I’ve been the client, so I understand they have to pick their battles. That’s why I connect with each client early on to develop that trust and understand their goals. Are they looking to fight the fight because it's an important issue, or do they need to get this case handled quickly?
Chantel Wonder is an experienced litigator who works in consumer financial services, employment defense, and insurance. Her background is quite extensive, having represented clients in federal and state litigation, as well as class actions, appeals, and hundreds of bench trials.
Well-connected in the financial services industry, Chantel focuses her practice on debt buyer and mortgage work, with experience in credit cards, debt collection, bankruptcy, and the wide spectrum of financial services litigation. Many of her cases surround consumer protection litigation: Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), Florida Deceptive And Unfair Trade Practices Act (FDUPTA), and Florida Consumer Collection Practices Act (FCCPA).
Chantel worked as in-house litigation counsel for a national debt buyer for eight years. There, she worked on the company’s many highly-contested cases.
In other outside counsel roles, Chantel handled litigation for clients ranging from homeowners associations (HOAs), owners, and developers in the real estate context to engineers, contractors, and design and trade professionals. These matters span from first-party property cases for floods, fires, and hurricanes to third-party insurance defense claims, as well as a litany of actions alleging construction defect and code defect, breach of contract, negligent security, and failure to perform management duties.
In the employment space, Chantel handles litigation surrounding wage and hour issues, equal employment, harassment, benefits, non-competes, breach of contract, torts, and accessibility issues.
Across her diverse practice, Chantel has always been there for her clients. She’s proudest of a note she received from one client saying: “Thanks for the practical advice and the pragmatic result.”