Sass, Everhart & Silva

Focus and practice areas

Cynthia N. Sass founded the firm in 1993, and it works only in labor and employment law from a base in Tampa, Florida. The firm mostly represents employees. Its clients come from both private and public sector workplaces.

The named practice areas cover much of what can go wrong in a job. The firm handles discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claims. It takes whistleblower cases and wrongful termination matters. It also handles wage disputes, medical leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act, and disability accommodations. Employment contracts, severance agreements, and Title IX discrimination round out the listed areas.

What these matters involve

Employment claims usually turn on documents and timing. A discrimination or retaliation charge often begins with a filing at a state or federal agency before any lawsuit. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reviews many such charges, and a right to sue letter can follow. Because the firm names discrimination, harassment, and retaliation among its core areas, its work often starts well before a courtroom comes into play.

Wage disputes and leave claims run on their own rules. The Family and Medical Leave Act sets who qualifies for job protected leave and for how long. Wage cases often depend on hours worked and how pay was calculated. In my opinion, a firm that keeps to one field has a better chance of knowing these rules in detail than one that spreads across many areas of law.

For someone weighing a claim, the first step at most employment firms is an intake conversation about what happened and when. Deadlines in this field can be short, and some agency filings must come before a court case. A firm focused only on employment law will know those steps for the claim types it lists.

Contracts and other claims

Contract and severance work happens at a different stage than a lawsuit. The review comes before a dispute, when a worker weighs an offer or a departure package. Non-compete terms, severance pay, and the release of legal claims are the parts that usually need close reading. The firm names employment contracts and severance agreements among its areas, which fits the point at which many workers first want legal advice.

Whistleblower and Title IX matters add another layer. Whistleblower protection covers workers who report conduct they believe breaks the law and then face punishment for it. Title IX reaches sex discrimination in education settings, and it covers staff and students at schools that receive federal funds. Both areas carry their own deadlines and proof requirements, which is part of why they appear as separate headings on the firm's site.

How the team is built

The firm lists seven attorneys. Cynthia N. Sass founded the firm and works in labor and employment law for employees in both the private and public sectors.

Yvette D. Everhart became a shareholder in 2019. Adria Lynn Silva became a shareholder in 2025. Kathryn S. Piscitelli holds an Of Counsel role. Mason B. Binkley, Jo Ann Palchak, and Janet E. Wise complete the attorney roster.

The shareholder dates give a rough timeline of how the firm has grown. Cynthia N. Sass started it in 1993. Everhart reached shareholder in 2019, and Silva reached it in 2025. That progression, spread over three decades, points to a firm that has moved lawyers up into ownership.

Board certification

Three of the firm's attorneys are Board Certified in Labor and Employment Law by The Florida Bar: Yvette D. Everhart, Kathryn S. Piscitelli, and Janet E. Wise. Florida board certification is a formal credential that the state bar grants in a defined area of law. As a reviewer, I read three certified attorneys in a seven person firm as a sign that the credential matters to how the firm staffs its cases.

Where the firm works

Sass, Everhart & Silva serves clients across the Tampa Bay area. The named counties are Hillsborough, Hernando, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, and Sarasota. That reach covers the city of Tampa and a wide band of the surrounding region.

The firm offers consultations in English and Spanish. For a workforce as mixed as west central Florida's, a second language at intake can matter to whether a worker can explain clearly what happened at the job.

Working on the employee side

Most employment firms pick a side. Sass, Everhart & Silva names employees as its primary clients. That choice shapes the kinds of cases the firm takes and the position it argues from.

Working for employees means the firm often faces companies and their lawyers. The named areas map onto common workplace disputes. Someone fired for what they believe was an unlawful reason has a wrongful termination claim. A worker denied medical leave may have an FMLA claim. Underpayment can support a wage dispute.

The firm has represented employees in the Tampa area since 1993. Three of its attorneys hold Florida board certification in labor and employment law, and the firm works across seven counties in the region.

Consultation costs

The firm publishes specific prices for its initial meetings. A standard consultation costs $300. The charge rises to $400 for an employer consultation or a review of an employment contract. The same $400 price applies to reviews of severance and non-compete agreements.

That fee structure gives prospective clients useful information before they contact the office. It also separates general workplace consultations from document reviews, where the attorney must examine written terms. The record does not state whether later fees are hourly, contingent, or set by another arrangement, so those details would need to be discussed directly with the firm.

Experience within the attorney roster

The attorney biographies add context beyond the firm's employment practice. Cynthia N. Sass received her law degree from the University of Richmond in 1987. Her listed work includes arbitration and mediation, along with sexual harassment claims. Yvette D. Everhart attended Stetson University College of Law and has a stated focus on discrimination and wrongful termination matters.

Adria Lynn Silva earned her law degree from the University of Miami School of Law. Her background connects employment law with civil rights and education matters. Her listed work includes Title IX, which may be relevant when a workplace dispute arises within a school or university setting.

Mason B. Binkley brings experience from both sides of employment disputes. Earlier in his career, he represented employers in discrimination and breach of contract claims at a large Florida-based law firm. He has also represented corporations and universities in litigation. His prior work includes hospitals, small businesses, and individual clients. Before joining Sass, Everhart & Silva, he was a partner at a multi-state insurance defense firm and ran a practice devoted to estate planning and business disputes. He earned his law degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Law in 2010.

Jo Ann Palchak's record reaches into white collar criminal defense and appeals. Her matters have included financial fraud and breaches of fiduciary duty. She also conducts internal investigations as outside general counsel in industries such as health care and publishing. Her workplace-related work includes representing employees accused of wrongdoing and whistleblowers. Before law school, she worked as a software engineer and corporate professional.

Kathryn S. Piscitelli earned her law degree from Duquesne University School of Law in 1983 and focuses on plaintiff employment litigation. Janet E. Wise received her law degree from Georgia State University College of Law in 1992. Her listed work includes overtime claims and unpaid wage matters, as well as whistleblower protection.