Zinzow Law

Sheawn Brown

Sheawn Brown is a Special Projects Consultant for Zinzow Law.  Sheawn grew up in the remote country side of Alaska; an area very few will ever venture to, and in a place that is beautiful yet formidable and where nature often dominates man.  Growing up in Alaska instilled in Sheawn a strong sense of individuality, coupled with an ability to think creatively and find unconventional solutions to opportunities.  Alaska also instilled in Sheawn a great appreciation for nature and conservation.  All of these values he applies not only in business, but as cornerstone of how Sheawn and his wife raised their three children.

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Nicole Mazur

Nicole Mazur is an Executive Assistant at Zinzow Law. Nicole was born in Frankfort, Germany, where her father was stationed in the U.S. Air Force. Her father’s military career was the catalyst of her family’s nomadic lifestyle and Nicole’s gypsy spirit. Her family’s many unique adventures were affectionately known as “vacations with our furniture.” One of these notable family adventures included living on a school bus in Arkansas, highlighting her family’s unconventional spirit and fostering Nicole’s lifelong love of exploration.
Following her father’s footsteps, Nicole joined the U.S. Air Force as an Electronic Signals Intelligence Specialist. A deployment to Saudi Arabia not only honed her professional skills, but it is where she met the love of her life, her husband, Josh.
Upon completing their military service, Nicole and Josh settled in Waterford, Pennsylvania, where they raised two boys into exceptional young men. Her eldest son carries on in the family tradition as a member of the U.S. Airforce; her youngest son is a student at Gannon University in Erie, PA.
Nicole’s military background and a degree in Graphic Design allowed her to successfully navigate various professional roles within several industries, including transportation, education, medical, and legal. Nicole is a seasoned office and marketing manager with 10+ years of experience in executive support.
In her free time, Nicole participates in the creative arts, specifically dancing, drawing, and attending live music concerts. But her most cherished times are those spent with her family, including her beloved French Bulldog.

Maria Taylor

Maria Taylor is the Controller for Zinzow Law.  Maria grew up in the heart of Miami to Cuban and Puerto Rican immigrant parents.  Her family background provided Maria with a unique perspective on the world, she had the opportunity to see first-hand that hard work, strong family values, and a positive attitude, can help one achieve their American dream.  Continuing the dream her parents had when arriving in the United States, Maria decided to pursue a career in the business sector.  Over the past 30 plus years Maria has worked in or owned various businesses, which has afforded her an unparalleled breadth of experience.  Some of the experiences she brings to Zinzow Law include law firm management, accounting, human resources, banking, and technology management.  Maria’s background and personality provide her with a unique and cohesive set of skills, a big heart, and bit of Latin flavor, all of which she brings to the Zinzow Law Team.

Tara Zinzow

Tara L. Zinzow serves as Zinzow Law’s Chief Financial Officer.  Tara is one part executive, one part entrepreneur, two parts student of life, one part perspicacious, and three parts traditional country girl.  Well there is one thing that’s for sure: Tara has never been accused of being ordinary.  She has a unique mind that thinks and sees the world as she likes to put it, “so far outside the quadrilateral parallelogram that she can barely see its shadow.”  Tara has held professional roles in areas such an Executive Administrator, Education Director, Grant Writer, Business Owner, Project Manager, Consultant, Human Resource Manager, Conflict Mediator and Paralegal.  Combining her unique outlook on life, with her diverse professional background, Tara creates uncommon solutions in her role as CFO.  Tara was raised in the countryside of upstate New York with strong traditional values that focus on the importance of family, God and country.  Her father, a military veteran, imparted Patriotism; her mother, the importance of family.  She grew up surrounded by agriculture, where growing and preserving the food you consumed was a normal way of life.  She has an appreciation for the simpler things and follows a strong set of values and beliefs.  Her business acumen and multitude of experience makes her the perfect signal caller for our growth and advancement.

Christina Lacerda

Christina Lacerda is the Chief Administrative Officer at Zinzow Law. Christina has over twenty years of leadership and management experience. Born and raised in the heart of Alabama, she brings her sweet southern disposition to everything she does. Before joining Zinzow Law, Christina honed her skills as the Director of Operations & Personnel for a 70-year-old Tampa Bay Law Firm. Over prior decades, she led and managed teams in both the financial and retail sectors while growing profits, building teams, mitigating risk, and building internal and external brand loyalty. Never one to be complacent with gained knowledge, Christina returned to school where she earned her Business Administration degree with high honors. This drive for excellence had permeated her entire life, even as a young adult, when she participated in the U.S. Military’s Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps. Christina has always felt a calling to serve a greater purpose in life and positively impact the lives of people and the world around them. She is doing just that in her role at Zinzow Law, where she helps lead a team that is building, navigating, protecting, and defending the American Dream for our Construction and Business clientele.

When Christina is not serving the organizations she leads, you will find her at a concert, riding her motorcycle, or rescuing animals (ask her about her bearded dragons).

Paulina Gary

Paulina Gary is a Paralegal at Zinzow Law. Paulina and her four siblings grew up in various parts of the country, but she spent most of her formative years living in New Jersey and Florida, with stents in Chicago and Japan. Her father worked in finance and corporate America and helped Paulina hone her logic and scientific intellect. Her mother, a social worker, instilled empathy and a love for the creative arts. In college, Paulina discovered a passion for biological anthropology and spent time in Romania working on 15th and 16th-century juvenile anthropology, helping to unite familial lineage with their ancestral roots. Paulina was drawn to anthropology because the entire science focuses on using creativity and analytical thinking to think outside the box and discover uncommon solutions to unique challenges, which is something that Paulina has carried with her in every professional role. When she started working in a business law firm, Paulina discovered a love for the law. She realized she could use her curious mind, creativity, and analytical skills to help clients navigate the complex legal world.
When not working as a paralegal, you can find Paulina working in one of the creative arts, performing in an off-off Broadway musical, singing, dancing, or acting; a true Renaissance woman. She can also be found playing at-home escape room games with her husband, family, and friends and perhaps snuggling with her two cats.

