Vanessa Tobares

Vanessa Tobares is a Partner at Kelley Kronenberg, focusing her practice on professional liability defense and civil litigation. She brings extensive trial experience, having tried over sixty-seven civil trials from jury selection to verdict throughout all sixty-seven counties in Florida. 

Most recently, Vanessa served as Senior Trial Attorney and In-House Counsel for a major insurance company, defending and litigating lawsuits throughout Florida. She handled a caseload of over one hundred twenty cases from inception to summary judgment or trial, argued motions for summary judgment in open court, and obtained favorable results including numerous dismissals with prejudice. Since 2008, she has practiced general liability including premises liability, automobile insurance defense, and fraud and SIU investigations. Her experience includes working as a civil trial attorney at multiple law firms, handling personal injury protection defense, first-party property cases, and insurance subrogation matters. She has conducted examinations under oath, deposed experts and witnesses, and attended various hearings including pre-trial conferences and mediations. Vanessa began her career as an Assistant State Attorney in the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit, where she served as Supervising Assistant State Attorney and managed a caseload of approximately five hundred criminal prosecution cases, trying more than sixty-five jury and bench trials. 

Throughout her career, Vanessa has demonstrated exceptional trial skills and the ability to thrive in high-volume, fast-paced litigation environments, providing her clients with comprehensive courtroom expertise and strategic litigation approaches.  

Vanessa earned her Bachelor of Arts in Criminology from Florida State University as a scholarship recipient. She received her Juris Doctor from Nova Southeastern University School of Law. 

Vanessa has served as an Attorney Guardian ad Litem since 2004, volunteering her time to guide children through the foster care system. Her commitment to community service demonstrates her dedication to advocacy beyond the courtroom.