Meet the Smiths: Fort Myers law firm adds partners to official name

A Fort Myers personal injury law firm founded in the 1960s has added two partners — a husband and wife — to its name.

The firm, Goldstein, Buckley, Cechman, Rice & Purtz, is now Goldstein, Buckley, Cechman, Rice, Purtz, Smith & Smith. The Smiths, Christopher and Andrea, according to a statement, have been the face of the firm, founded 62 years ago, “for the past five years.”

“We continue to pursue the standard set for our clients by one of our founders, the late Ray Goldstein, of respect, passion and unwavering pursuit for justice, which we affectionately call the Goldstein Standard,” Christopher Smith says in the statement. “And because I know people will ask, the catchy, iconic jingle we use in our commercials continues, too.”

The firm will continue to occupy its original office at the corner of Main Street and Broadway in downtown Fort Myers, the release states, where the firm started and has grown through the years by buying neighboring offices. Other offices are in Cape Coral, Naples, Lehigh Acres and Port Charlotte.

Christopher Smith joined the firm in 2007, became a partner in 2011 and managing partner in 2018. Andrea Pleimling Smith joined the firm in 2014 and became a partner in 2017. Christopher and Andrea initially met as opposing counsel, when she was working at another firm, the release states, and "she likes to point out she became a partner with the firm faster than her husband.”

Other named partners in the firm’s name include: Stephen Buckley, who has been with the firm since 1969; John Cechman, who has been with the firm since 1972; Jeffrey Rice who has been with the firm since 1976 and retired in 2023; and Managing Partner Richard Purtz, who joined the firm in 1983. Additional attorneys include partner Eve T.K. Volkmann, who joined the firm in 2019 and became partner in 2024. Attorneys Kristin L. Stocks and Mark Precheur joined the firm in 2024.

The firm’s areas of practice include personal injury and accidents, trip, slip and fall, premises liability, wrongful death, motorcycle and truck accidents, medical malpractice, wills and estate planning and administration.