Topdog Law

James Helm

Bar Admissions:

• Pennsylvania
• Arizona

Education:

• Juris Doctorate, school not provided
• MBA, school not provided
• Penn State, undergraduate studies referenced

Professional Memberships and Achievements:

• Founder, TopDog Law
• Graduated near the top of his law school class

Languages Spoken:

• Spanish
• English

Blake Swan

Bar Admissions:

• Tennessee
• Mississippi
• Arkansas
• Florida
• Georgia
• Arizona

Education:

• Roger Williams University, B.S. in International Business
• The Catholic University of America, Juris Doctor

Professional Memberships and Achievements:

• Managing Attorney, TopDog Law
• Part of TopDog Law SE, PLLC (formerly Keller Swan PLLC), a TopDog Law, LLC subsidiary

Languages Spoken:

• Spanish
• English

Christopher Kellam

Bar Admissions:

• Florida
• Tennessee

Education:

• University of Florida, B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, 2005
• University of Florida Fredric G. Levin College of Law, J.D., 2008

Professional Memberships and Achievements:

• Managing Attorney, TopDog Law
• Director of Litigation, TopDog Law
• 18 years of legal experience
• Graduate of the Gerry Spence Method trial advocacy program
• Lectured defense attorneys on claims handling strategy
• Member, American Bar Association
• Member, Association of Truck Accident Attorneys
• Member, Florida Justice Association

Rob Melchiorre

Bar Admissions:

• Ohio
• Florida

Education:

• Ohio State University, B.S. in Business Administration
• University of Akron School of Law, J.D.

Professional Memberships and Achievements:

• Trial Attorney
• 18 years of legal experience
• Recognized on the Super Lawyers® Rising Stars list
• Former Assistant State Attorney, Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office
• Served as supervisor of county court prosecutors
• Appointed by the Governor for executive assignments to prosecute cases in other jurisdictions
• Dedicated to representing seriously injured people since transitioning to private practice in 2012
• Completed more than 50 jury and non-jury trials
• Part of TopDog Law SE, PLLC (formerly Keller Swan PLLC), a TopDog Law, LLC subsidiary

Destiny Barbosa

Bar Admissions:

• Florida

Education:

• Palm Beach State College, undergraduate studies
• Florida Coastal School of Law, Juris Doctor, graduated cum laude, Certificate in Civil Litigation

Professional Memberships and Achievements:

• Trial Attorney
• 9 years of legal experience
• Recognized as a Super Lawyers Rising Star from 2023 through 2026
• Named Top 40 Under 40 Civil Plaintiff by the National Trial Lawyers Association in 2020, 2021, and 2022
• Former law clerk for Judge Waddell Wallace III in Repeat Felony Offender Court
• Former Certified Legal Intern with the State Attorney’s Office
• Member, Phi Delta Phi International Legal Honor Society
• Earned multiple Dean’s List honors
• Received book awards for top performance in Contracts II and Dependency
• Board Member, Palm Beach County Justice Association
• Board Member, Florida Justice Association Women's Caucus
• Board Member, Palm Beach County Hispanic Bar Association
• Member, Grievance Committee 15F for The Florida Bar
• Part of TopDog Law SE, PLLC (formerly Keller Swan PLLC), a TopDog Law, LLC subsidiary

Juan Asconape

Bar Admissions:

• Florida
• Georgia
• Tennessee

Education:

• Indiana University, B.A. in English
• Santa Clara University School of Law, J.D.

Professional Memberships and Achievements:

• 17 years of legal experience representing seriously injured people
• Has taken countless cases through trial from initial intake to final resolution
• Known for advocating for clients from a broad range of backgrounds
• Part of TopDog Law SE, PLLC (formerly Keller Swan PLLC), a TopDog Law, LLC subsidiary

Languages Spoken:

• Spanish

Michael Dickenson

Bar Admissions:

• Tennessee
• Florida

Education:

• Tusculum University, B.S.
• Nova Southeastern University, Juris Doctor

Professional Memberships and Achievements:

• Civil Trial Attorney
• 16 years of courtroom experience
• Active member, Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association
• Active member, Palm Beach County Bar Association
• Tried dozens of cases to verdict in state and federal courts
• Part of TopDog Law SE, PLLC (formerly Keller Swan PLLC), a TopDog Law, LLC subsidiary

Jacob Cross

Bar Admissions:

• Tennessee

Education:

• University of Tennessee in Knoxville, B.A. in English, Concentration in Literature
• University of Tennessee College of Law, J.D.

Professional Memberships and Achievements:

• Proud member, Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association
• Part of TopDog Law SE, PLLC (formerly Keller Swan PLLC), a TopDog Law, LLC subsidiary

Neil Umsted

Bar Admissions:

• Tennessee
• Arkansas
• All federal courts in Arkansas
• U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee
• U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee

Education:

• University of Memphis, undergraduate degree
• University of Memphis School of Law, J.D.

