Stephanie is a native of Florida, having been born and raised in Polk County, Florida. She graduated from Converse College, in Spartanburg, South Carolina, then obtained her Juris Doctor degree from Stetson University College of Law. Stephanie began her legal career representing the State of Florida Department of Revenue (DOR), Office for Child Support Enforcement, through a private contract law firm. As a DOR attorney, she prosecuted child support cases, by establishing paternity for unwed mothers, establishing child support for custodial parents, enforcing previously-entered child support orders, and modifying same when legally justified to do so. Stephanie left the public sector and came to Sarasota, where she became a member of its thriving legal community. In private practice, Stephanie has had the opportunity to expand the narrow field of child support to the larger, complex discipline of family law. As a private practitioner, she has become active in the legal community, by serving on the Boards of Directors for the Family Law Professional Collaborative, the Florida Association for Women Lawyers in Sarasota, and the Family Law Section of the Sarasota Bar. In addition, Stephanie has been a frequent speaker at the Women's Resource Center, and in the past, served as a Guardian ad Litem, Judge for the Teen Court program, and a Big Sister for the Bigs in School program through Big Brothers and Big Sisters. Stephanie's practice areas include adoption, from step-parent and relative adoptions, to private placement adoptions; as well as the broad spectrum of family law, including divorce; paternity; child support; property division; custody and visitation; enforcement and modification; and prenuptial agreements.
