LEGAL STAFF
E. Steven Lauer
Florida Bar Certified Wills, Trusts, and Estates Specialist
Background
St. Louis, Missouri native Steve Lauer was the valedictorian of his Cocoa Florida High School graduating class. He then attended Duke University, where he received the Burlington Industries Scholarship. While at Duke, Steve was a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity and served on the A.B. Duke Scholarship Selection Committee. He graduated in 1974 with high honors and a degree in Management Science.
After graduation, Steve took the North Carolina Certified Public Accountants exam, which he passed in 1974 on the first seating.
He worked briefly as a public accountant for Dobson, Jones and Bjerning in Merritt Island, FL, where he handled both audit and tax projects. In 2000, he became a North Carolina certified public accountant (CPA).
Legal Career & Certifications
In September 1974, Steve enrolled in the College of Law at the University of Florida, where he served as both a legal research and legal writing instructor. Upon graduating with honors in 1976, he joined a Ft. Lauderdale boutique firm as a tax attorney. His practice included all aspects of taxation, including estate planning, estate and trust administration, tax controversies and audits, as well as retirement plan design, drafting, and planning and other general tax matters.
In 1983, Steve was among the first group of attorneys to be Certified in Taxation by the Florida Bar. With a move to Vero Beach in 1985, Steve opened a small law office and focused his attention on wills, trusts, estates, probate, and tax law. In 1994, he earned a second Florida Bar certification, this time in Wills, Trusts, and Estates. Steve is AV Preeminent rated by Martindale-Hubbell.
Community Involvement
Steve has been serving on the Planning and Zoning Board of the City of Vero Beach since his appointment in November 2017. Steve was a Director and Treasurer of the Riverside Theater; he was a Director, President and Volunteer-of-the-Year of the American Cancer Society; and he has been active in the First Presbyterian Church of Vero Beach, Florida as a deacon and a member of the Endowment Committee. He is also a Past President of the Rotary Club of Vero Beach and Past Chairman of the Vero Beach Rotary Charities Foundation.
Admitted to Practice
Eva Lauer
Attorney
Eva is a member of the Florida Bar. Eva Lauer was born and raised in Vero Beach where she attended Saint Edward’s School. After high school, she attended Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut where she graduated with a Bachelor’s of Arts in Political Science with honors and a minor in Music. At Trinity, she was involved with the Honor Council and Model Congress.
After graduating from Trinity, Eva attended the University of Florida, Levin College of Law where she focused her studies on Trusts, Estate Planning, and Tax. She frequently volunteered at the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program sponsored by the United Way on campus. She was also a member of the Phi Delta Phi Honor’s Society. During her second year, she received a book award for Legal Drafting. While at UF, she also became a Florida Certified County Mediator. She graduated from Law School with her J.D., Cum Laude and a Master of Laws in Taxation (LL.M.) from the University of Florida, Levin College of Law.
She is serving as a board member of the Indian River County Bar Association, is the current president of the Indian River County Estate Planning Council, and is a past president of the Young Lawyers Division of the Indian River County Bar Association.
Francine Piersol
Tax Accountant
Francine Piersol joined the law firm in 2004, after earning a B.S. degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and operating her own tax, accounting, and investment business in New York for 18 years. She holds the special E.A. or “enrolled agent” designation, which means she is a federally authorized tax practitioner and is licensed to represent tax payers before the IRS. Francine also earned a Graduate Tax Certificate from the Institute of Tax Studies at the State University of New York’s Buffalo School of Management.
Francine’s extensive tax experience and keen insight are a valuable addition to our firm. She is a great resource for our staff as well as our individual, corporate, partnership, fiduciary, and estate clients, who rely on her for help with federal and state tax returns, gift tax issues, tax research and reporting, trust accounting, and court filings.
Loki Lauer
Receptionist
Loki Lauer joined the firm in March of 2021 when he was just eight weeks old! Loki loves greeting visitors to the office and always does his best to make our clients feel welcome.