Leonie Mbatha
Partner · Fort Myers
Leonie worked as an accountant before law school, which makes her the lawyer who asks for the general ledger first.
She handles disputes between business owners: deadlocks, buyouts, lockouts and claims that someone took more than their share. She also takes commercial lease and property cases for the Fort Myers office.
She grew up between Durban and Orlando, and she reads a balance sheet faster than most people read a menu.
Handles
- Partnership and shareholder disputes
- Business valuations in litigation
- Commercial leases
- Mediation
Where Leonie is admitted, and where she trained
Bar admissions
Florida
2011
Courts
U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida
Twentieth Judicial Circuit, Lee County
Florida Sixth District Court of Appeal
Education
J.D., Stetson University College of Law
2011
B.S., Accounting, University of South Florida
2005
Languages
English
isiZulu
Memberships
Lee County Bar Association
How Leonie works
Owner disputes usually turn on numbers. She traces the money before she writes a demand, so the first letter the other side gets already shows the figures.
She'd rather close a buyout than win a lawsuit, and she negotiates like someone who has done the books for both sides.