In law school, he interned with Gulf Coast Legal Services which gave him the opportunity to provide services to the poor and vulnerable. After law school and a stint doing commercial insurance coverage work, he took time off to be a stay-at-home father to his son Luke. During that period, he still found time to volunteer with Gulf Coast Legal. His volunteer work brought him to the aid of a grandmother who was trying to secure the guardianship of four minors. That experience solidified his commitment to assisting, whenever possible, two very vulnerable groups: children and the elderly. Since then, Neil has focused much of his legal endeavors to doing just that.

Neil’s good deeds have been widely recognized, including by the Sarasota County Bar Association, which in 2018 awarded him with its Distinguished Community Service Award for “his dedication to helping the cause of the defenseless and oppressed through his countless hours of pro bono legal services.” In 2019, the Florida Bar recognized this with its President’s Pro Bono Service Award. His pro bono efforts have also been recognized numerous times by Legal Aid of Manasota and the Young Lawyer’s Division of the Supreme Court of Florida.

In 2021 and 2022, Neil was a nominee for the prestigious Tobias Simon Pro Bono Service Award. The award is bestowed annually, upon a single Florida attorney who exemplifies the highest ideals of the profession in ensuring the availability of legal services to the poor.

Neil was once again awarded The Florida Bar’s President’s Pro Bono Service Award in 2024, making him the only attorney from the 12th Judicial Circuit to receive the distinction two times since the award’s inception almost 40 years ago.

Neil is also actively engaged in service to the legal community. He served as President of the Sarasota County Bar Association in 2022; he founded the Sarasota County Bar Association’s Access to Justice Task Force in 2020; and he served as chair (2017-2018) and co-chair (2019-2020) of the Elder Law Section of the Sarasota County Bar Association.

The experience and commitment to public service and excellence that Neil brings to Luhrsen Goldberg is the perfect complement to the compassionate guidance and counsel the Lakewood Ranch and surrounding areas have come to expect and appreciate from personal injury attorneys Julie S. Luhrsen and Christina A. Goldberg. As an attorney at a firm known for Law Powered By Women®, Neil is no stranger to the support and encouragement of strong women. He credits his wife, Mary, for enabling and encouraging him to help so many through his pro bono work.

Neil earned his Juris Doctor degree from Stetson University College of Law in 2011. Neil earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree with a major in History from the University of South Florida in 2004. He then went on to earn his Master’s Degree in Education from the University of South Florida in 2008. Neil is licensed to practice before all Florida State Courts, Florida’s Second District Court of Appeals and holds memberships with the Sarasota County Bar and Florida Justice associations.

Neil has lived in Sarasota since 1995 and graduated from Cardinal Mooney High School in 1999. He currently lives in Sarasota with his wife and sons Luke and Dylan.

Education:

• COMPLETED B.A. HISTORY
  University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
• COMPLETED MASTER’S IN EDUCATION
  University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
• EARNED J.D.
  Stetson University College of Law, Gulfport, FL

Recognitions:

• 2019 & 2024 PRESIDENT’S PRO BONO SERVICE AWARD
  The Florida Bar
• GOOD HERO PHILANTHROPIC AWARD
  SRQ Magazine
• DISTINGUISHED COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD
  Sarasota County Bar Association
• EXEMPLARY SERVICE AWARD
  Sarasota Mental Health Court Presented By Hon. Erica Quartermain
• Avvo Rating – 10.0 Top Attorney

Professional Affiliations:

• Sarasota County Bar Association, Past President
• Florida State Guardianship Association – Gulf Coast Chapter Board of Directors, Director
• Sarasota County Bar Association – Elder Law Section, Co-Chair
• Florida State Guardianship Association – Gulf Coast Chapter Board of Directors, Director and Secretary (2017-2019)
• Sarasota County Bar Association – Elder Law Section, Chair