Michelle Leonick

Michelle is a paralegal for Zinzow Law. She was born and raised on Long Island, New York, to a hardworking, loving, and profoundly patriotic family. Her mother instilled in Michelle the importance of family and loyalty. Her father, an Army Veteran, auto mechanic, and business owner, instilled a strong work ethic, to be tough but fair, and to always be honest; these values shaped Michelle as she pursued her own American Dream. She married the love of her life, and with an adventurer’s spirit and limited planning, Michelle and her husband took one of their biggest adventures and left New York for better opportunities and, of course, better weather. Michelle spent the next several years raising her three children with the same values that shaped her and always impressing upon them to work hard and become productive members of their community. It wasn’t until Michelle became president of her homeowner’s association that she developed a curiosity for the law and set out to pursue her next American dream, to become a paralegal where she put her legal mind, compassionate heart, and positive can-do attitude to helping others overcome their legal battles in pursuit of their American Dream.

When Michelle is not wearing her paralegal hat, she and her husband can be found at concerts and spending time with their family, friends, and pets.

To honor the beautiful spirit of her late son, Michael, Michelle started an annual campaign called Color the World with Kindness, in which Michelle, together with her family and friends, spends time doing random acts of kindness for others. It is, without a doubt, a beautiful tradition that garners a great big smile from the heavens.

Jonathan Weese

Jonathan Weese is a paralegal for Zinzow Law. Jonathan was born in Morgantown, West Virginia, but spent his formative years living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Jonathan’s strong Christian values, patriotic spirit, and relentless curiosity sent him on a road of historical exploration, specifically the history of America and what sets her apart from other countries. On this higher academic road, Jonathan would attend one of the country’s oldest and most historical colleges, Washington and Jefferson. It was at Washington and Jefferson that Jonathan would take a class on the Supreme Court and Bill of Rights; it was this class that laid the foundation for Jonathan’s deep sense of duty toward his country; specifically, he wanted to find a way to help his fellow countrymen navigate the law and protect their liberties. Jonathan prides himself on helping to find unique solutions to uncommon legal and business problems plaguing the construction industry. Not only is Jonathan academically accomplished, but he is also an accomplished athlete running cross country at Washington and Jefferson, playing tennis and soccer, and participating in half marathons. When not helping protect the liberties of American business owners or participating in sports, Jonathan can be found spending time with his wife and family and as an active member of his church.

Kimberly Ross

Kimberly Ross is the Senior Paralegal for Zinzow Law.  Kim was born to German and Irish American Parents in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  She lived in Colorado and Maryland before her family settled in Northwest Tampa Bay where she currently lives with her immediate family and is surrounded by many members of her extended family.  Her most treasured times in life are the times spent on the family farm in Pennsylvania.  It’s here that she enjoys a bit of the simpler life, and where she was taught what it really means to live a self-sufficient lifestyle. It is on the family farm that Kim learned the value of hard work, family and loyalty.  It was also on the farm that she gained a special appreciation for the American Farmer, and the Patriots who came before her to build our great nation.  Her diverse background and values are at the heart of all she does, whether it is competing in partial marathons, volunteering to help our veterans and active duty soldiers, working on the farm, or working at Zinzow Law, Kim tackles every undertaking with enthusiasm, fortitude and compassion.

Antonio Dowels

Antonio Dowels is an Attorney at Zinzow Law. Antonio’s story is one of hard times, hard work, harder times, and even harder work that eventually culminate into the American Dream. Antonio is the oldest of four, raised in the inner city of Tampa, into a life of poverty and relentless struggles. Difficulties have only made Antonio determined to do better, overcome, and live a purpose-driven life. His mother and Grandmother ensured that he was cared for and that his soul was spiritually intact. Antonio will tell you that the values and faith his mother and grandmother provided are the conduits to his achievements.

Antonio was a High School Superstar; he was academically talented, achieving the rank of 4.0 student, and athletically gifted. He was a defensive cornerback and one of the best in the state. He was a star track athlete, and the college scholarships were rolling in. But it would take one brief moment to alter the course of his life and teach him the true meaning of Faith, Love, and God’s will. On a warm spring night at the end of his senior year of high school, Antonio woke up with his car pinned under a semi-truck. Then, it was surgery after surgery, physical therapy, a long road to recovery, and a new, altered life. A life where his mind and not his legs would carry him on his journey toward betterment. This life would require him to focus more heavily on his academic talents.

Despite all the odds, Antonio found himself the following fall, struggling to navigate the University of Florida Campus from a wheelchair. Football was still one of his greatest loves, and although he could not play, he was a Gator on the sidelines at every game, cheering on and motivating the team. He built his upper body strength with the help of the dedicated University of Florida trainers; this new-found strength empowered him to do more: a dual master’s and law degree, then Boston University for an LLM in tax, and now as a Construction and Business attorney where helping others achieve their American Dream is his American Dream.

When not working as an Attorney, you can find Antonio alongside his beautiful wife, mentoring and uplifting others at hospitals, schools, and churches, where, in addition to his words of encouragement, he provides nourishing meals and comfort to those in need.

Antonio’s hero was Florida State Football star Warrick Dunn, whose late mother said that when struggles come, you can be bitter or you can be better. Like Dunn, Antonio chose Better.