Professional Memberships and Achievements:

• Trial Attorney, TopDog Law
• 16 years in the legal profession
• Active member, Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association
• Active member, Arkansas Trial Lawyers Association
• Former criminal defense attorney
• Former prosecutor
• Known for versatile trial experience and relentless preparation
• Part of TopDog Law SE, PLLC (formerly Keller Swan PLLC), a TopDog Law, LLC subsidiary

Ben Haggerty

Bar Admissions:

• Georgia

Education:

• Valdosta State University, B.S. in Psychology
• John Marshall Law School, Juris Doctor

Professional Memberships and Achievements:

• Represents injured clients across Georgia since 2017
• Member, Georgia Bar Association
• Member, Dougherty County Bar Association
• Recognized as one of the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce 40 Under 40 in 2019
• Former insurance defense and general civil litigation attorney

Christopher Miller

Bar Admissions:

• Georgia
• Tennessee

Education:

• Georgia College and State University, B.A. in History
• Barry University, Juris Doctor

Professional Memberships and Achievements:

• Former prosecutor for the City of Atlanta
• Represents clients across Georgia and Tennessee
• Part of TopDog Law SE, PLLC (formerly Keller Swan PLLC), a TopDog Law, LLC subsidiary

Christopher R. Hillman

Bar Admissions:

• Louisiana
• All Louisiana state courts
• U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana
• U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana

Education:

• University of Louisiana at Monroe, Bachelor's Degree in Business Management
• Southern University Law Center, Juris Doctor

Professional Memberships and Achievements:

• Member, Louisiana State Bar Association
• Former staff counsel for GEICO
• Part of TopDog Law SE, PLLC (formerly Keller Swan PLLC), a TopDog Law, LLC subsidiary

Scott Harrison

Bar Admissions:

• Georgia
• Alabama
• Tennessee
• Texas

Education:

• Georgia State University, B.S. in Biology
• Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Juris Doctor

Professional Memberships and Achievements:

• 19 years of legal experience
• Represents seriously injured people across Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, and Texas
• Lead counsel on numerous seven- and eight-figure resolutions
• Successfully argued before the Georgia Supreme Court in Reid v. Morris, 309 Ga. 230, 845 S.E.2d 590 (2020)
• Part of TopDog Law SE, PLLC (formerly Keller Swan PLLC), a TopDog Law, LLC subsidiary

Frank Gaddy

Bar Admissions:

• Georgia

Education:

• Kennesaw State University, B.A. in International Affairs, summa cum laude
• Mercer University Walter F. George School of Law, Juris Doctor

Professional Memberships and Achievements:

• 10 years of experience representing seriously injured people across Georgia
• Member, National Trial Competition Mock Trial Team
• Formerly represented both plaintiffs and corporations in complex litigation
• Recognized as a National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40 inductee
• Former President, William A. Bootle American Inn of Court
• Former Co-Chair, Litigation Committee, State Bar of Georgia Young Lawyers Division
• Former Member, Board of Directors, State Bar of Georgia Young Lawyers Division
• Recipient, YLD Award of Achievement for Service to the Bar
• Recipient, YLD President’s Award
• Former member, State Bar of Georgia Judicial Qualifications Nominating Committee
• Former member, Statewide Judicial Evaluation Committee

Jason Lesnevec

Bar Admissions:

• New York
• New Jersey
• Pennsylvania

Education:

• Washington University School of Law, law degree
• Undergraduate and graduate studies near Pittsburgh, schools not provided

Professional Memberships and Achievements:

• Former prosecutor in Newark, New Jersey, handling violent street crime cases
• Developed a reputation for courtroom advocacy and trial success
• Former lead trial attorney at one of New York’s prominent personal injury law firms
• Represented victims of catastrophic accidents throughout New York and New Jersey
• Secured multiple seven-figure verdicts and an eight-figure verdict on behalf of injured clients
• Verdicts recognized and published by the New York Law Journal

Beth Kirschner

Bar Admissions:

• New York

Education:

• State University of New York at Albany, B.A.
• Touro School of Law Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center, Juris Doctor, cum laude

Professional Memberships and Achievements:

• Personal Injury Attorney with 29 years of experience
• Successfully litigated a case that led to safer playground equipment in New York City parks
• Case featured in the New York Law Journal’s "Decisions of Interest"
• Recognized by Super Lawyers every year from 2020 through 2025
• Named to the Top Women New York Metro Super Lawyers list from 2020 through 2025
• Committed to mentoring the next generation of plaintiff’s attorneys

Allen Gressett

Bar Admissions:

• Tennessee
• Mississippi
• Arkansas
• Kentucky
• All state and federal courts in Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Kentucky

Education:

• Mississippi State University, B.S. in Psychology
• Mississippi College School of Law, Juris Doctor

Professional Memberships and Achievements:

• Personal Injury Trial Attorney with 16 years of legal experience
• Member of the nationally ranked Moot Court Board at Mississippi College School of Law
• Inducted into the Order of Barristers
• Active member, Mississippi Association for Justice
• Elected by peers to serve on the Board of Governors, Mississippi Association for Justice
• Active member, Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association
• Recognized as a Super Lawyers Mid-South Rising Star
• Named Top 40 Under 40 by the National Trial Lawyers Association

Patrick Hassett

Bar Admissions:

• Arizona

Education:

• University of Phoenix, B.S.
• University of Phoenix, M.B.A.
• Washington University in St. Louis, Juris Doctor

Professional Memberships and Achievements:

• Personal Injury Attorney with 4 years of legal experience
• Known for helping clients understand their rights and guiding them through the legal process
• Dedicated to reducing the legal burden on injured clients so they can focus on recovery

Jared Duke

Bar Admissions:

• Illinois

Education:

• University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, B.A. in Political Science
• Chicago-Kent College of Law, J.D.

Professional Memberships and Achievements:

• Personal Injury Attorney with 15 years of legal experience
• Former representative of small businesses in various disputes
• Former litigator for the federal government
• Secured settlements against trucking companies, Uber, large retail chain stores, and others
• Recognized as a Super Lawyers Rising Star from 2020 through 2022
• Member, Illinois Trial Lawyers Association
• Member, Chicago Bar Association
• Co-founded a legal clinic in the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago to inform residents of their legal rights