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Dorothy F. Easley

Easley Appellate Practice, P.L.L.C. 1200 Brickell Avenue Suite 1950 Miami, FL 33131 Practice Area(s): Appellate Practice, Civil Litigation call (800) 216-6185 visit website

Biographical Information Admission Dates & Jurisdictions Education Honors & Awards Publications Service Activities

Biographical Information

Licensed since 1994, Dorothy Easley has established her appellate practice as a top-rated and award-winning premiere all-Board-Certified appellate law firm. Dorothy is “AV Preeminent” rated (the highest possible for legal ability and ethics) by Martindale-Hubbell, whose ratings cover both legal skills and attorney ethics. Dorothy has been recognized with multiple additional accolades, including being selected in the Register of Preeminent Lawyers in the United States. The Florida Bar has certified Dorothy Easley since 2003 as an “appellate expert” and “appellate specialist”, with fewer than 200 certified as such and able to claim that select designation. The Florida Bar also recognized Dorothy in 2009 for Excellence in the Promotion of Board Certification. When it comes to federal appeals, Dorothy is a nationally recognized author who literally wrote the book: Successful Federal Appeals in All Circuit Courts: A Practical Guide for Busy Lawyers. Dorothy appreciates the value of hard work, perseverance and tenacity. She grew up on a farm, learned to drive a tractor, and worked on a forestry logging crew for room and board as an undergraduate in the mountains of North Carolina. Dorothy has a Master of Science, summa cum laude, in forest genetics from New York, and a Juris Doctor, cum laude, in law from Miami. Her diverse professional experience–as a published research scientist in Latin America, as a university law professor, as a board certified appellate specialist, and as a former “biglaw” partner–has positioned her as a recognized leader in the appellate community. 

Admission Dates & Jurisdictions

Admitted to The Florida Bar in 1994.

Also admitted to:

  • ​U.S. Supreme Court
  • Florida Supreme Court
  • All Florida District Courts of Appeal, Statewide
  • All U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals, Nationwide (1st Circuit through 11th Circuit)

Education

J.D. Law, cum laude,  University of Miami School of Law, Coral Gables, Florida.

M.S. Forest Genetics, summa cum laude, SUNY/ESF Syracuse, New York.

B.A. Warren Wilson College, with honors, Asheville, North Carolina.

Honors & Awards

  • One of the “10 Best” Family Law Attorneys for Florida by the American Institute of Family Law Attorneys, 2016
  • AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell®
  • Florida Bar 2009 Award fpr Excellence in the Promotion of Board Certification
  • Ranked Top 100 Lawyers, South Florida, in Super Lawyer Magazine 2010.
  • Ranked Top 50 Women Lawyers in Super Lawyer Magazine 2009, 2010.
  • Florida Super Lawyer (top 5 percent of Florida lawyers), Super Lawyer Magazine, annually since 2006
  • Florida Bar Board Certified in Appellate Law.
  • Legal Elite (top 1.9 percent of all Florida Lawyers), Trend Magazine
  • Top Appellate Lawyer, South Florida Legal Guide
  • ALM Recognition of Easley in Top Women Leaders in the Law, featured in Fortune Magazine, 2014 and again in 2015
  • ALM Recognition of EAP Among South Florida’s Top Lawyers, Legal Leaders in Appellate, Business/Commercial Law
  • Executive Editor & Staff Member, Univ. Miami School of Law Inter-American Law Review, 1992-94.
  • Lillian R. Levy Award for Excellence, University of Miami Inter-American Law Review. 1993-94.
  • American Jurisprudence Award, top award for excellence in the study of Contract Law, Fall, 1991.
  • Highest Mark, top award for excellence in the study of European Market Law, Fall, 1992.
  • Research Fellow, C. Eugene Farnsworth Memorial Fellowship, SUNY/CESF.
  • Research Fellow, Edna Bailey Sussman National Fellowship.

