On August 5, 2022, Governor Ron DeSantis appointed Justice Renatha Francis to the Florida Supreme Court.  Previously, Governor DeSantis appointed her to the 15th Judicial Circuit Court in Palm Beach County, where she successfully retained her seat for a six-year term in 2022. Justice Francis also served on the Circuit and County Courts in the 11th Judicial Circuit of Miami-Dade from 2017-19 by appointment to each by then-Governor Rick Scott. During her tenure on the bench, Justice Francis presided over large dockets, conducted numerous bench trials, and resolved hundreds of cases in family, civil, probate, and criminal law.

Justice Francis was raised in Kingston, Jamaica, where she operated small businesses while being a fulltime student. Justice Francis is the first Jamaican-American to serve on the Florida Supreme Court. Her second career as a lawyer came after graduating from law school in Jacksonville, Florida. She clerked at the First District Court of Appeal for 6 ½ years. Thereafter, she joined Shutts & Bowen, LLP, Of Counsel, in Miami-Dade, where she was a member of the Mass Litigation and Class Action Practice Group, representing large corporate clients. 

Unique Contributions to a United Legal Community

Justice Francis will discuss the unique contributions each attorney brings in building a better and more united legal community, focusing more particularly on women in law. She will address three main points: (1) what women lawyers, as a united community, uniquely bring to the larger legal community; (2) the importance of women lawyers, the struggles women lawyers often face, and how we are shaping future generations; and (3) our importance as individuals, particularly as it relates to lawyer wellness, in ensuring our ability to uniquely contribute our gifts and talents to the legal profession, our families, and our communities.

This year, JWLA is continuing its efforts of community outreach and giving back to the local community.  For each luncheon, we will spotlight a local charity or other nonprofit organization and will conduct a donation drive, to be collected at that month’s luncheon.  This luncheon, we will be spotlighting and collecting donations for the American Red Cross to support hurricane relief efforts. If you would like to donate in advance, please visit American Red Cross.

We hope you will join in on our effort to give back to our local community.  Any questions can be directed to Jess Lefebvre at [email protected].