Attorney Information

Licensed to practice in Florida and Louisiana, Jon Coats is admitted to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, the United States District Courts of the Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of Louisiana, as well as the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida. He has handled cases in both State and Federal courts in Florida, and Louisiana, and multiple cases through pro hac vice admission in the Federal Courts of Texas, Georgia and Delaware.

Prior to starting his own practice, Mr. Coats obtained invaluable legal experience with a large New Orleans law firm handling cases through trial and appeal for a wide range of clients, including London based insurers, oil companies, oil field service providers, international maritime clients, and other various multinational corporations.

Upon returning home to the Tampa Bay area, Mr. Coats headed the litigation section of a small Tampa based law firm focusing on personal injury litigation. After starting his own firm in 2004, Mr. Coats expanded the focus of his practice from not only representing the seriously injured, but also the representation of business owners, lending institutions, and individuals in business and commercial matters, real estate and land development, and general civil litigation.

Born in Brenham, Texas, December 23, 1968, Jon Coats graduated with honors from Tulane Law School, obtaining his Juris Doctor degree and Certificate in Maritime Law. His undergraduate degree is from the University of South Florida with a B.A. in Political Science. While at Tulane Law School, Mr. Coats was the Senior Articles Editor for the Tulane Maritime Law Journal, A Senior Justice on the Tulane Moot Court, finalist in the Tulane Moot Court Senior Trial Competition, and brief writing and oral argument coach for the Judge John R. Brown Moot Court Appellate Competition. Mr. Coats is also a member of the Pi Gamma Mu International Honor Society.

Publishing credits: Author of AIDS and the Doctrine of Maintenance and Cure, 24 Tul. Mar. L.J. 283, 1999 and Medical Monitoring: The Evolution of a Cause of Action, 30 ELR 1, 2000. Memberships include the Florida Bar; Louisiana Bar; Federal Bar Association; Saint Petersburg Bar Association; Hillsborough County Bar Association; American Bar Association and Florida Academy of Trial Lawyers.

Licensed to practice in Florida and Illinois, Ryan Schmidt is additionally admitted to the United States District Courts for the Middle and Southern Districts of Florida. He has handled cases in both State and Federal courts in Florida.

Ryan was born in South Carolina and raised in Chicago, Illinois.  Ryan received his bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems from Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois.  After working in the Information Technology field for several years, Ryan later attended and received his Juris Doctor degree cum laude from Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport, Florida.

During his time at Stetson, Ryan was a Senior Associate with Stetson Law Review and a member of the Stetson Moot Court Board.  His teams were the Champions of the 2009 John Marshall Chicago International IT & Privacy Moot Court Competition, semifinalists in the 2010 John Marshall Chicago International IT & Privacy Moot Court Competition, and were awarded the Best Brief award of the 2010 Dominick L. Gabrielli Family Law Competition in Albany, New York.  While in law school, Ryan interned for the Honorable Pamela A.M. Campbell of Florida’s 6th Judicial Circuit.  Upon graduation, Ryan was the recipient of the E. Harris Drew Memorial Award for Excellency in Oral and Written Advocacy.

Licensed to practice in Florida and the United States Middle District of Florida. Patrick Walsh is also a commissioned notary public in the State of Florida.

Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, by way of being a member of a military family, Patrick received his bachelor’s degree from Kent State University, in Kent, Ohio, graduating cum laude. While attending Kent State, Patrick participated in the Washington Program in National Issues and interned at the Government Accountability Office in Washington, D.C. After graduation from Kent State, Patrick attended the Ohio Northern University Pettit College of Law, graduating with a Juris Doctor.

Patrick’s legal career began at a large, high volume civil litigation firm which specialized in real estate. After five years, Patrick opened a solo practice which focused on representation of other law firms in civil litigation the Tampa Bay area. During this time, Patrick was Of Counsel to several firms which specialized in business law, real estate, and civil litigation. Because his career has been focused heavily on litigation, to date Patrick has participated and more than one hundred trials and countless hearings.

