The Business Law Section Diversity Fellowship Program is designed to assist a diverse and inclusive group of lawyers in becoming better leaders within our profession and the Business Law Section, while enhancing their leadership skills, as an encouragement and commitment to attract young and diverse lawyers to join, participate and ultimately serve in leadership positions of the Business Law Section. The Business Law Section will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of its Fellowship Program with the incoming 2024 class. Applications are being accepted until April 1st. The Inclusion/Mentorship/Fellowship Committee will be sharing Fellow Spotlights to allow the Section to get to know our outstanding current fellows on a weekly basis leading up to the application deadline.
If you know a dynamic business law attorney, encourage them to apply here.
An associate with Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP, Elizabeth is a litigator and trial attorney. Although many of her cases are before bankruptcy courts, Elizabeth’s work involves substantive issues arising under not only the Bankruptcy Code, but also various state laws.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received?
In my first year of practice, a senior attorney told me that I needed to develop my “thick lawyer skin.” In short, it was advice to not take things personally, which has helped me tremendously along the way. We work in an extremely stressful profession, and sometimes, particularly in the heat of the moment, that can bring out less than pleasant sides of people, whether they are opposing counsels, partners for whom we work, or even our clients. Similarly, even when it may seem everything is stacked in your favor, you sometimes still lose that motion. Keeping a level head and focusing on end game goals serves better than dwelling on minor setbacks. Of course, thick lawyer skin doesn’t mean not standing up for yourself when warranted, though.
What has been your best experience from your time as a Fellow?
I’ve really enjoyed connecting with other business law attorneys from around the state both at my same level and more senior to me. Although I meet other attorneys when we’re opposing one another in a case, meeting through the BLS is different. We aren’t connecting to meet and confer or negotiate our clients’ positions. Rather, we’re working together toward common goals to better the Florida business legal landscape, such as identifying gaps in legislation, promoting proposals for new laws, and providing CLE opportunities to other attorneys and similar learning opportunities to other Florida professionals and the public.