruptcy Law Association, Board of Directors
  • Bankruptcy Bar Association of The Southern District of Florida, Inc.
  • Moms for Liberty, Advisory Board
  • The Supreme Court of the United States
Watch Jeff argue in Appellate Court
Meteor Education v. Ernie Morris Enterprises, November 23, 2020
Green v. Alachua County, July 13, 2021

Charles Hardage

Headshot of Attorney Hardage

Charles Hardage, Esq.  is Of Counsel and licensed to practice law in Florida. He is an experienced litigator, having worked in a host of practice areas in state and federal courts and having represented clients in international commercial arbitrations. He practices with Childers Law through Hardage Law Firm, PLLC.Charlie has spent much of his career in litigation boutiques working on high-stakes, complex corporate litigation.

He also worked with a large, international law firm handling cross-border litigation and international commercial arbitration matters.

Charlie has always maintained a diverse practice, and in addition to business disputes, he also has substantial experience in construction disputes, insurance disputes, creditor-debtor disputes, appeals, administrative law, and state/local government law.

More recently, Charlie’s practice has turned toward public interest matters involving employee rights, governmental transparency and accountability, and health-care freedom.

Charlie obtained his undergraduate degree at the University of Florida, graduating cum laude in Psychology, and earned his Juris Doctor from Georgetown Law Center, where he graduated cum laude.

Nick Whitney

Nick Whitney recently joined Childers Law. Prior to joining, Nick served as trial counsel in the Kowalski v. Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital case that became the focus of a Netflix documentary, Take Care of Maya. The case resulted in the largest medical malpractice verdict in Florida history, at $258M.

After graduating from Harvard Law School, Nick began his legal career at Sidley Austin and Rogers Towers, focused on civil litigation, alternative investment vehicles, and transactional real estate.  Following this initial position, Nick joined a real estate development firm as General Counsel, where he was involved in the development of mixed-use properties and a large age-restricted community. Nick returned to litigation in 2018 with AndersonGlenn, focusing on commercial litigation, aviation law, and catastrophic personal injury cases.

Prior to beginning his legal career, Nick served for 10 years as a U.S. Navy pilot and earned the Air Medal for combat flying during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He completed tours in Kaneohe, Hawaii and Naples, Italy and deployed with the USS Port Royal from Pearl Harbor. He is an FAA-rated Airline Transport Pilot and is licensed to fly both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. Nick continues to serve in the US. Navy Reserve as a Judge Advocate General assigned to the Fifth and Sixth Fleets, with responsibilities over the European, Middle East, and African areas of operations.

Nick is a graduate of the University of Nebraska (BS in Math & Economics; 2002) and Harvard Law School (JD; 2015). He is a member of the Florida Bar and is active with Community Presbyterian Church in Atlantic Beach and Atlantic Beach Elementary school.

Image of award - "Top 100 Verdicts Nationwide - Best of the Bar - Nicholas Whitney, 2023"

Professional Accolades
  • Best of the Bar – Top 100 Verdicts in Florida (2023)
  • American Board of Trial Advocates / American Inn of Court Joint Trial Academy (2020)
  • National Institute of Trial Advocates National Session (2019)
  • Naval Justice School (2018), Florida Bar
 
Watch Nick Deliver Closing Argument in Kowalski
Kowalski v. Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital

Dedicated Support Team

Ellen Lord
Executive Legal Assistant

Angela Masciulli
Senior Paralegal

Suzette Witt
Public Relations &
Client Communications

Call: 352-335-0400
Office Hours: 8 AM – 5 PM EST.
Address: 2135 NW 40th Terrace, Suite B Gainesville, FL 32605

Disclaimer: The information on this website is for general information purposes only. Nothing on this site should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. This information is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship.

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