Avera & Smith, LLP

06/02/2026

Please join us in celebrating our June birthdays! 🎈

🎉 Brittany Corley – 6/1
🎉 Dana Dorouis – 6/8
🎉 Bradford T. Willard – 6/22

We appreciate everything you do for our clients and firm.

06/01/2026

Join us in celebrating the 5-year anniversary of our wonderful team members! 🎉

🎈Jennifer Cates Lester, Attorney
🎈 Bradford T. Willard, Attorney
🎈 Shannon Dewey, Paralegal

05/30/2026

The steps you take after a car accident are crucial.

In this clip, Board Certified Attorney Lance Avera takes you through what to do after an accident. 👇🏼

✅ File a police report = official record of the crash
✅ Photograph the scene and damage to all vehicles = locks in the evidence
✅ Seek medical care right away = connects your injuries directly to the accident

These important steps can make a BIG difference later.

🐐 Don’t settle for less. Win more with The GOAT of Injury Law.
👉 Visit www.avera.com for a free consultation.

05/29/2026

We recently celebrated Managing Partner Dawn Vallejos-Nichols and her incredible 30-year journey with Avera & Smith. 🎉

Thank you for everything you do for our team, our clients, and our firm!

05/29/2026

Personal Injury Attorney Alex Avera was recently featured on Beacon Legal’s podcast “On Premises.”

This episode dives into a high-stakes trip-and-fall lawsuit, shares crucial legal insights, highlights her impressive career achievements to date, and explores her perspective as a third-generation attorney at Avera & Smith.

🎙️ Listen on Spotify: Alexandria Avera on a Trip & Fall Jury Trial in Gainesville, Florida: https://bit.ly/3RRRrLb

Avera & Smith, LLP

05/27/2026

Board Certified Attorney Jennifer Cates Lester reflects on how practicing law has changed over the years. ⏰

In previous decades, the legal process and workflow were less digitized. Cases had to be looked up in books, communication was paper based, and AI wasn’t even part of a lawyer’s toolbox.

Today, AI is one of the newest changes to the legal landscape, and its impact surprises Jennifer the most. In her opinion, you never want to bring AI-generated documents to court. They could contain fabricated information, which would lead to severe penalties. The best legal approach blends real legal experience with smart use of technology.

🐐 Don’t settle for less. Win more with The GOAT of Injury Law.
👉 Visit www.avera.com for a free consultation.

05/25/2026

Beauty is only skin deep…and so is vehicle damage. 🚙💥

When it comes to smaller collisions, rear-end crashes and “taps” are often underestimated. You have to look beneath the surface. Internal frame and chassis damage are not always visible right away. And in many cases, it can be far worse than expected.

In this clip, Board Certified Attorney Lance Avera explains what to do immediately after a fender bender. The right documentation early on can help protect your health, support your insurance claim, and prevent bigger issues down the road.

🐐 Don’t settle for less. Win more with The GOAT of Injury Law.
Visit www.avera.com for a free consultation.

05/22/2026

Getting rear-ended can happen anywhere on the road, causing damage to your car and potentially serious injuries. Attorney Brad Willard walks through what to do immediately after it happens:

✅ Contact law enforcement
✅ Exchange contact information with witnesses and take photos
✅ Exchange insurance information with the other driver.

And of course, you’ll want to call a trusted attorney before giving a statement to the insurance company of the at-fault driver. At Avera & Smith, we have a dedicated team of personal injury attorneys ready to help.

🐐 Don’t settle for less. Win more with The GOAT of Injury Law.
👉 Visit www.avera.com for a free consultation

05/21/2026

If a firm told you to take the settlement and move on, that’s bad advice. ❌

Attorney Jennifer Cates Lester has heard this from her clients all the time. That a previous firm wouldn’t take their case to trial and advised them to just take the insurance settlement.

At Avera & Smith, “take it or leave it” means “take it or try it.” That’s because we know the powerful result of taking a case all the way to trial.

In many personal injury cases, juries award significantly higher compensation than insurance companies offer. Taking a settlement may be faster and more convenient, but it could limit the amount of damages recovered.

As a team of accomplished attorneys, it’s our duty to take each case seriously. That means taking a case to trial when we know your case deserves a better outcome.

🐐 Don’t settle for less. Win more with The GOAT of Injury Law.
👉 Visit www.avera.com for a free consultation

05/20/2026

Happy 30 years to Attorney Dawn M. Vallejos-Nichols! 🎉

For three decades, Dawn has been a constant presence at our firm through the victories, the challenges, and the countless clients and families she has helped along the way. Since day one, her dedication and compassion to doing what’s right have helped shape who we are today. Thank you, Dawn, for all your hard work, loyalty, and heart. ❤️