Current Employment Position(s)

Member

Year Joined Organization: 1990

Lawyer Overview

Areas of Practice

• Severance agreements
• Sexual Harassment
• Employment and Labor Law - Employee
• Employment Discrimination
• Whistleblower Litigation
• Noncompete Agreements
• Employment contracts

West Practice Categories

Age Discrimination, Disability & Illness Discrimination, National Origin Discrimination, Race Discrimination, Religious Discrimination, Sex Discrimination, Sexual Harassment, Class Actions -- Plaintiff, Employment Law -- Employee, Americans with Disabilities Act -- Employee, Employee Rights -- Employee, Employment Contracts -- Employee, Employment Discrimination -- Employee, Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) -- Employee, Sexual Harassment -- Employee, Whistleblower -- Employee, Wrongful Termination -- Employee, Labor Law

Bar Admissions

• Florida, 1986
• U.S. District Court Southern District of Florida, 1988
• U.S. District Court Middle District of Florida, 1989
• U.S. Court of Appeals 11th Circuit, 1999
• U.S. Court of Appeals Federal Circuit, 2002

Certification/Specialties

• Mediator Circuit Civil
• "Employment & Commercial Arbitration Panels,, American Arbitration Association

Professional Associations and Memberships

• Dade Community Council, District 2, 1996 - 1998 (Councilwoman)
• Ark Environmental Foundation, U.S., Inc., 1997 - 1998 (Director/Secretary)
• Florida Bar, 1993 - 1996 (Member, Committee on Judicial Evaluation)
• Dade County Bar, 1994 - 1995 (Member, ABA Host Committee)
• Dade County Bar, 1994 - 1995 (Chair, Subcommittee on Host Services)
• Grand Jury Association of Florida, 1992 - 1998 (Board Member)
• National Association of Women Business Owners, 1992 - 1994 (Board Member)
• National Association of Women Business Owners, 1991 - 1992 (Co-Chair, Committee on Government Affairs)
• Business and Professional Women, Downtown Miami Club, 1992 - 1994 (First Vice President)
• Florida Association for Women Lawyers, 1992 - 1995 (Board Member)
• Florida Association for Women Lawyers, 1991 - 1992 (Chair, Committee on Legislation)
• Florida Association for Women Lawyers, 1992 - 1995 (Chair, Committee on Gender Bias)
• American Arbitration Association, 1993 - Present (Arbitrator)

Honors and Awards

• The Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiffs' Lawyers in America, 2007
• Named a Leading Florida Attorney and Leading American Attorney by Amer. Research Corp., 1999 - 2004
• Named a Top South Florida Lawyer by "South Florida Legal Guide.", 2001 - Present
• Award from PULSE in recognition for dedicated legal services to the African-American community and the PULSE organization.
• Named Woman of Distinction by Grand Jury Association of Florida, 1995-96., 1995 - 1996
• Named Woman of the Year by Downtown Business and Professional Women, 1991-92., 1991 - 1992
• Listed in Who's Who in American Law, International Who's Who, Who's Who in the World, and Who's Who in the South and Southwest.
• AV-rated (Highest Martindale Hubbell's Peer Review Rating), 1994 - Present

Classes and Seminars

• Taught Feb. 21, 2007 Business & Legal Reports HR continuing education audio conference on new Florida employment laws and cases
• Served as panelist on the Daily Business Review's Labor and Employment Law Roundtable September 14, 2006 regarding severance and non-compete agreements.
• Taught Continuing Legal Education Seminar/panel, "Employment Law Update," February 4, 2004, Sterling Education Services.
• Taught Continuing Legal Education Seminar/panel, "Family and Medical Leave," December 10, 2003, Lorman Education Services.
• Taught Continuing Accounting Education (CPE) Seminar/panel, "Employment Law Overview" October 25, 2002, November 7, 2003, 2005, 2006, Florida Gold Coast Alumni Chapter of Alpha Kappa Psi.
• Taught Continuing Legal Education Seminar/panel, "Sexual Harassment and Workplace Violence", January 15, 2002, Lorman Education Services
• Taught Seminar/panel, "Family and Medical Leave Act in Florida", December 14, 1999, Lorman Education Services.
• Taught Continuing legal education seminar, "Vogue Topics in Employment Law" covering issues of litigation prevention and sexual harassment on June 27, 1997 at the Florida Bar Annual Conference on behalf of FAWL.
• Speeches, "How to Defend Against or Bring Employee Discrimination Claims" to Downtown and North Miami Kiwanis, Downtown Business and Professional Women, Hialeah/Miami Springs Business and Professional Women in 1992-96.
• Featured in Lifetime Television Network's 1996 special, "Full Disclosure: Sexual Harassment" relating to legal issues in sexual harassment, specifically discussing defamation relating to false claims of sexual harassment.
• Taught Seminar, "Election Law", New Miami Group as part of a panel, 1994, 1996, 1998. Topics: contributions, expenditures, reporting, qualifying, and other issues relating to Florida election law as it applies to candidates and campaigns.
• Taught Seminar "Election Law", Florida Democratic Convention, 1991, 1993. Topics: contributions, expenditures, reporting, qualifying, and other issues relating to Florida election law as it applies to candidates, parties and campaigns.
• Taught CLE Seminar, "Executive Session, Sunshine Law/Public Records Law", Association of County and City Attorneys, 6/18/98.
• Taught Seminar, "The One-Two-Threes of Starting Your Own Business", The International Women's Convention, sponsored by the National Association of Women Business Owners, 1994 and 1996.

Pro Bono Activities

• Guardian Ad Litem, 1988 - 1992

Education

• University of Miami School of Law, Coral Gables, Florida, 1986
  J.D.
  Honors: cum laude
  
  Law Review: University of Miami Law Review
• Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts, 1981
  B.A.
  Honors: magna cum laude
  Major: Political Science
  Major: Philosophy

Published Works

• The Florida Election Law Handbook
• New Guidelines on Hiring Under Disability Act, Miami Daily Business Review, August 29, 1994
• Election Law, Miami Herald Almanac of Florida Politics
• Don't Fear Lawsuits, But Prepare for the Worst, Broward Review, Miami Review Business Tips Section, December 6, 1993
• Political Campaign Contributions, Foreign Nationals in Florida Elections, Fla. B.J., March, 1991
• Ungagging the Judges, Miami Review, Nov. 22, 1991
• Adrift in a Sea of Frivolous Suits, Miami Review (Regarding Employment Discrimination Suits), July 5, 1991
• Are You Ready To Go Solo?, Barrister Magazine (Young Lawyers Publication of the American Bar Association), Winter 1991-1992
• Flying Solo (Reprint), Full Disclosure: Do You Really Want to Be a Lawyer, Young Lawyers Division of the American Bar Association
• Casenote, AFSCME v. Washington (Co-Author), 1986 U. Miami L. Rev.

Address

5001 S. University Drive
Suite G
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33328

Phones

954-680-6300

Faxes

Unpublished

Emails

Contact Us

Websites

http://www.lawyers.com/ballman
http://www.ballmanfirm.com
http://www.severance-florida.com