Jenna Ritter

Senior Paralegal

Jenna is a rarity of South Florida…she’s a native! Originally from Homestead, she has lived in Cape Coral since 2001. She began her legal career in a Personal Injury law firm at only 16 years old and has worked solely in Family Law since 2006. Jenna has a passion for family law, having been through a paternity case herself, and continues her knowledge by being involved with the Association of Family Law Professionals.

Jenna is a proud Mother of three; her son, Aaron, and two stepchildren, Ashley and April. Prior to marrying her amazing husband, Kevin, in October 2013, Jenna was a single mother to her son. This experience helps her relate to clients and gives her a great desire to help others.

In her spare time, Jenna is a very dedicated "Baseball Mom.” When not at work, she is more than likely at a baseball field. She is also on the Board of Directors for Cape Coral National Little League.

Angela Velez

Paralegal

New York native, Angela Velez moved to Florida as a high school freshman with her family in 1991. She developed a passion for law as a child and began working as a Family Law Paralegal in 2010. To further her legal knowledge, she obtained a B.S. in Legal Studies with Honors in 2012.

As a single mother, she understands the difficulty our clients face when filing for divorce because she has been there herself. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her twin sons when they're home from college, watching her daughter cheer for her high school, reading, and spending cuddle time with Rocky, her Chorkie (Chihuahua/Yorkie mix).

Megan Sanford

Paralegal

Born in Burlington, VT, Megan has been a Florida resident since 1996. Law has always been her drive and passion since she was a young girl. Family law become her point of interest when her parents first brought it to light with their divorce. From a young age she knew she not only wanted to be in the legal field but to strive to be an Attorney. She finds purpose and fulfillment in helping others in any way she can to make a difference in their lives for the better. Megan currently is an Ave Maria School of Law Graduate with the goal of becoming an Attorney in the future. Family is of the upmost importance to her, and she finds spending time with those you love is most invaluable. Outside of the office, Megan is often enjoying time with her children and dogs. She is a sports mom, an avid baker and a chocolate and coffee lover. She enjoys watching her children play, read books, and catching up on the latest TV drama show.

Amanda Spartz

Discovery Director

Amanda is originally from Northern Illinois and relocated to Naples in the summer of 2007. She always had a passion for law and was amazed at the number of legal classes her high school offered. This helped her continue her journey into college where she majored in Pre-Law at Florida Southwestern State College. Amanda is now at Florida Gulf Coast University majoring in Legal Studies. Joining the Family First Legal Group team was her first step into her law career path and she could not be any happier working with such an amazing and caring staff.

When Amanda is not working or studying for classes, she spends her time at the dog beach or dog park with her Labrador retriever, Jake.

Gill "Jill" D'Achiardi

Director of Intake and Client Relations

Originally from the Chicago area, Gill relocated to Naples in 1997. She graduated from FGCU in 2010 with a B.A. in Legal Studies. Shortly after, Gill married her husband who was enlisted with the U.S. Marine Corps. After being stationed in Jacksonville, NC and having their first child, they chose to make Naples their permanent place of residence. There is no better place they would prefer to raise their family and are grateful to be part of this wonderful community.

Gill is very family oriented. When not in the office, she spends any time she has planning barbecues, coordinating slumber parties for her nieces and nephews and organizing Family Park Party Sundays. Both she and her husband love camping and take every opportunity to 4-wheel and trail blaze throughout Southwest Florida.

Christine Brolus

Intake Specialist and Client Coordinator

Originally from the Detroit Metro area, Christine first moved to Florida in 2015, where she finished earning her Bachelor of Science Degree in Paralegal Studies, with honors. Christine has worked in multiple disciplines of the legal profession including business immigration, family law, landlord/tenant disputes, and others, where she was tasked with duties that allowed her to combine her legal knowledge as a Paralegal with her passion for business; participating in networking events, business development, management, and more.

In her spare time, Christine enjoys being at the beach, relaxing in her hammock, reading non-fiction/philosophical books (and watching YouTube videos on them), spending time with her friends and family, trying out new restaurants and activities (like skydiving!), and unwinding to her latest interest on Netflix.

Leslie Pelaez

Legal and Administrative Assistant

Despite being born across the country in Los Angeles, California, Leslie considers herself to be a Florida native, as it has been her home since she was just three years old. Before finishing up her studies at Florida SouthWestern State College and obtaining her associate’s in arts, Leslie knew her true passion was in law. Joining such an astonishing firm like Family First Legal Group is her first step not only towards the legal industry, but also in helping many families have a stable and structured environment. Coming from a home of divorced parents, Leslie relates to how crucial stability is in the household during such a process and is honored to be working with a team who heavily prioritizes the importance of children during strained times such as these.

In her free time, if she isn’t already snuggled up on her couch binging on YouTube videos or the latest Netflix series, Leslie enjoys spending quality time with her family, friends, and dog. You may find her at one of the dog parks all around beautiful Naples or anywhere where there is good food, as she is also a food connoisseur!

Karen Shepherd

Firm Administrator

Karen grew up in Cleveland, Ohio and lived in Virginia Beach, Virginia for over 25 years before moving to Florida in 2017. She has been in the legal industry for over 25 years, working in various roles until focusing on administration. Karen obtained her BS Degree in Communications from the University of Toledo and MS Degree in Human Resource Management and Organizational Development (MSHR) from Strayer University, where she was the proud recipient of the Outstanding Graduate Award, 4.0. Karen is also an active member of The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and Certified Professional. Her favorite quote is,“Success is liking yourself, what you do, and how you do it.” —Maya Angelou

Personally, Karen is the Cleveland Browns #1 Fan, and on the weekends, when it is not football season, you may find her beach-combing or pirating in a parade with the Ye Mystic Krewe of the Santa Margarita! (If you don’t know what this is, feel free to ask her!) Karen considers her daughter, Lauren, family, and tribe of friends her most cherished treasures.

Katie Peterson

Director of Marketing, Operations and Administration

Katie is a happy wife and mother of twins, who keep her rather busy. She was born and raised in Baltimore, MD and moved to Naples in 2010.

She spent over 15 years in the media industry, focusing on online and print advertising, sales, marketing and production including acting as the Director of Operations for a National magazine for well over a decade. With all of this knowledge, she started her own consulting business (Family First Consulting Group, LLC) with a focus on helping small businesses with their day-to-day operations, marketing initiatives, financials, staffing and more on an executive level. She works with Family First Legal Group on various projects and is constantly helping to create and update the Firm's policies and procedures to make our office as efficient as possible and to ensure that clients receive the best service possible from the staff.

Should you or someone you know have a business that could use Katie's expertise, feel free to reach out to her at katie@familyfirstconsultinggroup.com.

In her spare time, Katie enjoys being outdoors whether lounging or paddle boarding at the beach, swimming at her pool or basking in the glorious sun Naples has to offer. She always wanted to be a chef, and loves cooking, watching cooking shows/competitions and finding new restaurants to dine at around town.