Legal Team – Page 8002076939

Randolph “Randy” L. Smith

Randy graduated from the Nichols School, Buffalo, New York, cum laude, in 1969, and received his A.B., cum laude, from Harvard University in 1973. In 1976, Randy received his J.D. from the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Law. Randy is rated ” AV” by the Martindale-Hubbell peer review rating service, signifying that his peers rank him at the highest level of professional excellence.

Randy practiced banking and real estate law for one year in Buffalo at Little and Burt, and from 1977 until 1986, Randy practiced at the firm of Copeland, Hession, Grindle & Robinson in Wellesley, Massachusetts. As an associate and partner (1984) at Copeland, Hession, Randy engaged in a general civil practice which included corporate and real estate law, commercial and construction litigation, and insurance defense. In May 1986, Randy became associated with the firm of Bums & Levinson in Boston, where he specialized in asbestos-in-buildings and asbestos personal injury litigations. Randy became a member of the firm in January 1990. Randy joined Peabody & Arnold in Boston in April 1993, as a partner, and was active in the firm’s management, serving as Co-Chair of the Litigation Department from 1994 to 1998, and as Co-Chair of the Business Litigation Group from 2000 to 2002. In addition, Randy served on the firm’ s Hiring Committee and was one of the two partner members of the firm’ s Associates Committee. At Peabody & Arnold, Randy’ s practice encompassed all aspects of civil litigation with an emphasis on estates and trusts and business disputes. Randy was an adjunct member of – and worked closely with – the firm’s Private Client Group handling a wide variety of estate, probate, and fiduciary matters.

In 2003, Randy and his wife Olivia relocated from Boston to the west coast of Florida, where Randy practiced civil litigation with the firm of Butler, Weihmuller, Katz, Craig, LLP in Tampa. In November 2005, Randy joined John Lakin at Barnes Walker & Lakin, Chartered, in Bradenton, and in August 2007, they formed Lakin Smith, P.A. When Lakin Smith, P.A. disbanded in late 2011, Randy went to work for Najmy Thompson, PL in downtown Bradenton, where his practice focused on homeowner and condominium association law, business and commercial litigation, and estate and trust matters.

In January 2019, Randy joined DC Capital Law, LLP as senior counsel. Randy is a member of the Florida Bar, the state bars of New York, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. He has also been admitted to practice before the U.S. Tax Court, the First Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States District Courts for the Districts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, for the Northern, Middle, and Southern Districts of Florida, and for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York.

Michelle Cumberland

Michelle is a 2006 graduate of Tulane Law School with more than a decade of extensive federal and state litigation experience representing clients in various legal matters. She is licensed to practice in all Louisiana state courts, the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of Louisiana, as well as the U.S. Court of Federal Claims in Washington, D.C. Michelle also has a Master’s degree in Business Administration and worked for many years as counsel for companies listed on the Fortune 500 list, including Exxon and Chevron. Michelle now uses that experience of working within corporate America to zealously represent and protect consumers who are victims of unfair and deceptive trade practices, including but not limited to unfair and one-sided contractual terms and fine print, unreasonably high pressured and deceptive sales practices, knowing and reckless misrepresentations made by corporate representatives without any care of future damage and the impact of those misrepresentations to consumers, as well as various violations of federal and state consumer protection laws by companies and debt collectors. Michelle works hard to get results for her clients and is not afraid to litigate and go against big companies, if necessary, for justice.

Robert Buddingh

After receiving undergraduate degrees in History and Political Science from San Diego State University, Robert Buddingh went on to graduate from the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law in 2018, and was admitted to the state bar of Arizona later that year, as well as the Federal District Court - District of Arizona in 2019. Shortly after gaining admittance, Robert started working as a consumer protection attorney, specializing in writing complaints related to the Federal Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) as well as other consumer-friendly statutes. He later transitioned to the estate planning field, specifically helping clients draft wills and revocable living trusts and related documents. More recently, Robert was an attorney at a plaintiff's personal injury firm in Arizona, representing accident victims in auto accident and premises liability cases. These experiences gave Robert a well-rounded, client-oriented legal training that allows him to be a strong advocate for his clients across a wide variety of disciplines. When Robert is not working to get the best for his clients, he is often watching soccer or other sports with his family and friends, or getting together with them to watch a movie

Cameron Chotiner

Cameron graduated from the Liberty University School of Law in 2019 and was admitted to practice law in North Carolina later that year. Shortly after, he began working as an Assistant District Attorney in Salisbury, North Carolina, where he spent nearly three years representing the State in criminal domestic violence cases. Cameron helped hundreds of victims of violent crimes bring justice to their abusers, and walked them through each step of the criminal litigation process. During this time, he gained a passion for helping vulnerable people who were taken advantage of by others. Cameron then went on to practice as a residential real estate attorney in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he helped many people buy and sell homes.

In his free time, Cameron loves to go out into nature, watch movies with his wife, and read all manner of books.

Rachel Sexton

Rachel M. Sexton is a hardworking, passionate attorney who is driven by getting good outcomes for her clients by providing customized client experiences. Rachel is licensed in the State of Michigan and the Eastern & Western District of Michigan. She graduated from Western Michigan Thomas M Cooley Law School in 2017.

Rachel has represented hundreds of clients; managing bankruptcy cases in all stages of the bankruptcy process in both Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 cases. Rachel enjoyed practicing bankruptcy because she found it to be a field where she can make a big difference for the better in her clients' lives. Rachel is also co-counsel on a class action FDCPA lawsuit. While Rachel worked for a creditor firm specializing in representing mortgage companies for a time, she quickly found that she prefers helping the “little guy” compared to a big corporation. Through her experience, Rachel developed a deep passion for helping consumers and working with clients to achieve fair outcomes in seemingly unfair situations. She is excited to bring that passion and experience to her clients at DC Capital Law. In her free time, Rachel enjoys spending time with her husband, her animals and showing her horse Request A Lawyer.

Michael J. Detran

graduated from the University of Tennessee with a B.A. in economics in 2019. In 2022, he received his J.D. from New England Law | Boston with a concentration in Business Law and a certification in Intellectual Property. He is licensed in the District of Columbia and the State of Alabama.

While in law school Michael had the opportunity to work at Simmons University in Boston helping with NCAA compliance and policy development. He also began working with Lawyers with Purpose helping with all manners of estate planning including Medicaid pre-planning and crisis planning. These experiences helped Michael learn more about making sure people receive the best possible customized experience and outcome they can. Michael maintains the same passion to help others that brought him to law school in the first place and strives to help his clients in any way he can. In his free time, Michael is an avid sports fan; and enjoys spending time with his wife, friends, and two dogs.

Matlin Whitten

Matlin Whitten is a passionate and dedicated attorney committed to providing optimum care to her clients. Matlin is licensed in the State of New Mexico and earned her J.D. from St. Mary’s University School of Law in Texas.

With a focus on transactional law throughout her legal career, Matlin has gained valuable experience in working on agreements and contracts on an international scale. Her expertise also extends to over a decade of helping individuals in Estate Planning law. By merging her passions in transactional law and service to others, Matlin has found a harmonious balance in providing individuals with informed support during their timeshare exit process at DC Capital Law. In her free time, Matlin enjoys spending time with her fiancé, their dog, lizard, and many many plants.