ATTORNEYS - Financial Freedom Advocates

Ilona D. Anderson

Ilona has broad and extensive legal background. In addition to being the owner of Financial Freedom Advocates, PLLC, she also co-owns Saenz & Anderson, PLLC – one of Florida’s leading Plaintiff-side employment law firms. Prior to forming Saenz & Anderson, Ilona was Managing Partner of The Law Firm of Ilona Demenina Anderson, P.L. in Miami, practicing general civil litigation; Attorney at The Ferraro Law Firm in Miami, practicing catastrophic personal injury and medical malpractice; Senior Legal Consultant at KPMG in Moscow, practicing international corporate law; and Associate at Akerman Senterfitt in Miami, practicing commercial litigation.

Ilona decided to venture into consumer bankruptcy law because of her passion for social justice. She believes that a society that encourages financial risk should also have a civilized mechanism for letting people start fresh if that risk doesn’t pan out in their favor. Many people discount bankruptcy as a viable option for starting fresh because of shame and stigma. Ilona is on a mission to break the stigma around bankruptcy and instead demonstrate that it is a valuable tool that puts the debtor (not the creditors) in the driver’s seat on the road to financial freedom.

A 2006 cum laude graduate of St. Thomas University School of Law, Ilona is admitted to The Florida Bar and has litigated cases in various other states. In law school, Ilona served as Editor-in-Chief of the St. Thomas Law Review and was a member of the International Moot Court Team, receiving an oralist award at the Philip C. Jessup regional moot court competition, where she argued international maritime and piracy issues. Ilona was also a member of the Phi Delta Phi International Honors Fraternity and the Student Animal Legal Defense Fund. In addition, she was a recipient of the Best Student Award in Trial Advocacy Practice and International Law.

While in law school, Ilona was a Research Assistant to Professor Tamara F. Lawson, a Certified Legal Intern at the Broward County Attorney’s Office, a student law clerk to the Honorable U.S. Magistrate Judge Barry S. Seltzer of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, and a law clerk at Rosen, Switkes & Entin, P.L. Ilona’s article, entitled “Genetically Modified Foods in the International Arena: Trade Conflicts, Labeling Controversy, and the Importance of Informed Consumer Choice” was published in the Brigham Young University’s International Law and Management Review in 2006.

Ilona’s bar admissions include the U.S. Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, and the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida, and Florida’s state courts.

Ilona has been selected as a Rising Star by the Super Lawyers Magazine for 5 consecutive years (2016-2020) and named among 500 Leading Plaintiff Employment Lawyers by LawDragon 2020.

Ilona has been involved with several non-profits aimed at helping women and children, benefitting the environment, and improving animal welfare. In her spare time she enjoys healthy vegan cooking, martial arts, personal development, reading, boating, and spending time with her husband and their 3 kids and 2 dogs.

Andrea Grillon

Andrea Grillon is a proud veteran of the United States Air Force. After being honourably discharged from the military she moved to the beautiful state of Hawaii. In 2007, Andrea earned her bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Hawaii. That year she was chosen as the Class Commencement Speaker and received a standing ovation for her enthusiastic oratory performance.

Thereafter, she attended the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaii, Manoa, and earned her Juris Doctorate in 2011. Mrs. Grillon returned to her native Florida and was admitted to the Florida bar in 2012. Andrea has focused her practice on helping consumers protect their rights.

Andrea is passionate about helping Floridians realize their financial goals. She has been a bankruptcy attorney since 2013 and has assisted many individuals in the United States Bankruptcy Court (Chapter 7 and 13) in getting a fresh financial start. She also defends homeowners against foreclosures, negotiates with creditors and defends credit card lawsuits.

Yadhira Ramirez-Toro

Born and raised in Puerto Rico where she led a successful federal litigation practice in discrimination, retaliation and civil rights cases, Yadhira joined Financial Freedom Advocates, PLLC in 2020, bringing with her more than 17 years of experience litigating claims in federal court under Title VII for gender, religion, nationality discrimination, hostile work environment, sexual harassment, the American with Disabilities Act (ADA), Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), and Section 1983 claims asserting constitutional claims of violations to freedom of speech, religion, association, unreasonable searches and seizures, excessive force, cruel and unusual punishment and due process.

