3015 Albert St., Orlando, FL 32806  |  321-662-3186 

Attorney at Law

 

Before attending Stetson School of Law in St. Petersburg, Florida, Sharon taught elementary school for nine years. After returning to Gainesville, Florida, her hometown, Sharon found that teachers were not in great demand. At that time, there were many more teachers than available teaching positions. While waiting for a teaching position to open, Sharon began a course program at Sante Fe Community College. The two year program resulted in a degree as a paralegal. It was at Sante Fe Community College that Sharon’s love of researching and writing had its roots.

Rather than pursuing a career as a paralegal, Sharon attended and graduated from Stetson Law School but her passion for researching and writing continued. After graduating from law school, she was retained as the Judicial Aide to the Chief Judge of the Fifth District Court of Appeal, James C. Dauksch, Jr. Chief Judge Dauksch had a profound effect on Sharon’s future as an attorney. Judge Dauksch instilled in Sharon a respect for the law as well the importance of ethical conduct in the practice of law. Sharon also learned from him never to make the same mistake twice. Due to her experience as Judicial Aide to Chief Judge Dauksch, the most important aspect of her legal career is her commitment to practice law with the highest degree of ethical conduct.

Sharon’s commitment to the ethical practice of law was greatly enhanced when she worked for Rumberger, Kirk, and Caldwell, P. A., in Orlando. At Rumberger, Kirk, she began an appellate department, which was the first such department in any law firm in Florida. Now, most large law firms have an appellate department thanks, in large part, to Rumberger, Kirk’s vision of the future.

Prior to working with Rumberger, Kirk, Sharon was an Assistant Attorney General working in the West Palm Beach Criminal Appeal office. Her work as an Assistant Attorney General resulted in her ability to research and draft briefs in a very short manner due to the workload of each Assistant Attorney General. Normally, the drafts of the legal briefs resulted in the final product that was ultimately filed with the court; there was no time to edit and redraft. Such was an invaluable experience.

Due to her work experience, Sharon is proficient in representing clients in both civil and criminal cases. There is one aspect of Sharon’s practice that has resulted in her proudest moments. She has been able to receive the release of eight innocent inmates from incarceration through the Clemency Board in Tallahassee. The granting of petitions for clemency are extremely rare and, therefore, extremely difficult to pursue. But the reward is worth all the time involved and the stress incurred: freedom for the unjustly incarcerated.