Attorneys
Robert W. Goldman *
Brian J. Felcoski *
Bruce Stone *
Jon Scuderi *
Deborah Packer Goodall *
Cindy Basham
* Fellow in the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel
Robert W. Goldman
(239) 436-1988
rgoldman@gfsestatelaw.com
Currently residing in Naples, Bob is a native of Miami, Florida. Bob earned his undergraduate degree (B.A., 1979) from the University of Miami and his law degree (J.D., 1981) from Florida State University.
Bob is a Fellow in the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), is Past President of ACTEC, serves on its Board of Regents and chaired the National Membership Committee. He is past Chair of ACTEC’s National Task Force on Arbitration of Trust & Estate Disputes. He is a former chair of the ACTEC Amicus Committee and past chair of ACTEC’s Sponsorship Advisory Committee. He is Co- Chair of the Amicus Committee and on the Executive Council of the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section of The Florida Bar. He is past chair of the Section, current member of the Section’s Probate Law and Probate Litigation Committees, as well as past member of the Section’s Legislation Committee. He has chaired the Probate Rules Committee and the Guardianship Law Committee of The Florida Bar, and is a past member of the Probate Law Professionalism Committee and the Appellate Rules Committee of The Florida Bar. Bob was named as one of the top 100 attorneys in Florida by Florida Superlawyers and he is listed in Best Lawyers in America and in Florida Trend’s Florida Legal Elite.
Bob’s charitable service includes past service as a trustee on the Board of Trustees of The Eden Family of Services, Princeton, New Jersey (which provides lifespan service to persons with autism) and service as a Trustee of The Trust For the Advancement of Responsible Artists.
Bob is a frequent lecturer for ACTEC and the Florida Bar on probate and trust topics, including fees, fiduciary duties, and will and trust contests.
Brian J. Felcoski
(305) 446-2800
bfelcoski@gfsestatelaw.com
Brian J. Felcoski is a shareholder of the firm. He practices in the area of trust and estate litigation. He is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Southern and Middle Districts of Florida and all Florida state courts.
A native of Miami, Florida, Brian earned his undergraduate degree (B.A., high honors, 1985) from Florida International University and his law degree (J.D., Magna Cum Laude, 1988) from the University of Miami where he was a member of the Order of the Coif and the University of Miami Law Review.
Brian is rated AV Preeminent by Martindale. He is listed in Florida Superlawyers, in Best Lawyers in America and in Florida Trend’s Florida Legal Elite.
Brian is a Fellow in the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC). He serves as a member of ACTEC’s Fiduciary Litigation, State Laws and Bylaws and Manual committees. He chairs the eDiscovery subcommittee for the ACTEC Fiduciary Litigation Committee.
Brian is a Past Chair for the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section of The Florida Bar. He has served as a Probate Division Director for the Section, and as chair of the Section's Legislation and Trust Law Committees. He co-chaired the Section's Ad Hoc Trust Code Revision Committee which was responsible for the creation of a comprehensive Florida Trust Code adopted by the Florida Legislature in 2006. Brian continues to serve the Section including as a member of its Long Range Planning, Legislative, Trust Law, Probate and Trust Litigation, Probate Law and Procedure, and Homestead committees. Brian also serves as a member of various Section ad hoc committees including the Ad Hoc Conflicts of Interest Study Committee, the Jurisdiction and Service of Process Committee, and the Ad Hoc Committee on PR Issues.
Brian is a co-author of the chapter titled “Termination and Modification of Express Trusts” in the publication Administration of Trusts in Florida. He is also a co-author of the chapter titled “Homestead Litigation” in the publication Litigation Under the Florida Probate Code.
Brian has chaired the Probate Rules Committee of The Florida Bar. He is also a past President of the Estate Planning Council of Greater Miami. Brian is a frequent lecturer for The Florida Bar and other organizations on probate and trust topics.
Bruce Stone
(305) 446-2800
brucestone@gfsestatelaw.com
Bruce Stone is a shareholder of the firm. His practice consists primarily of estate planning for both domestic and foreign clients. A significant portion of his practice involves disputed or complex problem situations in which he is retained to find creative planning solutions or to serve as expert witness, mediator or arbitrator. Bruce is admitted to practice in Florida. He is a lifelong resident of Florida. He graduated from the University of Florida with high honors in 1971 and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He graduated from the Florida State University College of Law with highest honors in 1973, where he was first in his class and editor in chief of the law review.
