Leading by Example

Hartford Shareholder Robert Simpson was named to Lawyers of Color’s 2019 “Nation’s Best” list in recognition of his leadership and commitment to diversity and inclusion in the legal profession. He was recently a panel moderator at the 94th Annual Convention for the National

Bar Association, the oldest and largest national network of predominantly

African American attorneys and judges, for which he serves on the

Executive Committee and previously served as chair of the Commercial Law Section. Rob is a long-standing member of the Connecticut

Hispanic Bar Association and the George W. Crawford Black

Bar Association, which honored him with its highest award, the

Trailblazer Award.

ROBERT SIMPSON Shareholder Hartford In August 2019, Rob was appointed to serve as a Leadership Development

Coordinator for the ABA

Section of Litigation.

Tampa Shareholder Laurel Lockett spearheaded a partnership with Equality Florida to create and distribute several editions of the Legal Handbook for LGBTQ Floridians and Their Families, a guide to assist LGBTQ citizens in understanding their rights concerning discrimination, adoption, parental rights, domestic partnership agreements, and estate planning before the legalization of samesex marriage.

Los Angeles Shareholder Barry Weissman was appointed to the State Bar of California’s Council on Access and Fairness (COAF) for a three-year term. COAF serves as the bar’s diversity “think tank,” and advises the board of trustees on strategies to enhance diversity opportunities and advancement in the legal profession.

Carlton Fields President and CEO Gary Sasso and Chief Diversity Officer Nancy Faggianelli were featured in the ABA article “Nine Tips for Building a Diverse and Inclusive Law Firm” about embedding diversity and inclusion into the law firm workplace. Gary received the 2010 CEO Diversity Leadership Award from Diversity Best Practices, and co-chaired The Florida Bar’s Gender Diversity Task Force.

West Palm Beach Shareholder Amanda Romfh Jesteadt served as president of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers, Palm Beach County chapter, and previously served on the Diversity and Inclusion Committee of The Florida Bar. Tampa Shareholder Jin Liu was featured in the 2019 edition of Florida

Super Lawyers, in which she shares her story on becoming an attorney after immigrating to the United

States from China. After receiving her undergraduate degree in law from Sichuan International Studies

University in Chongqing, Jin left her hometown of Liangping to pursue her legal career and see the world. When she arrived in the United States, she knew no one and had little occasion to speak English conversationally. She currently serves as a board member and founding member of the Tampa Bay chapter of the Asian Pacific

American Bar Association. Jin is also a past fellow of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, and later served as historian and executive council member of its alumni association. JIN LIU Shareholder Tampa

Miami Office Co-Managing Shareholder Amy Furness was featured on the cover of the July 2019 issue of Florida Trend and in an in-depth article focusing on Amy’s legal career. In November 2019, she was elected vice president – sustaining of PLAC, formerly the Product Liability Advisory Council. In recognition of her strong record of leadership, AMY FURNESS Shareholder performance, and innovation, as well as Miami her dedication to her community, Amy was named one of South Florida Business Journal’s Influential Business Women of 2020.

Tampa Of Counsel and Florida State Representative Fentrice Driskell served as president of the George Edgecomb Bar Association. She recently served as vice chair of The Florida Bar’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee and as co-chair of the Subcommittee on Gender Equality. Fentrice has been blazing a trail since long before her legal career. She was the first African American woman to serve as student government president at Harvard University. Miami Shareholder Rahul Ranadive serves on the board of directors for the South Asian Bar Association (SABA) of North America, and is vice president, South Florida, for SABA Florida.

West Palm Beach Associate Ashley Drumm serves as president-elect of the Palm Beach County chapter of the Federal Bar Association.

Miami Of Counsel Edith Osman was selected as the recipient of the University of Miami School of Law’s Henry Latimer Professionalism Award. The award recognizes a graduate of the law school who exemplifies ethical behavior, professionalism, humanity, service, and kindness to all. Edith was also selected as one of the ABA’s 100 Women Who Inspire Us. She was honored at the 2019 ABA Women in Litigation Joint CLE Conference in Chicago, which highlighted women successfully leading in the courtroom, in the judiciary, and in the profession.

Washington, D.C., Shareholder Gina Hough serves on the LGBT subcommittee of the American Intellectual Property Law Association. In 2019, Tampa Office Managing

Shareholder Lori Baggett established the Baggett Family Scholarship at Stetson University College of Law. The scholarship supports the academic achievement and potential of African

American students and seeks to increase their representation in the legal community. For Lori, the scholarship is her way of paying it forward, rekindling the same type of intentional financial assistance that enabled her to obtain a full scholarship for law school and helped propel her career.

“The scholarship represents an acknowledgment that intentional financial assistance is required if we want to achieve greater educational advancement for historically underrepresented groups in the legal profession,” said Lori, who was elevated to managing shareholder of the LORI BAGGETT Shareholder Tampa firm’s Tampa office in 2020.

Tampa Shareholder Eleanor Yost was named to the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) Bar Association’s inaugural list of the Top 50 Women in PTAB Trials. The list recognizes female practitioners who have appeared in the highest number of U.S. Patent and Trademark Office PTAB trial proceedings since 2012. Eleanor will be featured in the PTAB Bar Association’s upcoming report on Women at the PTAB, which studies gender diversity at law firms and companies participating in PTAB proceedings. One of the few women in an exceptionally male-dominated field, Eleanor stands out as a triple threat; she has experience litigating patent cases in district court, arguing ELEANOR YOST appeals before the Federal

Shareholder Circuit, and practicing Tampa before the PTAB.

Carlton Fields President and CEO Gary Sasso and Tampa Shareholder Sylvia Walbolt were featured in Florida Trend’s Florida 500 edition honoring the state’s 500 most influential business leaders.

Atlanta Associate D. Barret Broussard is the president of the Stonewall Bar Association of Georgia. In features in Peach Magazine Atlanta and Project Q, Barret shared his goals of elevating the interests and recognition of LGBTQ people in the legal profession to ensure that both advocates and clients have equal and meaningful access to justice, regardless of their identity. In 2019, Barret won the “Best Lawyer” award in Georgia Voice’s Best of Atlanta and, in 2020, was named one of Atlanta’s 500 most powerful people by Atlanta Magazine.