Patrick is a member of the Barney Masterson American Inn of Court and has been an Executive Board Member from 2016 to the present.

Licensed to practice in Florida, Alexis Moore is admitted to Florida State Courts and the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida. She has handled cases in both State and Federal court in Florida.

Alexis was born and raised in Ft. Lauderdale Florida. Alexis received her bachelor’s degree in Legal Studies with a minor in Criminal Justice from the University of Central Florida (UCF). Shortly after graduating from UCF, Alexis attended the University of Florida Levin College of Law and received a Juris Doctor degree. While at the University of Florida, Alexis served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Florida Journal of International Law, participated as an active member and board member of the Black Law Students Association, and served as a Certified Legal Intern at the Office of the Public Defender Eighth Judicial Circuit of Florida.

Upon graduating law school, Alexis began her career practicing insurance defense, representing various insurance companies in insurance coverage, first-party, and workers compensation actions. Thereafter, Alexis expanded her practice area to commercial and civil litigation, wherein she represented entities in collections actions and represented individuals and small businesses in disputes, including but not limited to, construction, landlord/tenant, business, contracts, insurance, and real property. Alexis is a member of the Barney Masterson American Inn of Court and the George Edgecomb Bar Association.

When she is not zealously representing clients, Alexis spends her free time serving with the Junior League of Tampa, enjoying professional and college football games, trying new restaurants, traveling, and spending time with her family and friends.

Martha D. Bolton has been practicing for over 25 years as a litigator. Martha graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a BA in Journalism before attending law school in Baltimore, Maryland, where she served as Associate Editor for the Law Review and graduated with honors. Martha began her practice in Chicago, Illinois in 1996 before moving to Florida in 1998. Since then, Martha has practiced in civil litigation, with a focus on commercial litigation, probate litigation, and real estate litigation. Ms. Bolton is a member of the Clearwater and St. Petersburg Bar Associations and the Barney Masterson Inn of Court.

Ms. Bolton and her family are active members of the Cathedral of St. Jude in Saint Petersburg. In her free time, she enjoys kayaking, hiking and camping at state and national parks.

Bar Admissions

• Illinois state courts, Northern District Court;
• Florida state courts and Northern and Middle District Courts; Bankruptcy Middle District.

Education

• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, B.A. Journalism
• University of Baltimore School of Law, J.D, cum laude

Kimberly Sproat, who has been an integral member of the Coats Schmidt team since 2010, is a Legal Secretary and Notary Public with over 28 years legal experience in real estate, foreclosure, and collections. She has assisted attorneys in countless trials, hearings, and related matters.

Kim is originally from South Miami and moved St. Petersburg in 1985.  In addition to spending time with her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, Kim  enjoys fishing, boating, shelling, watching our beautiful sunsets and annual trips to the Great Smokey Mountains.

Amanda Drummond is a Florida Registered Paralegal and Notary Public with over 20 years of experience in Civil, Family, Criminal and Real Estate law. A proud native of Pinellas County, she has been dedicated to her profession since 2003. Amanda earned her associate’s degree in Paralegal Studies from St. Petersburg College and holds a Legal Technology Certificate from the National Society for Legal Technology.

Throughout her career, Amanda has developed a strong reputation for her attention to detail and commitment to client service. She has successfully managed a variety of cases, demonstrating her expertise in drafting legal documents, conducting research, and supporting attorneys during trials. In addition to her paralegal work, Amanda has experience as a title closing agent, further broadening her skill set in real estate transactions.

Amanda is also actively involved in the legal community, participating in local paralegal associations and attending continuing education seminars to stay current with legal trends and practices.

In her spare time, Amanda loves to be outdoors, whether kayaking the local waterways and beaches or enjoying the parks and festivals of downtown. She is passionate about her community.