Bruce is a Fellow and Past President of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. He is a past chair of the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section of The Florida Bar. Bruce is chair of the Joint Editorial Board for Uniform Trust and Estate Acts, which monitors and recommends updates to the Uniform Probate Code, the Uniform Trust Code, and all other trust and estate related uniform laws on a nationwide basis. He is a member of the Advisory Committee of the Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning. He is an Academician in the International Academy of Estate and Trust Law. He is rated AV Preeminent by Martindale, has been listed in every edition of Best Lawyers of America since 1987, and is rated by Chambers USA in Band 1 for Tax: Estate Planning. He has been inducted into the Estate Planning Hall of Fame by the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils. In 2001 he received the first ever Friend of the Trust Industry award from the Florida Bankers Association. He was the principal drafter of Florida's legislation in 2000 authorizing dynasty trusts and allowing modification and reformation of irrevocable trusts, and a 2010 statute governing planning for homestead property through the use of irrevocable inter vivos trusts. He has been extensively involved in the drafting of Florida legislation concerning elective share rights of surviving spouses and the administration of trusts.
In addition to his practice, Bruce is an adjunct professor at the University of Miami School of Law, where he teaches in the graduate masters program in estate planning. He is a frequent lecturer for organizations such as the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, the American Bar Association, ALI-CLE, the Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning, and the Florida Bar.
Jon Scuderi
(239) 436-1988
jscuderi@gfsestatelaw.com
Jon Scuderi is a shareholder of the firm. He practices in the area of trust and estate litigation. He is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States, the Supreme Court of Florida (all Florida state courts), the United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit, and the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
Jon earned his undergraduate degree (B.B.A.) from the University of Notre Dame, his M.B.A. from the University of Miami, and his law degree (J.D.) from the University of Florida. Jon is a Certified Public Accountant.
Jon is a Fellow in the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC). He serves on the ACTEC Fiduciary Litigation Committee and the Practice Committee. Jon is on the Executive Council of the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section of The Florida Bar. He currently serves as the Section’s Probate Division Director and is a member of the Section’s Executive Committee. He is a past co-chair of the Section’s Legislation Committee, past chair of the Section's Probate and Trust Litigation Committee, past co-chair of the Ad Hoc Study Committee on Spendthrift Trust Issues, and a member of the Trust Law Committee. Jon is a past co-chair of the Florida Probate Rules Committee and a past chair of The Florida Bar Twentieth Judicial Circuit Grievance Committee B. He served as president of the Collier County Bar Association and the Collier County Bar Foundation, as chair of the Bar Association’s Trusts and Estates Section and as a member of the board of directors of the Young Lawyers Section. Jon is also a member of the American Bar Association.
Jon is rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell and is listed in Florida Trend’s Florida Legal Elite (2012 and 2015) and Florida Super Lawyers (2015 - 2023). Jon lectures and writes on probate and trust topics.
Deborah Packer Goodall
(561) 395-0400
dgoodall@gfsestatelaw.com
Deborah Packer Goodall is a shareholder of the firm. She practices in the area of estate planning, post mortem tax planning, probate administration and trust administration. Debbie is admitted to practice in Florida, New York and Connecticut. Although she was born and raised in Rhode Island, she moved to Florida to attend Rollins College where she graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in Mathematics. Debbie attended the University of Miami School of Law where she also graduated magna cum laude. Prior to entering private practice, Debbie worked as a judicial intern for The Honorable Kenneth L. Ryskamp, United States District Court, Miami, Florida.
Debbie took a brief hiatus from the Florida sunshine and worked for 3 years at Skadden Arps in New York City. She returned to Florida in 1993 and has remained here ever since. Debbie is a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and has been named in Best Lawyers® by Woodard/White, Inc. for the years 2010 – 2016. She is also listed in Florida Trend’s Florida Legal Elite. She is immediate past chair of the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law ("RPPTL") Section of the Florida Bar. She has previously served as Director of the General Standing Committees, Division Director of Probate and Trust, chair of the CLE Committee, co-chair of the Professionalism and Ethics Committee, and Secretary for the RPPTL Section. Debbie is co-author of a chapter entitled "Preliminary Considerations," Practice Under Florida Probate Code. She is a frequent speaker on issues involving ethics, estate planning and estate administration.
Cindy Basham
(305) 446-2800
cbasham@gfsestatelaw.com
Cindy Basham is an attorney whose practice consists primarily of estate planning, probate administration, and trust administration. Ms. Basham effectively utilizes her corporate law background in planning for closely held and family businesses.
Cindy earned her undergraduate degree from Florida International University (B.A.) with high honors and her law degree (J.D.) from Stetson College of Law, where she served as an editor on the law review, participated in the honors program, and was president of the honor society. She grew up in Broward County, but was born in Colombia and speaks fluent Spanish.
Cindy served on the Executive Council of the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section of The Florida Bar and as Co-Vice Chair of the Florida Bar Journal for the Section.
She is licensed to practice law in Florida, Colorado, and the District of Columbia.
WARNING
Do not disclose any information that you wish to remain confidential in any communication to us unless we have already agreed in writing to represent you. You do not have any right to assume that we will represent you (or that we will even consider representing you) before we clearly state our intent to represent you in a written communication address