Shaw, Bridget Bourgette

Marilyn Hochman decided that she wanted to practice law like the old time practitioners. She wanted to be able to use her critical thinking skills to solve problems. So, as a young lawyer, she associated with attorneys in different legal fields in order to learn about their practice areas firsthand. During her 27 years in practice she has practiced family law, probate, guardianship and estate planning law, she was a conflict public defender and an assistant state attorney (prosecutor), she worked in a fast pace for profit legal clinic practicing in the areas of bankruptcy, criminal law and family law and she created an in house mortgage foreclosure department for a Federal Bank. While at the bank, she also reviewed computer contracts and gave legal advice to personnel at the branches of the bank.

Ms Hochman was a partner in an Estate Planning, Probate and Guardianship firm in Winter Park, FL. As a Solo Practitioner, Ms Hochman's legal experience includes real estate closings, juvenile law both dependency and delinquency and the practice of special needs educational law. She was also a city attorney.

Ms Hochman's bankruptcy experience began soon after she passed the Florida Bar Exam and was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1985.

She worked in a law firm in Tampa, Florida that was the first to computerize bankruptcy documents.

Ms. Hochman was born on Long Island, NY. Her family moved to Sarasota, FL in 1972 where she graduated from high school at the age of 16 years of age.

As a University of Florida graduate at the age of 20 in 1979, Ms. Hochman sold desktop computer systems to small businesses in both Tampa and Sarasota, Florida. She is a true Orange and Blue Gator and one of her children attends school in Gainesville, Florida.

After graduating from the University of Florida, she was not sure what she wanted to do with her political science degree. She spent three (3) years working before deciding to go to law school. She sold desk top computers to small businesses in the early 1980s. The computers had 64K of memory and cost around $10,000. This time in the history of computers was prior to Microsoft and IBM clone computers. Each computer had to have software written specifically for its processor. Many times when Ms Hochman went to different businesses to talk about computerization she was told that their pegboard system of accounting worked fine and there was no need to change. Other times, she went on calls with a programmer because there was no such thing as an inventory program or any of the widely used software that we use daily. Each business has to have software written for its special situations.

She decided to attend law school after a business man who shared space in the Tampa, Florida office vanished one day without telling his partner. Ms Hochman wanted to know exactly what she was legally allowed and not legally allowed to do while investigating any documentation left behind which could lead to finding and prosecuting the criminal for fraud and theft.

At the same time that Ms. Hochman was selling desk top computers in the early 1980s, she became very active in the political arena in Sarasota, Florida. She served as vice president of the Women’s Political Caucus, joined the League of Women Voters and was asked to chair a task force of 20 different organizations working together on a single issue. She chaired the committee and collected signatures on petitions, designed and carried out a campaign and then drove the petitions to Tallahassee to meet with the state senator to present the petitions.

After that campaign, she was about to finish and send her application to attend paralegal school in New York State. She was asked to co-chair a state senate election campaign in the middle of the state of Florida and to do the public relations for the campaign. She worked in the campaign and during the campaign she met her future husband. Instead of becoming a paralegal, she went to Nova Law School in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and became an attorney.

Meeting with Ms. Hochman may be different than meeting with other attorneys. She listens to your questions, concerns, and the details of your situation. She will then help you craft a path to follow in order to reach your goals. Even if you meet with her thinking that you are going to file for bankruptcy, after spending time with her, discussing the issues, together you may come up with creative alternatives to fit your special situation. Ms. Hochman, due to her ability to wear many different legal hats and her understanding how various legal subject matter interacts, is able to see how different decisions could impact the your future and the future of your family. Most of the time, she brings up issues you may not have considered and she asks questions you might not have thought about. She usually brings up life issues which impact on the subject matter and the decision making process. She asks a lot of questions! Then she will discuss your options with you and let you make an informed decision. She always has handouts and websites available to help clients understand the legal area of concern and to be able to educate him or her further on the subject matter.

If after meeting with Ms. Hochman, you decide to retain the firm of Hochman and Peppler, LLC the attorneys and staff will update you about the progress of your case as it develops.

As you continue on to the ultimate resolution of the issues, and as circumstances change, Ms. Hochman will be advising you every step of the way.

Marilyn Hochman is one of Florida's Legal Elite Attorneys, chosen by Florida Trend Magazine. A community minded individual, Ms. Hochman has been recognized as an Outstanding Woman of Orlando and has been nominated for the Jefferson Award. Ms. Hochman is a past bar president, and past president of the Seminole County Bar Association Legal Aid Society and past director of several other Legal Aid Societies throughout the state. She has also served on the United Way Committee which disburses funds and the Girl Scouts Women of Distinction Committee to choose recipients of the award. Her firm was also voted one of the most family friendly places to work for two years in a row. Ms. Hochman has been involved in children’s issues. She has served on the PTA for many years holding offices as the Bylaws committee chair and president. She is a former Chairperson for Indian Trails Middle School Advisory Committee and Legislative Chairperson for Seminole County Special Education PTA (SEPTA).

Interested in school funding for Florida's children - the future of our world, Ms. Hochman is in touch with others who share her viewpoints. Ms. Hochman's commitment to the proper treatment of children through the legal process is commendable. Ms. Hochman will guide you through the system and if necessary, invite you to engage other professionals during the legal process.

Married for almost 25 years, Ms Hochman and her husband have 4 children, 2 dogs and a cat. Ms Hochman is an avid internet junkie. She can be found at all hours of the day and night researching, reading and learning. She believes in sending information to those she knows would benefit from such knowledge.