Practice Areas

Both of our attorneys are litigators, and both practice in the federal bankruptcy courts as well as in Florida’s state courts, so the five areas below are handled by the same two lawyers. Each summary links to a detailed page.

Bankruptcy & Insolvency

Bankruptcy is the firm’s core practice. R. John Cole II has handled thousands of bankruptcy matters since entering private practice in 1979, and Richard J. Cole III is Board Certified in Consumer Bankruptcy Law by the American Board of Certification. We represent individuals in Chapter 7 and Chapter 13, business owners and high-income individuals in Chapter 11, and small businesses in Subchapter V reorganizations, and we negotiate workouts when bankruptcy is not the right tool. We also represent creditors — lenders, landlords, vendors and judgment holders — in protecting their claims, seeking stay relief and litigating adversary proceedings. Cases from Sarasota are filed in the Tampa Division of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida.

Sarasota bankruptcy attorneys for individuals, businesses and creditors

Business & Commercial Litigation

Most of our business work is litigation: breach of contract, partnership and shareholder disputes, business torts, restrictive-covenant enforcement, commercial collections and guaranty actions, commercial lease disputes, secured-creditor remedies, receiverships and assignments for the benefit of creditors, and the appeals that follow. We also draft and negotiate the agreements that prevent those disputes. Before a lawsuit is filed we evaluate whether the other side can pay and what a bankruptcy filing would do to the claim.

Business litigation and business law in Sarasota

Estate Planning, Probate & Trust Litigation

Richard J. Cole III represents beneficiaries, heirs, personal representatives, trustees and creditors in contested wills, trust disputes, breach-of-fiduciary-duty claims, accountings, homestead and elective-share disputes and guardianship matters in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte and DeSoto Counties, including related appeals. The firm also handles formal, summary and ancillary probate administration, and prepares wills, revocable trusts, powers of attorney and health-care directives.

Probate litigation, probate administration and estate planning

Family Law & Divorce

Divorce is one of the hardest decisions a person makes, and the financial side of it is often the most complicated. Our family-law practice handles dissolution of marriage, equitable distribution, alimony, child support, parenting plans and time-sharing, premarital agreements, and post-judgment modification and enforcement, with particular experience in divorces involving a business or professional practice, significant assets and debts, tax liabilities, or a spouse’s insolvency. R. John Cole II has represented spouses in dissolution matters for decades, through mediation where possible and trial where necessary.

Divorce and family law in Sarasota

Foreclosure Defense

Florida foreclosures are judicial, which means a homeowner who responds to the lawsuit has real options: requiring the foreclosing party to prove it is entitled to enforce the loan, loan modification, forbearance, reinstatement, a short sale or deed in lieu with a written deficiency release, and, where appropriate, a Chapter 13 filing to stay a sale and cure the arrears over time. We represent homeowners, landlords and property owners throughout Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte and DeSoto Counties, and because we handle bankruptcy in the same office, foreclosure and bankruptcy strategy are evaluated together.

Foreclosure defense for Sarasota and Bradenton homeowners

Talk to an attorney

Call Cole & Cole Law, P.A. in Sarasota at (941) 365-4055 or use the contact form. Initial consultations are free; if you are referred to us through The Florida Bar Lawyer Referral Service for a matter other than bankruptcy, the referral service’s $25 consultation fee applies. Contacting us does not by itself create an attorney-client relationship.

The information on this page is general in nature, is not legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Results depend on the specific facts of each matter.