Mr. Gelber was born in New York, NY and received a B.A. in History from Duke University in 1996, a J.D. from the UCLA School of Law in 2000, and an M.B.A from Cornell University’s Johnson School of Management in 2006. He was admitted to practice law by the New York State Bar in 2001.

Mr. Gelber previously served as judicial extern for a three-judge panel on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in Pasadena CA, and has experience in the corporate law and mergers and acquisitions department for a multinational law firm headquartered in New York City. He also worked in securities regulation for a Wall Street investment bank, and later at a fund of funds as a portfolio manager and investment advisor, where he earned his FINRA licenses as a General Securities Representative (Series 7), in Futures and Managed Funds (Series 31), as a Uniform Investment Advisor (Series 65), and in Uniform Combined State Law (Series 66). He was a faculty member for the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Business, teaching business law and investment portfolio management to undergraduate and M.B.A. students in the business honors program. He has performed community service throughout his career, including as a volunteer English teacher for Durham High School, as a volunteer at the Homeless Veterans’ Legal Clinic in Los Angeles, and as an economic development team leader in rural Alabama.

He has lived in Sarasota since 2014, and joined the Barnes Walker Sarasota office in August 2023 with practice areas in corporate and transactional law, intellectual property, and real estate. He has one of Florida’s largest collection of artistic and rare limited-edition card decks, and enjoys playing gin and other card games. He was an avid basketball player in high school and college, and enjoys swimming, scuba diving, snorkeling, parasailing, boating, and spending time on the beaches of Longboat Key with friends, family, and community members.