Throughout her litigation career, Yadhira has handled more than 190 federal cases, the majority of these being categorized as highly complex. Many of the cases that she has handled often entailed multiple parties and they implicated large monetary exposure of more than a million dollars. She also has tried at least fifteen (15) civil rights jury trials in federal court. Of those, she has been the lead counsel in about 12 of them. Many of the favorable judgments that Yadhira has obtained at the U.S. District Court level by way of motion to dismiss, summary judgment or jury trial have been affirmed by the U.S. First Circuit Court.

Yadhira is very passionate about her practice. She is a zealous advocate of the rights of her clients. Becoming a lawyer was a decision she made when she was a child. For her, more than a job, lawyering is her true vocation. Looking after her clients’ best interests is always her ultimate goal. In joining Financial Freedom Advocates, Yadhira looks forward to helping individuals in need of relief from consumer debt. She believes consumers deserve a fresh start in life.

Yadhira studied law at the University of Puerto Rico Law School, an ABA accredited school, graduating with honors. Before law school, she graduated with a Bachelor Degree in Business Administration in Accounting and a minor in Finance, magna cum laude. She is admitted to the practice of law in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the State of Florida, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, the U.S District Court for the Middle District, the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico, the First Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Bankruptcy Court on the Southern District of Florida.

Yadhira is fluent in Spanish, English and studied Italian and French. She is a life-member of Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, Inc. During her bachelor degree years, she was a member of the Phi Kappa Phi honor society, chapter of the U.P.R., Mayaguez Campus.

R. Martin Saenz

Martin was born in Lima, Peru in 1974. He has lived in Florida since 1994. Martin’s interest in law can be traced back to his childhood in Peru where his father was a judge and a lawyer fighting for the rights of the people. Martin followed in his father’s footsteps and attended law school in Lima, Peru and in Syracuse, New York. Thereafter, he has founded successful law firms dedicated to serving honest individuals going through legal and personal challenges in Florida.

Martin’s educational achievements include attending law school in Lima, Peru (Universidad San Martin de Porres); graduating Magna Cum Laude, Bachelor of Arts in Political Science (Utica College, NY); obtaining the Outstanding Senior in Political Science Award (Utica College, NY); becoming the Executive Director to the Syracuse Journal of International Law and Commerce and an associate editor to the Syracuse Law & Technology Journal (Syracuse, NY); and representing Syracuse University College of Law as part of the Vienna International Commerce Moot Court Team and the National Security Law Team. In May of 2002, Martin graduated with a Juris Doctor degree and a Global Law and Practice certificate from Syracuse University College of Law.

As part of his continuing education, Martin has co-authored/authored How to File for Employment Discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC); My Rights as an Employee in the U.S., Part I: The Basic Rights (2010); LexisNexis Practice Guide: Florida Business Torts (Pub 1388): Fraud; LexisNexis Practice Guide: Florida Business Torts (Pub 1388): RICO; Florida Practice Guide on Civil Procedure: Motions: Disqualification of the Judge (LexisNexis 2005); Florida Practice Guide on Civil Procedure: Motions: Consolidation and Severance (LexisNexis 2005); Florida Practice Guide on Civil Procedure: Motions: Perpetuation of Testimony (LexisNexis 2005); and “May Legislation in the United States, Germany and International Treaty Law Help Prevent Peru’s Shining Path From Fundraising Through the Internet?” Syracuse Journal of International Law and Commerce, 2001.

As part of his trajectory as a lawyer, Martin worked as a law clerk to Escurra, Rubio, and Villar (Lima, Peru); as an intern to the Honorable Magistrate Judge, Andrea Simonton from the United States District Court, Southern District of Florida (Miami, FL); and as Managing Partner and owner to The Saenz Law Firm, Saenz & Anderson, and Financial Freedom Advocates.

Today, as part of the Financial Freedom Advocates’ Managing Team, Martin offers compassionate and effective legal representation to honest individuals burdened and distressed with debt. He is a true believer in second chances and promises to put his acquired legal skills and vast experience to the service of his clients. Having represented hundreds if not thousands of satisfied clients since 2003, Martin’s proven record speaks for him.

Martin is fluent in Spanish and English. His bar admissions include the Supreme Court of Florida, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, and the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida.

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