Meet LaShawnda
LaShawnda K. Jackson was born in Titusville, Florida. She was the fourth child to a 19-year-old mother. LaShawnda's father was murdered when she was just three (3) years old. Her older brothers eventually ended up in the foster care system. LaShawnda was raised in the projects of East Mims by her father's sister whom she has always considered "Mom." LaShawnda's aunt was given a "temporary guardianship." But due to a lack of access to lawyers or the legal system, LaShawnda remained a ward of the state until she was 18 and without any formal adoption. She never let her circumstances deter her or her dreams of becoming a lawyer.
She attended Astronaut High School, lettered in three sports and was recently inducted into the school’s 2024 War Eagles Athletic Hall of Fame. LaShawnda also attended the University of Florida on academic scholarships and competed as a hammer thrower and shot putter on the Lady Gator Track & Field Team where she won three (3) SEC team titles. Through her time as a student-athlete, LaShawnda learned the value of hard work, discipline, time management, as well as giving back.
In addition to various voluntary bar association leadership roles with various organizations like the Orange County Bar Association (OCBA), the OCBA Young Lawyers Section, the Paul Perkins Bar Association, and the Virgil Hawkins Florida Chapter National Bar Association, LaShawnda has volunteered for several organizations throughout Central Florida, especially those involving children and at-risk youth. From reading to head-start students to participating in Street Law and You-Be-The Judge programs at various schools and after-school outreach programs, LaShawnda has spent the entirety of her career giving back to her community. Her most recent endeavor involves helping fight the affordable housing crisis in Greater Orlando and Osceola County.
LaShawnda is a trial lawyer with 22 years of experience litigating cases right here in Orange and Osceola Counties, as well as throughout Florida. She has represented individuals, small businesses, corporations, and governmental entities. Her most recent endeavor involves helping fight the affordable housing crisis in Orange and Osceola Counties by serving on the Board of the Habitat for Humanity of Greater Orlando and Osceola County.
LaShawnda is proud to say that on July 25, 2019, after over 40 years, she was formally adopted by her "Mom" at a ceremony at the Orange County Courthouse. Now she seeks to serve in that very same courthouse supporting families, no matter how they came to be. She is the experienced and hardworking candidate who will be fair to all who come before her.
EXPERIENCE
LaShawnda has been a member of the Florida Bar since 2002. She is also admitted to practice in the U.S. Supreme Court, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and the U.S. District Courts of Florida (Northern, Middle, and Southern). She is a trial lawyer with 21+ years of experience litigating cases throughout Florida. She has represented individuals, small businesses, corporations, and governmental entities.
CAREER ACHIEVEMENTS
Orange County Bar Association, Past President (2020-2021)
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Orange County Young Lawyers Section, Past President (2011-2012)
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Paul C. Perkins Bar Association, Past President (2006 to 2007)
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Virgil Hawkins Florida Chapter National Bar Association, Past President (2018-2019) |
National Bar Association Habitat for Humanity of Greater Orlando & Osceola County, Board of Directors |
First Presbyterian Church of Orlando Afterschool Outreach Program (past volunteer)
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George C. Young Central Florida American Inns of Court, Public Relations Chair (2023 – Present) |
Florida Bar
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Appointed to Ninth Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission |
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida
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Selected to serve on the University of Florida F Club Committee |
Selected to serve on the University of Florida Levin College of Law, Law Center Association (LCA) Board of Trustees
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Selected to Astronaut High School Athletic Hall of Fame 2024 |
Selected as Florida Trend, "Florida 500" Listing of Florida's Most Influential Business Leaders 2019, 2021, 2023 |
Selected as Florida Super Lawyers Rising Star 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016 |
Recipient of Orange County Bar Association’s Lawrence G. Mathews, Jr. Young Lawyers Professionalism Award 2014 |
Selected as Orlando Business Journal's "Women Who Business: Women To Watch List" 2014 |
Selected as Orlando Business Journal's "40 Under 40" 2013 Finalist |
Recipient of Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division Diversity Award 2006 |