Karla D. Ellis Email & Phone Number

Miami, Fl, Us

Miami-Fort Lauderdale Area

• Representing insurance company in first-party insurance defense cases. Drafting and filing appellate motions, petitions, and appellate briefs. Training newly hired attorneys.• Supporting litigation teams by drafting various pleadings, motions for summary judgment, responses, post-trial motions, proposed orders, and jury instructions.• Drafting discovery responses.• Attending hearings in support of litigators.

Miami, Florida, United States

• Representing clients in direct criminal appeals before the Florida Supreme Court and the District Courts of Appeal.• Serving as an appointed/conflict appellate attorney for the Second Judicial Circuit.• Serving as a Special Assistant Public Defender for the Tenth Judicial Circuit.• Advocated and monitored relevant legislation, and drafted bill summaries for nonprofit organizations.• Served as Special Counsel to the Constitution Revision Commission 2017-2018.

Tallahassee, Florida Area

• Drafted over forty contracts, interagency agreements, and other procurement documents that resulted in numerous contractual relationships between the Department of Health and various private and public entities in Florida.• Reviewed over fifty contracts, requests for proposals, and other legal documents which ensured the legal sufficiency of such documents created by the department’s programs.• Negotiated several contracts with out-of-state vendors and familiarized such vendors with Florida’s procurement process.• Prepared documents in response to public records requests.

Tallahassee, Florida Area

• Reviewed and evaluated over thirty-five merits briefs and wrote summaries on such briefs to advise the justice on pending cases. • Drafted six proposed opinions for publication. • Prepared at least five no-request summaries and oral argument summaries on pending cases by researching and analyzing legal issues and summarizing legal arguments.

Tallahassee, Florida Area

• Specialized in drafting hundreds of pieces of legislation for state senators which were related to education; children, families, and elderly affairs; health care; and the state courts system. • Counseled and advised state senators, legislative aides, and committee staff members regarding the constitutionality and legality of proposed legislation.• Taught Senate staff on the proper writing style for drafting legislation by conducting eight bill drafting presentations using Microsoft Power Point and a drafting manual.• Mentored and trained several newly hired drafting attorneys and reviewed their work product.

Tallahassee, Florida Area

• Assisted a local county judge in teaching a legal research and writing class to prepare undergraduate students for the rigors of law school by incorporating real-life experiences with a scholastic curriculum.• Organized and conducted tours of the Florida Supreme Court and the First District Court of Appeal where the students actively participated in mock oral arguments.

Tallahassee, Florida Area

• Reviewed and evaluated many jurisdictional and merits briefs and wrote summaries on such briefs to advise the justice on pending cases. • Drafted over eight proposed opinions and orders for publication. • Prepared memoranda of law, no-request summaries, and oral argument summaries on pending cases by researching and analyzing legal issues and summarizing legal arguments.• Advised the justice on circulating opinions and pending cases.• Prepared recommendations on the disposition of several substantive and procedural motions, writs, and petitions.

Tallahassee, Florida Area

• Represented the state of Florida in hundreds of direct criminal appeals before the First District Court of Appeal and the Florida Supreme Court.• Represented the state of Florida in twenty federal habeas corpus before federal district courts.• Mentored and trained new attorneys by reviewing and evaluating their appellate briefs and preparing them for oral argument.

Tallahassee, Florida Area

• Assisted in regulating and licensing of the parimutuel wagering industry by representing the department before the Division of Administrative Hearings.• Drafted complaints, settlement agreements, proposed recommended orders, motions, discovery, and various pleadings.• Prosecuted parimutuel wagering licensees who were regulated by the department.• Prepared documents in response to public records requests.

Jd, Law

Post-Baccalaureate Work In Computer Science

Bs, Chemistry