Publications

* Federal Appellate Jurisdiction Still Has Its Limits, ABA App. Prac. Newsletter (Winter 2015)
 
 
* Proposed Amendments (Some Controversial) to the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure, XX(4) The Record, Fla. J. App. Prac. (Winter 2014)
 
 
* The Persistent Legislative, Executive, and Corporate Attempts to Control the Judiciary, XX(2) The Record, Fla. J. App. Prac. Sec.  2 (Spring 2014)
 
 
* Preparing Your Employment Law Case for Appeal in the Eleventh Circuit, 11th Circuit Joint NELA Conference, Savannah,Ga. (March 21, 2014)
 
* Preparation of Appellate Briefs, Fla. Bar App. Prac. Book (2013-14).
 
* Amicus Briefs, Fla. Bar App. Prac. Book (2013-14).
 
*  Appellate Stays in Civil Cases: Florida and Federal Courts Offer More Security Flexibility Than Believed, But Beware of Violating Their Stays, 86(10) Fla. Bar. J. 48 (Dec. 2012).
 
 
* The Appellate Process and How Decisions Are Made, Univ. Miami School of Law Presentation (June 2012).
 
* Amicus Briefs, Fla. Bar App. Prac. Book (2011-12).
 
* The Appellate Process and How Decisions Are Made, Univ. Miami School of Law Presentation (June 2011).

* Formatting and Cite-Checking Federal and State Appellate Briefs, Fla. App. Prac. Sec. Meet the State and Federal Clerks Seminar Before the Third District Court of Appeal (March 2011).

* Judicial Notice on Appeal: A History Lesson in Recent Trends,  84(10) Fla Bar. J. 45 (Dec. 2010).
 
* Writing Better Appellate Briefs,  Fla. App. Prac. Sec. Practice Before the Florida Fifth District Court of Appeal Panel Presentation (March 2010).
 
* Amicus Briefs, Fla. Bar App. Prac. Book (2009-10).
 
* Electronic Filing: The Sun Sets on the Paper Trail, ABA-AJEI Panel Presentation (Fall 2009).
 
* Judicial Notice on Appeal: National Trends, Fla. App. Prac. Sec. CLE (Spring 2009).
 
 

* Quo Warranto Extraordinary Writs, Fla. Bar App. Prac. Book (2006-07).
 
 
 
 

 
 
 

Service Activities

  • President, Rosemary Barkett Appellate Inn of Court, 2015-Present.
  • Appellate Practice Certification Committee, 2012-15.
  • Immediate Past President, Third District Court of Appeal Historical Society, 2015-16.
  • President, Third District Court of Appeal Historical Society, 2014-15.
  • Officer, Third District Court of Appeal Historical Society, 2010-15.
  • Chair, Florida Bar Appellate Practice Section 20th Anniversary Committee, 2012-13.
  • Immediate Past Chair, Florida Bar Appellate Practice Section (“APS”), 2010-11.
  • Chair, Florida Appellate Practice Section, 2009-10.
  • Chair Elect, Florida Appellate Practice Section, 2008-09.
  • Vice Chair, Florida Appellate Practice Section, 2007-08.
  • Delegate, Appellate Practice Section, Florida Bar Council of Sections, since 2007.
  • Chair, Florida Appellate Practice Section Special Subcomm on Appellate Board Recertification Standards, 2006-07.
  • Chair, Florida Appellate Practice Section Legislation and Public Education Committee. 2011-12.
  • Treasurer, Third District Court of Appeal Historical Society. 2011-12.
  • Membership Director, Third District Court of Appeal Historical Society. 2010-11.
  • Vice Chair, Florida Bar Appellate Court Rules Committee (“ACRC”), 2008-09.
  • Chair, ACRC, General Practice Subcomm, 2008-09.
  • Chair, ACRC Orientations Subcomm, 2006-07.
  • Member,  ACRC E-filing Subcomm,  2005-09.
  • Member, ACRC Rules Criminal Law Subcomm, 2007-08.
  • Member, ACRC Civil Rules Subcomm, 2005-08.
  • Member, ACRC Records on Appeal Subcomm, 2004-09.
  • Chair, APS Pro Se Appellate Handbook Committee, 2005-09.
  • Editor-in-Chief, The Record, Florida Journal of the Appellate Practice Section, 2004-05.
  • Elected Member, APS Executive Council, 2003-05.
  • Member, Florida Defense Lawyers Amicus Committee, 2005-09.
  • Member, Editorial Board,Trial Advocate Quarterly, 2005-09.

 

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