Florida Banking August 2021

KUDOS

FBA Congratulates Former General Counsel Carrie Ann Wozniak for Appointment as Judge, Welcomes Ginny Childs

T op 100 U.S. law firm Akerman LLP announced Litigation Partner Carrie Ann Wozniak has been appointed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to serve as Judge on Florida’s Fifth District Court of Appeal. She fills the judicial vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Richard Orfinger. Wozniak formerly worked for Akerman Law Firm as the Florida Bankers Association’s General Counsel. “This appointment is a significant honor and we could not be more proud of Carrie Ann,” said Scott Meyers, Akerman Chairman and CEO. “I am confident that she will bring to her new role as a Florida appellate judge the same extraordinary level of legal ability, dedication, and fairness that she demonstrated as an Akerman partner.” Wozniak began her legal career at Akerman in 2007 after a clerkship with the Florida Supreme Court. Board certified by the Florida Bar in Appellate Practice, she was also a member of Akerman’s Appellate Practice, where she represented clients in appellate litigation at the state and federal levels, as well as in commercial litigation in the trial courts. She served as general counsel to the Florida Bankers Association, where she assisted with drafting, revising, and commenting on myriad banking legislation and issues. Wozniak also served as Vice Chair of the Fifth District Court of Appeal Judicial Nominating Commission via nomination by the Florida Bar and appointment by previous Governor Rick Scott, and as a member of the Florida Bar’s Appellate Practice Section Executive Council, Appellate Rules Committee, and Appellate Practice Board Certification Committee. A fierce advocate in the community as well, Wozniak is past chair of Akerman’s Community Impact Team in Orlando, and her work on behalf of abused and neglected children earned her the Orange County Bar Association’s Elizabeth Susan Khoury Guardian Ad Litem Award of Excellence in 2016. She received her bachelor’s with honors from the University of Michigan in 2002 and a J.D. cum laude

from Stetson University College of Law in 2004. “We are very proud of Carrie Ann and have every confidence in her ability to serve in this capacity and even higher callings,” said FBA COO Pamela Ricco. Wozniak is succeeded by Ginny Childs as the FBA’s new general counsel. Childs is the office managing partner

Carrie Ann Wozniak

of Akerman LLP’s Orlando office. She is a commercial litigator with significant experience in business torts, complex commercial foreclosures, non-compete agreements, creditors’ rights and real estate and lender liability. She crafts solutions and restructures debt in a way that helps her clients avoid or curtail litigation. When litigation is unavoidable, Childs is an experienced lead trial lawyer and has obtained complete verdicts for her clients in two jury trials. She has extensive experience in various tort and insurance related cases and has represented some of the world’s largest and best known entities in litigation related to premises security, pre-employment background screening and the Fair Credit Reporting Act. The FBA welcomes Childs and looks forward to working with her. Ginny Childs

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